Please reference the specific Office of Personnel Management (OPM) qualifications standards for the 0701 Job Series.

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS-11 GRADE LEVEL:

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 (AVMA) Council on Education. The AVMA web site has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools.

OR

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education must meet one of the following requirements and submit supporting documentation:

Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) (Completion of ECFVG program)

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 submit 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.

English language proficiency assessments may also be waived for qualified job applicants whose native language is English (i.e. the official or common language of an individual's country of birth is English) AND they submit a diploma or other official documentation from the school as proof of graduation from a high (secondary) school where the entire curriculum and educational programs of the school are taught in the English language for the entire three or four years of full-time attendance.

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS-12 GRADE LEVEL - You must meet the basic requirements for the GS-11 grade level as described above in addition to requirements for the GS-12 level to qualify for positions at the GS-12 grade level. Qualification requirements for the GS-12 grade level and above are:

1. EXPERIENCE: Mastery of clinical medicine (e.g. veterinary practice experience); scientific presentations before professional groups; publication of medical reports in professional journals or publications; participation in seminars, advisory/working groups, and research groups; or other related activities that contribute to the advancement of veterinary medical science are positive indicators of the quality of an applicant's experience. However, articles on the care of pets would not be considered professional publications or qualifying specialized experience.

OR

2. EDUCATION: Master's degree conferred from an accredited college, in an area of specialization; or successfully completed two years of an internship, Residency program or fellowship training program in a discipline related to this position. 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.

Applicants must:

• Be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the job functions, without hazard to themselves and others.
• Have full range of motion to perform rapid repetitive twisting and working with arms above shoulder level.
• Be able to stand and walk on slippery and uneven floors and catwalks, and climbing stairs and ladders.
• Be able to lift, carry, push and pull up to 30 pounds, with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds.
• Have manual dexterity of the upper body, including arms, hands, and fingers with a normal sense of touch in both hands.
• Have good near and distance vision, be free of chronic eye disease and have correctable vision of at least 20/40 in one eye.
• Have the ability to distinguish shades of color. Any significant degree of color blindness (more than 25 percent error rate on approved color plate test) may be disqualifying.
• Individuals with some hearing loss and/or requiring hearing amplification will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.