Nurse Triage Specialist

Description:

SUMMARY: The Nurse Triage Specialist plays a vital role in ensuring accessible, equitable healthcare for patients in a community health setting. Responsibilities include assessing patient symptoms over the phone or via electronic communication, providing timely clinical advice, and directing patients to appropriate levels of care using evidence-based protocols. The Nurse Triage Specialist helps bridge healthcare gaps for vulnerable and underserved populations, promoting preventative care and reducing unnecessary emergency room visits.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: All duties are subject to accommodation in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

• Provide telephone and electronic triage to patients of all ages
• Assess urgency of patient symptoms using standardized triage protocols and clinical judgment.
• Educate patients on self-care, medication use, chronic disease management, and when to seek in-person care.
• Coordinate same-day or next-day appointments for patient needs in collaboration with scheduling staff and clinical teams.
• Recognize and escalate emergency crises, including connecting patients with urgent in-clinic, telehealth, or emergency services.
• Serve as a resource for community health navigation, including referrals to social services, behavioral health, or public health programs.
• Maintain accurate documentation of all patient interactions in the Electronic Health Record (EHR).
• Monitor patient messages, prescription refills, and overdue results within the EHR system and respond promptly.
• Participate in quality improvement activities aimed at improving access, patient experience, and clinical outcomes.
• Collaborate with healthcare providers, specialists, and other team members to coordinate patient care.
• May require flexible hours, including evenings or weekends based on patient needs.
• In-person clinical support and/or outreach participation.

Requirements:

Qualifications:

• Experienced and able to function effectively and professionally within an outpatient setting providing services to a special and diverse population group.
• Strong clinical judgement and excellent communication skills.
• Familiarity with underserved populations and commitment to health equity.
• Ability to work independently and make sound decisions under pressure.
• Proficiency with electronic health records, EPIC preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to work under pressure.
• CPR / BLS Certified

Education and/or Experience:

• Graduate of an accredited nursing program
• CT Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) license required, Registered Nurse (RN) preferred
• Minimum 2 years of clinical nursing experience; community health, primary care, or emergency nursing preferred

Physical Requirements and Work Environment: The physical requirements and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position requires the manual dexterity sufficient to operate phones, computers, and other office equipment. The position requires the physical ability to kneel, bend and perform light lifting. This person must have the ability to write and speak clearly using the English language to convey information and be able to hear at normal speaking levels both in person and over the telephone. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Generally, the working conditions are good with little or no exposure to extremes in health, safety hazards and/or hazardous materials. This person must have the ability to travel as required to work with staff.