Student Nurse Extern I - 2nd floor Cardiac/Medicine

UNC Health • Chapel Hill, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) is a temporary, full-time position in the 2nd Floor Diagnostic Tower at UNC Medical Center’s Hillsborough Campus. The externship runs from May 24 through July 31, 2027, and is designed to give prelicensure nursing students an immersive clinical experience that supports foundational nursing education and socialization into the nursing role. The SNE I works as a member of the patient care team and partners with an RN within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. This externship is not an extension of school clinicals; activities prohibited within the stated scope include IV or oral medication administration, assessment, documentation, and NGT or Foley insertion.

The Diagnostic Tower has 10 beds for acute medical-surgical patients, with a focus on cardiology and hospitalist patients, and operates 24/7. UNC Health Care Hillsborough Campus is a 163-bed community hospital and an extension of UNC Medical Center. The SNE I provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health setting under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The assigned RN partner supports learning and care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The position reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader.

The role requires current enrollment in an accredited prelicensure nursing program, anticipated graduation within 12 months of the externship start, Nursing Assistant I listing with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and Basic Life Support certification. No professional experience is required. The work assignment is onsite in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with a rotating schedule and 36 standard hours per week. The stated pay is $18.00 per hour.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• 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.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to lift and carry 40–50 pounds; examples include pushing or pulling patients on beds or stretchers and assisting with lateral transfers.
• Frequent to continuous standing and walking.
• Ability to perform role-specific activities that may include 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 collaboratively identifying and reporting patient safety issues.
• Assist patients and families with admission, orientation to the care setting, and discharge.
• Provide care and treatments outlined in the plan of care, including vital signs, height and weight measurements, specimen collection, skin preps or 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, 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 obtain 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 or out-of-control patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring of therapeutic milieu activities to support patients’ emotional and safety needs.
• Attain and maintain unit-specific competencies.

Benefits

• The posting states that the position includes UNC Health benefits. Eligible employees who already participate in TSERS or ORP through another North Carolina agency may continue participating in those plans.

What This Job Offers

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