Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is
in this document.
Basic Requirements
DEGREE: Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or equivalent from a school in the United States or Canada. This degree must have been accredited by the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association(external link); Association of American Medical Colleges(external link); Liaison Committee on Medical Education(external link); Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association(external link), or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained.
LICENSURE: For all grade levels and positions, applicants must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a Physician from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.
GRADUATE TRAINING: Subsequent to obtaining a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine 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 a hospital or an institution accredited for such training. 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. Descriptions of such programs are described below.
- 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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or(external link) American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
- A residency program involves training in a specialized field of medicine in a hospital or an institution accredited for training in the specialty by a recognized body of the American Medical Association(external link) (AMA), American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)(external link).
- 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 an institution accredited in the United States for such training.
Applicants who meet the above Basic Requirements qualify for GS-11 (or equivalent) positions.