Student Nurse Extern- 7 East Acute Care General Surgery/Bariatric Post Op unit

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 hands-on clinical experience, strengthens nursing skills and clinical judgment, and supports students’ transition from nursing school to professional nursing. Externs function as members of the patient care team within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice and work with an RN partner to apply concepts learned in their nursing program. They provide routine direct and indirect patient care in a hospital, clinic, or home health setting under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. The position is assigned to 7 East, a 28-bed acute-care general surgery and bariatric postoperative unit. The unit provides specialized postoperative care for elective bariatric weight-loss surgery and uses the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathway. The department has frequent admissions and discharges and offers opportunities to develop clinical skills and critical thinking. The extern reports to the department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader and works under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner, who facilitates and supports learning in complex and non-complex situations. This is a temporary, full-time, onsite position in Raleigh, North Carolina, 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.
Fluency in verbal and written English.
Ability to organize and prioritize assignments in 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 patient condition to a registered nurse or provider.
Participate in the collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues.
Assist patients and families with admission, orientation to the care setting, and discharge.
Provide care and treatments in accordance with 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 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, and 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 psychiatric settings, support reality orientation, behavior plans and therapy, informal support, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive patients, age-appropriate play, and therapeutic milieu monitoring.