Nurse Practitioner – Psychiatric – CCUSO – Full-time

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Division of State-Operated Specialty Care, Bureau of Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders (CCUSO) in Cherokee, IA, is seeking a Nurse Practitioner – Psychiatric to join our team! This is a full-time position with HHS scheduled Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and on-call responsibilities may be required.

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) will provide advanced evidence-based psychiatric care within a secure civil commitment facility for individuals adjudicated as SVPs. Practicing under full independent authority in Iowa, the PMHNP is responsible for conducting comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, prescribing psychotropic medication, and developing individualized treatment plans in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams.

In addition to the minimum qualifications:

• Licensure as an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) and registered as an ARNP by the Iowa Board of Nursing (IBON) is required.
• The successful candidate will be a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC).
• Preference will be given to those with at least 5 years of experience working with SVPs in an inpatient setting.
• Applicants will be required to complete a background check to be considered for this position.

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.

We have a great total compensation package, including:

• Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) (Employee contributes 6.29%/State of Iowa contributes 9.44%)
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan) (State of Iowa matches up to $75/month)
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance (See below for additional information)
• Vacation Leave (96 hours/year to begin, and increases with years of service)
• Sick Leave (144 hours/year)
• Paid Holidays (9 days/year)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance ($20,000 paid for by the State of Iowa)
• Long-Term Disability Insurance

For additional information on benefits click here.

Click here to see how we compare with other employers or offers by using our Total Compensation Calculator.

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).

Our agency uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with satisfactory completion of a formal advanced practice educational program of study in a nurse practitioner program and appropriate clinical experience as approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description. (Download PDF reader)