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VIRMP 2027
Started by zenarcade
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Just dropping in to say I completed a SA rotating internship (academic) and matched to an oncology residency last cycle, so I’m happy to help anyone who has questions about VIRMP, internship, or residency life. Feel free to send a DM!
supershorty
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Also happy to help out, particularly those interested in pursuing small animal surgery residency.
Planning on applying for a SA rotating internship! I am thinking private, as I'm not planning on specializing but want to go into ER. I have asked one specialist for a letter of rec so far, but is it recommended to have all my letters from specialists? I worked well with a vet during my month-long preceptorship, but they are not boarded. I am getting a bit nervous about how much time I have left to ask others in my upcoming rotations. Thanks all in advance!
Not at this stage, imo. You want at least one specialist (ideally in the specialty you want to pursue, if applicable), but it's more important to just have really good LORs right now. When it comes to specialty internships/residencies, that's when you want all of your letters to be from specialists ideally
I applied to maybe six the first time and closer to ten the second time. But I was also applying to a smaller specialty and even choosing 10 was like half of my available options. But I knew I didn’t want a combined program with a mandatory PhD and I didn’t want to live in a major city, so that limited my choices. I applied to many internships because I had a ‘I’d rather go here than not do an internship because I need it for residency’ mindset then.
I will say that residency is a MUCH bigger commitment than internship, and I think people should be choosy about where they go for residency. Make sure it’s a program with people you like and can work with, because you’re going to have such a close relationship those three years and beyond. I know that it’s easy for someone who wants a residency to be willing to accept anywhere and I understand why, but being in a program with interpersonal drama makes an already hard thing exponentially harder. So while I want to say go ahead and apply broadly, can’t hurt…make sure you’re doing your research and talking to people about the places you apply and doing whatever you can to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
I will say that residency is a MUCH bigger commitment than internship, and I think people should be choosy about where they go for residency. Make sure it’s a program with people you like and can work with, because you’re going to have such a close relationship those three years and beyond. I know that it’s easy for someone who wants a residency to be willing to accept anywhere and I understand why, but being in a program with interpersonal drama makes an already hard thing exponentially harder. So while I want to say go ahead and apply broadly, can’t hurt…make sure you’re doing your research and talking to people about the places you apply and doing whatever you can to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
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I applied to every available residency both times (radiology). My second time I think I ended up not ranking 2 of them.
supershorty
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I only applied to 6 last year and was very choosy about where. It comes down to what you're willing to compromise on when it comes to matching vs taking the risk of scrambling (or doing something else). Residency is a big commitment and I was willing to take the risk of not matching over the risk of matching to a program that wasn't a good fit for me.
Just to contrast this, when I was on the rotating internship committee at an academic institution it was not looked on fondly when there were letters from non-specialists. If there was just 1 it could get looked over in an otherwise good candidate, but if most of the letters were non-specialists that applicant would likely not be ranked highly if at all.
Not saying that I agree with it, but if you are applying to academic programs you might want to focus more on having specialist letters.
I applied to 9 (some of them not very seriously), and ranked either 4 or 5. However I was in a not-very-competitive specialty and I also didn't really care if I matched. Residency is a large commitment, you don't want to end up somewhere where you will be unhappy or not get the training you want.
Same! Anyone know if Oregon State is going to have positions or did they go outside the match this year?
I’m going outside the match for equine internships. Ohio state already rejected, applied to Cornell and Park. Park asked for an interview but I literally have no availability due to externships.
supershorty
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Have you talked to your externships about this? Most interviews are virtual at this point and this is an expected part of 4th year, so you should be able to feel comfortable asking them for an hour to do an interview. It's an extremely normal request and I'd be surprised if any rotation refused to accommodate it.
gimmieallthecats
New Member
Can't believe its that time of the year again!!
This will be my second time applying for radiology speciality internships and residencies. 🤞 I did not match last year and scrambled into my current position. So if
1) anyone, especially in the diagnostic imaging field, has any tips or is willing to answer some questions I'd greatly appreciate it!!
and 2) if anyone applying to the match for the first time has any questions about the scramble, I'd be happy to talk about the process 🙂
This will be my second time applying for radiology speciality internships and residencies. 🤞 I did not match last year and scrambled into my current position. So if
1) anyone, especially in the diagnostic imaging field, has any tips or is willing to answer some questions I'd greatly appreciate it!!
and 2) if anyone applying to the match for the first time has any questions about the scramble, I'd be happy to talk about the process 🙂
Got the interview scheduled for today. So we all good, so fingers crossed
supershorty
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@allygator13
Hi! Current DACVR, finished residency 3 years ago. Happy to chat, though have been out of the game for some time now haha.
supershorty
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pinetree2026
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I'm in my rotating internship right now and applying for surgery internships and residencies! I was hoping you could provide some insight and tips!
