Student Nurse Extern - Cardiac Procedural Medicine intermediate Care

UNC Health•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Externship Program is a 10-week, paid summer experience for rising senior ADN and BSN nursing students. The program provides hands-on clinical experience to strengthen nursing skills, build confidence and clinical judgment, and support the transition from nursing student to professional nurse. The position is assigned to the 8HV Cardiac Procedural Medicine Intermediate Care Unit, a 24-bed unit at the Heart and Vascular Hospital at UNC Health REX. The unit provides intermediate-level care to adult and geriatric patients with complex cardiac conditions and multiple co-morbidities, including patients preparing for or recovering from cardiac and vascular procedures and patients with heart attacks, heart failure, dysrhythmias, and other conditions requiring specialized cardiac monitoring and treatment. The Student Nurse Extern I is a member of the patient care team and works with an RN partner within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. The extern applies concepts learned in the nursing program to provide technically skilled care in the assigned department. The position provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health setting, with all work performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The RN partner supports learning experiences and the development of proficiency in nursing care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The position reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader and works under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner.

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.
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 performing lateral transfers.
Frequent to continuous standing and walking.
Patient care providers may need to kneel, bend, squat, and perform 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; specimen collection; 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 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 emergency situations.
In psychiatric settings, aid patients in reality orientation; participate in behavior modification plans or therapy; provide informal support therapy to patients and families; verbally de-escalate potentially aggressive patients; aid in the physical management of aggressive or out-of-control patients; facilitate age-appropriate play for children; and monitor therapeutic milieu activities to help ensure patients' emotional and safety needs are met.