Internship Program

Internship Program

The Animal Medical Center offers a one-year internship to qualified applicants seeking to develop and refine their clinical skills and diagnostic abilities in the world’s largest and busiest, full-service veterinary facility, located in New York City. Under the guidance of a highly regarded and respected team of veterinarians, all aspects of companion animal medicine and surgery are emphasized. AMC interns have ample opportunity to widen their clinical knowledge in a round-the-clock, 365-days-per-year environment that provides intensive exposure to emergency and critical care medicine. The more than 50,000 animal patients treated in a typical year at The AMC provide a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the treatment of dogs, cats, and exotic species including birds, ferrets, reptiles, rabbits, and small rodents. In addition, over 35 veterinary specialists in medicine, surgery, and pathology in addition to residents and consultants, offer further academic preparation. The program concentrates several years of practice into one year, at the end of which participants are prepared to join a quality private practice, enter a residency program, or engage in clinical research. The experience provides a firm foundation for a life dedicated to veterinary medicine.
 
Application to The AMC's internship program is conducted through the matching program sponsored by the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians. Interviews are required and conducted at The AMC during the last two and a half weeks in December and the first week in January, with notification of acceptance in early March. The internship runs from mid-June to early July. The AMC provides temporary housing for the incoming class of interns as they await more permanent residences being vacated by the graduates. There is a three-week overlap of the incoming and outgoing classes: One week is devoted to an overview of the hospital's general procedures, and the new interns spend two weeks with the graduating class to become familiar with the daily routine.
 

Structure: The Team Approach

Hospitalized patients are each managed by a specialty medical and/or surgical team or service. The internship is divided into rotations through eight of these services, which consist of full staff, associate staff, residents and interns. The services provide the highest-quality care for companion animals as well as consultation for clients and referral veterinarians:
  • MS 1: Cardiology / Internal Medicine
  • MS 2: Gastroenterology / Respiratory Medicine / Internal Medicine
  • MS 3: Neurology / Hematology Immunogy / Internal Medicine
  • MS 4: Nephrology / Endocrinology / Theriogenology / Internal Medicine
  • MS 5: Internal Medicine
  • SS 1 and SS 2: Orthopedic and Neurosurgery
  • SS 3, 4, and 5: Soft-Tissue Surgery
  • Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine
  • Dermatology: Skin Diseases
  • Oncology: Oncology / Radiation Therapy / Transfusion Medicine
  • Ophthalmology: Ocular Disorders
  • Pathology: Anatomic and Clinical Pathology
  • Radiology: Radiology / Ultrasonography / Fluoroscopy
  • Computed Tomography
  • Dentistry
 
Each of The AMC's medical and surgical services is charged with admitting patients and formulating a strategy for diagnosis and treatment. In addition to Radiology, Electrocardiology, Ultrasonography, and Clinical Pathology, some of the many sophisticated technologies and therapies employed during case management include Echocardiography, Computed Tomography, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation and Chemotherapy, Hemodialysis, Digital Video-Endoscopy, Arthroscopy, Fluoroscopy, Thoracoscopy, Brainstem Evoked Potentials and Phacoemulsification. Rounds are conducted twice daily to ensure that each intern spends maximum time in patient-oriented teaching, with an emphasis on learning diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. During hospital rounds, individual cases undergo comprehensive review. Participants in the internship program are given a rotation questionnaire allowing their input in the choice specialties that best serve their professional goals.
 
From the beginning of August through the end of May, the Department of Continuing Education conducts or sponsors more than 300 hours of lectures given by AMC staff as well as distinguished outside lecturers. These include gross and clinical pathology conferences, staff lectures, two-hour evening seminars and a monthly grand rounds morning meeting at which an AMC resident makes a presentation to the staff. Additional scholarly presentations are frequently sponsored by the leading veterinary pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of related veterinary healthcare and dietary products. The AMC Library is a comprehensive collection of approximately 70 human medical and veterinary medical journals and other serials, over 800 textbooks and proceedings of all major veterinary meetings. Information services including interlibrary loan and searches are provided by The AMC's full-time librarian. For more information about The Animal Medical Center Internship Program, or to download an application for internship at The AMC, please go to the Veterinary Internships and Residency Matching Program website at: http://www.virmp.org/.