Trainee -- Dr. Susann Smith -- is welcome to hang her shingle there anytime.

Jamaican Government Director of Veterinarian Services, Dr. George Grant, yesterday confirmed to The Royal Gazette Dr. Smith travelled south about a month ago, successfully completed a two-hour interview before that country's licensing body, and was registered to practise there.

The Jamaican Veterinarian Board Act said Dr. Grant, requires applicants be a graduate from an accepted university, submit a positive character recommendation, and impress the Board with their knowledge and experience of veterinary medicine.

Professional recognition from another jurisdiction -- such as North America's National Board Exam (NBE) or the UK's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) -- is not required, he said.

"These are extensive interviews, and if we think it's necessary the Board has the option of setting an exam.'' In Dr. Smith's case he said, that was not a question: "If we were not impressed with her she wouldn't have been registered.'' Meanwhile Dr. Smith was open and frank with the Jamaican Board about her current professional problems in Bermuda, said Dr. Grant.

The Tuskegee University graduate was hired on contract about three years ago by Personnel Services as Government's Veterinarian Trainee, but in early April of this year was let go after she failed on four occasions to pass the American NBE -- understood to be one of the conditions of her contract.

Dr. Smith meanwhile has refused to identify the conditions of her contract but did say yesterday how ironic it was she could be so welcomed in Jamaica but not at home.

Meanwhile Dr. Grant -- who has passed the NBE -- took aim at the test's objectivity.

"We are well aware of the difficulties some people have in passing these exams and we feel -- and know for a fact -- that all professional bodies -- including vets -- do not test by competency alone; race and nationality are factors,'' he said.

"That's nonsense,'' countered the NBE's Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Boyce.

Speaking from Bismark, North Dakota, Dr. Boyce told The Royal Gazette the NBE is a 400-item multiple choice exam which is graded by computer.

"It's about as objective as you can get; the computer doesn't care about race,'' he said.

There are three areas where the NBE may be seen to be biased, conceded Dr.

Boyce; if the applicant is not competent in the English language; has a deficiency in their knowledge of veterinary medicine; or for some reason cannot perform well on multiple-choice exams.

"We know that, despite having the knowledge base, some people just don't perform on these kinds of exams,'' said Dr. Boyce.

Meanwhile the Director and Acting Permanent Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. John Barnes, has said Dr. Smith has re-submitted her application -- bearing her new Jamaican credentials -- to the Ministerial Committee which oversees the granting of licences here.

He had no idea however when the panel, consisting of himself and two appointed practising veterinarians, would be acting on it.