COVID-19 Update: Our internship application process has been revised. Please see the details below. An externship will not be a prerequisite for internship application but is strongly encouraged if travel restrictions allow. We are able to accommodate a limited number of externs at this time. Please reach out via [email protected] if you would like to receive more information about our program.
Contact: Laura H. Javsicas, VMD, DACVIM
E-mail: [email protected]
Type of Practice
Equine exclusive, full- service referral hospital and ambulatory practice.
Number of Intern Positions
5
Staffing
2 Board-certified Surgeons, Board-certified Internal Medicine specialist, Board-certified Theriogenologist, consulting Board-certified Ophthalmologist, 6 General Practitioners, 5 Interns, 7 Veterinary Technicians, 7 Veterinary Assistants, 4 Barn Staff/Attendants (full-time), 3 Barn Staff/Attendants (part-time), 8 Office Staff.
Facilities
State-of-the-art hospital. Facilities include: two large treatment/outpatient examination areas, spacious operating room with overhead hoist/monorail system, 27 stalls including divided mare and foal stalls, 4 isolation stalls, including a stall for neurologic cases with a sling, diagnostic imaging suite, full-service in-house laboratory, extensive pharmacy, and capability for all regenerative medicine modalities. Equipment includes: 300 mA radiology system, digital radiography, Nuclear scintigraphy, video endoscopy and gastroscopy, complete ASIF (Synthes®) orthopedic instrumentation and implants, videoarthroscopy and laparoscopy with the full array of accessories/instruments, Nd:YAG surgical laser, Ligasure® system, focused HMT® extracorporeal shock wave unit, arthoplasty equipment, telemetry, tonometry, and multiple ultrasound units.
Case Load
Ambulatory Case Load
Approximately one third of the ambulatory caseload is derived from the Thoroughbred & Standardbred breeding industry and includes everything from breeding management and neonatal care to horses in training.
Another third of the ambulatory caseload is composed of high-caliber show/sport horses of various breeds to whom we provide lameness work-ups and prepurchase examinations, as well as a wide range of treatment modalities for the diagnosed conditions. The remainder of the caseload is composed of pleasure horses. Complete wellness services are provided and several practitioners have advanced training in dentistry.
Hospital Caseload
The hospital caseload is derived from patients within our practice as well as referral cases from a large geographic region and is comprised of about 85% in-patients and 15% outpatients. Of the inpatients, 50-60% are elective, and 40-50% are emergencies. The emergency caseload consists primarily of colics, but also frequently includes neonates, dystocias, wounds/ lacerations, synovial infections, and fractures. Typically we perform 5-15 elective surgeries and 3-8 emergency surgeries weekly. Of the elective surgical cases, approximately 50% are orthopedic, 25% are soft tissue, and 25% are respiratory/other.
The medicine case load includes a full spectrum of cases seen both in the field and the hospital, with a concentration on neonatology in the spring. Elective medicine cases often include respiratory evaluations, gastroscopy, ultrasonography, and echocardiography.
We offer comprehensive reproductive services for all horse breeders. The varied caseload ranges from basic breeding management to evaluation of the problem mare. In addition to breeding management, mares can be enrolled in our high-risk pregnancy program and a variety of reproductive surgeries are performed at the clinic.
Our consulting ophthalmologist is available approximately once a month to perform complete evaluations and provide advanced medical and surgical treatments.
Philosophy and Goals of the Internship
The Rhinebeck Equine internship is an opportunity for an intense year of clinical experience for five veterinarians in an equine private practice setting with both ambulatory and referral hospital services. The practice is committed to providing interns with a rewarding educational experience. Mentoring is provided by boarded specialists in surgery (2), internal medicine (2), theriogenology, and ophthalmology as well as seasoned ambulatory practitioners.
