Student Nurse

Job Description

About the Company: Mercy Health / Bon Secours Mercy Health

Mercy Health is a healthcare organization where all employees are united by a singular purpose: to promote the well-being of patients in mind, body, and spirit. This mission is deeply rooted in their history of faith, fostering a shared commitment to providing the highest quality of healthcare to their communities every day. They emphasize a collaborative environment with an exceptional team.

Mercy Health and Bon Secours Mercy Health are Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employers, committed to providing consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetic information, protected veteran status, or disability. They offer reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities during the employment selection process.

The organization values its employees and offers a range of potential benefits that reward hard work, which may include:
• Comprehensive, affordable medical, dental, and vision plans
• Prescription drug coverage
• Flexible spending accounts
• Life insurance w/AD&D
• Employer contributions to retirement savings plan (when eligible)
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Educational Assistance
• And many other benefits, with specific offerings varying based on employment status.

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Job Description: Student Nurse

The Student Nurse at Bon Secours Mercy Health plays a crucial role in the healthcare team by providing direct patient care. This care is delivered under the guidance and supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or another designated healthcare professional, strictly adhering to federal, state, and local regulations, as well as the organization’s policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Essential Job Functions:
• Supports the Registered Nurse: Works under the RN’s direction to assist in the application of the nursing process.
• Skill Development: Collaborates with the RN to develop critical thinking skills and ensures the delivery of quality patient care. Actively seeks out educational opportunities related to nursing practice and critical thinking.
• Basic Patient Care: Provides fundamental patient care services, including but not limited to, ensuring patient comfort, recording vital signs, assisting with personal care and hygiene, and facilitating patient mobility. This also encompasses unit-based specialty duties.
• Patient Advocacy & Reporting: Acts as a liaison between the patient and the nurse, promptly reporting any changes in the patient’s condition or concerns to the nurse.
• Customer Service: Delivers a high level of customer service to all patients, their families, visitors, and employees.
• Documentation: Maintains accurate, precise, and timely documentation of patient care as applicable.
• Communication & Hand-off: Participates in hand-off/report sessions to convey pertinent information regarding patient needs and departmental requirements upon arrival and when leaving a shift.
• Delegated Tasks: Performs delegated tasks once competency for those tasks has been formally validated.

Qualifications:

Education:
• Required: High School Diploma or GED (HS/GED).
• Required: Currently enrolled in a nursing program and has successfully completed at least one clinical nursing course and one clinical rotation.

Certifications:
• Preferred: Basic Life Support (BLS).

Training:
• Required: Must have completed the first clinical rotation as a Nursing Student.
• Preferred: EPIC Electronic Health Record (EHR) training.

Work Experience:
• Preferred: Recent experience in an acute care setting and/or a long-term care facility.

Working Conditions:
The role involves dynamic and sometimes challenging work environments:
• Stress & Workload: Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads are common.
• Exposure: May be exposed to physical altercations, verbal abuse, and potentially required to use physical restraints. Environmental exposures can include adverse weather conditions (cold, hot, dust, wind), high noise levels, bright lights, limited hazardous substances, human blood, and other potentially infectious materials.
• Interruptions: Frequent and constant interruptions are expected.
• Travel: While primarily based in a general office/clinical environment, occasional car travel to off-site locations (sometimes in adverse weather) is required. Long-distance or air travel may be needed, not exceeding 10% of time.
• Autonomy: May experience prolonged periods of working alone for certain tasks.

Patient Population:
The Student Nurse must possess the knowledge and skills necessary to provide age-appropriate care across a broad spectrum of patient populations:
• 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)
The role requires understanding the principles of growth and development across the lifespan to assess patient status, interpret information, and identify age-specific requirements for appropriate care delivery.

Physical Requirements:
This position demands significant physical activity and endurance:
• Lifting/Carrying: 0-50 lbs (34-66% of time); 50-100 lbs (67-100% of time).
• Push/Pull: 0-50 lbs (34-66% of time); 50-100 lbs (34-66% of time).
• Movement: Stooping/Kneeling (34-66%), Crawling (1-33%), Climbing (1-33%), Balance (34-66%), Bending (67-100%).
• Positions: Sitting (34-66%), Walking (67-100%), Standing (67-100%).
• Additional: Requires manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination), ability to perform shift work, maneuver patient weight, hear alarms/telephone/audio recorder, reach above shoulder, repetitive arm/hand movements, finger dexterity, color vision, acuity (far/near), depth perception, and tolerance to the use of latex products.
• Hazard Exposure: Potential exposure to toxic/caustic chemicals/detergents, moving mechanical parts, dust/fumes, potential electrical shock, x-ray/electromagnetic energy, high-pitched noises, and gaseous risks.

Skills:
The ideal candidate will possess a blend of communication, technical, and interpersonal skills:
• Communication: Ability to clearly communicate with other members of the healthcare team and understand/follow their directions.
• Safety & Infection Control: Knowledge of patient and healthcare safety standards and regulations (e.g., falls, skin breakdown, suicide prevention, environment of care), along with infection prevention and transmission-based precautions.
• Clerical & Technology: Understanding of basic clerical duties and office-based technology.
• Teamwork: Strong team dynamics and collaborative spirit.
• Patient Data & Care: Proficiency in patient data collection and documentation (e.g., vital signs, intake/output, changes in patient condition), providing basic hygiene and activities of daily living care, assisting with feeding, hydration, and nutrition, assisting with bowel and bladder elimination, and supporting ambulation and patient mobility. Competent in the use of clinical technology.
• Interpersonal: A compassionate, relationship-based approach in care activities.
• Professionalism & Problem Solving: Accountability for completion of assigned tasks, ability to escalate concerns via the chain of command, critical thinking, advanced problem solving, understanding of the nursing process, and overall professionalism.