Student Nurse Extern- 6BT: Med Surg

UNC Health•Holly Springs, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Student Nurse Externship Program is a 10-week paid summer program for rising senior ADN and BSN nursing students, designed to provide hands-on clinical experience, strengthen nursing skills, build clinical judgment, and support the transition from nursing student to professional nurse. The 6BT Med Surg unit is a 24-bed unit with 18 medical-surgical acute-care beds and 6 Intermediate Care beds. The team emphasizes teamwork, professional development, and patient care, with opportunities for clinical growth. UNC Health has more than 40,000 teammates and a mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities it serves. The Student Nurse Extern I (SNE I) is a prelicensure nursing student enrolled in an accredited School of Nursing who works as a member of the patient care team within the Nursing Assistant I scope of practice. Working with an RN partner, the extern applies concepts learned in their nursing program to provide technically skilled care in the assigned department. The role offers experience working with RNs in healthcare settings and supports learning and role socialization in preparation for a registered nursing career. The SNE I reports to the department’s Patient Services Manager or designated Education Leader and works under the direct supervision of an assigned RN partner. The RN partner supports learning so the extern can perform 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 setting, with all work performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or provider. This is a temporary, full-time, onsite position with 40 standard hours per week and a variable schedule. The listed work dates are May 24 through July 31. The 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 in 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; examples include pushing or pulling patients on a bed or stretcher (29 pounds of push force) and lateral transfers involving up to 50 pounds of the patient's weight.
Frequent to continuous standing and walking.
Patient care providers may need 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 the 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 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, support reality orientation, behavior modification plans and therapy, informal support for patients and families, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring of therapeutic milieu activities to meet patients' emotional and safety needs.