NURSE EXTERN - EMERGENCY DEPT

About the role

Under the direction of the Registered Nurse Preceptor, the Nurse Extern utilizes the nursing process to provide care, communicates with all members of the health care team to ensure patient goals are met, and supports the physical and emotional health of patients and families while delivering excellent customer service.

Responsibilities

• Provides patient care through an interdisciplinary approach by assessing, planning, delivering care, and evaluating outcomes under the direction of the RN preceptor.
• Performs nursing interventions and documents according to policy and procedure to ensure patient safety, including medication administration, medication reconciliation, fall prevention, VTE prevention, and other prescribed interventions.
• Assists the RN preceptor in delivering professional nursing care by providing direct patient care to promote comfort and facilitate diagnostic and treatment procedures as outlined in the nursing care plan.
• Performs assigned tasks including activities of daily living such as dietary and hygiene needs, ambulating, turning, positioning, and transporting patients, answering call lights, and reporting observations to the patient’s nurse.
• Demonstrates professional behavior and strong customer service and communication skills when interacting with all individuals and groups, both internally and externally.
• Assists the RN with indirect care by maintaining a clean, sanitary, and safe environment to prevent and/or control infections and ensure the safety of patients, visitors, and employees.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in an accredited Registered Nurse Program approved by the State Board of Nursing.
• For BSN students: must be entering their senior year and have completed at least the medical/surgical clinical component of their educational experience.
• For Diploma/Associate program students: must be entering their final year of nursing school.
• Must present proof of continued enrollment and passing grades in nursing classes each semester until graduation and maintain good academic standing.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association (CPR and AED).
• Act 33, Act 34, and FBI Clearance with renewal.

Work Environment

• Effective March 2020 or during a pandemic: goggles, face shield, and mask are required according to CDC guidelines.
• Lift assistance (2-person) and/or transfer device required for lifts exceeding 50 pounds.
• Exposure to blood/body fluids, chemicals, cytotoxic (chemo) agents, and other hazardous materials as part of direct patient care.
• Frequent direct patient care, including physical tasks such as bending, standing, walking, pushing/pulling, and lifting (up to 50 pounds).
• Rotating shifts, on-call, overtime, and travel between local Independence Health locations may be required.

Physical Demands

• Constantly (5.5 to 8 hours or 200+ reps/shift): Standing, walking, hand/arm coordination, seeing near with acuity, feeling (sensation), hearing clearly.
• Frequently (2.5 to 5.5 hours or 32-200 reps/shift): Bending (stooping), twisting/turning, keyboard/computer operation, fine finger manipulation, pushing/pulling (up to 50 lbs of force), transferring/pushing/pulling patients, reaching forward, lifting (seat pan to knuckle up to 50 lbs, knuckle to shoulder up to 20 lbs).
• Occasionally (0.25 to 2.5 hours or 2-32 reps/shift): Kneeling, squatting (crouching), reaching above shoulder level, lifting (floor to knuckle up to 10 lbs, shoulder to overhead up to 10 lbs), use of lifting/transfer devices.
• Rarely (less than 0.25 hours or less than 2 reps/shift): Climbing stairs, climbing ladders, pulling/pushing objects overhead.