Employment Information
Practice name
Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Wellington
Last Updated
October 16, 2024
Internship Type
In-Hospital
Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Wellington offers a 53 week in-hospital internship with a focus on surgery, medicine,
lameness, theriogenology, emergency medicine and anesthesia services. Primary responsibilities will include care of
hospital patients, emergency duty, assisting with surgery, anesthesia, medicine procedures, imaging, and lameness exams. The responsibilities of the interns vary between the services and the amount of seasonal work. During the busy
season, the work day is routinely 12-13 hours long plus emergencies, but off-season work days can be much shorter.
Each day those interns with in-hospital patients, assess and are responsible for basic care, perform minor treatments and
bandage changes before morning rounds. After rounds, more extensive examinations and procedures are done with the
clinician e.g., lameness, endoscopic, ultrasound and radiographic exams, etc. The interns’ time will be split between cases
and appointments at the hospital and farm calls. Emergency duty is a significant part of the internship experience.
Our internship allows for a great deal of mentorship and hands on experience. Outgoing interns and incoming interns are
staggered to provide overlap and experience as the incoming class gets settled and trained. There are four internship
positions available to qualified applicants, with the goal of providing a strong foundation for application to a residency
program or entering private practice.
The hospital staff at Rood & Riddle Wellington includes two board-certified surgeons, one board-certified theriogenologist,
one board-certified internist and one medicine resident. Dr.’s Steve Reed (internal medicine) and Brad Tanner
(dentistry) from our Lexington practice, as well as Dr. Raul Bras (podiatrist) from NC State, come to Wellington on a
regular basis during the winter months to also see patients. Interns will provide assistant surgeon, anesthesia, and
technical support for after-hours emergencies. All treatments, including after-hours and holidays, are performed by
technicians.
The imaging modalities in our hospital include: computed tomography (CT), equine positron emission tomography
(PET) scan, nuclear scintigraphy, an overhead X-ray machine, digital radiographs, ultrasound as well as standing and
over the ground endoscopy. Other specialty therapies include regenerative medicine and shockwave.
Benefits:
• Health and Vision Insurance offered through a preferred provider with company premium share available on start date
• Long Term Disability and Term Life Insurance provided at RREH expense (after 90 days)
• Dental, Life, Short Term Disability, Cancer and Accident Insurance available at employee expense – available on start
date
• Professional dues/licensing fees
• CE stipend for a national meeting, including travel, meals, and registration fees
• 1 week vacation, taken during the slower months in cooperation with your intern mates
• Salary $52,000
• We do provide intern housing for $850/ month
• Partial cell phone reimbursement
• Three pairs of embroidered scrubs and five embroidered polo shirts
About the area: Equestrian enthusiasts descend upon Wellington each winter season to enjoy their love of the sport.
Wellington in the winter attracts elite show jumpers, dressage riders and host the largest field of high-goal polo teams. We
are also fortunate to be conveniently located close to major Thoroughbred and Standardbred training centers and
racetracks. Our case load is split 50/50 between sport horses and racehorses.
To apply for a Wellington internship, please send curriculum vitae, letter of intent, and veterinary school transcript to Nikki
Stokes at nstokes@roodandriddle.com. Three professional letters of recommendation should also be sent directly to
nstokes@roodandriddle.com.
4
- Equine general practice
- Racetrack practice
- Sports medicine practice
- Equine/LA surgical residency
- Equine/LA medicine residency
- Theriogenology residency
- Imaging residency
- Anesthesia residency
Start date
June 16, 2025
End date
June 23, 2025
Application Deadline
January 1, 2025
Does the practice offer externships?
Yes, please email the practice contact for details
Is an in person visit or externship with the practice required to be considered for an internship?
No, but recommended
Contact Information
Wellington
[USA] Florida
Palm Beach
33449
13390 52nd Place South
Practice Mailing Address
13390 52nd Place South - Wellington - Palm Beach - [USA] Florida - 33449
Clinical Experience and Responsibilities
Yes
Service rotation description
Surgery
Medicine
Anesthesia
Theriogenology
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
90-99%
Patient rounds held daily with senior clinicians
Yes
Teaching rounds held
Yes
Frequency of teaching rounds
Weekly
Weekly journal clubs held
Yes
M&M or other specialized rounds held
Yes
Intern has opportunity to attend a professional CE meeting
Yes
Intern has opportunity to complete a study or publication
Yes
Intern has access to current medical textbooks
Yes
Intern has access to online journals
Yes
In the past 5 years, how many studies/cases have been published by interns as the primary author from work pursued primarily during their intern year?
