‘Just going to the doctor’ is not so common – The telephone triage nurse
26-11-2024 -The work of a telephone triage nurse is particularly challenging: without actually seeing the patient, estimating how high the emergency room is and what care is appropriate. A profession that is invisible to many, until you have to deal with it as a patient in an emergency situation. It may just be that you get Elina on the phone. With her years of knowledge and experience, she knows how to keep a cool head as a telephone triage nurse and can act adequately.
“I have to be sharp again every phone call. Listening carefully and asking questions are extremely important, because human lives are at stake. I do my best to understand what the patient needs every time.” Elina gives us an insight into her special work.
Just go to the doctor
Elina regularly notices that people call Dokterswacht to make an appointment with the General Practitioner. “People sometimes already have in their heads that they have to go to the doctor. But ‘just going to the doctor’ is not so common“. Elina explains that outside office hours you only have to go to the doctor in case of an emergency. Otherwise, you can safely wait until your own doctor is back.
Elina gives an example: “In the evening, a gentleman called who thought that antibiotics had to be taken for his red leg immediately. But I explained that redness doesn’t always need urgent treatment. He had better put the leg up first; He had been active all day.” The conversation turned grim when Elina did not make an appointment for him at the General Practitioner for that reason. “Fortunately, I managed to reassure him after a while, but that takes a lot of time. And during that time I can’t help others who do need care right away”.
Anger
Dokterswacht does everything it can to keep the waiting times on the line as short as possible, but sometimes it is still busy. Elina: “We understand that it is annoying for patients if they have to wait a long time. Some people get very angry and that makes our work quite difficult. I hope people see that we really do our best and are there to help them.”
Moments that stay with you
“Some experiences remain forever etched in your memory.” Elina tells about a conversation that started with vague complaints that she could not immediately place. “A lady had a very severe headache and became completely sweaty during the conversation. The alarm bells suddenly rang for me. I immediately had an ambulance sent” It turned out to be a brain hemorrhage and thanks to Elina’s quick action, the lady was helped in time. “After such an emergency situation, in which I managed to create peace and arrange an ambulance, I think: I did this well. I do my job for moments like that.”
Worth it
Moments like that ensure that Elina continues to enjoy her work, despite the challenges. “The contact with people, the diversity of conversations and especially the gratitude I get from people, that’s what makes this work so special.” She emphasizes that the feeling that you are actually making a difference is her biggest motivation.
The work of a triage nurse is much more than just answering phone calls. It is a profession that revolves around care, listening, estimating and sometimes life-saving action. As Elina puts it: “Every day I learn something new and that’s what motivates me every time.”