Covenant Health

Student Nurse Associate, Surgery Unit

PRN/OCC, Hours vary, Day shift

At Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, we have board certified surgeons that use the most advanced technologies to provide care for their patients.  Some patients may require an overnight or longer visit in the hospital to provide more intensive monitoring and care that cannot be provided in a home setting. We care for a multitude of patients who have had Urological, Vascular, Wound, or General Surgeries. 

The Surgery Unit (3 North) at Fort Sanders is a 31-bed unit providing patient centered care for our medical surgical patients.  We are committed to providing a healing and safe environment for all our patients.  Our multidisciplinary team works together with patients and their families to design a personalized plan of care to achieve excellent outcomes! 

Our staff consists of RNs, LPNs, CNA/PCAs, and HUCs who work together to provide exceptional patient care.  We have a supportive and family-like environment and welcome all new staff to our team with open arms!! We are very proud of our orientation process which will be tailored to your needs.  This too is a team process in which we closely follow your orientation process to ensure you are getting the best tools and knowledge to make you successful at your job and to keep our patients safe.

If you are passionate about caring for medical surgical patients with a specialization in post-surgery patients and would like to work in a great environment, please apply!

Position Summary:

Performs a wide variety of patient care activities and supportive services under the supervision of a registered nurse.

Recruiter: Lacey Spoon || Lspoon2@covhlth.com || 865-374-5404

• Demonstrates competence in performing critical skills (Student Nurse Associate Core Competency checklist) to include appropriate delivery of care according to age-specific needs of the population served.
• Take and record temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressure, weight, height and intake-output measurements. Documents oxygen saturation if patient is connected to continuous pulse oximetry.
• Employ all established infection control policies including standard precautions, transmission-based isolation precautions, OSHA standards, safety measures and proper body mechanic in performance of job.
• Completes designated patient care activities and provides for patient comfort and privacy.
• Identifies and assists patients that need assistance with nutrition and/or hydration.
• Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans and emesis basins and record intake and output.
• Help to maintain clean and orderly patient and work environment.
• Revises and updates the plan of care as problems change and/or new problems are identified in collaboration with RN.
• Assists RN in obtaining a thorough nursing history on assigned patients
• Demonstrate effective therapeutic communication skills.
• Document/maintain patient record as appropriate.
• Performs basic dressing changes and is knowledgeable of the fundamentals of sterile technique.
• Evaluates nursing care actions and patient responses and documents each shift.
• Observes and responds appropriately to changes and complications in patient conditions. Report significant changes in patient condition to RN.
• Documents treatments and diagnostic tests with results and response. Documents in a clear, concise, accurate and legible manner.
• Observes assigned post-treatment/operative patients immediately upon return to floor and initiates appropriate nursing actions.
• Obtains RN signature for review and co-signature all entries.
• Completes assigned tasks with minimal supervision, but seeks guidance when uncertain how to perform procedure.
• Communicates suggestions and/or complaints through appropriate channels. Displays cooperation, flexibility and positive behavior to patients and other staff members.
• Demonstrates ability to effectively perform under stress.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:

Student in an accredited nursing education program. Student must have junior or senior year status and must have successfully completed fundamental clinical skills portion of the program or must complete the program within the same semester of hiring into the position. (1^st semester of clinicals)

Minimum Experience:

None.

Licensure Requirement:

CPR required.