Internships/Residencies?

[Doggiepoo]

Hi, I'm new here so I'm sorry if this has been mentioned before. I was wondering what the difference was between an internship and a residency?

I have read online that an internship/residency is required upon graduating from vet school. Other sources have said that you do not need to do an internship/residency if you do not specialize, and that you can open your private practice after the 4 years of vet school. Does anyone know which one is true?

Finally, how long are internships/residencies?

Sorry for all the questions. Thank you for your help!

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[RazorDoc2010]

Internships are typically done right after obtaining your DVM. Some of these internships are rotating, meaning that the person does a rotation in all the specialties available (i.e., cardio, neuro, ECC, internal med, onco, ophtho, etc.). I think there are also some specific internships that focus on one area (maybe for the exotics/avian people??). Internships are NOT required of everyone. In fact, the vast majority of people go straight into private practice. They are required for most residencies though, and some students just prefer to get the extra year of mentoring (which translates into higher starting salaries).

Residencies are usually done following an internship. These are specific to a certain field (i.e., cardio) in which most people will try to get board certified in that field to become a "specialist."

Internships are typically 1 year long.
Residencies are typically 3-4 years long depending on the field.

However, it's becoming more common for people to do multiple internship years before obtaining a residency (especially in surgery, and increasingly so in onco and cardio and probably others). That said, it's an additional 4-7 years following vet school in order to be "board eligible."

Hope that helps.

 

[sumstorm]

a couple of additions or notes from what I have learned at NCSU:

1) AAHA did a study that found internships do NOT translate into higher starting salaries, and that salary should not be a reason to do an internship. (I don't have the citation, but heard it again today at lunch.)

2) Many residencies will accept clinical experience in lieu of residencies, however, they may require more of it, or an 'equivalent experience' which may be hard to find in some specialities (zoo med, lab animal med, etc)

3) Not all board cert specialties require residencies. Some can be done while practicing. I know behavior can, as can avian and dog/cat.

4) I think, theoretically, you could set up shop on your own straight out of school (asuming licensing), but that would be pretty uncommon. Most people are associates for at least a few years. It may be harder to get financing straight out of school vs. established for a few years.

 

[Doggiepoo]

Thank you for clearing that up RazorDoc and Sumstorm!

I assume the internships and residencies are paid (but very little)?

 

[Tobysgirl81]

Internships and residencies are paid, but yes...very little. Certainly less than what you would expect to get full time directly out of vet school. A very good friend of mine is a resident who only made around $5000 a year more than myself, and I work as a tech! Its usually enough to get by on, but certainly not enough to live glamorously on.

On the plus side, you're no longer paying to work

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

On the plus side, you're no longer paying to work

woot!!