Hi everyone!
I'm a final year vet student interested in pursuing a small animal rotating internship after graduation, with the possibility of pursuing an ECC residency afterward, although I'm still somewhat undecided at this point.
I had a couple of questions about the CV for internship applications. I've heard mixed advice about whether it should be formatted more like a resume and kept to no more than two pages, or whether a longer, more comprehensive CV is preferred.
My school also follows a distributive model for fourth-year clinical rotations, so we don't complete all of our rotations at a teaching hospital. One program director actually recommended including our clinical rotations on the CV, which makes sense given our curriculum, but I'm wondering how best to present them without making the CV excessively long.
For those who have applied to or reviewed applications for small animal rotating internships, what format would you recommend? Should we aim to keep the CV to two pages, and would listing clinical rotations be worthwhile for students from a distributive program?
I'd really appreciate any insight or advice. Thank you!
I'm a final year vet student interested in pursuing a small animal rotating internship after graduation, with the possibility of pursuing an ECC residency afterward, although I'm still somewhat undecided at this point.
I had a couple of questions about the CV for internship applications. I've heard mixed advice about whether it should be formatted more like a resume and kept to no more than two pages, or whether a longer, more comprehensive CV is preferred.
My school also follows a distributive model for fourth-year clinical rotations, so we don't complete all of our rotations at a teaching hospital. One program director actually recommended including our clinical rotations on the CV, which makes sense given our curriculum, but I'm wondering how best to present them without making the CV excessively long.
For those who have applied to or reviewed applications for small animal rotating internships, what format would you recommend? Should we aim to keep the CV to two pages, and would listing clinical rotations be worthwhile for students from a distributive program?
I'd really appreciate any insight or advice. Thank you!
supershorty
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As you will soon discover when prospective applicants start contacting you with questions about your internship, it is far easier to be able to help if people ask you specific questions, especially when you're very busy on clinics 😉 I'm happy to help, but I do not have the time to just write a general blurb and hope that it's what you were looking for. If you have specific questions, feel free to tag me and I'll respond when I'm able to! 🙂
I trimmed my CV to make it more specific to VIRMP, but mine was still longer than 2 pages because I had a graduate degree with associated publications and stuff like that. I think in general the 2 page thing is reasonable to keep it from being overly cluttered, but I wouldn't lose sleep if it's over.
How do your clinical rotations show up on your transcript? Listing them on your CV sounds odd to me, personally, but I didn't attend a distributive program and I'm struggling to remember who did in our current SDN intern/resident group.
supershorty
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@228225 there was a similar conversation in last year's VIRMP thread that I pulled in case it's helpful for you:
Unrelated, but I'm including my general "contacting current interns/residents" advice/plea for everyone:
Unrelated, but I'm including my general "contacting current interns/residents" advice/plea for everyone:
Just got an internship offer outside of the match. I’ve never wanted to throw up more than receiving the email. I’m terrified to make a decision
Seeking feedback about programs I'm interested in for IM residency. If anyone can speak to their own or others' experiences, I'd greatly appreciate the insight. These are the programs I plan to apply to in no particular order:
NCSU
CSU
TAMU
Mizzou
UPenn
+/- UF
+/- Angell for a specialty internship
Purdue
Also, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to go about voicing that I would be interested in staying at my current institution. I've gotten positive feedback from many people so far, and I also very much enjoy it here. I plan to bring it up to my mentor, who is on the committee. Just not sure how.
NCSU
CSU
TAMU
Mizzou
UPenn
+/- UF
+/- Angell for a specialty internship
Purdue
Also, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to go about voicing that I would be interested in staying at my current institution. I've gotten positive feedback from many people so far, and I also very much enjoy it here. I plan to bring it up to my mentor, who is on the committee. Just not sure how.
You'll do great 😉
LepidopteraNerd
SGU/MU c/o 2024
Hello everyone! Glad we're all in this together 🙂
I worked two years in small animal general practice prior to walking the path to specializing. I'm currently in a small animal rotating internship that's off the match. My original interests were ECC and/or surgery, and I found out those weren't my cup of tea.
I sincerely enjoyed radiology and now applying for both residencies and specialty internships.
There's only one radiologist working at the specialty hospital that I'm at [and has agreed to write a LOR], but majority of my mentors who are actively monitoring my progress in my internship are criticalists. The rest of the specialties won't spend much time with me prior to the applications being due. I'm starting to think I'm at a disadvantage because of it, but I could imagine a strong character reference is valued regardless if the specialist is not in your preferred field.
I'm also considering programs off the match as well [if they even exist]
Very nervous for the next steps to come :') any insight will be helpful
I worked two years in small animal general practice prior to walking the path to specializing. I'm currently in a small animal rotating internship that's off the match. My original interests were ECC and/or surgery, and I found out those weren't my cup of tea.
