The Department of Large Animal Medicine at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine invites applications of internship positions in the Large Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital. 

The program is suited to a wide range of recently graduated veterinarians interested in almost all aspects of large animal practice.  The philosophical goals of the program are to prepare recently provide recently graduated veterinarians with additional training for general practice or prepare them for advanced training; past interns have entered diverse fields including surgery, medicine, sports medicine, diagnostic imaging, and pathology, as well as general practice.  

Rotating interns participate in surgery, medicine, anesthesia, sports medicine, theriogenology, and emergency rotations.  Interns provide primary case care under the direct supervision of senior clinical faculty and residents.  

The faculty are comprised of five board certified surgeons, four board certified internists and two emergency and critical care specialists (also board certified in surgery).  They are supported by board certified specialists in other disciplines including anesthesia, ophthalmology, radiology, dentistry, sports medicine and rehabilitation, and theriogenology. 

Additionally, the Teaching Hospital has a farrier/podiatrist on site.  Each intern will participate in approximately 2-4 emergency/critical care rotations during the year in which they will be primarily on emergency duty covering the majority of evenings and weekends.  During other rotations, interns are on call for emergencies on a rotating basis no more than 1/3 nights/weekends. 

The Large Animal Teaching Hospital caseload including outpatients and inpatients is between 2750 and 3500 per year.  It is approximately 80% equine and 20% cattle, small ruminants, pigs, and new world camelids.  The Hospital is well equipped with endoscopic equipment (flexible and rigid endoscopes), shock wave, ultrasound, radiography, nuclear scintigraphy, CT, and MRI. 

Applications should include a letter of intent, resume or CV, copy(s) of your official academic transcripts, application form (https://vet.uga.edu/applications/lam-internship), and at least three letters of reference.

Completed applications must be submitted electronically directly to the Large Animal Medicine Department (lamvisit@uga.edu) by November 1, 2021.

Three interns will be accepted each year. Notification of successful candidates will occur by November 22, 2021. If after reviewing your CV, the committee members agree that you would be a suitable candidate, we will contact you regarding potential interview dates in October and early November, because we have a large number of candidates interested in our internship and we cannot accommodate every request for an interview.   

The starting date is 06/17/2022 and ending date is 06/30/2023.

Successful candidates must obtain a license to practice veterinary medicine in Georgia. A faculty license may be obtained without examination for $10. The faculty license allows the intern to practice only in the Teaching Hospital. To obtain a regular license in Georgia, the individual must take the Georgia State Board examination and be a graduate of an accredited institution or have completed the requirements of the ECFVG program of the AVMA.

Details regarding regular licensing can be found at http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/licensing.  Funds are available to pay AVMA dues.

Additionally, a U.S. Driver’s License is required prior to entering the program. Further information on obtaining a Georgia Driver’s License can be found here: https://www.dmv.org/ga-georgia/apply-license.php.

The internship is a non-degree graduate program leading to an official University certificate of internship. Tuition for this program is reduced to $25 per semester, but fees are the responsibility of the individual (approximately $3,250 in 2020). An optional Graduate Assistant Payment Plan is available that allows for installment payments to be set up and automatically drafted from a bank account or credit card (4 installments for the fall and spring semesters, 2 installments for the summer semester). An annual parking pass is currently $240 and can also be paid via the Graduate Assistant Payment Plan. Successful applicants must apply to the University of Georgia Graduate School online. Details can be found at http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/index.html and click “Prospective Students.” There is a one-time application fee ($75 domestic students/ and $100 international students in 2022-2023). Additional information for our international applicants can be found here:  Prospective Students - University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine (uga.edu)

Professional liability insurance is provided by the University. Health insurance is mandatory and is the responsibility of the individual. Proof of immunization for measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, chicken pox, hepatitis and rabies is required. A health policy is offered through UGA Health Services with United Health Care for students (http://www.uhs.uga.edu/insurance/index.html) for which they must enroll for unless they have received an approved waiver. If the applicant enrolls in the University Health Policy, they are advised that it does not begin until August 1 so that interns are responsible for securing their own health insurance that is effective through July 31, 2022.

Ten days of annual leave and 12 days of sick leave are available. As you will be a graduate student in this program, you may be able to postpone repayment on student loans; every applicant is advised to ascertain how their loan repayment will be affected by contacting their loan providers. However, your graduate student status is likely to adversely affect your ability to enroll in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and for as long as you remain a graduate student.  Please note that the University of Georgia Large Animal Rotating Hospital Internship Program does not participate in the Veterinary Intern Resident Matching Program. The internship cannot be used to satisfy the clinical evaluation portion of the ECFVG.

As required by University of Georgia policy, the successful candidate will be subject to background investigation. The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status.

The University of Georgia, the nation’s first chartered state-supported university, is a research-intensive land grant and sea grant university situated in the vibrant college town of Athens. Only an hour from Atlanta, Athens is a progressive university town with a rich history and is centered among beautiful surrounding landscapes. The area abounds in local music, art, literature, and theatre, and hosts many performances by national and international touring artists. The cost of living in Athens compares favorably with much of the rest of the country, ranking lower than the U.S. average (http://athensclarkecounty.com/82/Accolades). Additional information about the Athens area can be found at: http://www.visitathensga.com/.

Internship Coordinator: Heidi Tweedell; lamvisit@uga.edu, 706-542-8354