How to Become an Advice Nurse
An advice nurse, also known as a telephone triage nurse, provides health guidance over the phone. They assess and communicate whether callers are safe to use recommended home remedies or should be seen by a healthcare provider. When necessary, they assist with coordinating the patient’s in-person visit. This service is often a health plan benefit that’s offered to subscribers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Those two terms — advice nurse and telephone triage nurse — aren’t always interchangeable. Sometimes advice nurses only answer questions regarding a particular topic. The callers may just want to stay informed rather than seek assistance for a personal health issue. Knowing that their situation isn’t an emergency and doesn’t require them to call 911, the patient can instead call a nurse advice line for help.
A telephone triage nurse, on the other hand, assesses a patient’s medical needs over the phone. Depending on the urgency of the patient’s condition, the triage nurse may refer the caller to an appropriate provider.
Any nurse with an RN license can apply to work as a medical advice nurse, but there are several key things to keep in mind when considering this nursing career option. It’s important to have strong communication skills and soft skills to manage patient care without in-person interaction. Read on to learn more about what it takes to become a medical advice nurse.
The Changing Healthcare Landscape
Healthcare is no exception to the increased presence of technology and the efficiency it brings. More people can manage much of their lives — including accessing one-on-one medical assistance — without leaving their homes. Remote nurses are able to monitor, and manage patients’ chronic conditions on a daily basis, which has helped cut down on the number of admissions to emergency departments. This has, in turn, alleviated strain on the healthcare industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in telehealth demand, which increased opportunities for remote nursing work. Virtual healthcare is now a standard part of brick-and-mortar facilities, as well as many health insurance plans. Telehealth is more cost efficient and easier for people with transportation barriers, and patients are often satisfied with this type of care.
What Does an Advice Nurse Do?
These nurses answer patient calls by prioritizing the urgency of the situation. If all the calls appear to be the same acuity, the nurse can answer in the order they arrived. They document the encounter and decide the next steps.
If the patient doesn’t need to seek care in a healthcare facility, the nurse can share any relevant resources for patient education in addition to medical recommendations. If necessary, the nurse schedules appointments or directs the patient to nearby urgent care and emergency departments. Sometimes, these nurses must contact another staff member for consultation or for other reasons unique to the situation.
Why Become an Advice Nurse?
1. No Direct Patient Contact
As the name suggests, phone triage nurses work with patients over the phone or in a virtual setting. This means that there is no direct patient contact, which can reduce the risk of physical injury and pathogen exposure. One downside to this job is that nurses remain sedentary for the entirety of the shift, but this can be mitigated by taking short breaks for walks and other forms of movement.
2. One Patient at a Time
Another perk of advice nursing is that you work with one patient at a time. You will need to prioritize the order of importance when there are multiple calls, but you get to focus on solving one patient’s problem before moving on to the next one.
3. Options for Remote Work
Telephone triage nurses may also be able to work remotely. This position allows RNs to work from home as long as their workspace meets technology requirements.
4. Provide Care to Patients With Little Access to Health Services
Telephone triage nurses play crucial roles in the first steps of addressing acute problems, and the ongoing health of patients. This is especially true for those patients who are unable to access healthcare otherwise. This could be why telephone triage nursing is a well-paid specialty despite the absence of direct patient contact.
To get a better idea of what you might earn, look at all the telehealth nursing jobs on IntelyCare now.
Requirements for Becoming an Advice Nurse
As long as you’re comfortable with technology and possess relevant experience, any RN can apply for a job as a medical advice nurse. The following career path is an example:
- Earn your nursing degree
- Pass the NCLEX
- Gain clinical experience
It can be to your advantage if you have experience educating patients about chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure. Some positions may require compact licensure to enable you to practice across state lines. RNs with stellar communication skills and a knack for making quick decisions under pressure excel in this position.
The Importance of Soft Skills
Advice nurses use their soft skills to accurately understand a patient’s needs and potentially avoid a trip to a healthcare facility. In this role, soft skills like patience, active listening, and empathy are essential. It’s your job to bring calm and clarity to a tense or confusing situation and help the caller successfully address their issue.
When advising people over the phone, clear communication is imperative. Nurses need to be sure they’re correctly interpreting a patient’s questions and condition. Then nurses must translate medical information to people of varying education levels.
Medical advice nurses must also accurately communicate their findings to various members of the healthcare team and non-healthcare staff such as social workers and managers.
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