Our interns have ample opportunity for hands-on experience in all aspects of the program. We expect our interns to rapidly transition to working independently under the guidance of senior clinicians. The interns rotate bi-weekly rotations through surgery, medicine, ambulatory services, sports medicine (Aug-Feb), and reproduction (Feb-Aug). On hospital rotations, the interns are responsible for assisting with all patient evaluations, procedures, and diagnostic imaging. The interns assume a primary role in daily patient care and developing appropriate treatment plans under the guidance of board-certified hospital clinicians. The surgery rotations allow the intern to follow elective and emergency cases from initial evaluation, through surgery and post-op care, to discharge and follow-up. The interns learn anesthesia alongside an experienced veterinarian and as skills progress, are responsible for managing the anesthesia of elective and emergency cases. The internal medicine rotation exposes the interns to a wide variety of cases, both in the hospital and in the field, and is particularly busy in the spring due to the large neonatal foal caseload. The interns to learn breeding management and advanced reproductive techniques from our boarded theriogenologist at the clinic and on breeding farms. The growing ophthalmology caseload affords an excellent learning opportunity. During the ambulatory rotation, the interns become comfortable with common ambulatory emergencies, routine wellness care, reproduction, dentistry, and lameness evaluation. The large and diverse caseload exposes the interns to a wide range of routine and emergency calls. The program allows interns to assume a primary role in client communication and patient care when appropriate. The sports medicine rotation provides additional opportunities for the interns to be involved in all aspects of lameness evaluations with the surgeons or ambulatory doctors.
Case rounds and weekly journal club/teaching rounds provide additional learning opportunities. The internship provides excellent preparation for individuals seeking admission to residency programs or a career in general equine practice. Former interns have gone on to pursue residency training in surgery, internal medicine, reproduction, ophthalmology, and dentistry.
While we expect our interns to work hard, they also have ample time to recharge and enjoy the beautiful Hudson Valley. Interns are called upon to perform some after-hours treatments and evaluation of hospitalized patients as needed. However, the hospital is staffed by technicians around the clock and our interns are treated as doctors.
Internship Duties in the Practice
The intern schedule consists of bi-weekly rotations through surgery, medicine, ambulatory services, sports medicine (summer & fall), and reproduction (spring). Time off is divided amongst the interns. While we expect our interns to work hard, we also want them to have time to recharge. Interns may be called upon to perform some after-hours treatments and observation of hospitalized patients as needed. However, the hospital is staffed by techs around the clock and our interns are not treated as technicians. Five vacation days and five sick/personal days are offered for the year.
Emergency Duty Requirements
The interns on hospital rotations are expected to be available to receive and assist the hospital specialists with all emergencies. Interns on ambulatory rotations will assume on-call responsibilities when confidence and skill levels have been established. Additional compensation is provided for ambulatory emergencies.
Amount of Supervision
The intern will have as much supervision and instruction/mentoring available to them as they desire and we deem necessary. We recognize that this is an important year for learning and development. With time, we will also expect the intern to function independently in monitoring and managing hospitalized patients, and in seeing ambulatory cases. The degree of independence and supervision will vary with the intern. We will never leave the intern without clear and available mentorship.
Externship Available
Due to COVID restrictions, completion of an externship is NOT currently a prerequisite to application and we will consider all applicants who have completed a remote interview OR externship. An externship is strongly encouraged if travel restrictions allow. Please fill out the form to schedule a virtual interviews; please reach out if you have questions.
Prerequisites of Application and Internship
All applicants must be senior veterinary students in good academic standing at an accredited college of veterinary medicine OR a graduate of an accredited college of veterinary medicine. A remote interview or externship is required prior to application for the internship. Students are expected to graduate on time and have obtained the DVM/VMD degree by the start of their internship. All candidates must be eligible for licensure in the State of New York, and must successfully pass the licensing examination prior to, or within 6 months of the start of employment. Interested applicants should submit a brief letter of intent, curriculum vitae, a current transcript from veterinary college, small passport-type photo, and a list of at least 3 persons, along with contact information, who will act as professional references. Letters of reference should be sent separately by the person providing the reference.
Early submission of applications is encouraged. All materials may be submitted via email.
Employee Benefits
Professional liability insurance, medical insurance, housing in one of the clinic apartments or off-site, ten vacation/sick days, continuing education expenses and membership in AVMA and AAEP. In addition to an annual salary, a subsidy is provided for student loans.
Employment Contract
A standard contract of employment will be offered for the 1-year internship.
Term of Employment
1 year (June-June)
Living Quarters
We have two large apartments for interns in the clinic building. Each apartment has two bedrooms and a full bath. There is a shared common living area, as well as laundry facilities. An additional apartment is available off-site.
Please see our AAEP Avenues Externship & Internship Listings for further details.