Pharmacist (2450) - Citywide

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status. 

• Application Opening – Wednesday, February 22, 2023

• Application Deadline – Continuous

• Salary:  $177,528 - $226,512 Annually (

• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service (

• Recruitment ID:  CCT-2450-H00046

• Work Arrangement: Onsite

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.  

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. Fulfilling this mission requires employees working across our hospitals, clinics, programs, and offices to deliver services and support the communities we serve. Individuals interested in joining SFDPH should expect to work in person across these settings.

The San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration are the core divisions of SFDPH. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.

• START with this ⚠️ REQUIRED EXAM ( ✅

• THEN, submit an online application 

Under general supervision, the Pharmacist performs professional pharmaceutical duties for the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) to assure quality patient care, appropriate drug therapy and compliance with all applicable regulations.

Positions are located throughout DPH including:

• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center (ZSFG) Inpatient Pharmacy

• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center (ZSFG) Outpatient Pharmacy

• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center (ZSFG) Purchasing Pharmacy

• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center (ZSFG) 340B Program Coordinator

• San Francisco County Jails, both in San Francisco and in San Bruno

• Community Behavioral Health Services

• Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center

• Various clinics and Health Centers located throughout the City and County of San Francisco.

Some positions may require employees to work directly with individuals within locked jails and psychiatric facilities, the homeless population, substance use disorder, or individuals who may have or may be carriers of infectious/communicable diseases. Additionally, evenings, nights, weekends, rotating and/or holiday shifts may be required.

Working hours vary depending on location. Some positions may require working evening, night, weekend, and holiday shifts.

Under general direction of the Supervising Pharmacist, the Pharmacist performs the following essential job functions:

• Reviews, processes, compounds, prepares, labels, and dispenses medication orders and prescriptions.

• Monitors drug therapy for appropriateness, contraindications, interactions, adverse effects, and therapeutic/toxic dosing.

• Communicates drug information and/or medication counseling to patients and health care personnel.

• Performs quality assurance by conducting drug use evaluations and medication area inspections.

• Maintains accurate and thorough documentation of patient care activities and regulatory requirements.

• Supervises support personnel, as required.

In addition to the essential duties listed above, Pharmacist positions in the below designated areas also perform the following duties:

ZSFG INPATIENT PHARMACY POSITIONS: (These positions require Special Condition #1 listed in the Minimum Qualification section of this announcement.)

• Reviews, processes, and dispenses physician medication orders and prescriptions including preparing IV admixtures and chemotherapy.

• Consistently monitors and follows-up with unresolved medication order issues, lab orders, In Basket messages, and properly document clinical interventions in the EHR system using provided guidelines.

• Provides therapeutic drug monitoring consultation, including determination of appropriate loading dose, maintenance dose, and predicted blood levels, based on patient specific parameters and disease process.

• Organizes, plans, and prioritizes daily inpatient pharmacy workflow within the shift. Maintains routine workflow, integrates non-routine work, and relays information as necessary to the oncoming shift.

JAIL HEALTH POSITIONS:

• Act in the capacity of the designated Pharmacist-in-Charge of the facility pharmacy and is responsible for compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to the practice of pharmacy.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES POSITIONS:

• Reviews, processes, and dispenses medication order for mental health and substance use disorder prescription, including specialty packaging.

• Assists clients and providers with medication insurance navigation and formulary consultations, including collaboration with outside teams to discuss and triage client treatments.

• May provide observed dosing for client medications, perform point-of-care tests, and direct patient counseling for substance use disorder and mental health medications at various locations.

LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL POSITIONS:

• Reviews, processes, and dispenses physician medication orders and prescriptions for geriatric residents.

• Prepares pharmaceuticals for dispensing by compounding extemporaneous products.

• Assists in the completion of monthly patient chart review, collection of data for drug use evaluation studies and follow-up reported adverse drug reactions.

• Conducts medication area inspections and maintains a professional work environment.

• Participate in observations for medication administration and interdisciplinary team meetings to review patient chart reviews.

The 2450 Pharmacist also performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

License: Requires possession of a valid Registered Pharmacist license issued by the California State Board of Pharmacy. (Please attach a copy of license)

• License status must be "Current" according to search.dca.ca.gov/

Possible Special Conditions (some positions may require the following):

• Six months of experience (equivalent to 1,000 hours) in an inpatient pharmacy obtained within the last five (5) years.

• One year (equivalent to 2,000 hours) of pharmacy informatics experience: (1) integrating, supporting, and maintaining an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Pharmacy Information System (PIS); and (2) implementing, developing, and evaluating Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE), within the last three years.

• Bilingual fluency in a variety of languages depending on the department’s needs. Only those that pass the bilingual proficiency exam will be considered for bilingual positions.

• The ability to obtain and maintain security clearance with the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.

• Six months or more of work experience in Pharmacy supply chain and medication inventory procurement and management and/or 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Positions at the Department of Information Technology, Office of Healthcare Informatics, the following Condition of Employment applies:

• Possession of a valid epic module certification applicable to your Epic specialty area is a condition of employment for these positions. You must possess a valid epic certification or obtain a valid Epic certification within six months of hire. 

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week).

Verification of Education and Experience: 

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications ( for considerations taken when reviewing applications.   

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at  

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. 

Selection Procedures: After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Training and Experience Evaluation (Weight: 100%): Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Training and Experience exam in order to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

The Training and Experience Evaluation is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to: Knowledge of laws regulating the practice of pharmacy, therapeutic/toxic dosing, drug interactions, contraindications, and adverse effects of drug therapy; Ability to prepare and maintain accurate, routine reports and records; Ability to supervise the work of support personnel and judge the adequacy of their work performance; Ability to communicate effectively orally; Ability to use professional judgment to make decisions, problem solve, and prioritize activities; Ability to use initiative and act independently.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Training and Experience Evaluation exam in order to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score. 

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions. 

Language Proficiency Exam: For positions requiring bilingual fluency, candidates deemed qualified who meet the special language condition must pass a departmentally approved language proficiency exam prior to appointment. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for the bilingual position. Applicants must indicate on the application form the language(s) in which they claim proficiency.

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of the List.

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. 

Candidate names will remain on the list for a maximum period of 12 months. Candidates that are not selected and expire off the list may re-apply.

How to apply:

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process. 

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link. 

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment therefore, it is their responsibility to contact the Analyst if they update their email address. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: 

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at 

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at  

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco: 

• Information About the Hiring Process (

• Conviction History

• Employee Benefits Overview (

• Equal Employment Opportunity (

• Disaster Service Worker

• ADA Accommodation (

• Veterans Preference

• Right to Work (

• Copies of Application Documents

• Diversity Statement (

Where to Apply  

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit  to begin your application process.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account. 

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall ( , 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from View email address on click.appcast.io that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Your application will be active for the duration of the eligible period listed above. You do not need to reapply during this period. 

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Herbert Chau at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io. 

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.