Indian Health Service (IHS)
(Network of various sites across Oklahoma)
This is a federally run facility, under the auspices of the USPHS, as are the NIH (National Institutes of Health), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and the BOP (Bureau of Prisons), to name a few. IHS facilities operate as a public service to meet the health care needs of Native Americans and Alaskan natives.
The student experiencing a rotation at one of these sites, will have the opportunity to interact with the people of Native American cultures in extensive medication counseling, and monitoring of drug therapy. Students will have the chance to work closely with other health care providers such as physicians, physician assistants, nurses, laboratory personnel, and others.
Some of the sites offer inpatient care, with opportunity for the student to occasionally round with physicians. The sites, for the most part, are ambulatory, offering a wide range of outpatient services. Students will fill medication orders from the chart, not a prescription blank. Consequently, the pharmacy has complete access to all patient information, including physical exam results, laboratory results, and medical history for each patient.