Advice nursing has been a part of Mid-Atlantic States region since it was founded in 1980. Today, advice nurses handle more than 1.7 million calls a year. The calls are fielded by 350 RN's working in two Kaiser Permanente medical advice centers in Fair Oaks, Virginia, and Silver Spring, Maryland. As a matter of fact, a physician is available for consultation with the advice nurses at all times. The practice of advice nursing spans the spectrum of member concerns and medical specialties, from routine questions about what dose of ibuprofen to take, to acute concerns about chest pain.
Nurses help members with any question they have.
And, because the Medical Advice Line is open when many other departments are closed, advice nurses field many nonmedical questions. To be prepared to answer a full range of questions and respond to many different medical conditions, each advice nurse must have recent clinical experience and must attend an intense four-week training program. The training includes classes and monitored call sessions before the nurse is ready to function independently. To assist the nurses in making appropriate decisions, there are over 250 clinical protocols to guide them. Developed by the physicians of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, the protocols are regularly revised to reflect new treatment guidelines.