GROW YOUR CAREER WITH VSA

VSA ROTATING INTERNSHIP

The VSA Rotating Internship was established in 2002 in association with Zoetis (previously Pfizer). Our Internship programme was created with the goal of providing a pathway for veterinarians to progress to specialisation.

Since 2002 over 20 individuals have completed the VSA Rotating Internship, with more than half earning specialist status in their chosen fields. After completing residency programmes in North America, the UK and Australia, our interns have gone on to specialise in Cardiology, Dermatology, Internal Medicine, Radiology and Surgery.

Learn from Leading Specialists in the Veterinary Industry

World-Class Internship Structure

The VSA Rotating Internship is well structured, with the support of 6 specialist surgeons, a radiologist, cardiologist and 3 internal medicine specialists.

VSA has a supportive group of registrars and residents in surgery, internal medicine and radiology that are also integral in the growth and development of our interns.

With over 130 clinical and support staff across our 3 hospitals in Auckland and Christchurch, there is always someone to help guide and support our interns through any task.

Being a valued member of the VSA whanau means that everyone within the team wants to see our interns succeed on their chosen career path.

What Does the VSA Rotating Internship Look Like?

Over 12 months our interns rotate through all of the departments in our hospitals

Surgery

Learning from our team of specialist surgeons, registrars and residents, our interns see the most up to date and innovative procedures and techniques.

Our comprehensive range of specialist veterinary surgical services include but are not limited to:

Arthroscopy
Brain surgery
Neurological surgery
Orthopaedic surgery
Skin reconstruction
Soft tissue surgery
Spinal stabilization
Total hip replacement
Urogenital surgery

Diagnostic Imaging

Our interns work alongside our specialist radiologist, resident and imaging nursing team.

Working with the radiology department at VSA provides constant learning opportunities, which aids in the growth of our interns.

At VSA we have the following in-house diagnostic tools:

Digital Radiography
Computed Tomography (CT)
C-arm fluoroscopy
Multiple dual-purpose trolley-based ultrasound systems

We also have access to off-site high-field MRI, PET-CT, and radiation therapy.

Internal Medicine

Our VSA Internal Medicine service is made up of a team of specialists and residents.

Our interns will see how these clinicians provide a personalised and detailed diagnostic and treatment plan for a wide range of medical conditions in our patients. During rotations interns will be involved in providing medicine services in the following areas:

Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Nephrology
Neurology
Oncology
VSA Cancer Care

Cardiology

The newest rotation in our intern programme is VSA Cardiology, launched in 2022.

Following Dr Keaton Morgan, interns experience all parts of a cardiology case from the initial consult, the work-up, right through to treatment.

We also specialise in minimally invasive interventional procedures which our interns get to be involved in during their cardiology rotations.

Procedures performed:

Patent ductus arterioles (PDA) occlusion
Pulmonic stenosis balloon valvuloplasty and stent therapy
Artificial pacemaker placement
Subaortic stenosis cutting balloon valvuloplasty
Intravascular stenting

Animal Emergency

Working alongside our incredible VSA Animal Emergency team gives the interns an insight on how to deal with cases when they are yet to be stabilised.

During the Animal Emergency rotation our interns have a great opportunity to develop their client communication and practical skills in a well supported environment.

Being part of VSA means that the Animal Emergency team has full access to the specialist facilities of our hospitals.

Clear expectations for everyone

Our interns are expected to fully participate in case management and perioperative care of cases in the hospital. They are also required to attend regular journal clubs, case rounds and other CPD events.

A requirement of the VSA Rotating Internship is also to prepare a case report or review article suitable for publication and to present at a seminar or conference. VSA holds an annual CPD event in Auckland which our interns are required to present at.

The VSA Rotating Internship aims to enable our interns to be competitive in applications for further postgraduate training programmes (internships or residencies) in university teaching hospitals anywhere in the world.