About This Position
About the Opportunity
Four Winds Staffing, a Native-owned healthcare staffing firm serving the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribal health systems, is hiring Surgical Registered Nurses to support the Pine Ridge Service Unit (PRSU) in the Great Plains Area IHS. The Pine Ridge Reservation — home of the Oglala Lakota Nation — sits in the rolling prairies of southwestern South Dakota, roughly 100 miles from Rapid City and just north of the Nebraska border, near the Badlands and the Black Hills.
You will work alongside the PRSU Surgery team providing perioperative care to American Indian and Alaska Native patients of all ages. This is meaningful, mission-driven work in a rural federal hospital where your skills directly impact an underserved community.
What You'll Do
Provide direct perioperative nursing care (pre-op, intra-op, post-op) in the PRSU Surgery Department for patients of all ages Perform surgical time-outs, sterile counts, and set up sterile operating suites and equipment Complete pre-op assessments, IV starts and infusions, medication administration (PO, IM, IV, SQ, SL, nebulized, transdermal, rectal), and post-op pain management Operate and monitor specialty equipment: Olympus surgical tower, D&C suction, endometrial ablation, extremity tourniquets, defibrillators/pacing, infusion pumps, cardiac monitors, EKG, pulse oximeters, ventilators, POC glucometers Perform wound care (including vacuum-assisted closure), foley placement and care, blood/blood-product administration, EKG, and lab/POC sample collection Document accurately in the IHS EHR (RPMS) per CMS, TJC, and PRSU nursing standards Provide culturally responsive patient and family education Respond to codes and emergencies; recognize anaphylaxis and initiate BLS/ACLS/PALS interventions Occasionally float to ED, outpatient clinic, or acute-care inpatient for observation, medication passes, vitals, or POC testing as staffing needs require Respond within 15 minutes during on-call for urgent/emergent surgical needs (housing must be within that response window)
Required Qualifications
Active, unrestricted RN license from any US state, DC, or US territory (NCLEX-RN passed) Minimum 1 year of surgical / perioperative RN experience Current AHA certifications: BLS, ACLS, and PALS (all three required by IHS — no substitutes) Proficiency with EHR systems (RPMS experience a plus), Microsoft Office, and hospital information systems Strong written and spoken English for effective clinical communication Ability to work respectfully and effectively with Native American patients and communities Physical ability to stand/walk for prolonged periods, bend, stoop, reach, and occasionally lift over 50 lbs Ability to secure lodging within 15 minutes of the hospital for on-call response and inclement-weather coverage Pass IHS credentialing, background check, and health screening (per Section 231 of PL 101-647 and Section 408 of PL 101-630 — Indian Child Protection & Family Violence Act)
Preferred
Prior IHS, Tribal, or rural/critical-access surgical experience OR circulator, scrub, or PACU cross-training Experience with RPMS EHR
Housing Options
Pine Ridge is a rural community, so we work with every contracted nurse to lock in comfortable, safe housing that keeps you inside the required 15-minute on-call response window. Choose the option that fits you best.
Four Winds books and pays for your lodging directly. Fully furnished, utilities included Wi-Fi where available. Options include:
Prairie Wind Casino & Hotel (Pine Ridge, SD) — closest full-service hotel to the reservation; on-site restaurant, fitness, pool, free parking Lakota Prairie Ranch Resort (Kyle, SD) — extended-stay lodge rooms, kitchenette options Furnished short-term rentals / private homes in Pine Ridge and nearby communities (limited inventory — first come, first served)
RV / Travel Trailer
Sunset RV Park — Hay Springs, NE Grandview Campground — Chadron, NE
Pay: $3,246.00 per week
Benefits:
401(k)
Dental insurance
Health insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
Four Winds Staffing, a Native-owned healthcare staffing firm serving the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribal health systems, is hiring Surgical Registered Nurses to support the Pine Ridge Service Unit (PRSU) in the Great Plains Area IHS. The Pine Ridge Reservation — home of the Oglala Lakota Nation — sits in the rolling prairies of southwestern South Dakota, roughly 100 miles from Rapid City and just north of the Nebraska border, near the Badlands and the Black Hills.
You will work alongside the PRSU Surgery team providing perioperative care to American Indian and Alaska Native patients of all ages. This is meaningful, mission-driven work in a rural federal hospital where your skills directly impact an underserved community.
What You'll Do
Provide direct perioperative nursing care (pre-op, intra-op, post-op) in the PRSU Surgery Department for patients of all ages Perform surgical time-outs, sterile counts, and set up sterile operating suites and equipment Complete pre-op assessments, IV starts and infusions, medication administration (PO, IM, IV, SQ, SL, nebulized, transdermal, rectal), and post-op pain management Operate and monitor specialty equipment: Olympus surgical tower, D&C suction, endometrial ablation, extremity tourniquets, defibrillators/pacing, infusion pumps, cardiac monitors, EKG, pulse oximeters, ventilators, POC glucometers Perform wound care (including vacuum-assisted closure), foley placement and care, blood/blood-product administration, EKG, and lab/POC sample collection Document accurately in the IHS EHR (RPMS) per CMS, TJC, and PRSU nursing standards Provide culturally responsive patient and family education Respond to codes and emergencies; recognize anaphylaxis and initiate BLS/ACLS/PALS interventions Occasionally float to ED, outpatient clinic, or acute-care inpatient for observation, medication passes, vitals, or POC testing as staffing needs require Respond within 15 minutes during on-call for urgent/emergent surgical needs (housing must be within that response window)
Required Qualifications
Active, unrestricted RN license from any US state, DC, or US territory (NCLEX-RN passed) Minimum 1 year of surgical / perioperative RN experience Current AHA certifications: BLS, ACLS, and PALS (all three required by IHS — no substitutes) Proficiency with EHR systems (RPMS experience a plus), Microsoft Office, and hospital information systems Strong written and spoken English for effective clinical communication Ability to work respectfully and effectively with Native American patients and communities Physical ability to stand/walk for prolonged periods, bend, stoop, reach, and occasionally lift over 50 lbs Ability to secure lodging within 15 minutes of the hospital for on-call response and inclement-weather coverage Pass IHS credentialing, background check, and health screening (per Section 231 of PL 101-647 and Section 408 of PL 101-630 — Indian Child Protection & Family Violence Act)
Preferred
Prior IHS, Tribal, or rural/critical-access surgical experience OR circulator, scrub, or PACU cross-training Experience with RPMS EHR
Housing Options
Pine Ridge is a rural community, so we work with every contracted nurse to lock in comfortable, safe housing that keeps you inside the required 15-minute on-call response window. Choose the option that fits you best.
Four Winds books and pays for your lodging directly. Fully furnished, utilities included Wi-Fi where available. Options include:
Prairie Wind Casino & Hotel (Pine Ridge, SD) — closest full-service hotel to the reservation; on-site restaurant, fitness, pool, free parking Lakota Prairie Ranch Resort (Kyle, SD) — extended-stay lodge rooms, kitchenette options Furnished short-term rentals / private homes in Pine Ridge and nearby communities (limited inventory — first come, first served)
RV / Travel Trailer
Sunset RV Park — Hay Springs, NE Grandview Campground — Chadron, NE
Pay: $3,246.00 per week
Benefits:
401(k)
Dental insurance
Health insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
