Student Nurse Extern - Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CICU)

UNC Health•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Externship Program is a 10-week, paid summer experience for rising senior ADN and BSN nursing students. It provides hands-on clinical experience intended to strengthen foundational nursing education, clinical judgment, nursing skills, and role socialization in preparation for transition to professional nursing. The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) is a member of the patient care team in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CICU), a 20-bed, high-acuity unit in the Heart and Vascular Hospital. The unit cares for adults with complex cardiovascular conditions, including acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina, as well as patients recovering from non-surgical cardiac procedures. The SNE I works with an assigned RN partner within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice and performs work under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The RN partner supports learning and the development of proficiency in nursing care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The position provides routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health care setting. Duties include gathering and documenting patient information, providing personal care and routine treatments, assisting patients and families, supporting patient teaching, maintaining the care area, and assisting providers and other healthcare professionals. The SNE I reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
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.
Ability to 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.
May be required to kneel, bend, squat, and perform CPR, depending on role-specific activities.

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 collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues.
Assist patients and families during 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 the work area, 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 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.