Clarification from the agency

The IHS is required by law to give absolute preference to qualified applicants who meet the Secretary of the Interior's definition of Indian for appointment to vacancies within the IHS in accordance with established IHS policy as outlined in the Indian Health Manual Part 7, Chapter 3.

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Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job: Pharmacist Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov)

• Directs, manages and oversees Pharmacy Programs and Outpatient Pharmacy services.
• Provides outpatient pharmacy and direct patient care.
• Formulates, interprets and applies pharmacy policies and procedures.
• Formulate, prepare, bulk compound, select, dispense and preserve drugs, medicines and chemicals.
• Interprets prescriptions, compute dosages, weigh and measure drugs, medicines and chemicals, and mix compounds, drugs and chemicals.
• Dispenses drugs, medicines, and products as prescribed by a physician or other healthcare practitioner and ensures accuracy of doses.
• Identifies therapeutic incompatibilities of drugs, medications and products.
• Properly handles and stores drugs, medications and chemicals.
• Provides pharmacy consultation to physicians, other healthcare professionals and staff, patients, Tribes, and the general community.
• Resolves pharmacy problems and identifies and provides resolution.
• Provides education and training in pharmacy and coordinates educational actvities and community health education programs.
• Provides adequate staffing levels to operate a pharmacy program.
• Plans, schedules, and assigns work, provides guidance and instruction to employees, establishes performance standards and evaluations work performance, identifies and recommends training, and recommends employees for promotions.
• Approves leave, recommends awards, hears and resolves employee complaints, recommends disciplinary action.
• Oversees financial management and budget for the pharmacy program.
• Conducts budget formulation and identifies financial, personnel, and supply needs and requirements.

Conditions of employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period
ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period
U.S. Citizenship is required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.

IHS Selectees that will work in an IHS health care facility may be subject to Employee Health Policies related to Measles and Rubella, and seasonal influenza immunizations. Vaccine exemption requests may be available according to the National and/or Service Unit guidance.

A one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.

The selected individual is required to obtain and maintain medical staff clinical privileges, including any licensure requirements. If privileges are not obtained or maintained during employment, the employee will be subject to adverse actions, up to and including removal from Federal service.

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.

Occasional travel to facilities in El Reno, OK and Watonga, OK; may be required.

On-call hours or standby duty may be required.

You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.

Background Investigation Requirement:

This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.

A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service.

Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):
Education: A doctoral degree in Pharmacy that is recognized by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Licensure: Applicants must be licensed to practice pharmacy in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.

Medical Requirement: Must be able to distinguish basic colors.

Experience: Applicant's qualifications background must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary to perform the work of the position. Pharmacy work requires knowledge of the use, clinical effects, and composition of medications, including their chemical, biological, and physical properties. Qualifying professional pharmacy experience may involve, but is not limited to:

• Dispensing medications prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and providing information to help practitioners and patients about proper usage of medications and side effects
• Evaluating medication use patterns and outcomes for patients in hospital or managed care organizations
• Performing administrative, consultative, or staff advisory work for a medical facility's pharmacy program
• Planning, monitoring and evaluating medication programs or regimens
• Establishing medication-handling procedures for the storage and perseveration of medications
• Researching medical literature and/or clinical medication information to provide accurate responses to inquiries
• Maintaining all medication records required by law

In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:
Examples include: An experienced pharmacist who had demonstrated administrative and leadership skills by supervising or leading a pharmacy department, hand-on-clinical work practicing pharmacy such as providing oversight of the outpatient pharmacy clinical services and carrying out the pharmacy functions of drug selection, drug interaction review and monitoring for appropriateness of treatment; experience with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) accreditation requirements; familiarity with federal pharmacy guidelines and collecting and analyzing data for quarterly workload reports; preparing and maintaining departmental budget; assigning work for subordinates, evaluating work performance, and providing oversight of ongoing professional development of licensed staff.

Supervisory Abilities: This is a supervisory position and candidates, in addition to the professional qualifications listed, must have demonstrated in their work experience or training, that they possess, or have potential to develop, the qualities of successful supervision, as required for this position.

Time In Grade
Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume).

Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

To ensure a fair and consistent hiring process, IHS uses a multi-hurdle assessment process. Each "hurdle" must be passed before moving to the next step. This helps us evaluate applicants based on job-related qualifications, competencies, and experience.

Below is what applicants can expect:
________________________________________
1. Minimum Qualifications Review - Hurdle 1
HR reviews your resume to confirm you meet the eligibility and minimum qualifications for the position (education and/or licensure (if applicable), listed above).
Note: the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications.
If you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications, you move to the next hurdle.
2. Technical Assessment (Subject Matter Expert Resume Review) - Hurdle 2
A panel of subject matter experts (SME) will review your resume to determine whether you clearly show the required specialized experience listed below.
Note: SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume).

This assessment is Pass/Fail.

Applicants who demonstrate the required experience will advance.

An experienced pharmacist who had demonstrated administrative and leadership skills by supervising or leading a pharmacy department, hand-on-clinical work practicing pharmacy such providing oversight of the outpatient pharmacy clinical services and carrying out the pharmacy functions of drug selection, drug interaction review and monitoring for appropriateness of treatment; experience with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) accreditation requirements; familiarity with collecting valid data from quarterly workload reports; preparing and maintaining departmental budget; assigning work for subordinates, evaluating work performance, providing oversight of ongoing professional development of license staff.

Demonstration of these specialized experience statements ascertain your competency in the following:

• Administration and Management
• Interpersonal Skills
• Pharmacology
• Technical Competence

Click here to view vacancy questions: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12907946.

All documents above MUST be received by 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date of, 04/19/2026, to be considered.