Office nurse vs triage nurse

The differences between office nurses and triage nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office nurse and a triage nurse. Additionally, a triage nurse has an average salary of $64,592, which is higher than the $58,587 average annual salary of an office nurse.

The top three skills for an office nurse include patients, vital signs and patient education. The most important skills for a triage nurse are patients, home health, and patient education.

Office nurse vs triage nurse overview

	Office Nurse	Triage Nurse
Yearly salary	$58,587	$64,592
Hourly rate	$28.17	$31.05
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	278,856	345,410
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office nurse do?

Office Nurses are responsible for preparing patients for examinations, administering injections, treating wounds and incisions. Other duties include cleaning and sterilizing various instruments and equipment.

What does a triage nurse do?

A triage nurse provides patient care and overall nursing duties alongside the resident doctor in a clinic or hospital. It is the task of a triage nurse to oversee the condition of each patient and to report immediately to a doctor when emergencies occur. Added tasks of a triage nurse are monitoring and administering doctor prescriptions, and providing a caring environment for patients and their relatives through constant communication. The triage nurse is an essential part of a healthcare facility and is in-demand in many places around the world.

Office nurse vs triage nurse salary

Office nurses and triage nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Nurse	Triage Nurse
Average salary	$58,587	$64,592
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $87,000	Between $43,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	Uniondale, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between office nurse and triage nurse education

There are a few differences between an office nurse and a triage nurse in terms of educational background:

	Office Nurse	Triage Nurse
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Emory University	Duke University

Office nurse vs triage nurse demographics

Here are the differences between office nurses' and triage nurses' demographics:

	Office Nurse	Triage Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 5.0% Female, 95.0%	Male, 9.1% Female, 90.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between office nurse and triage nurse duties and responsibilities

Office nurse example responsibilities.

Case manage FMLA cases on a daily basis regarding FMLA abuse and employees with attendance issues.
Recognize and manage maternal complications: hemorrhage, preeclampsia, endometritis.
Monitor patients status that are on telemetry.
Facilitate ADL's and assist patients with functional mobility to increase comfort and quality of life.
Assist with patients, obtain EKG's, screen phone calls, and relay information to the physician.
Collect patient vital signs; monitor fetal heartbeats/rate/monitore fetal monitors for premature labor patients.

Triage nurse example responsibilities.

Recognize and manage maternal complications: hemorrhage, preeclampsia, endometritis.
Provide outpatient chemotherapy administration, patient education and telephone triage of patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Follow up on denials and appeals.
Experience in initiating prior authorizations, denials, and appeals.
Perform EKG's, labs, vision screening, hearing tests, pulmonary function tests.
Handle all heavy phone scheduling which include visits, blood work, diagnostic testing and cardiac rehabilitation.

Office nurse vs triage nurse skills

Common office nurse skills

Patients, 30%
Vital Signs, 7%
Patient Education, 5%
EKG, 4%
Exam Rooms, 4%
In-Office Procedures, 4%

Common triage nurse skills

Patients, 30%
Home Health, 10%
Patient Education, 4%
Test Results, 3%
Symptom Management, 3%
Urgent Care, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Office Nurse
Office Nurse vs Triage Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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