State of Maryland

A Veterinarian III, Agriculture Pathology is the supervisory or specialty area level of work in the field of veterinary medicine in the Maryland Department of Agriculture.  Employees in this classification serve as staff Pathologists in the Central Diagnostic Laboratory.    Employees in this classification are responsible for supervising, coordinating and/or performing pathological tests and examinations and for interpreting test results.  Employees in this classification provide diagnostic guidance to other Veterinarians engaged in pathological work.  Employees in this classification may exercise direction over assigned technicians.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from the Director of the Central Diagnostic Laboratory.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work of the class specification.

The Veterinarian III Agriculture Pathology is differentiated from the Veterinarian II, Agriculture in that the Veterinarian III Agriculture Pathology serve as staff Pathologists in the Central Diagnostic Laboratory while the Veterinarian II Agriculture performs the full range of duties and responsibilities in the areas of field inspection or laboratory under general supervision.  The Veterinarian III Agriculture Pathology is differentiated from the Veterinarian IV Agriculture in that the Veterinarian IV Agriculture serves as the Veterinarian-in-charge of the Central Laboratory, Animal Health Section.

Serves as staff Pathologists at the Central Diagnostic Laboratory;

Conducts or supervises the conduct of necropsies on animal or birds submitted;

Makes disease diagnosis on samples and animals submitted;

Performs or supervises laboratory tests and procedures using microbiological techniques, hematological and serological techniques or histological techniques on materials from necropsies or samples submitted from the field;

Supervises technical laboratory personnel;

Prepares technical, written reports;

Reviews technical manuals and journals to remain current in veterinary techniques;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge, at the expert level of proficiency, of gross and microscopic pathology of the wide variety of animal diseases;

Knowledge of microbiology, hematology, serology, toxicology, fluorescent antibody studies and culture and antigen production;

Ability to interpret and coordinate the findings of the above disciplines;

Ability to supervise and coordinate the work of other professional and technical employees;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others;

Ability to communicate effectively.

Education:    A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from a college or university accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association or its equivalent.

Experience: Three years of experience in gross and microscopic pathology in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Doctor of Philosophy degree or Doctor of Science degree in Veterinary Pathology for the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master of Science degree in Veterinary Pathology for two years of the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in veterinary preventive medicine classification or veterinary preventive medicine specialty codes in the veterinary medical science field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required education and experience.  

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.