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Expanding Roles of FSIS Veterinarians
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Career Pathways
Your education and experience allow you to serve in a variety of positions
throughout FSIS--not limited to the 701 Public Health Veterinarian
(PHV) classification. You may start as a 701 PHV, be promoted to an
Enforcement and Investigations Analysis Officer, or an Interdisciplinary
Staff Officer,
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FSIS Veterinary Public Health Officer Life Cycle Model
Since there are so many different career opportunities at FSIS, a Life Cycle Model (PDF Only) was developed to highlight some positions, approximate years of experience that might be needed to move up to the next level of responsibility, and then correlate these to professional development needed for growth in leadership, science and management.
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then apply for various supervisory positions in many parts of the
agency. It depends on your interests and mobility.
FSIS Veterinary positions fit within three main career pathways:
Expanding the Roles of Field Veterinarians
Upon graduation from an accredited College of Veterinary Medicine,
the entry-level position in the federal government for the Public
Health Veterinarian (PHV) is the GS 701 series GS-9 level that has
10 steps of pay grades. If you graduate in the top 25% of your veterinary
class or have one year of professional experience, you may qualify
for the GS-11 grade. Due to the critical shortage of veterinarians
in FSIS, the Agency has asked for an exemption to hire at the GS-11
as the entry level. In addition, FSIS offers significant signing bonuses
and covers moving expenses in certain locations. There are additional
benefits for having a State License or Board Certification and advanced
degrees that are all considered when determining salary and grade.
After one year in a grade, you may be promoted. An exciting strategy
the FSIS is currently implementing is to re-classify all GS-11 PHV's
to GS-12's. This plan includes sending all field veterinarians to
EIAO (Enforcement and Investigations Analysis Officer) training -
and then arranging their work assignments to include at least 25%
of their time conducting expanded public health assurance duties.
The Agency will soon have a larger cadre of trained PHV's who will
conduct expanded critical public health assurance duties.
What are "expanded public health assurance duties?"
These are the duties that the Blue Ribbon Task Force on The
Future of FSIS Veterinarian: Public Health Professionals For the 21st
Century
envisioned and reported in the August 2000 document.
- Verifies that HACCP system and intervention processes/procedures
are technically and scientifically sound by conducting food safety
assessments. These food safety assessments ensure slaughter and processing establishments meet
regulatory and public health protection regulations.
- Identifies and evaluates conditions affecting the growth of
microorganisms, assesses the statistical validity of industry's
microbiological sampling plans and their monitoring procedures
and assessing and performing a complete verification of the design
of an establishment's control systems, including HACCP, SSOP,
Generic E. coli procedures and Salmonella data.
- Develops residue violation cases to be provided to Food and
Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine for enforcement
action.
- Analyzes program and industry data to determine indicators of
pathogen reduction before, at or after critical control point
implementation. Assessments include the nature and source of all
items coming into the establishment; and the products, processes
and environment within the establishment.
- Participates in recalls of adulterated products.
- Directs ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of livestock
and/or poultry to detect, identify, and diagnose conditions that
may render the food products unfit for human consumption.
- Oversees the humane handling and slaughter of livestock and
enforces all pertinent regulations.
- Serves as Agency spokesperson to raise awareness of (1) food
safety through farm-to-table continuum being a shared responsibility,
(2) Good Food Animal Production Practices, and (3) food security
practices from farmer to consumer.
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Last Modified:
March 9, 2006 |
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