Nurse Extern - Neuroscience ICU (NSICU)

UNC Health•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Externship Program is a 10-week, paid summer program for rising senior ADN and BSN nursing students. It provides immersive, hands-on clinical experience to strengthen nursing skills, clinical judgment, confidence, and preparation for transition from nursing student to professional nurse. The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) is an enrolled prelicensure nursing student who functions as a member of the patient care team and works with an RN partner within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. The SNE I applies concepts learned in the nursing program to provide technically skilled care in the assigned department. The position provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health setting, under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The SNE I reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader; the assigned RN partner facilitates and supports learning experiences. This position is based in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at UNC REX Hospital, a 10-bed unit certified as an Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center. The interdisciplinary neuro-critical care team provides care for patients with conditions including subarachnoid hemorrhage, acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, subdural hematomas, coma, brain and spine tumors, seizure disorders, and neuro-infections. Unit equipment includes external ventricular drains, Camino intracranial pressure monitors, electroencephalography, and point-of-care ultrasound devices.

Requirements

Currently enrolled 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.
Fluent in spoken and written English.
Ability to organize and prioritize assignments in the delivery of patient care.
Ability to attain and maintain unit-specific competencies.
Basic computer skills.
Ability to lift and carry 40–50 pounds, including pushing or pulling patients on beds or stretchers and assisting with lateral transfers.
Frequent to continuous standing and walking; patient care activities may also require kneeling, bending, squatting, and performing CPR.
High school diploma or GED required; a higher-level degree may satisfy this requirement.

Responsibilities

Observe, collect, and document patient information while providing care, and promptly report significant changes in patient 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 in accordance with the plan of care, including measuring vital signs, height, and weight; specimen collection; skin preparations; catheter care; capillary blood glucose checks; simple wound care; range-of-motion exercises; postural drainage; and supportive one-to-one patient and family interactions.
Provide direct personal care for routine activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, feeding, and assisting with ambulation.
Provide indirect care by cleaning work areas, changing linens, restocking supplies, cleaning or sterilizing instruments, transporting patients, supplies, and 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 health care providers with routine examinations and procedures, and obtain equipment and supplies during emergency situations.
In psychiatric settings, support reality orientation and behavior modification plans or therapy; provide informal support to patients and families; assist with verbal de-escalation and physical management of aggressive patients; facilitate age-appropriate play for children; and monitor therapeutic milieu activities to help meet patients’ emotional and safety needs.