The Indian Health Service is hiring!
As IHS chief of staff, I’m honored to share the exciting news that today, the Indian Health Service announced the launch of the largest hiring initiative in the history of the agency. With the full support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., this unprecedented hiring campaign represents a historic investment in strengthening the IHS workforce to meet the needs of our relatives, tribal communities, and others that we serve. IHS has experienced a near-30 percent vacancy rate, and this initiative reflects the urgency for recruiting, hiring, and retaining qualified professionals for IHS—the 18th largest public health system in the country and among the largest health care systems serving rural America.
Our immediate focus will be on filling vacancies for critical positions essential to keeping our health care facilities operating smoothly, especially at our service units in rural and remote locations. Current hiring opportunities span a wide range of disciplines, including:
- Physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and behavioral health professionals
- Public health, environmental health, and community health roles
- Health administration, information technology, and essential support services
In sharing this important announcement, I appeal to everyone to help us spread the word about professional opportunities that are available at IHS. Our relatives and communities deserve not only excellent health care providers who share our goal of raising the health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level, but who are also committed to providing care that centers Native culture and the traditional practices that have kept our people healthy since time immemorial.
To succeed, we need your help.
Sharing information through networks, amplifying messages on social media, and supporting outreach efforts—particularly to tribal colleges and universities who play a vital role in educating and preparing the next generation—will be critical in encouraging recent graduates, early career professionals, veterans, and other service-oriented individuals to explore careers with the IHS.
It is an exciting time to work for the Indian Health Service. Ours is an agency where those seeking to serve Indigenous communities—while building meaningful, mission-driven careers—can thrive.
Since joining the agency as chief of staff last October, I have been profoundly moved by the dedication and generosity exemplified by IHS staff. From clinical leadership consistently developing innovative ways to deliver care to our people, to the visionary planning for future generations reflected in our proposed agency realignment, the people of IHS genuinely and passionately want to make a positive difference where it is most needed.
If service to tribal communities appeals to you, if working on the frontlines and witnessing the immediate impact of your contribution appeals to you, if knowing you are doing your part to support positive change in Indian Country appeals to you, then we need you at IHS. And we need your continued support in reaching qualified candidates as additional career opportunities unroll throughout the year. Together, we can make history, strengthening our ability to improve health care outcomes in tribal communities throughout the country. Our relatives deserve as much.
Additional information on open positions, early-career pathways, and veteran hiring opportunities is available on the IHS Jobs website and USAJobs.gov.
