Outreach/Triage Nurse

About the role

The Outreach/Triage Nurse will provide patient education, assess patient status/prioritize care accordingly, and provide outreach to patients who face barriers to care, have chronic health conditions, and have complex medical needs. This position encompasses direct patient care and patient education/advocacy. The individual in this role will work between two locations: Hope Haven (outreach) and Charlotte Community Health Clinic’s Ophelia-Garmon Brown Medical Clinic (triage).

Core requirements include: Patient Centered Customer Service, Caring and Compassion, Respectful Communication, Teamwork, Accountability, and Customer Safety.

Schedule

Full-time, exempt. Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–5:00 pm.

Locations

• Hope Haven: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (24 hours/week)
• Ophelia Garmon-Brown Medical Clinic: Tuesdays and Fridays (16 hours/week)

Responsibilities

Patient Outreach:

• Provides patient education, outreach, and clinical support to improve access to care and promote positive patient outcomes for patients experiencing homelessness/instability, chronic diseases, substance use challenges, transitional life/medical situations, food insecurity, etc.
• Provides age-specific patient care by assessing, implementing, evaluating, and documenting patient needs, nursing actions taken, and patient responses to care; updates patient chart.
• Gathers information, reviews past allergic reactions, administers medications and treatments within scope of practice.
• Shares patient information with provider to facilitate care evaluations and follows direction from provider.
• Makes patient referrals as directed by the provider to resolve identified problems or reach established patient goals.
• Reviews orders for clarity and appropriateness.
• Reaches out to patients who are overdue for or have missed appointments to re-engage.
• Identifies patients who will benefit from community resources and care management.
• Identifies patient learning needs, incorporates into care by providing education and counsel to patients, and documents patient understanding.
• Helps facilitate that care provided is consistent with policies, procedures, and telephone triage protocols, in cooperation with the physician.
• Able to function in emergency situations and facilitates the care provided for all patients.
• Provides high-quality, safe, and thorough patient care; serves as an advocate for the patient.
• Maintains all appropriate licensure; understands and follows HIPAA guidelines and regulations.
• Ensures all test results, in-house and referred, are reported to the provider by checking a manifest or providing oversight of pending labs.
• Performs CLIA waived tests.
• Participates in community events, health fairs, medical screenings, etc. as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Triage:

• Evaluates incoming patients in person and over the phone to determine the urgency of their needs and prioritize care based on their condition(s).
• Provides treatments, administers vaccines, etc. as needed and within scope.
• Provides age-specific patient care by assessing, implementing, evaluating, and documenting the individual patient's needs, actions taken, and the patient's responses relative to nursing care.
• Shares patient information with the provider to facilitate care evaluations and updates data in the medical record; accepts direction from the provider.
• Makes patient referrals as directed by the provider, and as appropriate, to resolve identified problems or reach established patient goals.
• Reviews orders for clarity and appropriateness; gathers information, reviews past allergic reactions.
• Administers medications and treatments within the scope of practice, uses approved policies/procedures/protocols.
• Displays critical thinking skills to determine appropriate care; considers patient/family beliefs/differences and incorporates them into patient care.
• Identifies patient learning needs, incorporates them into care by providing education and counsel to patients, and documents patient understanding.
• Knowledgeable of growth and development of an individual’s life stages.
• Able to function in emergency situations and facilitate the care provided for all patients; serves as an advocate for the patient.
• Understands and follows HIPAA guidelines and ensures the confidentiality of patient results.
• Ensures all test results, in-house and referred, are reported to the provider by checking a manifest or providing oversight of pending labs.
• Able to perform CLIA waived tests as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree in nursing (Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in nursing preferred).
• Active and unencumbered NC RN license or multi-state license that encompasses lawful practice in North Carolina.
• 4+ years of experience in direct patient care/triage, preferably primary care.
• Current BLS certification (must be obtained within 90 days of employment).
• Prior experience with Epic is a plus.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team.
• Proficient with electronic health records (Epic highly preferred).
• Maintain the highest level of confidentiality and follow all HIPAA regulations.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English highly preferred.
• Experience working in an FQHC environment highly preferred.
• Ability to pivot and adapt in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Accepts and learns from constructive criticism.
• Maintain continuous education to stay current with healthcare best practices and new technology.
• Ability to effectively work with patients, colleagues, community partners, etc. that come from various backgrounds.
• Must have reliable transportation and valid NC driver’s license; ability to travel between multiple sites as needed.

Physical demands

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met