2025 VIRMP Match

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c/o 2025!!
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I can't believe the match opens tomorrow- eek!! I'll be applying for small animal rotating internships :nailbiting: How is everyone feeling so far?

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I can't believe the match opens tomorrow- eek!! I'll be applying for small animal rotating internships :nailbiting: How is everyone feeling so far?
Nauseated.

I’ll be applying for SA surgery residencies.
 
I can't believe the match opens tomorrow- eek!! I'll be applying for small animal rotating internships :nailbiting: How is everyone feeling so far?
Actually can't believe it's here... I'm more worried about the match than NAVLE - needing 2 more LORs and I'm planning on asking a clinician that I haven't really talked to since my rotation with him in July, really worried that I didn't leave enough of an impression for a strong LOR (I got really good scores on the rotation but he sees a lot of students) 😵‍💫
 
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Actually can't believe it's here... I'm more worried about the match than NAVLE - needing 2 more LORs and I'm planning on asking a clinician that I haven't really talked to since my rotation with him in July, really worried that I didn't leave enough of an impression for a strong LOR (I got really good scores on the rotation but he sees a lot of students) 😵‍💫
If you feel comfortable, you can always reach out to the residents on that service for their input before asking for the letter.

Good luck to everyone going through match!
 
Applying for a small animal rotating internship as a foreign grad🤡. I know the chances are super slim. I did my best to make my profile good but with limited opportunities, I could only go so far. But I guess, it is worth a shot to see where I stand.
 
Small animal rotating applicant/ ecc combined rotating. So nervous, it’s crazy how fast the past four years went by 🙈🙉
 
If you feel comfortable, you can always reach out to the residents on that service for their input before asking for the letter.

Good luck to everyone going through match!
Ooh that's good advice, some of them are off service now but I'll see if I can track some down that are on clinics now and get their input!

I actually did woman up 💪 today and ask him if he had some time to chat about the Match to get his input on things (and ask him for the LOR at the same time) and he was amenable, so hopefully it will work out!
 
Okay, this might be dumb but can you go ahead and 'Apply' for programs without completing the application packet? Like, it doesnt just send whats in at that moment but will continue to update as I add things?
 
Okay, this might be dumb but can you go ahead and 'Apply' for programs without completing the application packet? Like, it doesnt just send whats in at that moment but will continue to update as I add things?
Yes it will continue to update as you add things. The program you apply to will have access to what has been submitted as soon as you hit apply but will also get the updated information if you add things later. It just depends on when they download the packet (which is typically sometime after the program application deadline).
 
I feel dumb for asking this - for the personal statement, are we writing it as a letter of intent? Such as "Dear internship selection committee" or as a regular personal statement like when we applied to veterinary school? I have seen conflicting information and was wondering what the opinions were here.
 
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As I prepare my application packet for the VIRMP, I've started to pacick a little bit.
I have 3 LOR from different doctors I've worked with during rotations. One of them, is a highly known doctor in the field. However, when I requested a letter from her, I did not ask the typical question and it was right after my first rotation of the year (considering it's a field I'm interested in).
Now that I'm pretty much done with my application packet, I've heard other people say that sometimes, if not asked appropriately, the letter may not be the best you could get.
My other 2 letters, I'm sure will be positive and from areas that are important for what I want to do in the future. But I'm not sure if this is enough. Now, unfortunately my last few rotations have been in large animal fields, but also, I've started to feel more confident about my performance and in one of them, I received very positive feedback about my participation.
I wonder if having an additional/4th letter from a large animal vet (assuming this doctor will say yes) is weird or not recommended.
I'm thinking that they may be able to talk about my participation and how engaged I was with the learning process in a more positive way than the doctor I worked with during my very first rotation.
 
I can't believe the match opens tomorrow- eek!! I'll be applying for small animal rotating internships :nailbiting: How is everyone feeling so far?
Slightly freaking out. But I'm also excited.
I'm so nervous about the process. The places I'm applying are competitive without a doubt. One of them had roughly 250 applications last year. Imposter syndrome is stronger than ever! So... what can I say?
 
Hi all. I’m not applying to the match this year, but I will probably be next year. At thanksgiving dinner my grandmother decided to announce to everyone that I was pursing residency and my uncle (who is a general practice veterinarian of 30 years) told me that would be a really stupid idea because I would be giving up a lot of money and time. He also said if I really wanted to specialize I could just “do it while being in GP.” First of all, I am very not interested in GP and I want the mentorship that comes with residency, but is the second part true? If it is do people commonly go through this to specialize? I have never heard this mentioned. Thanks!
 
