Sometimes patients will describe their emergency room
experience solely based on the interaction with the triage
nurse. In general, triage nurses should have good interpersonal
skills along with sound clinical knowledge. When
patients arrive in an emergency department with a problem
or perceived problem, they may be apprehensive. The nurse
should use a non-judgmental, calm approach with an understanding
of cultural diversity. In the event that the patient
cannot pinpoint the immediate problem, the nurse needs to
use skills to extract the information through an effective and
timely interview process.