Question about internship

[Alex G]

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I'm pretty sure that I have an internship at a local private practice (I started Weds), but I've been reading more about it and it looks like it's more something that grad students and post-grads do? I'm a freshman in college. I also read that it's supposed to be paid and as far as I know I'm not being paid. Around the office I'm referred to as the intern and I gave them an application and a resume but never filled out any paperwork, so I'm wondering if I maybe got the terms confused? Can someone help me clear up what exactly I'm doing? 😕

 

[breenie]

I'm pretty sure that I have an internship at a local private practice (I started Weds), but I've been reading more about it and it looks like it's more something that grad students and post-grads do? I'm a freshman in college. I also read that it's supposed to be paid and as far as I know I'm not being paid. Around the office I'm referred to as the intern and I gave them an application and a resume but never filled out any paperwork, so I'm wondering if I maybe got the terms confused? Can someone help me clear up what exactly I'm doing? 😕

I think you'll have to talk to them about it! Pre-vet internships aren't really standardized or anything, so it's up to your internship coordinators to let you know the scoop. Sorry. 🙁

 

[Bill59]

Semantics. In medicine, an internship is the first year of post-graduate training. In other words interns are doctors. But other people started using the term to refer to pretty much anyone hired as part of a training program ... so you have high school students doing an "internship" at a magazine publisher and so on.

It's similar to "veterinary technician". Technically, a veterinary technician is a licensed graduate of a 2+year program in veterinary technology. But a lot of times, people refer to the high school kid helping out as a "vet tech".

The problem with all this is it is confusing to clients. I've heard clients say "I don't want to see an intern, I want to see a doctor."

 

[Alex G]

Semantics. In medicine, an internship is the first year of post-graduate training. In other words interns are doctors. But other people started using the term to refer to pretty much anyone hired as part of a training program ... so you have high school students doing an "internship" at a magazine publisher and so on.

It's similar to "veterinary technician". Technically, a veterinary technician is a licensed graduate of a 2+year program in veterinary technology. But a lot of times, people refer to the high school kid helping out as a "vet tech".

The problem with all this is it is confusing to clients. I've heard clients say "I don't want to see an intern, I want to see a doctor."

Not just confusing to clients but to me as well! I'm glad I figured this out before proudly sending an adcomm a list of my "internship" duties. So what would this probably be? Volunteer work?

 

[SocialStigma]

Yeah I would say it's just volunteer work. Technically a true internship is the year in between receiving your DVM and beginning your residency.