Veterinarians work for the United States government in many different capacities. Veterinarians can be employed in clinical work such as diagnostics and surgery, but they can also have positions in areas such as the health sciences, chemistry, public health, environmental health, program management, research, and support of local, state, and tribal governments. Academic training or experience in any of these and other related fields should be included as criteria when searching in government job databases.
When looking for a position within the government, it is important to learn about ways to search for all positions that are suitable, not just ones that are specifically listed as requiring a veterinary degree or clinical experience.
Remember: Although federal positions tend to have a lower annual salary, benefits packages can be worth an additional 30% of that annual salary. Also, some agencies pay overtime for employees (including veterinarians) in certain positions, which can have a significant impact on your earnings each year.
Using USAJOBS
The top database for federal government jobs is the USAJOBS website (usajobs.gov).
There are several terms that are helpful to know when navigating and conducting searches on the USAJOBS website:
- Open to the public – If you are not a federal employee you will only be able to apply to announcements that state they are open to the public.
- General Schedule (GS) level – A GS level is the federal government's way to keep salaries consistent among federal agency jobs and make sure there is equal pay for equal work. There are currently 15 grades with 10 steps within each grade. See current GS level pay tables. Veterinarians should search for GS level 12 or higher when setting search parameters.
- Series – The term for certain job classifications within USAJOBS. Using the appropriate series numbers as well as broad term keywords will help to identify job listings that may be suitable for veterinarians. See a complete explanation of this classification and grading of federal jobs.
To find a job at USAJOBS, you can either enter search criteria each time, or you can set up a "Client Account" through which you can save different searches based on combinations of criteria you select. With the client account, you can even set it up so that you are automatically e-mailed when jobs meeting your criteria are posted on the site, saving you the time of actively searching for them.
- Go to usajobs.gov
- Create an account and profile.
- For help with your account, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.
- Create a resume or upload your own.
- You can upload other documents and have them ready for when a position that interests you becomes available.
- Search for jobs.
- If you are you are locked into a specific location (for example, a specific state or city), the first thing you should enter for your search is your desired state under “Location or Remote.”
- Enter some of the keywords you feel are important in your job criteria, or leave blank. See search tips below for keyword examples.
- Narrow your search.
- Filter results by desired job series and/or department and agency. The list of job series includes the general title for the series.
- If you are not currently a federal employee, you must click on the “Open to the Public” filter. Otherwise, you will see job announcements that are only open to current federal employees.
- Utilize the GS pay scales to determine which GS level offers the pay you are looking for. (Note: the higher the GS level, the less likely it will be open to the public.)
Search tips for USAJOBS
By taking the time to learn how it operates and experimenting with some of its search terms and parameters, USAJOBS is an excellent place to begin your online search for veterinary-related government employment.
The search criteria you use may be as wide or narrow as you like. Performing a search using keywords such as "animal," "wildlife," or "epidemiology" will produce a wide variety of potential jobs, some of which veterinarians will be over-qualified for. Narrower searches, such as using the series number, job title, or other specification, will yield fewer, but more targeted, job postings. Further narrowing the search criteria by GS level, location, or other factors will provide an even more precise listing of the desired jobs available.
Searching by series number
The federal government series numbers that may be appropriate for veterinary-related or scientific jobs:
- 400 series (Wildlife/Conservation/Department of Interior)
- 600 series (specifically 601-General Health Science)
- 700 series (specifically 701-Veterinary Medical Science)
- 1300 series (Physical Science)
- 1800 series (Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement and Compliance)
There are also other series that may be of interest to you. USAJOBS includes a brief title for each series to assist you with identifying what you are interested in.
Searching by keyword
Some broad word criteria or keyword terms that can help locate jobs:
- Animal
- Biodefense
- Biologist/Biology
- Chemist /Chemistry
- Epidemiologist/Epidemiology
- General Health Science
- Health Scientist
- Medical Officer
- Microbiologist/Microbiology
- Public Health Program Specialist/Public Health
- Veterinary Medical Officer
- Veterinary
- Veterinarian
- Wildlife
- Zoonotic
Other search sites
Additional places to look for veterinary-related government employment include specific agency sites such as foodsafetyjobs.gov, fs.usda.gov/jobs, and cdc.gov/employment.
In addition, companies that contract with the government may list job openings on their sites. Find government contractor sites that may have veterinary-related jobs by using terms such as "government contractor work" in an internet browser. Similar searches may also be performed at the individual state government level. Similar to the USAJOBS site, job availability can be monitored on these contractor sites by setting your criteria for positions.
