Workforce Needs in Veterinary Medicine (2013) / Chapter Skim
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6 Veterinarians in Public Practice
6 Veterinarians in Public Practice
Pages 111-127
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From page 111... ...
The committee was troubled by the state of the veterinary workforce in the public sector. Longstanding job vacancies, a looming wave of retirements, declining programmatic support for animal research, and reports of too few positions in key agencies raise questions about the ability of the government to achieve its missions to ensure food safety and prevent and respond to infectious diseases of animal and humans.
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From page 112... ...
. Many of the jobs held by VMOs typically involve regulatory oversight and the enforcement of rules related to domestic food safety, animal care and welfare, and animal health, or regulatory activities associated with imported food and animals, such as inspecting foreign systems for equivalency to U.S.
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From page 113... ...
Zoological Animal Medicine - provide a comprehensive animal health program in a zoo's collection. Clinical Care - provide medical and surgical management of domestic animals not included in biomedical research, wildlife, or zoo populations, such as work animals.
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From page 114... ...
in the Office of Field Operations, identifying diseased animals and enforcing humane slaughter and food safety regulations at slaughter and processing operations. Other veterinarians in FSIS develop policy and public health risk assessments; provide expertise in chemistry, toxicology, pathology, and microbiology laboratories; conduct international programs; and serve as managers and executives.
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From page 115... ...
. Their jobs include performing duties such as the diagnosis, control and eradication of animal diseases; developing policy and risk assessments; planning and implementing emergency responses to foreign animal disease incursions; leading and working on international teams and overseas programs; enforcing the Animal Welfare Act; and serving as managers and executives.
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From page 116... ...
Others conduct research on medical defenses against chemical and biological warfare threat agents, conduct intelligence work, care for service animals, and provide for veterinary services on military installations. The Air Force has 88 veterinarians who track infectious diseases, ensure the food safety and health of personnel, and are responsible for enforcing Occupational Safety and Health programs.
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From page 117... ...
Some of those responsibilities include developing effective response programs to public health emergencies. They identify, coordinate, and provide qualified veterinary medical personnel for events requiring emergency and disaster-related veterinary services to affected animal populations, including household pets and service animals, in or outside of shelter locations until local infrastructures are reestablished.
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From page 118... ...
However, in 2010, research surveys by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) found 1,099 veterinarians employed in state and local governments (AVMA, 2011b)
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From page 119... ...
. SALARIES OF PUBLIC PRACTICE VETERINARIANS Salaries Reported by the American Veterinary Medical Association Every two years, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
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From page 120... ...
Animal and Plant Health $90,000 $82,997 Inspection Service Agricultural Research Service (USDA) $102,081 No data Centers for Disease Control and $90,000 $93,964 Prevention (HHS)
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From page 121... ...
federal veterinary workforce is facing an impending mass retirement. As a result, the protection of animal and public health could be weakened, making workforce planning in the federal government critically important.
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From page 122... ...
. An FDA Veterinary Clerkship Program provides fourth-year veterinary students with work experience at the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, which approves new animal drugs, evaluates claims of new drugs, sets policies for the use of antibiotics in medicated animal feeds and conducts a number of other regulatory activities.
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From page 123... ...
The foundational knowledge required by most of the VMO positions in the federal and state governments include the professional knowledge of veterinary medical concepts, principles, and practices concerned with the full range of animal health and disease, ante mortem and post mortem, and the basic sciences. This includes knowledge of basic production and husbandry practices, the use of animal drugs, biologics, and antibiotics relevant to food safety and public health, and practices for humane handling and slaughter.
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From page 124... ...
Many colleges of veterinary medicine are implementing programs to encourage DVM students and graduate students to enter public practice and food supply veterinary medicine through the rationale for One Health (AVMA, 2008)
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From page 125... ...
FSIS was criticized specifically for not responding to a 2004 GAO recommendation that the agency assess "whether it has enough inspection resources, including veterinarians, dedicated to humane handling and slaughter activities." GAO repeated the recommendation in its 2009 report, adding food safety to the list of responsibilities for which the agency should assess the sufficiency of its resources. The GAO's review of veterinary positions in the government concluded that, in addition to current vacancies, an impending wave of retirements, and the absence of a comprehensive assessment of federal veterinary workforce needs, the government is likely to miss recruitment opportunities, use veterinarians inefficiently, and experience an insufficient workforce during critical disease outbreaks (GAO, 2009)
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From page 126... ...
Essentially, agencies with a veterinary workforce must ensure they can provide the VMO personnel needed during a catastrophic or emergency event, while maintaining the VMO workforce needed to achieve each agency's day-to-day mission (OPM, 2010) As the committee explored the demand for public practice veterinarians, it found long-standing vacancies that would appear to indicate a shortage of appropriate candidates.
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From page 127... ...
Following the publication of the 2009 GAO report, the OPM created the TMAC to collect information and provide advice on a strategy to address federal veterinary workforce needs. In a plan developed for implementation between 2011 and 2015, the OPM is now exploring three key areas: creating innovative and coordinated approaches to recruiting and hiring students, mid-career professionals, and retirees to meet agency needs streamlining the hiring process to create a positive experience for applicants and managers, and implementing programs and initiatives that will encourage current veterinary employees to remain within federal service.
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