SHEILA WHEELER, RN, MS, is acknowledged as one of the world's leading experts in the field of telephone triage. She has practiced nursing for over 30 years, primarily in critical care, emergency department and clinic settings. An accomplished writer, educator, researcher, telephone triage practitioner and consultant, Ms. Wheeler is currently President of TeleTriage Systems in San Anselmo, California.

Ms. Wheeler is the author of Telephone Triage: Theory, Practice, and Protocol Development as well as Telephone Triage Protocols. Ms. Wheeler has written for Nursing 97, Journal of Emergency Nursing, and has lectured nationally. She is the founder and chairperson of "Telephone Triage:  Essentials for Expert Practice, the first annual national conference, sponsored by Contemporary Forums from 1994 to 2003. 

Currently, Ms. Wheeler serves as a nurse legal consultant in the area of telephone triage and provides training and consultation.  She also serves as a front-line telephone triage practitioner in an HMO call center in the San Francisco bay area.

Milestones

Since 1985, Sheila Wheeler has pioneered the field of telephone triage through the consulting in the development of innovative products and seminars. Listed below are several principal milestones.

• 1988  Developed "The Fine Art of Telephone Triage", the first CE program in telephone triage.
• 1990  Assistant producer, developed the original concept for "Anonymous Hero", the first training video for emergency medical dispatchers. Jeff Clawson, M.D., pioneer of emergency medical dispatch, still uses this award-winning film as a training modality.
• 1993  Author, "Telephone Triage, Theory, Practice and Protocol Development" best selling classic text "how to" text and audiotape on telephone triage practice. This best selling text, considered the definitive work in the field, was the first to explain how to develop protocols. Over 25,000 copies have been sold since 1993.
• 1994  Founder, the first national telephone triage conference. As Chairperson "Telephone Triage: Essentials for Expert Practice." Approximately 6,000 participants have attended.
• 1996  Developed the first age-based Telephone Triage Protocols. Editor-in-chief and Project Manager for "Telephone Triage Protocols of Pediatric and Adult Populations". Currently in use in approximately 300 sites.
• 1997  Consultant in the development of electronic versions of protocols used by six VA hospitals in northern California and Hawaii.
• 2000  Member of Task Force for National Certification Corporation to develop first certification examination for telephone triage nurses.
• 2001  Developed the first Protocol Competency CE Course
• 2002  Second edition of Telephone Triage Protocols for Adult and School Age Populations published by Aspen Publishers
• 2009 New Edition of Telephone Triage Protocols for  Adult Populations published by McGraw Hill.
  

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