Meaningful & Mission-Driven

Physicians generally contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of their communities in very meaningful ways. This is of course valued and respected but working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers physicians a way to contribute to the overall public good on a far greater scale. If you are interested in expanding your reach to include a global stage, then there are no greater opportunities than those at the FDA.

Medical officers at FDA perform duties that:
Ensure all human drugs manufactured for interstate sale are safe and effective with truthful and informative product labeling
Ensure the safety, potency, purity and effectiveness of vaccines, blood products, certain diagnostic products and other biological and biotechnology-derived human products
Ensure the safety and effectiveness of medical devices and eliminating unnecessary human exposure to manmade radiation from medical, occupational and consumer products
Include conducting inspections and investigations of food and drug manufacturing establishments, performing analytical work and recommending enforcement actions.

Grade (Salary) Levels

The federal General Schedule (GS) grade levels at which these positions are most commonly filled are GS-14 and 15. Non-supervisory positions will be subject to peer review of individual accomplishments.

Qualifications

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; OR 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. Comparability may be demonstrated by permanent certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) or a fifth pathway certificate for American students who completed premedical education in the United States and graduate education in a foreign country.

• For GS-14 - Four years of residency training in the specialty of the position to be filled or equivalent experience and training.
• For GS-15 - Five years of residency training in the specialty of the position to be filled or equivalent experience and training. (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).

Geographic Locations

Medical Officers are located in headquarters (suburban Washington, D.C.) as well as throughout the field.