Veterinary Medical Officer

Summary

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.

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Duties

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• Provides primary veterinary care during a daily work schedule and on-call basis outside of operating hours on a rotating basis.
• Ensures that appropriate facilities, personnel, equipment, and services are available to provide care and that appropriate methods are used to control, prevent, diagnose, and treat injuries and diseases.
• Keeps abreast of scientific developments for the proper care and maintenance of animals and supports the implementation of these procedures.
• Conducts the training of employees, and other personnel, such as field personnel, stakeholders, regulatory officials, and visitors involved in care, treatment and use of animals.
• Ensures that staff are following established regulations, policies and guidelines for animal care and biocontainment procedures.
• Reviews and/or writes standard operating procedures (SOPs) that involve the use of animals.
• Maintains appropriate state veterinary license and State and Federal Controlled Substances registration for dispensing and administrating controlled substances.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information..
• Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at
• Must be medically able to wear personal protective equipment, including but not limited to, disposable and full facepiece type respiratory protection.
• Department of Justice (DOJ) background investigation for Select Agent usage required.
• Required to have or obtain an Iowa Veterinary License and maintain it during employment.
• Required to have or obtain a DEA permit for controlled substances and maintain it during employment.
• Required to have a state driver's license and maintain it during employment.
• Must pass a pre-employment medical exam.

Qualifications

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.

Education

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.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified based on an evaluation of the following competencies: Organizational Awareness, Teaches Others, Technical Competence, and Veterinary Science. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would therefore be given a new appointment to the civil service.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.