Student Nurse Extern I - Geriatric, Crisis Stabilization, and Perinatal Psychiatry Unit

UNC Health•Chapel Hill, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

UNC Health is seeking a Student Nurse Extern I for 4 Neurosciences, a unit comprising three adult mental health units: a 10-bed geropsychiatry unit serving geriatric patients with medical and mental health needs, a 15-bed crisis stabilization unit for patients experiencing acute mental health episodes, and a 5-bed perinatal psychiatry unit treating women with psychiatric disorders during pregnancy or postpartum. The Student Nurse Externship runs May 24 through July 31, 2027. It provides prelicensure nursing students with an immersive clinical experience to build foundational nursing knowledge and support role socialization. The SNE I functions as a member of the patient care team and partners with an RN within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. This externship is not an extension of school clinicals; student-clinical skills such as medication administration, assessment, documentation, and NGT or Foley insertion are not permitted. The extern 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 assigned RN partner supports the extern’s learning and development in nursing care activities. The position reports to the department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader. The role is temporary and full-time, with 36 standard hours per week. The schedule is a rotating day/night shift that includes rotating weekends. Work 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.
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 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 beds or stretchers and assisting with lateral transfers.
Frequent to continuous standing and walking.
Ability to perform role-specific activities such as kneeling, bending, squatting, and CPR.

Responsibilities

Observe, collect, and document patient information 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 during admission, orientation to the care setting, and discharge.
Provide care and treatments outlined in the plan of care, including measuring vital signs, height, and weight; collecting specimens; skin preps and scrubs; 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 the psychiatric setting, aid patients in reality orientation; participate in behavior modification plans or therapy; provide informal support to patients and families; use verbal de-escalation with potentially aggressive patients; assist with physical management of aggressive or out-of-control patients; facilitate age-appropriate play for children; and monitor therapeutic milieu activities to help meet patients’ emotional and safety needs.