Operating Room Registered Nurse
Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa Methodist Medical Center

Job Opportunity: Registered Nurse (RN) - Operating Room (OR) (Days)

Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Employment Type: Temporary
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Description

• Work 36-40 hours per week; overtime billable after 40 hours
• Call for weekends from end of shift Friday until 6:30 AM Monday
• Float across multiple campuses within the system
• Patient ratios: 1:1
• Unit size: 16 beds, 16 OR suites (12-14 routinely running)
• Level 1 trauma center with reserved trauma space
• Patient types include cardiac, peripheral vascular, neuro, ortho trauma, robotics, gynecology, urology, general surgery, pediatrics, transplants, ENT, plastics
• Use of specialized equipment: 3 DaVinci robots, Stealth technology for neuro navigation, Synthes or Stryker for ortho trauma
• Scrub or circulate preferred (both ideal)
• Expectation for turnovers less than 20 minutes
• Scrubs provided

Requirements

• Experience:

  • Minimum 2+ years current operating room experience (required)
  • Circulating and operating room experience (required)
  • Scrub experience preferred, including open heart scrubbing (highly preferred)
  • Strong proficiency in cardiac, vascular, thoracic, and general surgery (required)
  • Additional experience highly preferred in: DaVinci robotics, pediatrics, trauma, neurology, orthopedics (primarily trauma), gynecology, urology, transplants, plastics, ENT, vascular
  • Trauma Level I experience highly preferred
  • Must have completed a travel assignment within the previous 12 months (no first-time travelers) — prior travel experience required
  • Work history must show 24 months of current operating room experience
• Licensing & Certifications:

  • Active Iowa RN license or compact/multistate license at time of submission (required)
  • Current American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC) BLS certification (required)
• Skills & Documentation:

  • Skills checklist specific to operating room nursing discipline (scrub/scrubbing) (required)
  • Professional references/performance evaluations within last 24 months (preferred)
  • Valid driver’s license (required)
• Systems Experience:

  • EPIC electronic medical record experience within the last 3 years (required)

Summary

This is a temporary Registered Nurse position in the Operating Room at a Level 1 trauma center in Des Moines, IA. The role requires strong OR experience, especially in cardiac, vascular, thoracic, and general surgery, with additional skills in robotics and trauma highly preferred. Prior travel experience is mandatory, and candidates must be licensed in Iowa with current BLS certification. The position involves working in a fast-paced environment with a variety of surgical specialties and requires flexibility to float across multiple campuses.