Internship, Residency, or just get to work!!

[Lathiana]

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Just curious to see what all of you have to say about the benefits/disadvantages of entering veterinary medicine as an intern, continuing as a resident, or starting to practice right out of school.

There are so many exciting facets of veterinary medicine that we are being exposed to - but noone ever really talks about the positives and negatives associated with our options right out of veterinary school. (That and between preceptorships and externships and this and that, I am kind of beginning to get confused on what is typical and reccommended, above and beyond the basic requirements).

So, should anyone feel like posting their experiences or feelings on these issues - Go right ahead!! 😀

 

[Electrophile]

Guess who? 😀

I'm still contemplating that behavior or nutrition residency...just gotta get my grades up. 🙄 Dr. Mann told me today that you need at least a 3.0 for most any residency. One of the class of 2008 got up today at the out of state interview luncheon said that he thought that only like 5 people are going for internships right afterwards, but there were 15 the year before. Most interesting.

 

[ri23]

While I don't have any actual experience to share with you (though JulieDVM and Chris may be able to chime in here) I plan on trying to go into an internship and residency in neurology (fingers crossed) right after I graduate. I would say the vast majority of people go into private practice, and I really don't think there is a "recommended," it really just depends on your preferences.

 

[CookieBear]

While I don't have any actual experience to share with you (though JulieDVM and Chris may be able to chime in here) I plan on trying to go into an internship and residency in neurology (fingers crossed) right after I graduate. I would say the vast majority of people go into private practice, and I really don't think there is a "recommended," it really just depends on your preferences.

OK, now I know who to go to when I'm scratching my head this upcoming term in neuro-science 😉

Specializing is a whole other animal in my mind, but: Coming out (graduating) - I think it's important to either situate yourself with a place that can train you very well - i.e., strong mentoring, coaching, teaching -- OR -- if you can deal with the crap salary for a year -- doing an internship. From the vets I've known, I don't know one who regretted doing an internship, but I have heard a few say that they wish they had now in hindsight.

No matter where you go - make sure you try to get the real picture of the place before you sign up/commit. Especially practices. Try to talk to someone who already works there (not necessarily a "boss") - or someone who did - - and more than just one if at all possible. Or visit more than once, if at all possible. There are some really awesome places to work (and learn) and then there are others that are not-so-much. Making a little effort to see what you'd be getting into, before you get into it, is wise.

 

[Bill59]

Ultimately, it depends on what you want to do. If you want to specialize, you should do a residency. For most residencies, you will need to do an internship first.

If you want to go into general practice, there’s no reason to do a residency. A rotating internship can still be helpful but isn’t mandatory. In other words, the real question is not residency vs. practice, it’s specialist vs. generalist.

Advantages of going into general practice:
- Higher salary initially.
- Easier to find a job and to work where you want to, compared to competing for internship/residency.
- More flexible hours
- More versatility. Medicine, surgery, radiology, pathology … you do it all.
- Opportunity to form long-term bonds with clients and within the community.


Disadvantages of going into general practice
- You may or may not get adequate mentoring early in your career. In many practices, the senior veterinarian(s) are excellent teachers and you will learn more in 6 months than you learned in 4 years of school. In other situations, you may be on your own or even worse, learn shoddy, outdated medicine.
- It can be challenging to get and stay competent in so many areas – surgery, medicine, different species, etc.

Advantages of internship/residency
- You usually get excellent mentoring
- Practice a high level of medicine with willing, financially able clients
- Interaction with many other specialists (and students if academic residency)
- Ultimately, most clinical specialists can ear significantly more than generalist

Disadvantages of internship/residency
- Most are competitive to obtain, often involves moving to new area
- Hours and call can be brutal (depends on specialty) Vet school may seem like a vacation
- Your performance is under constant scrutiny
- Poor pay (think minimum wage)

 

[chris03333]

Ultimately, it depends on what you want to do. If you want to specialize, you should do a residency. For most residencies, you will need to do an internship first.

Other then that I would say that if you do not feel ready to go into practice right away or are not sure if you want to specialize then an internship may be what you need.

 

[2quick]

I'm looking to do an internship after graduation and possibly specialize in surgery. We'll see what happens.
Andrew