How to hire a triage nurse

How to hire a triage nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step triage nurse hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a triage nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new triage nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the triage nurse you need to hire. Certain triage nurse roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect triage nurse also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of triage nurses and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Triage Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Triage Nurse	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$20-45
   Nurse Coordinator	A nurse coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing all nurses and their activities in a hospital or clinic. Their responsibilities include managing and rotating schedules, assessing nurse performance, organizing nursing programs, and developing strategies to optimize procedures... Show more	$29-49
   Nurse Educator	A nurse educator is responsible for teaching aspiring professional nurses, designing courses according to the curriculum, and organizing activities to practice and enhance the students' knowledge. Nurse educators manage clinical activities and observe the students' performance in actual training... Show more	$22-46

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2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Home Health
   • Patient Education
   • Test Results
   • Symptom Management
   • Urgent Care
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Emergency Situations
   • Telephone Triage
   • Primary Care
   • Acute Care
   • Prescription Refills
   • OSHA
   • Medical Advice

   Check all skills

   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.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your triage nurse job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A triage nurse salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, triage nurses' average salary in tennessee is 48% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level triage nurses earn 55% less than senior-level triage nurses.
   • Certifications. A triage nurse with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a triage nurse's salary.

   Average triage nurse salary

   $64,592yearly

   $31.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level triage nurse salary

   $43,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a triage nurse job description

   A job description for a triage nurse role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a triage nurse job description:

   Triage nurse job description example

   *All JWCH, Wesley Health Centers workforce members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Successful candidates for this position will be required to submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or request an exemption for qualifying medical or religious reasons during the onboarding process. Candidates should not present proof of vaccination until instructed to do so by the hiring department.
   

   
   

   Employee Benefits:

   
   

   JWCH Institute, Inc., offers competitive salaries for all positions. Employees working 30 hours per week or more are provided a monthly allowance which can be used towards medical, dental, vision, and life insurance premiums. The agency offers sick leave and vacation accrual, 12 paid holidays, jury duty pay, mileage reimbursement, employee parking, direct deposit, credit union, and an employee assistance program. In addition JWCH offers a 401(k) Profit Sharing plan to employees who work a minimum of 1,000 hours per fiscal year.

   
   

   Note:

   If you become a JWCH provider, you may be able to participate in Loan Repayment Program . A majority of our clinics are NHSC approved sites. The National Health Service Corp may be accepting applications Loan Repayment Program awards. The program is open to licensed primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavior health providers who are employed or have accepted an offer of employment at an NHSC-approved site. Awardees receive up to $50,000 in exchange for two years of service if they practice in a HPSA of 14 above (Tier I). Awardees can also receive up to $30,0000 in exchange for two years of service if they practice in a HPSA of 13 and below (Tier II). You will need to contact National Health Service Corp to apply and receive more information. Upon acceptance, you are encouraged to apply to National Health Service Corp for Loan Repayment Program.

   
   

   Wesley Health Centers JWCH Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find triage nurses for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your triage nurse job on Zippia to find and recruit triage nurse candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit triage nurses, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new triage nurse

   Once you've found the triage nurse candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new triage nurse. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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