Small animal rotating internship
From January 6, 2025, to January 11, 2026
The internship
Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) is accepting applications for a one-year rotating internship (Jan. 6, 2025, to Jan. 11, 2026).
The internship program is designed to provide a broad-based clinical experience under the supervision of faculty members and residents in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. Intern applicants must have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree or equivalent. Successful applicants will be asked to withdraw their application from the 2025-26 VIRMP Match.
The intern is responsible for receiving and managing a wide variety of clinical cases. The interns will also be assigned night emergency shifts on a rotating basis (approximately seven to 10 weeks per year). About half of the intern’s time will be spent on the emergency service, which includes days, nights and weekends. A senior resident or faculty member is available for consultation and assistance if needed. In addition to their clinical responsibilities, interns are expected to assist with the instruction and supervision of final-year veterinary students in the clinic. The intern will also participate in daily case-based rounds. Mandatory rotations consist of weeks in internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, and emergency. Elective opportunities include primary care, ophthalmology, oncology, dentistry, medical imaging, wildlife and exotics, nutrition, and physical rehabilitation. Up to two weeks of elective rotations can be done on external rotations, which are self-organized and self-financed.
During the internship’s first two months, a didactic lecture series is delivered that’s designed to prepare interns for clinical practice. This series is supplemented by a monthly journal club throughout the remainder of the year. Interns are also encouraged to participate in pathology seminars, weekly seminar series and special lectures offered throughout the year. Each intern must present one seminar to WCVM faculty, staff and students, and they are encouraged to prepare a paper suitable for publication.
Interns must enrol in the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ Graduate Certificate Program in Small Animal Rotating Veterinary Internship. The following is a partial summary of income and expenses related to the Internship Certificate Graduate Program (as of July 1, 2024). Internship fellowship amount: $28,000(CAD) per year. Tuition/student fees and Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association (SVMA) licensing fees are covered by a WCVM bursary. A $120 application fee will be reimbursed to the applicant upon arrival. Annual vacation: three weeks.
About the WCVM and the VMC
The WCVM, which serves as Western Canada’s regional college of veterinary medicine, annually admits 88 students to its DVM program and has a population of about 200 graduate students, interns and residents. It is part of a comprehensive academic health sciences group on the university campus. Visit the WCVM website for more details.
The Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC) is a busy AVMA- and AAHA-accredited veterinary teaching hospital and referral centre that serves Western Canada. The centre offers specialists in anesthesia, dentistry, emergency and critical care, exotics, dermatology, internal medicine, medical imaging, medical oncology, nutrition, ophthalmology, radiation oncology, sports medicine and rehabilitation, and surgery. The VMC is equipped with large surgical suites, a CT scanner, MRI, ultrasonography, nuclear scintigraphy and a PET-CT unit. For more information, visit the VMC website.
Application process
Applications will be accepted until August 1, 2024. Foreign applicants graduating from a non-AVMA accredited college are encouraged to have completed NAVLE, ECFVG, CPE or other educational equivalency assessment certification program before applying.
Interested individuals should send a letter of intent, a current CV, unofficial copies of ALL post-secondary transcripts, and English language scores (if required) to the email address below. As well, applicants must arrange for three letters of reference to be submitted to:
Charla Penner, Department Office Assistant
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM)
University of Saskatchewan (USask)
306-966-7086 | charla.penner@usask.ca