Last Chance to Apply to Internships

Posted on November 1, 2009

Written By David M. Wong, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACVECC, Associate Professor of Equine Medicine

For seniors it’s November and two milestones are about to be passed in the long and arduous road to becoming a veterinarian. The first milestone is the NAVLE, the final exam, so to speak, of your veterinary education. The second milestone for seniors is the half way point of senior year rotations, only 6 months to go before graduation. But seniors and under-classmen need to consider what they will do after crossing the finish line of veterinary school. Some of you may have jobs lined up already but have you considered applying to an internship? An excellent article has been written by Dr. Brad Smith entitled “Should I apply for an Internship after Veterinary School?” in this issue of The Veterinary Examiner. The truth of the matter for seniors is if you have been considering applying to an internship but have been waffling a bit, the time to decide is now!

As Dr. Smith stated, there are many good reasons to apply to an internship, but it is not for everyone. You may be out of gas by the time you finish your senior year of veterinary school and want or need to get into the work force. However, for those of you that have entertained the idea of an internship, consider the benefits of a well-structured internship: guidance and mentoring from board-certified specialists, more focused training in your area of veterinary interest, further training in clinical examination and skills, and the possibility of advanced training through a residency program in the future.

When you are ready to start the process of applying to internship programs, here’s a checklist of things you need to consider or complete to give yourself the best chance at obtaining a good internship:

Go to the Veterinary Internship and Resident Matching Program (VIRMP; www.virmp.org) and review the available internships that fulfill your basic requirements (i.e. small animal rotating internship, equine medicine internship, etc). Most, but not all small animal internships are applied to through the VIRMP. Many other (i.e. equine) internships are also filled outside the matching program and you must seek those out.

Fill out and submit the appropriate forms provided by the VIRMP for each internship that you are applying to. These forms should be received by the VIRMP office by December 7, 2009, so don’t drag your feet any longer. You should apply to several internships to increase your odds of
successfully matching with a program. Remember, there are a lot of students applying.

Contact the university that you are attending for your veterinary degree and have them send transcripts of your grades to the internship programs that you are applying to. These are also due by December 7, 2009.

Contact veterinarians that will write a good letter of recommendation for you. Ideally your references should be written by individuals that are recognized as experts in their veterinary field. These individuals typically know many of the individuals that will be reviewing your internship application. A good recommendation from them always leaves a strong impression on the selection committee. For advice on how to obtain a good letter of reference see the Vetstradamus advice column in this issue. This year, the VIRMP has standardized the reference letter allowing a more uniform and guided way for veterinarians to submit letters of reference.

Time is tight now, but if possible, visiting the top 3 or 4 institutions or practices that appeal to you most is a great opportunity to observe the daily events and veterinary interactions that occur at each facility. Moreover, it puts a face to the name when veterinarians are sifting through and reviewing applications. Hopefully you can make a good impression!

By January 15, 2010, you will have to numerically rank the veterinary facilities from your most to least favorite. Each facility will also rank individual student applicants. Here’s where things get a bit mysterious. A computer system pairs rankings between the student and facility and an appropriate “match” is made. One source of confusion to students is whether there is a disadvantage to ranking more internships. Ranking additional internships will not decrease your chance at matching at your top choice. Keep in mind, you should only rank those institutions you are willing to attend if matched.

On February 8, 2010, the results of the matching process are posted on the VIRMP website. However, if for some reason you did not match, do not give up immediate hope. Many times, facilities did not match a student either and they will then go through the list of unmatched students and begin contacting them to try and identify a student for the next year outside the “match” program.

This is the process students must go through to apply to internships through the VIRMP. However, some institutions and practices choose not to go through the VIRMP. This is particularly true with equine internships. If you are interested in an equine internship, the American Association of Equine Practitioners website will provide you with all the necessary information (http://www.aaep.org/avenues_search.php) about practices that are offering internships. Deadlines for these applications are variable so please check each individual practice description. A visit to the practices of most interest to you is highly recommended so you can see the everyday working of the practice and the veterinarians can interact and get to know you. Performing an externship at the practice is even better.

Hopefully this gives some insight on the internship application process and the VIRMP matching program. It is not too late but you need to get moving soon if you are going to apply. Many beleaguered veterinary students are ready to be done and are eagerly awaiting private practice and a decent paycheck. However, most individuals that choose the internship route are pleased with their decision in the long run as a worthy and beneficial experience.