Individual Occupational Requirements for
GS-602: Medical Officer Series
The text below is extracted verbatim from
Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards
for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-88), but contains minor edits
to conform to web-page requirements.
This is an individual qualification standard.
Basic Requirements:
Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy from a school in
the United States or Canada approved by a recognized accrediting
body in the year of the applicant's graduation. [A Doctor of
Medicine or equivalent degree from a foreign medical school that
provided education and medical knowledge substantially equivalent
to accredited schools in the United States may be demonstrated by
permanent certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign
Medical Graduates (ECFMG) (or a fifth pathway certificate for
Americans who completed premedical education in the United States
and graduate education in a foreign country).]
Subsequent to obtaining a Doctor of Medicine or
Doctor of Osteopathy degree, a candidate must have had at least 1
year of supervised experience providing direct service in a
clinical setting, i.e., a 1-year internship or the first year of a
residency program in an institution accredited for such training.
(This 1 year of supervised experience may be waived for research or
administrative positions not requiring direct patient care.) For
purposes of this standard, graduate training programs include only
those internship, residency, and fellowship programs that are
approved by accrediting bodies recognized within the United States
or Canada. Listings of accredited programs are published yearly in
the Directory of Residency Training Programs and the Yearbook and
Directory of Osteopathic Physicians.
- An internship program involves broadly based clinical practice in which physicians
acquire experience in treating a variety of medical problems under supervision (e.g.,
internal medicine, surgery, general practice, obstetrics-gynecology, and pediatrics).
Such programs are in hospitals or other institutions accredited for internship training by
a recognized body of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
- A residency program involves training in a specialized field of medicine in an
institution accredited for training in the specialty by a recognized body of the American
Medical Association (AMA) or AOA.
- A fellowship program involves advanced training (beyond residency training) in a given
medical specialty in either a clinical or research setting in a hospital or other
institution accredited in the United States for such training.
For positions involving patient care, candidates must
have a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice
medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. Applications
will be accepted from physicians who are not currently
licensed; however, if selected for appointment, they must
(a) obtain a license before entering on duty, or (b) meet one of
the following provisions:
- Waiver of Licensure Requirement: An agency may waive the licensure requirement for
positions not involving direct patient care, e.g., positions performing disability
evaluations, positions performing solely research, or administrative program managers.
If the agency does not waive the license requirement for these kinds of positions,
candidates may be appointed subject to obtaining a license within 1 year.
- Appointments Pending Meeting Licensure Requirement: Individual circumstances may
warrant appointments pending meeting the licensure requirement (e.g., when a candidate
has a temporary license to practice until the next regular session of the licensing board).
Persons appointed pending licensure may not be retained beyond 1 year of appointment if they
do not obtain the license.
Applicants who meet the basic requirements qualify for GS-11 positions.
Additional Requirements for Grades GS-12 and Above:
The requirements below are grouped according to types of programs-clinical and training, aviation
medical, occupational health, disability evaluation, maternal and child health, and research.
Within Federal clinical and training programs, a
distinction is made between general practice and specialist positions. General practitioners
must be skilled in recognizing various medical pathologies that require referral to
specialists for diagnostic and treatment procedures. Graduate training and experience must,
therefore, be well rounded. Specialist positions require graduate training and experience
related to the specialty and subspecialty of the position to be filled. Experience may not
be substituted for training essential for performing specialized duties. The length and
content of residency programs depends upon the specialization and requirements of recognized
accrediting American medical specialty boards. These boards are authorized to conduct
examinations to determine the competence of physicians in the specialty, to issue certificates
of qualification, to participate in evaluating the quality of residency programs, and to
determine the requirements for certification.
General Practice positions
For GS-12--2 years of graduate training or equivalent experience and training.
For GS-13--3 years of graduate training or equivalent experience and training.
For GS-14 and above--In addition to the requirements for GS-13, 1 year of
appropriate experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
Specialist positions
For GS-13--3 years of residency training in the specialty of the position to be
filled or equivalent experience and training.
For GS-14--4 years of residency training in the specialty of the position to be
filled or equivalent experience and training.
For GS-15--5 years of residency training in the specialty of the position to be
filled or equivalent experience and training.
The knowledge, skills and abilities required for
most disability evaluation positions may have been obtained in the primary care field.
However, when positions involve evaluating specialized medical cases or developing
specialized guides and require training and experience in a specific area of medicine (e.g.,
general surgery, psychiatry, neurology), the requirements shown above for Specialist
positions should be applied.