Hi all. I’m not applying to the match this year, but I will probably be next year. At thanksgiving dinner my grandmother decided to announce to everyone that I was pursing residency and my uncle (who is a general practice veterinarian of 30 years) told me that would be a really stupid idea because I would be giving up a lot of money and time. He also said if I really wanted to specialize I could just “do it while being in GP.” First of all, I am very not interested in GP and I want the mentorship that comes with residency, but is the second part true? If it is do people commonly go through this to specialize? I have never heard this mentioned. Thanks!
There are some specialties where there is an experiential pathway option, but they are few and far between, and no, it's not while being in GP.

If you want to specialize, you should be intending to do at least 1 internship (for most specialties) and a residency.
 
As I prepare my application packet for the VIRMP, I've started to pacick a little bit.
I have 3 LOR from different doctors I've worked with during rotations. One of them, is a highly known doctor in the field. However, when I requested a letter from her, I did not ask the typical question and it was right after my first rotation of the year (considering it's a field I'm interested in).
Now that I'm pretty much done with my application packet, I've heard other people say that sometimes, if not asked appropriately, the letter may not be the best you could get.
My other 2 letters, I'm sure will be positive and from areas that are important for what I want to do in the future. But I'm not sure if this is enough. Now, unfortunately my last few rotations have been in large animal fields, but also, I've started to feel more confident about my performance and in one of them, I received very positive feedback about my participation.
I wonder if having an additional/4th letter from a large animal vet (assuming this doctor will say yes) is weird or not recommended.
I'm thinking that they may be able to talk about my participation and how engaged I was with the learning process in a more positive way than the doctor I worked with during my very first rotation.
I think it's fine to have an additional letter from someone in large animal. IMO, for internship, one of the most important things is that you're teachable, engaged, and show that you'll be a good solid doctor. It doesn't need to be a small animal person to attest to that, especially if you're coming from a program that doesn't track.

What do you mean by you didn't ask the typical question, though? If you're concerned that this person will write you a poor letter, I'd consider whether you really want to include that - having 3 good letters and one mediocre one would be worse than just having 3 letters.
 
I think it's fine to have an additional letter from someone in large animal. IMO, for internship, one of the most important things is that you're teachable, engaged, and show that you'll be a good solid doctor. It doesn't need to be a small animal person to attest to that, especially if you're coming from a program that doesn't track.

What do you mean by you didn't ask the typical question, though? If you're concerned that this person will write you a poor letter, I'd consider whether you really want to include that - having 3 good letters and one mediocre one would be worse than just having 3 letters.
Thank you for replying.
I didn't ask if she could write me a strong and positive letter.
However, I do consider that our interactions were mostly positive and I don't truly think the letter would be negative. The feedback in general from this rotation appreciated my engagement with the learning process and the teaching rounds (because I actually loved the rotation), it's just me thinking that because she's renowned and I didn't really ask the proper question, it may not be the best of the best. I also started thinking about this after attending an informative zoom meeting about one of the programs that I'm applying to where someone asked about things that may be of importance for the application and they said that sometimes people ask letters from those very well renowned doctors without working with them and that in such cases a 4th letter with more insight about the applicant could be of help.
Truly I think it's the paranoia, the nervousness and evaluating every movement I've made to come to this point. Lol
 
There are some specialties where there is an experiential pathway option, but they are few and far between, and no, it's not while being in GP.

If you want to specialize, you should be intending to do at least 1 internship (for most specialties) and a residency.
I am interested in specializing in internal medicine or cardiology. I have a specialty externship scheduled this summer somewhere I hope to do my rotating. He kind of made me feel stupid for choosing this pathway? Good to know it’s not common and not for a majority of specialty.
Edit: thanks so much for clarifying
 
I am interested in specializing in internal medicine or cardiology. I have a specialty externship scheduled this summer somewhere I hope to do my rotating. He kind of made me feel stupid for choosing this pathway? Good to know it’s not common and not for a majority of specialty.
Edit: thanks so much for clarifying
Yeah, I would take the advice of specialists when it comes to specializing, not GPs, especially not GPs who graduated from veterinary school a generation ago 😉
 
Yeah, I would take the advice of specialists when it comes to specializing, not GPs, especially not GPs who graduated from veterinary school a generation ago 😉
For sure! Thanks for your help, and good luck with match this cycle! Maybe I’ll see you at UF 😎
 
What is the difference between the 'Publications, research or other pertinent experience' in the general information tab vs our CV? Are we just repeating some of the same information? I don't understand what the difference is. Any clarity would be appreciated!
 
What are examples of things that should go under academic honors in the veterinary education section? Is this the same as latin honors?
 
Foreigner vet here. I am in specialty internship now. Hopefully to match to residency...
Good luck guys =)
**anxious
**nausea
 
Did I make a grave mistake?

