Applying to internships outside the match

[vetsquared]

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Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone is familiar with or has experience with applying to internships early and outside the match. I've been extended an opportunity to apply early (current third year) to a non-academic small animal rotating internship, rather than applying through the match in a year from now (to be clear, this is an internship that is posted in VIRMP, not one that does their applications outside the match regardless). If anyone has done this, I would love to hear from you. I worry about not having strong enough references from someone at my school because, as a third year, I haven't had the opportunity to work with specialists on clinics yet. I have specialists I can ask from outside my school, but I know for the match you really need to have people at your institution... is this different enough of a situation that this isn't such a big deal? Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[MOOSEygoosey]

My hospital is doing this at this point because there's such an intern shortage and externships are being treated as essentially working interviews at this point. You can DM me if you have any questions 🙂 I did my internship (through the match) and stuck around for an ECC residency

 

[fdvet]

Just curious what the pros and cons are of doing residencies at an academic institution vs. in a private practice/ corporate setting. It seems like the pay is significantly better at non-academic institutions?

 

[JaynaAli]

One of the main differences is the amount of teaching you have to/get to do. I did an internship in private practice and my residency was in academia. For both internships and residencies, if you’re in academia you’ll usually have some supervisory/teaching responsibilities for the students. Sometimes a lot of teaching on top of your cases and rounds and boards prep and the zillion other things you do. Residents are usually at the top of the list for procedures and stuff, but you do have to share some cases and procedures among interns and students as well. As a private practice intern (or resident) it’s typically just you in line for learning so you may get to do even more stuff on your own. But at the same time, that means things like all the paperwork and daily soaps and discharges falls to you, where as students do a lot of the paperwork in academia. Residents are gonna have to edit after students in academia too, so it’s not like students do all the work, but it’s definitely different. Private practice in my experience also seems to typically have higher caseloads since there isn’t quite as much teaching and assorted rounding required. Some private practices may have fewer “toys” (meaning surgery tools, in-house diagnostic options, critical care capabilities, etc.), though there are definitely places with capabilities the same as or better than some vet schools. Pay is often better in private practice but not always. A benefit of academia is you may qualify for PSLF which you’re not gonna get in a traditional private practice. I don’t personally think one is better than the other, they’re just different.

 

[allygator13]

Agree with everything JaynaAli said. This will also depend on your end goal for doing the internship (if you want to specialize, which specialty you are aiming for), but I think it's beneficial for people to get both experiences if possible. Academia is the ivory tower, where they will have all the bells and whistles and a lot of times have the capability to practice top-tier medicine and clients will often be willing to do it. It is also a much slower pace because teaching is happening and multiple departments are often involved in the cases. A single private practice likely won't have all the bells and whistles of an academic institution, you'll probably get a wider range of client financial capabilities, it is a much faster pace, and I think in private practice you get a bit more "reality". I got to experience both having done my rotating internship in academia and my specialty internship in private practice, and as JaynaAli said, they are just different.

 

[fdvet]

Are private practice residencies less competitive than academic ones? is it more about networking to get a private practice residency?

 

[JaynaAli]

Not necessarily. Many are just as competitive or maybe even more so than some academic positions. They’re gonna want the same things in an applicant that an academic program will want and the process is the same. I do think there’s a little bit more “buyer beware” for some private practice internships. Any busy clinic could advertise for an intern because they want cheap labor. I mean hopefully if they’re going through the trouble to develop a training program they really want to teach you, but the fact is, there’s not a lot of regulation of programs. So if you’re considering less well known private practice options, you need to do research and ask questions and make sure your goals for the internship along with what they are providing. But you should be doing that for any program, not just private practice ones. There are great private practice training options out there.

 

[vetsquared]

Me: Omg I got an interview next month, yay!

Also me: Omg I got an interview next month, panic!

 

[cml156]

If I wanted to look into opportunities outside of the match how would I go about it? I hear about colleagues getting offers all the time and I don't know where to begin looking. Thank you!

 

[pp9]

If I wanted to look into opportunities outside of the match how would I go about it? I hear about colleagues getting offers all the time and I don't know where to begin looking. Thank you!

What specialty? Each specialty goes about non-match listings differently. The timelines can also be drastically different as well.

 

[cml156]

What specialty? Each specialty goes about non-match listings differently. The timelines can also be drastically different as well.

More so for rotating internships, I already know my specialty will only be through the match next year, yeehaw.

 

[pp9]

More so for rotating internships, I already know my specialty will only be through the match next year, yeehaw.

Hmmm...there are so many inside the match, why go outside? Genuine question. Do you want to intern at somewhere specific?

If you have numerous colleagues that have done rotating internships out of the match, I'd contact them and see how it all went down. I'd be curious to learn more - I have never heard anything about non-match rotating internships beyond people being invited to intern at a hospital that's in the match, but they wanted to guarantee a spot for that specific person.

 

[vetsquared]

I’ve signed for a small animal rotating internship next year outside the match. The program is in the match, but I essentially got a spot secured in advance. It’s at a private practice hospital I have a long relationship with and really like. I was invited to apply early after expressing my interest in their internship program with some of my mentors in the hospital (turns out, they’d already had me in mind).

My reasons? I wanted to be in a specific geographic area for personal reasons. I’ve also been in and out of this hospital for years, so I have a good idea of what their program looks like over time. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t (and honestly it’s a pretty good deal). I also don’t have to put my future in the hands of a computer algorithm or worry about VIRMP on top of NAVLE. I get that not everyone would make the same choice, but I’m very happy about it.

 

[mashedpotatoes5459]

What is the likelihood of residencies being offered outside of the match like rotating internships are? (For those residencies that are on VIRMP)

 

[pp9]

What is the likelihood of residencies being offered outside of the match like rotating internships are? (For those residencies that are on VIRMP)

It depends on the specialty, I would imagine. Off the top of my head, I know of a person who was offered/accepted an ECC spot outside of the match (intern who wanted to pursue ECC at the same hospital), someone who did the same for IM at the same hospital, and someone who did an anesthesia internship at a school and was kept on for the residency without going through the match again.

Worth mentioning that Bluepearl likes to do this. If you do a rotating internship with them and do well/express your desire to pursue a specialty, chances are high that you'll secure yourself either a specialty internship or a residency. If not at the same location you interned at, at least at a Bluepearl somewhere.

 

[battie]

What is the likelihood of residencies being offered outside of the match like rotating internships are? (For those residencies that are on VIRMP)

Some specialties are almost exclusively outside the match as well