For GS-12--2 years of graduate training or equivalent training and experience that
provided knowledge, skills, and abilities for the work of the position to be filled.
For GS-13 and above--3 years of graduate training or equivalent training and
experience that included at least 1 year of experience in a disability evaluation program in
government or industry equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
In addition to a residency in aerospace medicine,
knowledge, skills, and abilities for work in this program area may have been acquired in
fields such as internal medicine, pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, family
practice, preventive medicine, occupational health, or public health.
For GS-12--2 years of residency training or equivalent training, education, and
experience that provided the skills and knowledge required to perform the work of the
position to be filled.
For GS-13--3 years of residency training in aerospace medicine or equivalent
training, education, and/or experience that included at least 1 year of experience in
aviation medical programs.
For GS-14--1 year of appropriate graduate training or experience in aviation or
aerospace medical programs equivalent to at least the GS-13 level.
For GS-15--1 year of work experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in
aviation or aerospace medical programs.
In addition to a residency program in occupational
medicine, knowledge, skills, and abilities for work in this program area may have been
acquired in family practice, internal medicine, surgery, pathology, dermatology,
radiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, public health, aerospace medicine, and
general preventive medicine.
For GS-12--2 years of residency training or equivalent training, education, and
experience that provided the skills and knowledge required to perform the work of the
position to be filled.
For GS-13--3 years of residency training in occupational medicine or equivalent
training, education, and experience that included at least 1 year of experience in an
occupational health program in an industrial or office-type establishment.
For GS-14 and above--1 year of appropriate graduate training or experience in
occupational health programs equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
Medical fields that provide the basic knowledge,
skills, and abilities for maternal and child health work include pediatrics,
obstetrics-gynecology, family practice, and subspecialties of preventive medicine.
For GS-12--2 years of graduate training, education, or appropriate experience that
provided the skills and knowledge required to perform the work of the position to be filled.
For GS-13--3 years of graduate training, or equivalent training, education, and
experience in an appropriate field of medicine.
For GS-14 and above--1 year of appropriate experience in maternal and child health
programs equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
If medical officers in this program area conduct research and
have patient care responsibility, they must meet the licensure requirement and the experience
and training requirements described in the applicable program area above.
For GS-11--In addition to meeting the minimum educational requirement, applicants
must show demonstrated interest in and aptitude for medical research work, e.g., activities in
medical school, residency, training and fellowships that provided opportunities to
demonstrate interest in research.
For GS-12--1 year of medical research experience; or 1 year of graduate training
in which the applicant demonstrated interest in and aptitude for medical research; or 1 year
of graduate study in an accredited college or university in a field of science (e.g.,
pathology, pharmacology, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, zoology) closely related to
the work of the position to be filled.
For GS-13--An earned doctorate, e.g., Ph.D. or Sc.D. (in addition to the Doctor
of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree) from an accredited college or university in a
field of science directly related to medicine and closely allied to the position to be
filled; or, in addition to meeting the requirements for GS-12, 2 years of graduate training
or medical research experience that demonstrated ability to do independent major medical
research.
For GS-14 and above--One year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower
grade level that demonstrated ability to do significant medical research in a particular
medical field.
EVALUATION OF CANDIDATES
Applicants may be interviewed to assure that they possess the degree of
skill in interpersonal relationships required for satisfactory performance of the duties of
the position to be filled.
Experience may not be substituted
for residency training that is essential for the performance of specialized duties. For
example, specialists such as psychiatrists and surgeons must complete the number of years of
accredited residency training required in their respective specialties. An exception may be
made when a peer panel of physicians (subject-matter experts) determines and documents that
the knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in professional medical practice are equivalent
to those acquired during the same period of time in a graduate training program.
Graduate teaching experience as a member of the faculty in
a school of medicine or school of public health may be credited for training positions or as
appropriate for specialist positions. (Teaching undertaken as a part of a residency or
fellowship training does not satisfy this requirement.)
For positions involving
substantial clinical investigations or basic or applied research, extra grade credit may be
given for positive evidence or personally performed highly creative or outstanding research
leading to major advances in a specific area of research, e.g., development of a basic
principle, concept, method, approach, technique, or body of basic information that opened the
way for major advancements, breakthroughs, or new applications. In such cases, candidates who
meet the requirements for GS-13 or GS-14 may be rated eligible for the next higher grade.
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