There were places I for sure want to apply to for internship and I hit 'Apply' long before all of my materials were uploaded and reviewed. Everything is finalized and uploaded now.
Did they just receive a mostly-empty application from me?? What do I do??
 
Did I make a grave mistake?

There were places I for sure want to apply to for internship and I hit 'Apply' long before all of my materials were uploaded and reviewed. Everything is finalized and uploaded now.
Did they just receive a mostly-empty application from me?? What do I do??
This was already discussed earlier in this thread. You’re fine.



Okay, this might be dumb but can you go ahead and 'Apply' for programs without completing the application packet? Like, it doesnt just send whats in at that moment but will continue to update as I add things?

Yes it will continue to update as you add things. The program you apply to will have access to what has been submitted as soon as you hit apply but will also get the updated information if you add things later. It just depends on when they download the packet (which is typically sometime after the program application deadline).
 
I am so nervous yet excited. I applied right when the application opened and already had a good interview with a location that said they wanted me to rank them high so I have fingers crossed currently! I am nervous about possibly not having passed the NAVLE in November though. I had to have a major surgery that ended up happening a few weeks before I sat for my exam and I knew walking out that it did not go well. I hate to have the NAVLE play a part in my ranking of locations but I am nervous to rank places high on my list that require the NAVLE to have been passed prior to start. What if I match somewhere that requires it and I end up needing to retake the exam in April and just hope I pass it that time. What happens if I don't pass the second time either but the place I matched has it listed that they require licensure, do I become black-listed from the match at that point if I can't attend where I matched? This is how my anxious brain has been functioning the last few weeks :dead:

SA Rotating Applicant
 
I knew walking out that it did not go well.
FWIW, literally no one walks out of NAVLE feeling like it went well, so I wouldn't put any weight at all on your post-exam feeling being reflective of whether you'll pass.

I know it's really difficult to not spiral, but you'll have your NAVLE results soon. Try not to allow yourself to go down a rabbit hole of "what if I didn't pass" and then "what if I didn't pass and then don't pass in April either." You'll have more information in the next couple of weeks, and you still have plenty of time to make decisions about programs.
 
Hi guys.. late to the thread but I wanted to see if anyone would know what to do for my situation…

Application was in and programs applied to before the deadline. However, my final LOR was not submitted. And yes, I asked for the letter well in advanced, talked with them multiple times, and sent multiple reminders by email and text.

They submitted my letter at 9:21pm AKA 21 minutes after the deadline. Does anyone know if programs will still consider my application? It’s slightly confusing because VIRMP states you just need the reference contact information in by deadline but I’ve also seen on the website that actual LORs must be in by then so I have no idea what to do.

Do I individually contact programs I applied to now to see if they’ll still accept the letter and my application? Was my packet automatically updated with all 3 LORs when the final one was submitted? Will programs even look at my application now??

I’m spiraling especially considering I’ve talked to a friend that already got an interview from Angell but I applied there and still haven’t heard anything. Any insight would be appreciated!
 
Hi guys.. late to the thread but I wanted to see if anyone would know what to do for my situation…

Application was in and programs applied to before the deadline. However, my final LOR was not submitted. And yes, I asked for the letter well in advanced, talked with them multiple times, and sent multiple reminders by email and text.

They submitted my letter at 9:21pm AKA 21 minutes after the deadline. Does anyone know if programs will still consider my application? It’s slightly confusing because VIRMP states you just need the reference contact information in by deadline but I’ve also seen on the website that actual LORs must be in by then so I have no idea what to do.

Do I individually contact programs I applied to now to see if they’ll still accept the letter and my application? Was my packet automatically updated with all 3 LORs when the final one was submitted? Will programs even look at my application now??

I’m spiraling especially considering I’ve talked to a friend that already got an interview from Angell but I applied there and still haven’t heard anything. Any insight would be appreciated!
VIRMP (and programs) know that reference letters can sometimes drag until the last minute. There is some flexibility with the reference portion, I would not panic. We had a similar situation when I was on the internship committee at my old hospital and it did not impact that candidate at all.
 
Hi guys.. late to the thread but I wanted to see if anyone would know what to do for my situation…

Application was in and programs applied to before the deadline. However, my final LOR was not submitted. And yes, I asked for the letter well in advanced, talked with them multiple times, and sent multiple reminders by email and text.

They submitted my letter at 9:21pm AKA 21 minutes after the deadline. Does anyone know if programs will still consider my application? It’s slightly confusing because VIRMP states you just need the reference contact information in by deadline but I’ve also seen on the website that actual LORs must be in by then so I have no idea what to do.

