Veterinary Medical Officer

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Veterinary Medical Officer:

1. 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 web site, http://www.avma.org(external 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, http://www.avma.org(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.

Specialized Experience:

To qualify based on your experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience includes providing veterinary medical treatment to animals, diagnosing diseases, and providing specialty consultation services in veterinary internal medicine, emergency critical care, or surgery. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12).

OR

Successful completion, in addition to completing a DVM or an equivalent degree, a 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 (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Successful completion of three years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to the position. (Note: You must submit proof or have it clearly demonstrated in your resume.)

OR

Successful completion of all requirements for Diplomate status in an ABVS-recognized veterinary 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.

Licensure Requirement:

This position requires a current, active, valid and unrestricted license as a Veterinarian in a state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States