Student Nurse Extern- 5 East - Acute Care Oncology

UNC Health•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I position is part of a 10-week paid summer externship for rising senior ADN and BSN nursing students. The program provides prelicensure nursing students with an immersive clinical experience to strengthen foundational nursing education, clinical skills, judgment, confidence, and socialization into the nursing role. Externs work as members of the patient care team with an RN partner and within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. The position 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, with the assigned RN partner supporting learning and care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The position is assigned to 5 East, a 31-bed Medical/Oncology Unit caring primarily for oncology patients throughout the cancer continuum, from diagnosis through end-of-life support. The unit also cares for patients with benign hematology and general medicine diagnoses and works with oncologists, advanced practice providers, and palliative care providers. The unit describes its environment as supportive and nurturing, with a focus on resilience for patients and nursing staff. The Student Nurse Extern 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 position is temporary full-time, onsite, scheduled for 40 hours per week on a variable schedule, from May 24 through July 31. The listed salary is $18.00.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
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.
Fluent 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.
May be required to kneel, bend, squat, and perform 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 collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues.
Assist patients and families during admission, orientation to the hospital, clinic, or home health experience, and discharge.
Provide care and treatments outlined 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, 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 providers with routine examinations and procedures, and obtain equipment and supplies during emergency situations.
In psychiatric settings, assist with reality orientation, behavior modification plans or therapy, informal support for patients and families, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring therapeutic milieu activities to meet patients’ emotional and safety needs.