What are the duties of a triage nurse?

Triage nurses have multiple job duties. A triage nurse gathers information upon a patent's arrival to a hospital emergency room, including name, age, symptoms and the current medical condition of the patient. The nurse also records vital signs and creates a patient file in the hospital computer system.

Triage nurses transmit patient files to the doctors or nurses next in line for patients to see. Most states require a triage nurses to be a licensed registered nurse. However, some states hire a licensed practical nurse for the position as long as there is an RN on duty in triage at the same time.