I sincerely enjoyed radiology and now applying for both residencies and specialty internships.
There's only one radiologist working at the specialty hospital that I'm at [and has agreed to write a LOR], but majority of my mentors who are actively monitoring my progress in my internship are criticalists. The rest of the specialties won't spend much time with me prior to the applications being due. I'm starting to think I'm at a disadvantage because of it, but I could imagine a strong character reference is valued regardless if the specialist is not in your preferred field.
I'm also considering programs off the match as well [if they even exist]
Very nervous for the next steps to come :') any insight will be helpful
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supershorty
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I was very strongly advised that at the point of applying for residency, they should all be from specialists in that field.
I'm not particularly interested in radiology, but I recently came across a few academic radiology residencies (Purdue, CSU, UC Davis, and potentially others) that don't participate in VIRMP. I would recommend looking into these programs as soon as possible, as I believe several radiology residencies accept applications outside of VIRMP, potentially through October. Unfortunately, some deadlines may have already passed. I'm not entirely certain about the application timelines, though, so I wouldn't take my word for it—I'd recommend doing some independent searching as well.
I am also exploring surgery internships and residencies and wanted to get some input from those who may have experience with this process.
I am currently completing my rotating internship at an academic institution, although it is not a particularly well-known or highly recognized institution. Additionally, my veterinary school grades were not the strongest. One option I have been considering is applying and ranking for a second rotating internship opportunity at more well-known institutions (CSU, UC Davis, Florida, Cornell, etc.) to strengthen my application and improve my chances of securing a surgical internship in the future.
Ideally, I would prefer not to complete a second rotating internship. However, considering the 36.14% match rate last year for surgical internships and the seemingly even more competitive nature of residency positions, I have started to wonder whether completing a second rotating internship at a more established institution might be something worth considering.
Alternatively, would it be more advisable to pursue a surgery internship through the scramble process if I am unsuccessful in matching? My concern is that this could be a fairly risky approach, given that only 28 surgical internship positions went unmatched last year. I understand that pursuing a career in surgery is a long-term commitment, and I am trying to determine what steps I can take now to strengthen my application and put myself in the best possible position for future match cycles.
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this, particularly if you have pursued a second rotating internship yourself or know someone who has also thought about it. Did it make a meaningful difference in their application or future opportunities? I would appreciate any insight or advice!
I am currently completing my rotating internship at an academic institution, although it is not a particularly well-known or highly recognized institution. Additionally, my veterinary school grades were not the strongest. One option I have been considering is applying and ranking for a second rotating internship opportunity at more well-known institutions (CSU, UC Davis, Florida, Cornell, etc.) to strengthen my application and improve my chances of securing a surgical internship in the future.
Ideally, I would prefer not to complete a second rotating internship. However, considering the 36.14% match rate last year for surgical internships and the seemingly even more competitive nature of residency positions, I have started to wonder whether completing a second rotating internship at a more established institution might be something worth considering.
Alternatively, would it be more advisable to pursue a surgery internship through the scramble process if I am unsuccessful in matching? My concern is that this could be a fairly risky approach, given that only 28 surgical internship positions went unmatched last year. I understand that pursuing a career in surgery is a long-term commitment, and I am trying to determine what steps I can take now to strengthen my application and put myself in the best possible position for future match cycles.
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this, particularly if you have pursued a second rotating internship yourself or know someone who has also thought about it. Did it make a meaningful difference in their application or future opportunities? I would appreciate any insight or advice!
I would find it weird to be looking at a resident candidate's application and see two rotating internships listed. I would wonder why they didn't get a surgery internship and what red flags exist that I can't see in the application that led to this happening.
Not a surgeon but I don't see how this would make you more competitive. Definitely defer to the surgeons here, but I'd think working ER/GP while you wait for another cycle would be better. Perhaps working at a specialty hospital and scrubbing in with their surgeon(s) as often as possible would be helpful too. N = few, but a small handful of my rotating intermates did not readily match into surgery internships and found other ways to 'stay close to' surgeons and it was a good move for them.
Also idk what you mean here....we know all of the vet schools in this country and they are all recognized? I guess some newer schools might not be "well known" but they also don't have teaching hospitals iirc.
I haven't heard of anyone doing a second rotating and agree it would a red flag. Try for a surgery internship and if you don't get one, find experience with a surgeon (maybe ER in a practice that has surgeons) - it often can come down to making the right connections. Other advice is find a way to do research - see if you can jump in on a project with a surgeon at your current facility. Having a publication or presentation at a conference will set you apart
These are all really great points that I hadn’t considered before. I can definitely see why pursuing another rotating internship could potentially be viewed as a red flag. I think finding other opportunities to gain surgical experience in the meantime would be a much better use of my time and ultimately strengthen my chances of securing a surgery internship in the future. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your advice and insight. I really appreciate it!
