Equine Surgery vs. Sports Medicine/Rehab

[FutureEquineVet2018]

I have a primary interest in both equine surgery as well as sports medicine and rehabilitation. Honestly, it kind of all ties in together in the high performing equine patient. I know that I want to pursue residency but am debating exactly what I am looking for.
I would like to hear from people who have pursued a residency in equine sports medicine and rehabilitation as to more specifics regarding your residency and what you feel that it is setting you up the best to do.
Has anyone pursued a surgery residency that fulfilled requirements for board certification but also gave you a descent amount of experience in other areas of sports medicine?
Any and all input appreciated. I'm still (and will always be) figuring things out 🙂

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[Jamr0ckin]

I have a primary interest in both equine surgery as well as sports medicine and rehabilitation. Honestly, it kind of all ties in together in the high performing equine patient. I know that I want to pursue residency but am debating exactly what I am looking for.
I would like to hear from people who have pursued a residency in equine sports medicine and rehabilitation as to more specifics regarding your residency and what you feel that it is setting you up the best to do.
Has anyone pursued a surgery residency that fulfilled requirements for board certification but also gave you a descent amount of experience in other areas of sports medicine?
Any and all input appreciated. I'm still (and will always be) figuring things out 🙂

Maybe you should contact equine surgeons and rehab specialists at vet schools to ask them about it.

 

[eventualeventer]

One thing to think about is that the SM/R specialty and its residencies are still quite new, so it will take time to see how being boarded in SM/R plays out in terms of job prospects. There are only a few people who have completed SM/R residencies; most of the current diplomates completed surgery residencies or PhD's and were already working in the field. It's exciting to be on the leading edge of something, and it brings the potential to make a name for yourself (which, for better or worse, matters in the world of performance horses), but there may be some uncertainty at first as to the true niche of these specialists who are not cross-trained. There are also only 5 residencies in North America and a handful overseas.

Just from looking at the requirements for SM/R, you get fairly minimal training in surgery - the minimum requirement is only 6 weeks and it is unclear how many weeks you have available to go beyond the minimum while still fulfilling all the other requirements. If you really want to cut, unless you envision yourself just doing arthroscopies and simple lameness related surgeries (proximal suspensory desmoplasty, annular ligament desmotomy, etc.), you're probably better off with a surgery residency. If you want to become the lameness guru and not spend time doing colic surgeries, sinus flaps, etc., then SM/R makes more sense. Some vets working with the USET aren't even boarded in anything but have honed their craft through informal education and mentorship.

Another thing to think about is what kind of practice environment and geographic area you want to work in.

All that said, I'm just another student. I would recommend contacting Dr. Jen Barrett, who's up at Marion duPont Scott, runs their SM/R residency, and has also trained surgery residents and researchers.

 

[JHerriot14]

Dreaming of becoming an equine surgeon is very different to actually becoming one. 4 of my colleagues/friends (I've been out less than a year) who wanted to do nothing but equine surgery quit internship/residency because it's nothing like what they've imagine. Wait till you graduate and have done an internship. Go from there.

 

[shortnsweet]

Dreaming of becoming an equine surgeon is very different to actually becoming one. 4 of my colleagues/friends (I've been out less than a year) who wanted to do nothing but equine surgery quit internship/residency because it's nothing like what they've imagine. Wait till you graduate and have done an internship. Go from there.

Whoa there dream crusher.

Most equine residencies require an internship anyways, and most internships are rotating...but if you want to do equine surgery, you've gotta prepare way in advance and get amazing grades and recs and experience, so don't wait until after you graduate. Most residents in surgery nowadays have to do two internships as well, so keep that in mind. And in all honesty, most general equine practitioners now have done an internship before going into practice, at least in the states.

As for surgery versus sports med, most surgeons in clinics do both now. I would say maybe start with surgery residency and then go for double boarding if your interest lies more heavily in sports med, but like people said before, the residency is so new, i'm not sure how many more jobs would be opened up to you because of it. My old vet got the cert before the residencies had started so they would have a board. It was a points system based on publications, years of experience etc.. He's an ambulatory vet.

 

[FutureEquineVet2018]

Thanks for your input guys. All the time I am leaning more toward sports medicine. My dream is to be the lameness, sports medicine guru and get FEI certified. I don't want to be "a surgeon" spending 90% of my time indoors in a surgery suite. That being said, I do want to be able to do the simpler surgeries that apply to lameness and sports medicine. I suppose I do know what I want to do, I just don't know the best way to go about doing it. I do know some non-boarded vets who are great lameness vets, but like I said, I want to be able to do some surgery. The sports medicine residency looks so appealing for what I want to do, but I'm not really sure what benefit it will offer above and beyond a DVM. I really wish I could find someone who is currently in one of those residency programs. Eventual eventer, thanks for the suggestion to contact Dr. Barrett at EMC. I will do that!