Do I individually contact programs I applied to now to see if they’ll still accept the letter and my application? Was my packet automatically updated with all 3 LORs when the final one was submitted? Will programs even look at my application now??

I’m spiraling especially considering I’ve talked to a friend that already got an interview from Angell but I applied there and still haven’t heard anything. Any insight would be appreciated!
VIRMP (and programs) know that reference letters can sometimes drag until the last minute. There is some flexibility with the reference portion, I would not panic. We had a similar situation when I was on the internship committee at my old hospital and it did not impact that candidate at all.
I agree, I believe I had gotten an email from VIRMP prior to the deadline and it mentioned that LOR contacts need to be entered by the deadline and can't be changed but will still be accepted as they are submitted.
 
Any insights and tips on what sorts of questions to expect for the SA RI interview? Do they ask about the case scenario? I have limited ECC experience but most internships are ECC-heavy so during the interview, what case or hypothetical questions, they might ask? I am a foreign grad so I am new to this. I have one interview coming up from Tuskegee University. Does anyone have experience with interviews from Tuskegee? I am quite anxious about how it will go. If there is anyone with an internship interview interested in a mock interview, please let me know. Thank you for your time.
 
Any insights and tips on what sorts of questions to expect for the SA RI interview? Do they ask about the case scenario? I have limited ECC experience but most internships are ECC-heavy so during the interview, what case or hypothetical questions, they might ask? I am a foreign grad so I am new to this. I have one interview coming up from Tuskegee University. Does anyone have experience with interviews from Tuskegee? I am quite anxious about how it will go. If there is anyone with an internship interview interested in a mock interview, please let me know. Thank you for your time.
The vast, vast majority of internship interviews are assessing your character, not your clinical aptitude. I had a large number of interviews last year when applying for small animal rotatings and can only remember a single knowledge based question I was asked (at a private practice interview).
 
Anyone started hearing from academic rotating internships yet? I have two on my list that say they’ll reach out to invited applicants only, just wanted to see if anyone’s started hearing yet!
 
Anyone started hearing from academic rotating internships yet? I have two on my list that say they’ll reach out to invited applicants only, just wanted to see if anyone’s started hearing yet!
I have a few academic like that too and haven't heard back from any yet. There's 1 I am wanting over all others to reach out to me so I am eagerly waiting to see if they reach out!
 
Anyone started hearing from academic rotating internships yet? I have two on my list that say they’ll reach out to invited applicants only, just wanted to see if anyone’s started hearing yet!
So far I've only heard from Mizzou!
 
Anyone started hearing from academic rotating internships yet? I have two on my list that say they’ll reach out to invited applicants only, just wanted to see if anyone’s started hearing yet!
I heard from Ohio State this evening!
 
I also heard from Midwestern, haven't heard from any other academic places and there are 4 others(?) that I applied to that interview so 🤞 Looks like last year most academic places didn't reach out til the end of the month so I figure next week or the week after (hopfully the week after since next week might be NAVLE results 😱 I can't take that much excitement!)
 
Does anyone have information about the Tuskegee Small Animal Internship? There seem to be no survey results, and it looks like they don’t have a residency program either...
 
Does anyone have information about the Tuskegee Small Animal Internship? There seem to be no survey results, and it looks like they don’t have a residency program either...

Tuskegee is one of the smallest schools with a very specific goal as an HBCU: increase the total number of minority students within vet med and make them "day 1 ready" as the more fun buzz phrase within vet med. Yes, this is a goal of all schools technically. However, I do think the high numbers of residents and interns at a lot of schools is a hindrance to that goal at some point. By not having residency programs and a limited number of interns, the students get more experience as primary or secondary clinical on cases.
 
Anyone started hearing from academic rotating internships yet? I have two on my list that say they’ll reach out to invited applicants only, just wanted to see if anyone’s started hearing yet!
I've heard from Ohio and UF
 
Has anyone heard back from small animal surgery residencies?
 
Has anyone heard from A/E Internships? Specifically LSU and NC? I have heard from privates, but not anything academic.
 
Hey everyone, I would really appreciate it if anyone with experience could share interview questions and tips to structure your answers for the VIRMP SA Rotating internship? It is my first time and I am new to it. So any insights or tips would be highly appreciated. Thank you
 
Has any one heard from speciality internships at UCDavies, UWashington, UNC or U Giorgia?
 
Hey everyone, I would really appreciate it if anyone with experience could share interview questions and tips to structure your answers for the VIRMP SA Rotating internship? It is my first time and I am new to it. So any insights or tips would be highly appreciated. Thank you
Sharing specific questions is not really a great idea, although we don’t sign something specifically forbidding it. You can find standard interview questions and tips in many places on the internet.
 
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