Student Nurse Extern- 3 West - General Medicine

UNC Health•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) is a temporary, full-time summer position on 3 West, a 31-bed general medicine and acute care medicine unit. The 10-week paid externship is designed for rising senior ADN and BSN nursing students and provides an immersive clinical experience to strengthen foundational nursing education, develop clinical judgment and skills, and support transition from nursing student to professional nurse. The unit cares for patients with a range of diagnoses, including COPD, diabetes, pneumonia, renal failure, minor neurological disorders, and behavioral health needs, in a supportive, mentoring environment. 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. The extern applies concepts learned in the nursing program to provide technically skilled care in the assigned department. Work is performed under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner or provider. The RN partner supports learning and helps the extern perform nursing care activities in complex and non-complex situations. The position may provide routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health care setting. The position reports to the assigned department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader. The role is onsite in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a variable schedule and 40 standard hours per week. The assignment dates are May 24 through July 31. Pay is $18.00 per hour.

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.
Attainment and maintenance of 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-specific physical activities, which may include kneeling, bending, squatting, and performing 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 care setting, and discharge.
Provide care and treatments specified in the plan of care, including vital signs, height and weight measurements, specimen collection, skin preparations, catheter care, capillary blood glucose checks, simple wound care, range-of-motion exercises, postural drainage, and supportive 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 providers with routine examinations and procedures, and obtain equipment and supplies during emergencies.
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 support patients’ emotional and safety needs.