Contract Registered Nurse / Licensed Practical Nurse – Acute Care Nursing

We are seeking qualified Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) to provide contract acute care nursing services in support of the Pine Ridge Service Unit Indian Health Service facility in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Contract nurses will support the Acute Care Nursing Department during staffing shortages and may assist across inpatient acute care, outpatient clinic areas, specialty clinics, and other service unit needs. Nurses will provide direct patient care to pediatric and adult patients with a wide range of acute and chronic medical conditions in a rural healthcare setting.

This is a non-personal services contract role supporting the mission of Indian Health Service to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide direct nursing care to acute care patients of all ages with diverse medical and nursing diagnoses.
• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care in accordance with established nursing standards and scope of license.
• Perform patient identification, nursing reassessments, care planning, and documentation.
• Administer medications and treatments as ordered, including PO, IM, IV, respiratory treatments, wound care, telemetry monitoring, and other ordered interventions.
• Assist with activities of daily living, ambulation, range of motion, dressing changes, specimen collection, and patient education.
• Support emergency response situations, including cardiac arrest response, CPR, and other urgent patient care needs.
• Provide care for adult, pediatric, isolation, medical-surgical, end-of-life, telemetry, and chronic/acute illness patients.
• Maintain accurate documentation in the facility's Electronic Health Record system.
• Follow IHS, CMS, Joint Commission, infection control, HIPAA, safety, and facility policies.
• Communicate professionally with providers, patients, families, coworkers, and other departments.
• Participate in orientation, required training, quality improvement, and performance improvement activities.
• Float to other units or clinic areas as assigned based on facility need, including outpatient, acute care, specialty clinics, pediatrics, midwife clinic, orthopedics, podiatry, or mobile unit support.

Patient Care Setting

Contract staff may care for patients with conditions including, but not limited to:

• Adult and pediatric medical-surgical needs
• Diabetes mellitus
• COPD
• Pneumonia
• RSV, COVID, influenza
• Hepatic encephalopathy
• Alcohol withdrawal
• Failure to thrive
• Cardiac telemetry needs
• End-of-life care
• Acute and chronic illness management

Required Qualifications – Registered Nurse

• Current, unrestricted RN license from any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territory.
• Successful completion of NCLEX-RN.
• Minimum of 2 years of medical-surgical inpatient and acute care nursing experience.
• Current American Heart Association BLS certification.
• Current American Heart Association ACLS certification.
• Current American Heart Association PALS certification.
• Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English effectively.
• Proficiency with electronic health records, email, word processing, hospital information systems, and similar software.
• Ability to work respectfully and constructively with Native American patients and multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

Required Qualifications – Licensed Practical Nurse

• Current, unrestricted LPN license from any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territory.
• Successful completion of NCLEX-PN.
• Current American Heart Association BLS certification.
• Current American Heart Association ACLS certification.
• Current American Heart Association PALS certification.
• Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English effectively.
• Proficiency with electronic health records and basic computer systems.
• Ability to provide safe, professional nursing care within LPN scope of practice.

Schedule

• Rotating shifts based on facility need.
• Potential shifts include:
  • Day Shift: 7:00 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Night Shift: 7:00 PM – 7:30 AM
• 12-hour shifts with a required 30-minute unpaid meal break.
• Typical schedule may include 7 shifts in a two-week period / 84 hours every two weeks.
• Weekends, holidays, day shifts, night shifts, and shift rotation may be required.
• Acute Care is an essential unit and does not close for inclement weather.

Physical Requirements

This role may require:

• Prolonged standing and walking
• Bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, and reaching
• Lifting or assisting with moderately heavy items, patients, or equipment
• Occasional lifting over 50 pounds
• Above-average agility and dexterity
• Working in environments with possible exposure to contagious disease or bodily fluids

Compliance, Clearance, and Onboarding Requirements

Selected candidates must complete all required onboarding and clearance requirements before beginning work, including:

• Federal background investigation / preliminary clearance
• Fingerprinting
• PIV-related requirements, if applicable
• IHS orientation and required annual trainings
• Employee health documentation and immunization records
• Current required vaccinations or screenings, including MMR, Varicella, Tdap, TB screening, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Influenza, and COVID-19 vaccination series
• Verification against applicable exclusion lists
• Completion of required facility documentation and training before patient care begins

Work Environment

Pine Ridge is located in southwestern South Dakota, approximately 100 miles from Rapid City. The facility serves the Pine Ridge Reservation, home of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Contractors should be prepared for rural healthcare operations, variable weather conditions, and mission-driven patient care in a tribal health setting.

Housing and Travel

Housing may be available through PRSU when available, particularly for inclement weather response needs. Housing availability is not guaranteed and may require rental payment. Candidates should have reliable transportation and be prepared to report for assigned shifts during winter weather, storms, icy road conditions, and other local conditions.

Pay

Pay rate: $49-$65/hour, depending on license type, experience, availability, and contract requirements

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and current certifications. Qualified candidates should be prepared to provide licensure, BLS, ACLS, PALS, immunization records, and other onboarding documentation upon request.