Student Nurse Extern I - 6 Medicine Specialty Unit

UNC Health • Chapel Hill, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I position is for nursing students enrolled in an accredited prelicensure nursing program. The extern functions as a member of the patient care team and works with an assigned RN partner within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. The externship provides an immersive clinical experience to reinforce foundational nursing education and support professional role socialization. It is not an extension of school clinicals; skills performed under a clinical instructor’s supervision, including 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. All work is performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The RN partner facilitates learning experiences and supports the extern in performing nursing care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The extern reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader.

The assignment is on the 27-bed 6 Medicine Specialty Unit, an adult acute care unit specializing in pulmonary, infectious disease, and hematologic conditions. The unit uses telemetry and continuous pulse oximetry for patients with complex medical needs, including multiorgan failure, HIV, respiratory diseases, and cystic fibrosis. The program runs May 24 through July 31, 2027.

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.
• 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 lbs., including pushing or pulling patients on a bed or stretcher and performing lateral transfers involving up to 50 lbs. of a patient’s weight.
• Frequent to continuous standing and walking; 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 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 preparation; catheter care; capillary blood glucose checks; simple wound care; range-of-motion exercises; postural drainage; and 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, 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 patient understanding of instructions.
• Assist providers and other healthcare professionals with routine examinations and procedures, and obtain equipment and supplies during emergencies.
• In psychiatric settings, support reality orientation, behavior modification plans and therapy, informal support for patients and families, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring of therapeutic milieu activities for patient emotional and safety needs.

Benefits

• UNC Health benefits
• Eligible employees currently participating 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