Nurse Extern - Acute Care Orthopedics

UNC Health•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I position is part of a 10-week, paid summer externship for rising senior ADN and BSN nursing students. The program provides prelicensure nursing students with immersive clinical experience to strengthen foundational nursing education, develop nursing skills and clinical judgment, and support role socialization in a clinical setting. Externs work as members of the patient care team alongside an RN partner, within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice, and apply concepts learned in their nursing program to provide care. All work is performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. This position is based on 6 West Acute Care Orthopedics at UNC Rex Hospital, a 30-bed unit caring for post-surgical orthopedic patients, including patients recovering from joint replacement and revision, spinal procedures, and fracture repairs. The unit works with an interdisciplinary team that includes physicians, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, case managers, and pharmacists. The Student Nurse Extern I reports to the department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader and works under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner, who supports learning and development in routine and complex situations. The extern provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health setting. Care may include collecting and documenting patient information, assisting with activities of daily living, carrying out care and treatments in the plan of care, supporting patient and family education, and helping providers and other healthcare professionals with routine examinations and procedures. The role also includes maintaining the care area and supplies and assisting with patient, specimen, or supply transport.

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.
Fluent in verbal and written English.
Ability to organize and prioritize assignments in the delivery of patient care.
Attainment and maintenance of unit-specific competencies.
Basic computer skills.
Ability to lift and carry 40–50 pounds, including pushing or pulling patients on a bed or stretcher and assisting with lateral transfers.
Frequent to continuous standing and walking; role-specific activities may include kneeling, bending, squatting, and performing 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 the collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues.
Assist patients and families during 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; skin preparation; 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, 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 the patient’s understanding of instructions.
Assist providers and other healthcare providers with routine examinations and procedures, and procure equipment and supplies during emergency situations.
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, and monitoring of therapeutic milieu activities.