Nurse Practitioner / Physician Associate – Primary Care

Des Moines University College of Health Sciences (CHS); Des Moines, Northern (IA, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plan contributions

Retirement match 10%

Tuition assistance

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences invites a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant to join the Primary Care-Clinic in Des Moines, IA. You will deliver comprehensive, patient-centered primary care and play a role in women's health services.

The position emphasizes collaboration with physicians and a focus on high-quality, accessible care. A strong clinical background and Iowa licensure are required.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree from an accredited NP or ARC-PA accredited PA program.
• Current national certification as NP or PA.
• Ability to provide comprehensive primary care within scope of practice.
• Strong clinical judgment and ability to manage patients.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and patient relationship skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive primary care across the lifespan including preventive care and chronic disease management.
• Deliver women's health services within scope of practice.
• Evaluate, diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions.
• Order tests, prescribe medications, coordinate referrals, ensure continuity of care.
• Educate patients on health maintenance and lifestyle modifications.
• Collaborate with physicians and care team with accurate documentation and safety initiatives.

Skills

NP/PA degree

National certification

Clinical judgment

Communication skills

Patient-centered care

Licensure in Iowa

DEA registration

BLS certification

Education

NP or PA graduate degree

Job description

Nurse Practitioner / Physician Associate – Primary Care

Job no: 493044
Work type: FT
Location: Des Moines
Categories: Clinical Faculty and Staff

Are you a passionate Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Associate (PA) looking to build meaningful relationships with patients and make a lasting impact on their health and well-being? Join the University Clinics Primary Care practice, where you'll provide comprehensive, evidence-based care to patients across the lifespan in a collaborative, patient-centered environment.

In this role, you'll have the opportunity to deliver a full spectrum of primary care services, including preventive care, chronic disease management, acute illness treatment, and wellness promotion. Providers with experience and interest in women's health will also play a key role in delivering services such as preventive screenings, reproductive and sexual health care, contraception counseling, and routine gynecologic care.

As part of an integrated healthcare team, you'll work closely with physicians and clinical colleagues to ensure patients receive high-quality, coordinated, and accessible care that leads to exceptional outcomes and experiences.

If you're seeking a position focused on what matters most, caring for patients, this opportunity offers a dedicated clinical practice without academic, teaching, research, or student supervision responsibilities, allowing you to concentrate on delivering outstanding patient care every day.

What you’ll do:

• Provide comprehensive primary care services for patients across the lifespan, including preventive care, acute illness treatment, chronic disease management, and wellness promotion.
• Deliver women's health services within scope of practice, including preventive screenings, reproductive and sexual health care, contraception management, and routine gynecologic care.
• Evaluate, diagnose, and treat a wide range of medical conditions through evidence-based clinical assessment, treatment planning, and follow-up care.
• Order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, coordinate specialty referrals, and ensure appropriate continuity of care.
• Educate patients on health maintenance, disease prevention, treatment options, and lifestyle modifications while fostering strong patient-provider relationships.
• Collaborate with physicians and an interdisciplinary care team to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care while maintaining accurate clinical documentation and supporting quality and safety initiatives.

What we are looking for:

Required Qualifications

• Graduate degree from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program appropriate to the provider’s area of practice or a graduate degree from an ARC-PA-accredited Physician Assistant program.
• Current national certification as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Associate/Physician Assistant through the appropriate nationally recognized certifying organization.
• Ability to provide comprehensive primary care within the provider’s education, training, certification, and scope of practice.
• Strong clinical judgment and ability to evaluate and manage patients within the provider’s scope of practice.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and patient relationship skills.
• Commitment to patient-centered care, clinical excellence, professionalism, and teamwork.
• Current, unrestricted Iowa license or eligibility for Iowa licensure as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Associate.
• Current DEA registration and applicable state controlled substance registration, or eligibility to obtain.
• Current BLS certification or ability to obtain within the required timeframe.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience practicing in an outpatient primary care setting.
• Experience providing comprehensive women’s health services preferred.
• Experience with preventive care and chronic disease management.
• Experience providing care across a broad range of patient populations and medical conditions.
• Experience working in an integrated or multidisciplinary healthcare environment.
• Experience with AthenaOne or another electronic medical record system.

Total Rewards:

Our employees are what make DMU special, so we treat them well! Our Total Rewards reflect this commitment. Qualified faculty and staff enjoy a generous employer contribution toward the medical plan, 10% retirement match, flexible work arrangements, community service time, tuition assistance, professional development funding and access to wellness facilities with programs that promote a well-balanced lifestyle. Visit www.dmu.edu/employment to learn more about our benefits.

DMU is proud to offer employees generous benefits and perks, paid time off, free use of wellness facilities and a host of employee engagement and recognition programs throughout the year.

About:

Founded in 1898, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences is a premier medical and health sciences institution comprising three colleges — the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and the College of Health Sciences. DMU offers graduate-level professional degree programs in anatomy, biomedical sciences, health care administration, medical science, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, podiatric medicine and public health.

Located in West Des Moines, part of Iowa’s capital metro, DMU provides a collaborative, student-centered academic environment. Our students consistently exceed national benchmarks in board exam performance, certification pass rates and medical residency match outcomes. Our mission is to improve lives in our global community by educating diverse groups of highly competent and compassionate health professionals.

It is an exciting time to join DMU. Our 88-acre campus in West Des Moines brings the entire academic community together in one collaborative, future-focused environment, while the Des Moines University Clinic serves patients within the DMU32 Health and Business Complex in downtown Des Moines. Our state-of-the-art campus features technology-rich, flexible learning environments that support innovative teaching and connect faculty and students across all of our programs. Modern research facilities include a vibrant open-concept laboratory that fosters collaboration, accelerates discovery and empowers faculty and students to advance the health sciences.

DMU enhances our community’s quality of life by educating outstanding health professionals and leaders, providing expert and compassionate patient care, serving the community in diverse ways and contributing to the vitality of central Iowa.

At DMU, you will make a meaningful contribution to the dynamic future of medicine and health sciences by supporting a diverse community of faculty and staff with programs and services across the employee lifecycle.

Department: Primary Care-Clinic

Status: Exempt

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, age, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information and other characteristics protected by law (“protected class”). For more information view the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal poster. Members of all underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

The university is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an email to [e-mail] or call 515-271-1484 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.