Telenurse for Healthline

Belinda Swendson is a telenurse helping callers with medical problems over the phone. Picture / Graeme Sedal

Name: Belinda Swendson
Role: Telenurse for Healthline (24 hour 0800 health line funded by Ministry of Health)
Working hours: 40 hour week doing shifts of 7am to 3.30pm, 2.30pm to 11pm or 10.30pm to 7am. Part time options.
Average pay: $47,800 - $51,000 plus penal rates.
Qualifications and institution: Registered comprehensive nurse with Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing from Manukau Institute of Technology.

Describe what you do

We are a triage nursing service, offering a service similar to that provided in initial interaction with triage nurses at A&E. We assess signs and symptoms by asking questions to rule out serious conditions.

We then advise on the appropriate course of action, which could range from calling an ambulance while encouraging the caller to stay on the line through to advising how something minor can be managed at home if certain things are carried through.

Any assessment is only as good as the information we get at the time and callers are strongly advised at the end of every call to call back should symptoms change in any way or if they have any further questions.

We also give general health information and education and do a lot of referrals to other health services, such as mental health services, disability services, support groups or GPs for an area. Our Auckland call centre has the capability of catering for 50 staff at any given time.

How do you access the information?

Our phones are on a computerised system with sophisticated software. This includes a massive national data base of health providers and services ranging from Bluff to Kaitaia. On an average shift we'd take between 30 to 40 calls.

Why did you choose this line of work?

When I came back from a nursing job overseas I wanted a change from the hospital sector and thought it would be exciting to be part of something new.

It is also a great learning opportunity. In nursing you often tend to specialise but here you're covering everything from paediatrics to mental health to elderly.

What kind of clients do you have?

Our callers ring from all over the country. We tend to get a lot of rural calls who appreciate the service tremendously because they have limited resources and services around them.

Callers are all ages. I had a 10-year-old calling to say her brother had burned himself and her mum wasn't home from work yet. The child called Healthline because her mum had used it. We also get elderly people who can't sleep at 1am and want to discuss their health issues.

What sort of training or experience do you need to do the job?

I've been nursing for 10 years. You need to be a registered nurse with good clinical experience and knowledge because you draw on that constantly. Computer skills and keyboarding are important but Healthline will help you learn those skills and they provide great training regarding the software.

In your first six to eight weeks you have a preceptor (trainer) with you for support. Some people are natural on the phone. Others take a bit longer to build up the confidence and computer skills.

What skills or qualities do you need?

You need to be a good communicator, a good problem solver and able to think on your feet and not panic. You also have to be a good listener and establish rapport quickly.

Best part of the job?

I enjoy helping such a wide community of people. I really like the variety and continuing to learn. I also like the shift work although that is not everyone's cup of tea.

Most challenging part?

Rarely knowing the outcome. There is a crisis and you deal with it, but usually don't know what happens afterwards.

We often have to deal with high stress suicide calls. A lot of people are afraid to call 111 but feel less anxious about calling a nurse at Healthline. When that happens we stay on the phone, calmly talking to the caller while waiting for appropriate services to arrive. So you've got to be on top of your game with every call because the wrong judgment can have huge repercussions. It can be pretty exhausting although we always have a debrief.

Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?

Talk to trainers, sit in and check out what we do.

Career options?

You can become a preceptor involved in training, or a preceptor working alongside new staff or a team supervisor.