Student Nurse Extern I - Surgical Observation Unit

UNC Health • Chapel Hill, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) position is part of UNC Health’s Student Nurse Extern Program, running May 24 through July 31, 2027. The role is intended for students enrolled in an accredited prelicensure nursing program and provides an immersive clinical experience to strengthen foundational nursing education and support professional role socialization. The Surgical Observation Unit is a 15-bed unit in the North Carolina Surgical Hospital that cares for a varied adult surgical population, including patients on observation status, recovering for an extended period after PACU, or awaiting an inpatient bed assignment.

The SNE I functions as a member of the patient care team and works with an RN partner within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. All work is performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The extern reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader, while the assigned RN partner supports learning and the performance of nursing care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The externship is not an extension of school clinicals; student-clinical skills such as IV or oral medication administration, assessment, documentation, and NGT or Foley insertion are not permitted.

The position provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health setting. The SNE I applies concepts learned in the nursing program, supports patients and families, and gains experience intended to enhance nursing knowledge and prepare for a career as a registered nurse.

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.
• 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 participating in lateral transfers.
• Frequent to continuous standing and walking.
• Ability to perform role-specific activities such as kneeling, bending, squatting, and 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 with 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; collecting specimens; 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 direct personal care for routine activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, feeding, and assisting with ambulation.
• Provide indirect care, including cleaning the work area, 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, aid patients in reality orientation; participate in behavior modification plans or therapy; provide informal support to patients and families; verbally de-escalate potentially aggressive patients; 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.

Benefits

• UNC Health benefits
• Eligibility to continue participating in TSERS or the ORP for current employees of another North Carolina agency who currently participate in those plans

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED