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Protecting Animal and Public Health: Homeland Security and the Federal Veterinarian Workforce, Testimony of Nancy H. Kichak
testimony 2 of 8
Title: Protecting Animal and Public Health: Homeland Security and the Federal Veterinarian Workforce, Testimony of Nancy H. Kichak
Date: February 26, 2009
Author: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia
Institution: Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia
Bibliographic Entry: “Protecting Animal and Public Health: Homeland Security and the Federal Veterinarian Workforce.” February 26, 2009. Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia. Witness testimony of Ms. Nancy H. Kichak http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=c34dd856-a58a-4ab8-9588-258131fd817a (Accessed March 4, 2009)
Electronic Link: http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/_files/TestimonyKichak20090226.pdf
Key Words: OPM, federal veterinarians, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA, animal & public health, veterinary workforce
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions: Ms. Nancy H. Kichak, Associate Director of the Strategic Human Resources Policy Division in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, testified on the Federal Government’s veterinarian workforce and what the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is doing to alleviate shortages within its critical occupation. She stated that OPM continuously scans a wide variety of data sources for indicators of potential problems affecting mission-critical occupations (i.e. veterinarians). According to Ms. Kichak, solving a problem like the veterinarian shortage is a shared responsibility. In light of this, OPM has worked extensively with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to understand their needs concerning the staffing of veterinarian positions. Ongoing efforts of OPM to increase federal veterinarian positions include convening focus groups of veterinarians and visiting numerous slaughterhouses where most of the veterinarians employed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) work.
Name of Researcher: Ashanti Z. Corey
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: April 2, 2009