Student Nurse Extern I - GI Surgery & Surgical Oncology Acute Care Unit

UNC Health•Chapel Hill, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) position is for nursing students enrolled in an accredited prelicensure nursing program. The extern works as a member of the patient care team alongside an RN partner, within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice, to gain an immersive clinical experience that supplements foundational nursing education and supports role socialization. This externship is not an extension of school clinicals; skills performed under a clinical instructor’s supervision, including 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. Work is performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The SNE I applies concepts learned in the nursing program while providing care in routine and more complex situations. The RN partner supports learning and development of proficiency in nursing care activities. The role reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader and works under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner. The GI Surgery & Surgical Oncology Acute Care Unit is a 28-bed inpatient acute care unit at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill. Its interdisciplinary team provides evidence-based care primarily to adult post-surgical patients with weight loss issues, GI cancers, and complex non-cancer gastrointestinal illnesses. The externship program runs May 24 through July 31, 2027. This is a temporary, full-time, onsite role with variable scheduling and 36 standard hours per week. Compensation is $18.00 per hour.

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 externship start.
Listed as Nursing Assistant I with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Fluent verbal and written English.
Ability to organize and prioritize assignments in the delivery of patient care.
Attain and maintain 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.
Ability to perform role-specific physical activities, which 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 identifying and reporting patient safety issues collaboratively.
Assist patients and families with admission, orientation to the hospital, clinic, or home health experience, and discharge.
Provide care and treatments in accordance with the plan of care, including measuring vital signs, height, and weight; collecting specimens; skin preparations and scrubs; catheter care; capillary blood glucose checks; simple wound care; range-of-motion exercises; and postural drainage.
Provide supportive one-to-one interactions with patients and families.
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, assist with reality orientation, behavior modification plans or therapy, informal support for patients and families, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring the therapeutic milieu to help ensure patients' emotional and safety needs are met.