Student Nurse Extern I - Acute Neurosurgery and ENT Care

UNC Health • Chapel Hill, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) position is part of UNC Health’s Student Nurse Extern Program, scheduled for May 24–July 31, 2027. The program provides prelicensure nursing students with an immersive clinical experience to reinforce foundational nursing education and support professional role socialization. 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. The externship is not an extension of school clinicals; skills performed as a student under a clinical instructor’s supervision, such as medication administration, assessment, documentation, and NGT or Foley insertion, are not permitted.

The role 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 extern applies concepts learned in the nursing program to patient care and works with an RN partner who supports learning and the development of proficiency in routine and more complex care situations. The position reports to the department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader and works under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner.

The Acute Neurosurgery and ENT Care Unit is an 18-bed unit caring for postoperative surgical patients. Neurosurgical patients may have undergone brain or spinal surgery or present with cancer, neuro- or spinal trauma, or stroke. ENT patients primarily have head and neck malignancies, cancer, or infection, and may require surgical interventions involving the head, mouth, tongue, jaw, thyroid, or oropharynx.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED; a higher-level degree may satisfy this requirement.
• Currently enrolled 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.
• Attain and maintain 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 assisting with lateral transfers.
• Frequent to continuous standing and walking.
• Ability to perform role-related 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 specified 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 patient and family interactions.
• 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 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 patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring of therapeutic milieu activities to help meet patients’ emotional and safety needs.

Benefits

• UNC Health benefits; eligible employees who currently 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