Registered Nurse (RN) - Temporary

This is a temporary non-merit position with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services - Civil Commitment Unit - Cherokee. 

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Division of State-Operated Specialty Care, is seeking a dedicated and compassionate Registered Nurse (RN)- Temporary to join the Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders (CCUSO). This is a meaningful opportunity to make a difference by providing high-quality care to a unique, high-risk population within a structured clinical environment.

Why You’ll Love This Role

• Opportunity to use your nursing skills in a specialized, team-focused setting.
• A supportive environment where your clinical judgment and professional growth are valued.
• A chance to contribute to patient safety, rehabilitation, and long-term wellbeing.

What You’ll Do

In this full-time position, you will:

• Deliver acute and chronic nursing care with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention.
• Provide therapeutic interventions, psychological support, and patient education.
• Participate in treatment activities, escort patients as needed and maintain clear and accurate documentation.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team committed to quality care and safety.

Work Schedule

• Temporary positions are used on an ‘as needed’ basis for call-ins, open shifts, and scheduled coverage for time off. 
• Temporary positions are allowed 780 hours per fiscal year (July-June).

Additional Requirements

All applicants must successfully complete a background check.

CCUSO provides a secure, long-term, and highly structured setting to treat sexual offenders who have served their prison terms, but, in a separate civil trial, have been found likely to reoffend. The facility provides state-of-the-art treatment to patients to lower their risk of re-offending and to release them from confinement as quickly as possible. There is a full range of diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitative services focused on addressing the conditions impacting a patient’s likelihood of re-offending. For more CCUSO info: https://hhs.iowa.gov/family-community/specialty-care-facilities/civil-commitment-unit-sexual-offenders

Cherokee Highlights

CCUSO is located in Cherokee, a city of approximately 5,000 set in the beautiful Little Sioux River Valley in Northwest Iowa. Residents enjoy fishing and canoeing on the Little Sioux River which winds through town providing a backdrop to a well-developed parks and trails system. In addition, Cherokee has over 1,000 acres of land devoted to parks and outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and horseback riding. Cherokee is the home of the first accredited museum and planetarium in Iowa, Sandford Museum and Planetarium, established in 1951. Cherokee may be the smallest town in the world to have its own symphony orchestra! This 60-member orchestra has been referred to as the “best kept secret in Northwest Iowa.”

Cherokee is home to Western Iowa Tech Community College and 1 hour or less from other educational institutions including Morningside College, Northwestern College, Buena Vista University, and Dordt College. This quintessential Iowa town is 1 hour from Sioux City and 2 hours from Omaha. Check out these 10 Reasons to Move to Iowa. 

The State of Iowa is an EEO/AA Employer

HHS values those with “lived experience” and encourages adults who were fostered as youth, foster parents, and/or parents who were in the HHS system to apply. Minorities, women, persons with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply (Hearing and Speech Impaired – Relay Iowa 1-800-735-2942 TDD). 

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Licensure as Registered Nurse in the State of Iowa by the Iowa Board of Nursing or licensure as a Registered Nurse in accordance with the Nurse Licensure Compact Administrator's Agreement of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description. 

More information regarding the Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators agreement of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing is available at the Nurse Licensure Compact

Review the provisions of the statute that authorized the creation of the Nurse Licensure Compact at Chapter 152E, Iowa Code.