Student Nurse Extern I - Cardiology Oncology Stepdown Unit

UNC Health • Chapel Hill, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Cardiology and Oncology Stepdown Unit (COSU) is a 13-bed intermediate care unit offering an inclusive atmosphere for professional growth and compassionate care. The team provides care for critical-care patients and uses innovative treatments, with teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration central to delivering high-quality care. The unit facilitates admissions, treatments, transfers, and discharges 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Student Nurse Externship provides prelicensure nursing students with an immersive clinical experience to enhance foundational nursing education and support role socialization. The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) is intended for students enrolled in an accredited School of Nursing and functions as a member of the patient care team, partnering with an RN within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. The externship is not an extension of school clinicals; skills such as IV or oral medication administration, assessment, documentation, and NGT or Foley insertion that students perform under a clinical instructor's supervision are not permitted.

The SNE I applies concepts learned in their nursing program while providing technically skilled care in the assigned department. The position offers experience working with RNs in a variety of healthcare settings to build nursing knowledge and prepare for a registered nursing career. The SNE I 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 RN partner supports learning so the SNE can perform nursing care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The role provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health care setting; all work is under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• Currently enrolled in an accredited prelicensure nursing program, with anticipated graduation within 12 months from 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.
• Attain and maintain unit-specific competencies.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to lift and carry 40–50 lbs.; examples include pushing or pulling patients on a bed or stretcher (requires 29 lbs. of push force) and lateral transfers involving up to 50 lbs. of the patient's weight.
• Frequent to continuous standing and walking.
• May be required to kneel, bend, squat, and perform CPR as activities specific to the patient-care role.

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 specified in the plan of care, including measuring vital signs, height, and weight; 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 direct personal care for routine activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, feeding, and assisting with ambulation.
• Provide indirect care for patients and the assigned area, including cleaning work areas, changing linens, restocking supplies, cleaning or sterilizing instruments, transporting patients, supplies, or specimens, assisting with the 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 emergencies.
• In psychiatric settings, assist with 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 therapeutic milieu activities to help meet patients' emotional and safety needs.

Benefits

• UNC Health benefits
• Eligibility to continue participation in TSERS or the ORP may apply to current employees of another North Carolina agency who already participate in those plans.

What This Job Offers

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