Veterinary Medical Officer

This position is located with the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Midwest Area, National Animal Disease Center in Ames, IA.

You will provide service in veterinary care and research support consistent with animal welfare and overall animal use programs. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

**This Position is being filled through OPM's government-wide Direct-Hire Authority for this occupation and is open to all U.S. Citizens. Your application will be evaluated for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience and/or education meet the minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and other basic requirements will be referred and are eligible for selection. **

Must meet at least one (1) of the Basic Education Requirements listed in the "Education" section of this announcement along with one (1) of the Grade Level Requirements listed below:

GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience :

Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one-year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience providing primary veterinary care; upholding and securing animal holding facilities to regulation and procedural standards; performing major and minor surgery on animals; and maintaining a pharmacy of controlled substances.
OR
Education Substitution: Master's degree in an area of specialization, including but not limited to, animal science, avian medicine, food safety, infectious diseases, veterinary clinical sciences, pathobiology, biomedical sciences, veterinary anatomy, veterinary preventive medicine, comparative biological sciences, epidemiology, veterinary parasitology, molecular veterinary biosciences, public health, microbiology, pathology, immunology, laboratory animal medicine, toxicology, wildlife, zoological animal medicine, or sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical officer position.
OR
Residency/Post-Graduate Training Programs: Successful completion of two years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to the position.
OR
Board Certification: Successful completion of all requirements for a Diplomate status in an American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) recognized specialty organization. Such specialties may include, but are not limited to, veterinary toxicology, laboratory animal medicine, poultry veterinary medicine, theriogenology, veterinary anesthesiology, veterinary behaviorists, veterinary clinical pharmacology, veterinary dermatology, veterinary emergency and critical care, veterinary internal medicine, veterinary microbiology, veterinary nutrition, veterinary ophthalmology, veterinary pathology, veterinary preventive medicine, veterinary radiology, veterinary medicine, and veterinary dentistry.

GS-13 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience :
Qualifying experience for GS-13 includes one-year of specialized experience comparable to GS-12 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience providing primary veterinary care; upholding and securing animal holding and biocontainment facilities to regulation and procedural standards; performing major and minor surgery on animals; maintaining a pharmacy of controlled substances; and authoring and reviewing research and operating procedures for animal care and operations in a research facility.
OR
Education Substitution: Ph.D. degree in an area of specialization, including but not limited to, animal science, avian medicine, food safety, infectious diseases, veterinary clinical sciences, pathobiology, biomedical sciences, veterinary anatomy, veterinary preventive medicine, comparative biological sciences, epidemiology, veterinary parasitology, molecular veterinary biosciences, public health, microbiology, pathology, immunology, laboratory animal medicine, toxicology, wildlife, zoological animal medicine, or sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical officer position.
OR
Residency/Post-Graduate Training Programs: Successful completion of three years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to the position.
OR
Board Certification: Successful completion of all requirements for a Diplomate status in an American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) recognized specialty organization. Such specialties may include, but are not limited to, veterinary toxicology, laboratory animal medicine, poultry veterinary medicine, theriogenology, veterinary anesthesiology, veterinary behaviorists, veterinary clinical pharmacology, veterinary dermatology, veterinary emergency and critical care, veterinary internal medicine, veterinary microbiology, veterinary nutrition, veterinary ophthalmology, veterinary pathology, veterinary preventive medicine, veterinary radiology, veterinary medicine, and veterinary dentistry.

Physical Demands: This work involves physical effort such as prolonged standing walking in various kinds of farm conditions, stooping, bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, climbing, and handling restrained, large animals or large heavy carcasses. The ability to move quickly around unrestrained, often frightened, unpredictable, and ill-natured animals is also needed.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office, indoor and outdoor animal holding facilities, necropsy rooms, and laboratories. Temperature extremes are common. Exposure to disagreeable odors, working around frightened, unpredictable, and ill-natured animals, and exposure to the risks and hazards of harmful biological, chemical, and physical agents are possible. This includes working in high biosecurity animal housing facilities which require special precautions and close coordination of personnel, animals, equipment, and facility safety controls. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks or respirators, boots, gloves, laboratory coats, aprons, and coveralls when providing care to animals that represent a potential source of zoonotic disease or other biohazards is required. Certain environments may also necessitate the use of hearing protection. Strict agent safety regulations are applied to prevent the escape of animal pathogens from the work environment.

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, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Basic Requirements:

1. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree, i.e., Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD), obtained at a school or college of veterinarymedicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA). The AVMA web site, link), has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools.

OR

2. Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education (Refer to AVMA web site, (external link) for information about schools in this category) must meet one of the following requirements.

• Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG)
• Possession of a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice veterinary medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States that includes successful completion of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or its predecessors, the National Board Examination (NBE) and the Clinical Competency Test (CCT).
• Proof that the education obtained in a foreign veterinary medical program is equivalent to that gained in a veterinary medical program that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. Under this provision, equivalency is established only if an AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school or college accepts the graduate's final transcript from the foreign veterinary medical school at full value for placement into an advanced degree, postgraduate educational program, or training program (e.g. residency or graduate program).

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must also provide proof of proficiency in the English language by successfully completing one of the nationally and internationally recognized examinations that incorporate assessments of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Examples of examinations that assess mastery of the English language are shown below

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum scores for the TOEFL are 560 for the paper-based version; 220 for the computer-based version; or overall score of 83 for the internet-based version (including 26 or higher in speaking, 26 or higher in listening, and 17 or higher in writing). For the computer-based and paper-based test versions, applicants must also complete the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and the Test of Written English (TWE). Minimum required scores are 55 for the TSE and 5.5 for the TWE;
• Academic tests (listening, writing, and speaking) offered by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 7.0, with at least 7.0 in speaking, 6.5 in listening, and 6.0 in writing;

OR

• Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 70, with at least 60 in speaking, 60 in listening, and 50 in writing.