Student Nurse

Job Description

About the Company

Mercy Health is an organization where every employee is united by a single purpose: to promote the well-being of their patients in mind, body, and spirit. This mission, deeply rooted in a history of faith, serves as a shared calling that guides their daily work. The company is committed to providing the highest quality of healthcare possible to the communities they serve and invites individuals to join their exceptional team.

Job Description: Student Nurse

The Student Nurse at Bon Secours Mercy Health plays a vital role in providing direct patient care. This role operates under the direct guidance of a Registered Nurse (RN) or another designated healthcare professional. All duties are performed in strict adherence to federal, state, and local regulations, as well as the established policies, procedures, and guidelines of Bon Secours Mercy Health.

Summary of Primary Function/General Purpose of Position:
The primary function is to provide direct patient care, ensuring patient well-being under professional supervision, and within established healthcare standards.

Essential Job Functions:

• Nursing Process Support: Under the direction of an RN, the Student Nurse supports the application of the nursing process. This includes collaborating with the RN to develop critical thinking skills and seeking out educational opportunities related to nursing practice and critical thinking.
• Basic Patient Care: Provides fundamental patient care, which encompasses, but is not limited to, ensuring patient comfort, recording vital signs, assisting with personal care and hygiene, and aiding with mobility. This also includes unit-based specialty duties.
• Communication & Customer Service: Acts as a liaison between the patient and the nurse, reporting any changes or concerns to the nurse. The role requires providing a high level of customer service to patients, their families, visitors, and all employees.
• Documentation & Reporting: Provides accurate, precise, and timely documentation for patient care when applicable. Participates in hand-off/report to convey pertinent information regarding patient and departmental needs upon arrival and departure.
• Delegated Tasks: Performs delegated tasks once competency has been validated.

Qualifications:

• Education:
• Required: High School Diploma or GED.
• Required: Currently enrolled in a nursing program and has completed at least one clinical nursing course and one clinical rotation.
• Certifications:
• Preferred: Basic Life Support (BLS).
• Training:
• Required: Must have completed First Clinical Rotation as a Nursing Student.
• Preferred: EPIC Electronic Health Record (EHR) training.
• Work Experience:
• Preferred: Recent experience in an acute care and/or long-term care facility.

Working Conditions:
The role involves dynamic working conditions, including:

• Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads.
• Potential exposure to physical altercations and verbal abuse.
• Possible requirement to use physical restraints.
• Exposure to adverse weather conditions (cold, hot, dust, wind, etc.).
• Potential exposure to high noise levels and bright lights.
• Exposure to limited hazardous substances or body fluids, human blood, and other potentially infectious materials.
• Periods of constant interruptions.
• General office environment elements.
• Occasional car travel to off-site locations, sometimes in adverse weather.
• Limited long-distance or air travel (not to exceed 10%).
• Prolonged periods of working alone.

Patient Population:
The Student Nurse must demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide age-appropriate care to a broad patient population, understanding the principles of growth and development across the lifespan. This includes assessing patient status, interpreting information, and identifying specific age-related needs to provide appropriate care as per departmental policies. The patient populations served include:

• Neonates (0-4 weeks)
• Infants (1-12 months)
• Pediatrics (1-12 years)
• Adolescents (13-17 years)
• Adults (18-64 years)
• Geriatrics (65 years and older)

Physical Requirements:
The position demands significant physical activity:

• Lifting/Carrying: 0-50 lbs (34-66% of the time), 50-100 lbs (67-100% of the time).
• Push/Pull: 0-50 lbs (34-66% of the time), 50-100 lbs (34-66% of the time).
• Mobility: Stooping/Kneeling (34-66%), Crawling (1-33%), Climbing (1-33%), Balance (34-66%), Bending (67-100%).
• Postures: Sitting (34-66%), Walking (67-100%), Standing (67-100%).

Additional Physical Requirements:
Manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination), ability to perform shift work, maneuver weight of patients, hear alarms/telephone/audio recorder, reach above shoulder, repetitive arm/hand movements, finger dexterity, color vision, acuity (far/near), depth perception, use of latex products, and exposure to various environmental hazards (toxic/caustic/chemicals/detergents, moving mechanical parts, dust/fumes, potential electrical shock, x-ray/electromagnetic energy, high-pitched noises, gaseous risk exposure).

Skills:
Required skills for the Student Nurse include:

• Communication: Ability to clearly communicate with other healthcare team members, understand, and follow directions.
• Safety & Infection Control: Knowledge of patient and healthcare safety standards and regulations (e.g., falls, skin breakdown, suicide prevention, environment of care), and infection prevention/transmission-based precautions.
• Clerical & Technology: Understanding of clerical duties and office-based technology, and use of clinical technology.
• Teamwork & Patient Care: Team dynamics, patient data collection and documentation (e.g., vital signs, intake/output, changes in patient condition), basic hygiene and activities of daily living care, assistance with feeding, hydration, nutrition, bowel/bladder elimination, ambulation, and patient mobility.
• Professionalism & Critical Thinking: Compassionate, relationship-based approach in care activities, accountability for completion of assigned tasks, escalation of concerns via chain of command, critical thinking, advanced problem solving, understanding of the nursing process, and overall professionalism.

Benefits:
Mercy Health offers various rewards for hard work, which may include:

• Comprehensive, affordable medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Life insurance with Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D).
• Employer contributions to retirement savings plan (when eligible).
• Paid time off.
• Educational assistance.
• And much more (benefits offerings may vary according to employment status).

Equal Opportunity Employment:
Mercy Health is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetic information, or protected veteran status. They do not discriminate on the basis of disability. Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities during the employment selection process can be requested by contacting The Talent Acquisition Team.