Nurse Extern Behavioral Health

Primary City/State: Tucson, Arizona

Department Name: BHS East DeEx-Hosp

Work Shift: Day

Job Category: Nursing

Are you a nursing student graduating in 12 months or less (Junior or Senior students)? Are you ready to gain hands‑on experience in a clinical setting before you graduate? Look no further than Banner Health's new Nurse Extern program! Banner University Medical Center South in Tucson, AZ – Cardiac Receiving Center and a designated “senior‑friendly” hospital. The Behavioral Health Pavilion is home to the largest psychiatric inpatient service in Southern Arizona.

The Campus also includes an Emergency department, with a state‑designated trauma center. These East Unit RN positions will help support our highest acuity level of involuntary behavioral health patients. They do have 24/7 security on the unit as well. Our RN team helps provide 24/7 crisis intervention and therapeutic services in a medically safe, recovery‑focused environment.

The specific Behavioral Health Nurse Extern position will be working with involuntary and voluntary Behavioral Health patients at the Behavioral Health Hospital located at Banner University Medical Center South
. Under the supervision of an RN preceptor, Banner Health Nurse Externs will have the chance to practice various skills, including: assessing patients, administering medications, adjusting IV pump rates or devices, parenteral fluids, blood products or IV flushes, initiating, titrating and discontinuing oxygen, and performing basic data collection in an EMR. In addition, our nurse externs will have the chance to practice any skill for which they have received didactic and clinical instruction and can provide evidence of a skill checklist from an accredited nursing program.

Throughout the program, our nursing externs are also able to spend time with the clinical case manager, observe procedures, or participate in other activities relevant to the patient population with which they are involved.

Banner's goal when placing an RN Nurse Extern is that you continue on as a New Grad RN with the same team that you selected for your Nurse Extern position (after successfully graduating and obtaining your RN licensure).

• Must be enrolled in an accredited nursing program and within 1 year of graduation.
• Must be able to graduate from an accredited nursing program on the initial anticipated graduation date.
• Current BLS certification.
• Must be able to pass Nursing State Boards within 90 days after graduation, or, if a second attempt is needed, must schedule and pass within an additional 60 days from the first attempt.
• Will work a minimum and be guaranteed of 12 hours a month; cannot exceed 20 hours per week (this must be tracked by the employee).
• Very Part‑Time Day Shift Hours are 7AM‑7:30PM.
• (Any Night and Weekend differentials are in place, but no regular benefits or PTO).

This position, under the direct supervision of a licensed professional registered nurse, allows the nursing student within one year from graduation with a Bachelor’s or Associate Degree in Nursing to expand their clinical experience while working through standard Nurse Extern competency assessment on a wide variety of patient care activities, including classroom training, participation in patient care planning, implementation, observation and evaluation, as well as identification/reporting significant observations.

The unlicensed Nurse Extern role is not a permanent position. Employment will be impacted based on criteria outlined in the Nurse Program policy.

• The unlicensed Nurse Extern must always be under the direct supervision of a designated licensed professional registered nurse.
• Provides direct nursing care including attending to client’s comfort needs and other nursing skills/procedures for which they have received didactic & clinical instruction in their program, as well as their competency established and witnessed under the direct supervision of a licensed professional registered nurse.
• Assists in the assessment, planning, diagnosis, implementation, evaluation and nursing care under direct supervision of a licensed professional…