Veterinary Internship information

[Mrow]

Hi everyone!

Although I have read a lot of the threads on veterinary internships, and what programs are considered to be good, I haven’t read specifically why people liked these programs. A big priority for me would be close mentorship, so if programs with that quality exist, I would love to know about them! I’d also like to know a little bit more about personal experiences or experiences you know from someone else (pros and cons) of certain internship programs. Academic internship programs included, of course! Any information would be helpful and greatly appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[hygebeorht]

Certain programs are considered strong overall, but honestly every internship has strengths and weaknesses for each field of interest. An internship that may be considered good for ECC may not be good for dermatology, etc. I would ask your mentors in your field of interest which internship programs are valued within the specialty.

Also, different residency programs value different internships even within specialty programs, so YMMV.

 

[Mrow]

Certain programs are considered strong overall, but honestly every internship has strengths and weaknesses for each field of interest. An internship that may be considered good for ECC may not be good for dermatology, etc. I would ask your mentors in your field of interest which internship programs are valued within the specialty.

Also, different residency programs value different internships even within specialty programs, so YMMV.

Thank you for this! I see that you are a radiologist. Do you have any opinions on good programs if I wanted to become one?

 

[VetMedSurvivalGuide]

Thank you for this! I see that you are a radiologist. Do you have any opinions on good programs if I wanted to become one?

As mentioned above, every single program has pros and cons. Even the top internship and residency programs in the country are going to have cons. The main thing you want to look into is if a certain program would be a good fit for you. You can get that information from the program description and by contacting current interns/residents (depending where you are in your career). These contacts are usually the best way to go regarding the information you're seeking, but you'll be able to say no to many programs simply by reading their description. For example, program X has 65% ER and you have no interest in pursuing that career. If that was me, I would pass on that specific program. Check out our blog, we have cool resources on what you're looking for.

 

[hygebeorht]

Thank you for this! I see that you are a radiologist. Do you have any opinions on good programs if I wanted to become one?

Ha, unfortunately I just want to become a radiologist - not quite there yet. If that's what you're into, PM me.

 

[Mrow]

Does anyone know of internship programs that have good mentor oversight? My main concern is being left alone in a situation where I do not know what to do/ how to do something

 

[JaynaAli]

They definitely exist...at the program I did interns were never alone. We were a private practice within a ten mile radius of a well known university and two other specialty hospitals though, so the referral base demanded no interns with sole case responsibility as their incentive for referring to our practice. But as far as I know they’ve stopped taking interns at that hospital so I can’t help you there. The VIRMP website should say how much primary case responsibility an intern has to help you weed some out.

 

[allygator13]

Does anyone know of internship programs that have good mentor oversight? My main concern is being left alone in a situation where I do not know what to do/ how to do something

When you are researching programs on the VIRMP, each program also lists a point of contact. You can contact this person and ask them to put you in touch with current interns, and that was very helpful for me to ask them how much time they were completely by themselves, what the support system was like, etc.

 

[Mrow]

They definitely exist...at the program I did interns were never alone. We were a private practice within a ten mile radius of a well known university and two other specialty hospitals though, so the referral base demanded no interns with sole case responsibility as their incentive for referring to our practice. But as far as I know they’ve stopped taking interns at that hospital so I can’t help you there. The VIRMP website should say how much primary case responsibility an intern has to help you weed some out.

Just to be clear, does this mean that the more primary case responsibility an intern has, the less they are supervised?

 

[JaynaAli]

Just to be clear, does this mean that the more primary case responsibility an intern has, the less they are supervised?

Correct. Primary case responsibility usually equals time alone or at least when you make the decisions without being required to run over the case with a mentor. I think my internship was like 1-5% primary responsibility and that was mostly because we rotated at a sister GP hospital and there may or may not be another vet there the second time we rotated through.

 

[SocialStigma]

Does anyone know of internship programs that have good mentor oversight? My main concern is being left alone in a situation where I do not know what to do/ how to do something

When you look at a program through VIRMP, see what they list as the % for the question "What is the percentage of time the intern will be directly supervised?". There are programs out there where you will almost never or never be left alone. I did my internship at a private practice with 100% supervision - even on overnight ER shifts, there was always another ER vet there. I was never alone in the building.

 

[VIN-Foundation]

Just to be clear, does this mean that the more primary case responsibility an intern has, the less they are supervised?

Not necessarily. Primary case responsibility means you are doing the exam, talking to the client, making decisions, etc. But this can still be done with direct supervision. For example, on my service (neurology/neurosurgery) we sometimes let the rotating intern have primary responsibility for a case. But they are always supervised and ultimately the service chief (me) is responsible for the case.

Bill Thomas

 

[Mrow]

When you look at a program through VIRMP, see what they list as the % for the question "What is the percentage of time the intern will be directly supervised?". There are programs out there where you will almost never or never be left alone. I did my internship at a private practice with 100% supervision - even on overnight ER shifts, there was always another ER vet there. I was never alone in the building.

Thank you for this! Would you mind me asking where you did your internship?

 

[hygebeorht]

Thank you for this! Would you mind me asking where you did your internship?

My internship had very little unsupervised time as well.

P.S. will be veterinary radiology resident come July

 

[Mrow]

My internship had very little unsupervised time as well.

P.S. will be veterinary radiology resident come July

Congrats!! I am definitely interested in the field. Would you mind me asking where you did your internship?