Communication and Outreach

Exhibits

Recruitment: The Veterinary Services Careers Program

Training Highlights

Partnerships with States and Industry

Training Highlights

VS' Professional Development Staff (PDS) held 30 separate technical training events in FY 2002. These events reflect not only the continuing need for traditional FAD training for veterinarians for the rapid detection and identification of FADs in the United States, but the expanded need to help develop frontline teams for emergency response efforts. As a result of September 11, 2001, PDS became involved in a variety of new initiatives for emergency training.

VS' goal is to have 10,000 trained animal health emergency responders in North America available by 2005. In order to track training for that many people, an automated system is needed. PDS purchased the powerful Learning Content Management System that can create and track this kind of training and has the potential to maintain records for all employees’ training.

The first emergency management course was held in FY 2002. Developed with the U.S. Department of Justice for animal health senior managers (primarily VS' area veterinarians-in-charge and State veterinarians), its success led PDS to expand participation to people in the States responsible for creating animal health emergency response plans and to emergency responders answering to FEMA. The course will now be the basis of all FAD instruction for those participating in the VS ICS for emergency response.

Two satellite seminars, with at least 1,000 participants in each, held in FY 2002 focused on emergency preparedness. The October 2001 seminar on Homeland Security received two national awards for excellence. Following a nomination by FEMA, VS received a Telly Award and an Axiem Award. Both are competitions against standards of excellence rather than against other competitors.

The ability to reach large audiences such as these quickly and reasonably has been facilitated by a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Guard to use its vast network of distance learning hubs. This distance learning network includes videoconferencing, satellite downlink, and computer-based training requiring high bandwidth. With this methodology, the need to travel is reduced as participants can remain at or near their duty stations, which saves both time and money.

Developing skilled foreign animal diagnosticians who are trained at Plum Island's FADDL is crucial to VS’ safeguarding role. In FY 2002, the following courses were held:

• Laboratory Diagnosticians School for university and State veterinary diagnostic laboratory personnel.
• Two FAD schools for Federal, State, and military veterinarians.
• An international FAD school for participants from Spanish-speaking countries.
• A poultry FAD school for poultry industry and allied industry veterinarians.
• An all-military FAD school added as a direct result of September 11, 2001.

In FY 2002, VS resumed a veterinary exchange agreement with countries in Africa that had been interrupted by the events of September 11, 2001. The agreement increases U.S. ties with Africa and assists countries in competing in the world marketplace. VS and APHIS’ International Services share the sponsorship costs for two African veterinarians to attend the FAD school on Plum Island. This year they came from South Africa and Botswana.

VS sent two veterinarians to the FAD school in Pretoria, South Africa. Afterwards, they went to Swaziland to assist an epidemiologist tracking diseases using global information systems technology.