A practical pathway to specialisation
The VSA-Zoetis internship was established in 2002. The programme has been extremely successful in achieving its primary goal of providing a pathway for young veterinarians to progress to specialisation. Seventeen interns have completed the programme, 9 are now specialists in the internal medicine, radiology, surgery, and dermatology after completing subsequent residency training programmes in the North America, Ireland and Australia. One past intern is completing a PhD in animal welfare, two are completing residencies in the USA (surgery and cardiology), and two are in rotating internships in Canada.
World-class internship structure
The programme is well structured and is supported by five surgical specialists, three internal medicine specialists and two radiology specialists with close support from a dermatology specialist and a team of specialist pathologists. The internship runs across two purpose built specialist veterinary hospitals with a comprehensive range of specialist veterinary services including:- Total hip replacement
- Brain surgery programme
- Interventional radiological services
- Access to radiation therapy
- In-house CT
- Ultrasonography
- Access to MRI and PET-CT scans,
- Full endoscopy and arthroscopy services
- Minimally invasive surgery
Exceptional track record of success
Dr Kyle Clark
Kyle is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Her career path as a specialist began as a VSA-Zoetis intern. Kyle says: “The internship was a great stepping stone out of vet school because it allowed me to be supported in my first year of practice and gain solid foundation skills. The internship assisted me into a rotating internship in North America which then led onto a surgical residency. Since then, I have been involved in a number of internship programs around the world, and I can confidently say that the VSA-Zoetis Internship is an excellent program for veterinarians who wish to pursue specialization (even if they are unsure of which field) or simply to become an exceptional general practitioner.”
Kyle is now a full time staff member at Veterinary Specialists Auckland in New Zealand and plays a key role in helping run the internship programme.
Dr Briana Dalbreth
Briahna completed her internship with VSA in 2015 and is now in her 3rd year of her Small Animal Surgical Residency training at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA. This is what Briahna has to say about the VSA-Zoetis internship: “The VSA-Zoetis internship, undoubtedly was a huge platform for building many skills as a competent veterinarian. There was a busy caseload, fantastic support, mentorship, emergency work and diversity of caseload which comes with being at a speciality clinic, and an awesome team to work with.
It prepared me as a competitive applicant for the VIRMP matching program in North America for rotating internships in the large veterinary schools in North America, which is critical in gaining a residency position. I matched at the University of Georgia, an academic internship, which added to my skill-set gained from the private practice internship at VSA.
Regardless of whether you know you want to specialize, or are uncertain at this stage, I would strongly recommend doing the internship at VSA as it is a year where you have mentorship from many specialists in many disciplines. You will exponentially expand your knowledge and skill-set under guidance, discover your areas of interest, and prepare you for further specialist training or be more confident if going into general practice.
Dr Keaton Morgan
About Veterinary Specialists Auckland
When does the internship start?
We invite applications for this position beginning 26 January 2021.
The position will be 12 months rotating through the specialist services at the VSA hospitals in Mt Albert & Sylvia Park, Auckland. Eight months will be spent in surgery, two months in internal medicine and two months in diagnostic imaging. The intern will be expected to fully participate in case management, perioperative surgical care, and assist with afterhours care of cases in the hospitals. Attendance at regular journal club, case rounds, and local seminars is anticipated. The intern will be required to prepare a case report or review article suitable for publication and present at a seminar or conference.
It is the intention of this program to enable the intern to be competitive in applications for further postgraduate training programs (internships or residencies) in university teaching hospitals overseas. The internship provides a supportive environment for new and recent graduates to grow their knowledge and upskill. Previous interns have gone on to specialize in surgery, internal medicine, radiology, and dermatology in North America, Europe, and Australia.
To apply for the VSA Zoetis internship, please click the button below and we will get in touch as soon as possible.
If you wish to find out more about VSA our contact page or call us on +64 9 320 56 45
