Nurse Extern - Medical Surgical ICU (MSICU)

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 clinical experience to strengthen nursing skills, clinical judgment, and confidence while supporting transition from nursing student to professional nurse. The position is based in the UNC Rex Medical Surgical ICU, a 20-bed unit caring for adult and geriatric medical, surgical, and overflow cardiac and neuro intensive care patients. The unit cares for patients with complex conditions requiring intensive care and provides direct postoperative recovery after major surgery. Care may include support for patients with ARDS on ventilators, proning, vasoactive-drip titration, sedation, Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT), and Target Temperature Management Therapy (TTM). Bedside procedures include percutaneous tracheostomy and bronchoscopy assisted by unit staff. The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) is a member of the patient care team and works with an RN partner within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. 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. The SNE I applies concepts learned in the nursing program to deliver technically skilled care and develops nursing knowledge through supervised learning experiences in complex and non-complex situations. The SNE I reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader and works under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner, who supports learning and performance of nursing care activities. The position is temporary, full-time, onsite, and scheduled for 40 hours per week on a rotating schedule in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED; a higher-level degree may satisfy this requirement.
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 verbal 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 lbs., including pushing or pulling patients on beds or stretchers and performing lateral transfers involving up to 50 lbs. 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 obtained while providing care, and promptly report significant changes in a patient's condition to a registered nurse or provider.
Participate in identifying and reporting patient safety issues.
Assist patients and families during admission, orientation to the hospital, clinic, or home health experience, and discharge.
Provide care and treatments outlined in the plan of care, including measuring vital signs, height, and weight; specimen collection; skin preps and scrubs; 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 personal care for routine activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, feeding, and assisting with ambulation.
Provide indirect care, including 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 healthcare providers with routine examinations and procedures, and obtain equipment and supplies during emergencies.
In psychiatric settings, support reality orientation and behavior modification plans or therapy; provide informal support to patients and families; use verbal de-escalation; assist with physical management of aggressive or out-of-control patients; facilitate age-appropriate play for children; and monitor therapeutic milieu activities to support patients' emotional and safety needs.