Student Nurse Extern I - Psychotic Disorders Unit

UNC Health • Chapel Hill, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

UNC Health is hiring a Student Nurse Extern I for 3 Neurosciences, an 18-bed inpatient psychiatric unit serving adults with acute and chronic mental illnesses. Services typically include psychiatric evaluations, medication management, psychoeducation groups, case management, and discharge planning. The externship runs from May 24 through July 31, 2027, and is intended for prelicensure nursing students enrolled in an accredited School of Nursing who are expected to graduate within 12 months of the externship start. The role provides an immersive clinical experience to strengthen foundational nursing education and support professional role socialization. The SNE I works as a member of the patient care team with an RN partner, within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. The externship is not an extension of school clinicals; skills such as medication administration, assessment, documentation, and NGT or Foley insertion that students perform under clinical-instructor supervision are not permitted in this role.

The SNE I 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 assigned RN partner supports learning so the extern can perform nursing care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The position reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader.

The position is temporary and full-time, with a standard schedule of 36 hours per week. Shifts rotate between days and nights and include rotating weekends. The work assignment is onsite in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Orientation includes in-person and virtual sessions Monday through Friday.

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 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 pounds; examples include pushing or pulling patients on a bed or stretcher, with a stated push force of 29 pounds, and lateral transfers involving up to 50 pounds of the patient's weight.
• 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 the collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues.
• Assist patients and families with admission, orientation to the care setting, and discharge.
• Provide care and treatments described in 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 by 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 the psychiatric setting, aid patients in reality orientation, participate in behavior-modification plans or therapy, provide informal support to patients and families, and verbally de-escalate potentially aggressive patients.
• Assist with the physical management of aggressive or out-of-control patients, facilitate age-appropriate play for children, and monitor therapeutic milieu activities to support patients' emotional and safety needs.

Benefits

• UNC Health benefits are available for this State position.
• Eligible employees who are currently employed by another North Carolina agency and participate in TSERS or ORP may continue participating in those plans at UNC Health.

What This Job Offers

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