As a Veterinary Medical Officer within Veterinary Services (VS), Field Operations (FiOps), you will be working within an assigned geographic area to promote animal health through disease detection, diagnosis, analysis, control, eradication, and prevention. Your work may affect state-federal disease control programs nationwide. (One position to be filled within the listed counties in OR, and two positions to be filled within the listed counties in FL, RI, MA, CT, NH, NY, NC, PA, PR, TN, or VA.)

Duties

The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. The duties may include, but are not limited to: Supervising subordinates less than 25% of the time including, but not limited to, monitoring work, providing advice, evaluating performance, initiating awards, and authorizing leave approval. Developing and revising medical, program, and inspection procedures to safely and securely handle animals exposed to contagious diseases and properly release or quarantine animals with disease risks. Inspecting animals for evidence of disease conditions, assessing health status, diagnosing clinical symptoms of suspect animals, advising avenues for seeking treatment, and recommending preventive care. Inspecting animals, facilities, and records for compliance with federal laws related to animal health and welfare. Certifying the health of animals and their by-products to be exported to other countries. Collaborating with local, state, and federal officials with similar responsibilities involving the oversight of animal health and welfare. Evaluating animal health program operations that are experiencing herd or flock disease problems to determine solutions needed to adjust veterinary medical or program procedures.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male 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.
• 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 https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Successful completion of one-year trial period.
• Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
• Conferred Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree with application. See "Education" section below for more details.
• Subject to unscheduled overnight details of undetermined lengths in the event of animal health emergencies or other conditions requiring immediate response, as required by the agency (extensive periods may be designated for overnight details).
• As an essential function, travel and work both in and outside of the United States in the performance of assigned duties is required.
• Employees may be asked or assigned to participate in rotating temporary duty assignments in foreign countries to support port services or emergency programs which requires obtaining an Official Government Passport.
• Work involves strenuous physical demands of conducting animal inspections involving various species and various settings.
• Manual restraint of livestock, prolonged kneeling in areas of high animal concentration, climbing during inspection of livestock market facilities, vehicles, or abattoirs, and lifting during transport and set up of portable cattle chutes is required.
• There is exposure to discomforts and disease conditions and toxic agents, some of which are highly contagious, infectious, noxious, and communicable or harmful to humans. Special clothing, equipment, and other safeguards are required.
• The environment is extremely variable; you will encounter widely varying conditions on farms, ranches, and animal facilities, and may work in confinement units or space.
• Work area may be very dusty and have extremely slippery surfaces, with temperatures ranging from very cold to very hot, with varying degrees of humidity, high levels of ammonia from feces, and excessively high-pitched noises.

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. All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement outlined in the Education section below. FOR THE GS-11 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants who meet the basic requirements as outlined in the "Education" section qualify for this grade level. FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of professional veterinary experience obtained after receipt of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree OR Successful completion of a 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 other sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical officer position OR RESIDENCY/POST GRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE GS-12 GRADE LEVEL: Successful completion of two years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to the position. Applicants should provide a certificate or letter documenting the completion of this program. TRANSCRIPTS are required. This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. this education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college or university. 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 REQUIREMENT: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree, i.e., Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD), obtained at a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA). The AVMA website has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools. AVMA website: https://www.avma.org

OR Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education must meet one of the following requirements:
a) Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG);
b) 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); OR
c) 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. An AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school or college must have accepted the 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).

In addition, 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:
a) 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.
b) 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
c) 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.

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must submit test results with their application. Results of more than one test or testing session cannot be combined to meet the standard.

Waiver Provision: English language proficiency assessments may be waived for qualified job applicants whose native language is English (i.e., the official or common language of an individuals country of birth is English) who submit a diploma or other official documentation as proof of graduation from a high (secondary) school where the entire curriculum and educational programs were taught in the English language for the entire 3 or 4 years of full-time attendance.

Contacts

• Address Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service USDA APHIS MRPBS 250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410 Minneapolis, MN 55401 US
• Name: MRP Human Resources
• Phone: 612-336-3227
• Email: [email protected]