Nurse Intern - Summer 2027 - Mercy Cedar Rapids

Mercy Cedar Rapids•Baltimore, MD

21d•Onsite

About The Position

The Nurse Intern supports Mercy’s philosophy of patient-centered care by adhering to established practice standards and continually improving knowledge and skills. Under the supervision of a Registered Nurse, the intern coordinates interdisciplinary, age-appropriate, goal-directed patient care using the nursing process. Patient care tasks and support functions are performed as delegated by the department. Interns may indicate their top three clinical areas of interest, but Mercy Cedar Rapids makes final placements based on availability, fit, and greatest need. Interns must be willing to work in any hospital area. Possible placements include the Emergency Department, Surgical/Oncology, Birthplace/NICU/Pediatrics, Operating Room/PACU, Inpatient Rehab, Cardiac-Stroke, Pulmonary Medicine, Medical Float Pool, Short Stay Observation, Acute Inpatient, Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, CV Lab, Digestive Health, and the Intensive Care Center. The summer internship runs from June 14 through August 14, 2027. Interns must be available for the listed milestone dates, including orientation days on June 21 and 22, an education day in July, and a wrap-up debrief event in August. Schedules may include nights or rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays as needed based on preceptor assignment. The position is scheduled for 36 hours per week.

Requirements

Must be enrolled as a senior in an accredited nursing program.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification in accordance with the American Heart Association is required.
Iowa Dependent Adult Abuse and Iowa Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter training is required; certification of completed training must be submitted before the start or transfer date.
Sound background in basic nursing principles and procedures, with demonstrated ability to provide safe and effective basic nursing care.
Demonstrated competency in unit-specific skills identified in the developmental checklist.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in a medical-surgical or telemetry setting is preferred.

Responsibilities

Communicate accurate, clinically relevant information to patients, families, and coworkers during handoffs and as needed to support patient outcomes.
Provide safe and effective patient care under the supervision of a licensed nurse by performing delegated tasks and support functions.
Observe and communicate changes in patient condition and relevant information about patient or significant-other needs to the licensed nurse.
Communicate effectively and appropriately for the patient's age, recognizing nonverbal communication, fears, anxieties, and language or cultural barriers.
Maintain accurate, real-time documentation of patient care.
Protect patient privacy by knocking, closing curtains, and safeguarding patient information.
Respond within the scope of practice to emergencies and life-threatening conditions.
Support practice changes intended to improve performance.
Organize and prioritize daily work in consideration of patients, families, and other healthcare workers.
Maintain cleanliness and organization in patient rooms and department work areas.
Help identify quality-improvement opportunities and support practice changes intended to improve performance.
Recognize when priorities need to change, take initiative to recommend changes, and implement them in coordination with a supervisor.
Follow Mercy safety guidelines and job-specific safety responsibilities, and promptly report unsafe conditions, situations, incidents, and injuries.
Maintain skills and competencies for each unit annually.