professional association -- has advised ousted Government veterinarian trainee Dr. Susann Smith to move on from her public battle with Personnel Services and get down to the business of passing her licensing board exams.

"The bottom line'' said association president, Bermudian Dr. Andrew Madeiros, "is she has to pass her licensing test. As a group we're together on that,'' he told The Royal Gazette .

The new organisation, which does not have a formal name, has staked out its position in a letter to the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. John Barnes, to be delivered next week.

"We can't tell Government what to do but we feel the licensing requirements for practicing vets -- as it has stood for the last number of years -- is adequate,'' said Dr. Madeiros.

The Island's vet community has found itself enmeshed in messy public squabbling between Dr. Smith and Government Personnel Services, which terminated her contract April 4. She has since lost an appeal of that decision.

The young Bermudian veterinarian -- who holds a Doctorate in Veterinarian Medicine from Tuskegee University in Alabama -- was in line to succeed Dr.

Neil Burnie as Government veterinarian, but failed on four occassions to pass the third part of a US-based licensing board exam.

The exam consists of three parts and of those Dr. Smith has passed two, scoring 100 percent on both the Alabama and Massachusettes State Board Exams, and 75 percent on her clinical competency tests.

She has not however passed the US National Board Exam, "something that is only required if she intends to set up a private practice in the US'', claims Russ Ford, who has been spearheading a petition to have Premier Pamela Gordon look into the reasons for Dr. Smith's termination.

Vet urged to pass licensing exams "Hundreds and hundreds of people'' have signed the petition, which is to be presented to the Premier on May 8, said Mr. Ford.

Supporters of Dr. Smith contend she has been unfairly singled out, and the National Board Exam is irrelevant to Bermuda.

"All we're asking for is Government to reflect policies which are fair and equitable; she's more than met the requirements of the job description,'' added Mr. Ford.

But the Island's vet community say she must meet, if not exceed, the standard to serve as Government veterinarian.

"The (Government vet) doesn't spay cats and dogs or do things like that, but every time she signs her name on a piece of paper she represents all of us,'' said Dr. Madeiros.

"It's a regulatory position and in every country I know of, in order to be in that position, you have to be able to practise.

"We don't feel licencing is too much to ask. She should just get on to doing what she needs to do, which is passing the exam.''