Northern Navajo Medical Center Opportunities 

Site Description: The Northern Navajo Medical Center (NNMC), located in Northwest New Mexico, is the largest facility within the Shiprock Service Unit, serving over 80,000 enrolled patients. NNMC provides a broad range of primary and specialty care, including:

• Pharmacy services (see below for details)

• Family Medicine

• Internal Medicine, including neurology and rheumatology

• Emergency Room and Fast Track

• Women’s Health

• Mental Health

• Optometry

• Dental

• Physical and Occupational Therapy

• Inpatient wards with 60 beds including medical-surgical, pediatrics, obstetrics, intensive care

• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

NNMC pharmacists enjoy a supportive environment where they work closely within the department as well as have great working relationships with the medical staff. The staff are comprised of both civilian and Commissioned Officers with about 47 pharmacists and 24 technicians and support staff.

Pharmacists at NNMC practice in a challenging and progressive environment that is conducive to increasing responsibilities and growth. Some of the responsibilities and growth opportunities are listed below.

Location Opportunities

Outpatient • Pharmacist integration into Medical Home Model with face-to-face interactions with providers

• Pharmacists have renal dosing protocols to adjust multiple medications

• Pharmacist lab monitoring protocols

• Pharmacist intervention program

• Pharmacist emergency contraception dispensing protocol

• Access the entire patient care for review

Inpatient • ACLS and PALS training

• Attend codes and rapid response emergencies

• Manage inpatient medication consults including vancomycin, warfarin, renal drug dosing, and others as requested by providers

• Antibiotic stewardship for inpatient, emergency room, operating room

• Medication reconciliation on admission, transfer, and discharge

• Patient discharge counseling

• Manage clinical and distributive functions of inpatient pharmacy

• Overnight positions

Ambulatory Care • Tobacco Cessation – counsel and assist patients with stopping tobacco

• Anticoagulation – interview patients and prescribe warfarin and DOAC per protocol

• Infectious Disease – assist infectious disease provider with medication management of HIV and Hepatitis C medications

• Chronic Disease Clinic – interview patients, order and interpret tests, and prescribe medications for any previously diagnosed medical condition

• Diagnostic Pharmacist – for those interested in advanced practice, a training program exists that will train pharmacists to work as a mid-level provider and be part of the medical staff

• Training opportunities include the Pharmacy Physical Assessment Program – trains pharmacists to perform physical assessment in cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, HEENT, abdominal, and musculoskeletal

Residency Program • NNMC as both a PGY1 and PGY2 program

• Opportunities exist for pharmacists to serve as preceptors

Student Program • NNMC has an extensive student program

• Opportunities exist for pharmacists to serve as student preceptors

Ancillary Duties • Med Error Coordinator

• Narcotics Officer

• Vaccine for Children Coordinator

• Pharmacy and Therapeutics Secretary

• Mail Order Pharmacy Coordinator

• Medical Home Model Coordinator

• Emergency Room Pharmacy Position

• Clinic Coordinator for Tobacco Cessation, Anticoagulation, Infectious Disease, and Chronic Disease

Benefits of site • As federal facility, only need a license from any state or territory

• Good medical and dental benefits

• Work in a progressive environment that allows you to maximize your skills as a pharmacist

Area Description: Shiprock, NM, is centrally located among countless diverse natural wonders. The Four Corners Area (AZ, CO, NM, UT) is rich with mountains, canyons, and deserts. Day trips and weekend travel opportunities are vast! In the winter time, day trips to Colorado for skiing is available at Wolf Creek Pass, Telluride, and others. In the drier months, hiking, camping, mountain biking, and rafting are common outings for employees.

Within a 200-mile radius include some the best national parks and monuments such as Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, Arches, Canyon Lands, and Natural Bridges. Those seeking more solitude can explore surrounding deserts landscapes such as Bisti Wilderness and the San Juan National Forest and wilderness areas.

For those that enjoy larger cities, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Denver, and Phoenix can make for good getaways on long weekends.

The majority of pharmacists live in either Farmington, NM or Cortez, CO, both about a 40-minute drive to Shiprock. There are available Van Pools but no onsite housing.

If you are interested please contact:

CDR Ryan Buff, Pharm.D., BCPS

Assistant Chief Pharmacist

Northern Navajo Medical Center

Phone:505-368-6018

Email: ryan.buff@ihs.gov

Published in Employment
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