Nurse Extern - Intermediate and Acute Care

UNC Health•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I position is intended for nursing students enrolled in an accredited prelicensure nursing program. The extern works as a member of the patient care team and partners with an RN within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. Under direct supervision of an assigned RN partner or provider, the extern applies concepts learned in the nursing program to provide technically skilled care and gain experience that supports the transition to professional nursing. The role reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader. The position is in the 29-bed Intermediate and Acute Care unit at UNC Rex Hospital in Raleigh, which averages a 1:4 nursing ratio and cares for a diverse patient population, including general and thoracic post-operative patients, cardiovascular patients requiring drip management, and cardiac patients with acute exacerbations and unstable angina. The externship is a 10-week paid summer program intended to build clinical experience, nursing skills, clinical judgment, confidence, and role socialization. The role provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health setting, with all work performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED; a higher-level degree may satisfy this requirement.
Current enrollment in an accredited prelicensure nursing program, with anticipated graduation within 12 months of the start of the externship.
Listed as Nursing Assistant I with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Fluency in verbal and written English.
Ability to organize and prioritize assignments in the delivery of patient care.
Attain and maintain unit-specific competencies.
Basic computer skills.
Ability to lift and carry 40–50 pounds, including pushing or pulling patients on a bed or stretcher (29 pounds of push force) and lateral transfers involving up to 50 pounds of a patient's weight.
Frequent to continuous standing and walking; patient care providers may also need to kneel, bend, squat, and perform CPR.

Responsibilities

Observe, collect, and document patient information while providing care, and promptly report significant changes in a patient's condition to a registered nurse or provider.
Participate in collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues.
Assist patients and families with admission, orientation to the care setting, and discharge.
Provide care and treatments outlined in the plan of care, including measuring vital signs, height and weight; collecting specimens; performing skin preps and scrubs, catheter care, capillary blood glucose checks, simple wound care, range-of-motion exercises, and postural drainage; and providing supportive one-to-one interactions with patients and families.
Provide direct personal care for routine activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, feeding, and assisting with ambulation.
Provide indirect patient and unit care, including cleaning work areas, changing linens, restocking supplies, cleaning or sterilizing instruments, transporting patients, supplies, or specimens, assisting with orientation of new employees and students, and performing routine clerical functions.
Reinforce routine teaching provided by a registered nurse or provider and document patient understanding of instructions.
Assist providers and other healthcare professionals with routine examinations and procedures, and obtain equipment and supplies during emergencies.
In psychiatric settings, support reality orientation, behavior modification plans or therapy, informal support therapy, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring of therapeutic milieu activities to help meet patients’ emotional and safety needs.