Equipment the intern has exposure to within the practice
- Arthroscopy
- Laparoscopy
- Fracture repair sets
- Intra-operative fluoroscopy
- Gastroscopy
- Endoscopy
- Dynamic airway endoscopy
- Stat CBC analyzer
- Stat whole blood chemistry analyzer
- Blood gas analysis
- On site diagnostic lab
- CT
- Digital radiography
- Ultrasound linear probe
- Ultrasound macroconvex probe
- Ultrasound microconvex probe
- Ultrasound endorectal probe
- Nuclear scintigraphy
- ECG
- Exercise ECG
- ETCO2 monitoring
- Shockwave
- Stall side orthobiologics
- Stem cell capability/utilization
- Embryo Transfer
- Advanced podiatry/therapeutic farriery
- Power dentistry
Any additional information the practice would like to share on their internship program:
None
Caseload
Total number annual cases
3200
Total number ambulatory cases
2150
Total number in-house cases
1050
Avg number of after hour emergencies per week in the busiest time of year
5-10
Avg number of after hour emergencies per week in the least busy time of year
Less than 5
Significant seasonality to the caseload
Yes
Seasonality description
Our season is November-May as Wellington is home to the Winter Equestrian Festival. During this time top level international riders and clients call Wellington home competing in Show Jumping and Dressage. Wellington also has high and low goal polo going on during these months. The Championship meet at Gulfstream Park starts December 1 and runs through the Florida Derby the beginning of April.
Species other than equids
No
Number of specialty certified clinicians
Number of clinicians in direct support of program
6
Diplomats of the following specialties (including their European Equivalents)
ACT – American College of Theriogenologists - 1
ACVIM – American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine - 2
ACVS – American College of Veterinary Surgery - 2
Other personnel of note (outside specialists, farriers, dentists, etc)
Dr. Raul Bras, our podiatrist, comes once a month, and as needed to work on specialty cases at the hospital.
Additional certifications/area of expertise represented in the practice
Certified journeyman farrier (CJF)
Technician present on ambulatory calls
N/A
Overnight technical staff (if hospital present)
Yes
Other details about technician support of intern doctors
Our hospital is staffed overnight by technicians. Interns will be called as necessary for the cases they are responsible for.
Compensation
Annual Salary
$51-55k
Additional opportunity for emergency compensation
No
Opportunities for additional income (production bonuses, working horse shows, etc).
No
Benefits
Benefits offered
Yes
Value of total annual compensation
5800.00
Housing offered
Yes
Housing Type
Other
Housing Amount
$
Paid time off (PTO) offered
Yes
# of PTO days
7
PTO stipulations
Agreed upon between the intern and Rood & Riddle and not during our busy season.
Health insurance offered
Yes for employee plus dependents
Amount of health insurance premium intern is responsible for
Dependent on the plan chosen and if for individual only or to include spouse and dependents.
Dental insurance offered
Yes
Life insurance offered
Yes
Short-term disability insurance offered
Yes
Long-term disability insurance offered
Yes
Liability insurance offered
Yes
CE stipend offered
Yes
License/DEA fees reimbursed / stipend offered
Yes
State license required
Yes
USDA license required
No
DEA license required
No
Association fees reimbursed / stipend offered
Yes
Student loan payments reimbursed / stipend offered
No
401K program offered
No
Clothing / logo wear stipend offered
No
Phone or phone stipend offered
Yes
Maternity / paternity leave offered
Yes
Discounted pet care and / or a pet medications policy offered
Yes
Practice vehicle or mileage reimbursement offered
Yes
Other benefits offered
We provide the intern with logo wear and scrubs.
Contract
Non-compete clause required
Yes
Non-compete details
3. Post-Internship Competition. Intern agrees that they will not be employed by a third party or become self-employed as an equine veterinarian within the Florida counties of Palm Beach, Martin, Broward, Miami Dade or Okeechobee at any time within one year after the termination, expiration, completion, or otherwise conclusion of his/her internship hereunder for any reason. Intern agrees that the Corporation will be entitled to injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction, enjoining and restraining Intern and any others engaged with him/her from competing with Corporation in violation of this Section 3. It is the intention of the parties that this covenant of non-competition shall survive the expiration, termination of conclusion of this agreement and the Intern’s internship.
Non-US residents may apply
Yes
Method internship offers are made
Earliest date of internship offer made in the last 3 years
September
Latest date of internship offer made in the last 3 years
December
Average time provided to internship candidates to consider an offer
2 weeks
Outcomes Assessment
How long has the practice offered internships?
8 years
Avg number of interns who completed the program per year for the past 5 years
3
Number of interns that haven’t completed the program over the past 5 years, with explanation
1 intern, she started and had some health issues that she could not continue.
Number of interns from this program who applied for a residency in the past 5 years
4
Number of interns from this program who entered a residency position directly out of the internship in the past 5 years
2
Number of interns from this program who accepted a second or specialty internship in the past 5 years
3
Number of interns from this program who accepted a residency position in the past 5 years
4
Number of interns retained by the practice as associates in the past 5 years
Of the interns that started the program in the past 5 years, how many are still in equine practice (and/or in an advanced training program targeted at specialty equine practice)?
70-99%
Number of former interns currently employed by the practice
Are current or former interns from the practice available for reference?
Yes, email the practice contact for details.