Equine Rotating Internship

New England Equine Medical & Surgical Center is a private referral hospital founded in 2005 and located in Dover, New Hampshire. It provides 24 hour emergency and referral services exclusively for equine patients, clients, and referring veterinarians throughout New England as well as routine in- hospital evaluations for the local clientele. It is surrounded by quaint New England towns and is located only minutes from the seacoast, an hour from Boston, and centrally located to the mountains and lakes regions of New Hampshire and Maine. We also provide comprehensive ambulatory services to farms in the region including routine preventative and emergency care as well as lameness and medical evaluations.

NEEMSC is housed in a 34,000 square-foot facility that includes two full surgical suites, a medical exam room (ophthalmology, cardiology, ultrasonography, and endoscopy), a neonatal intensive care unit, digital radiography suite, full service laboratory, a large general exam and main treatment room, medicine barn with stall space for 8 inpatients and ICU care, surgery and lameness barns with stall space for 18 horses, a lameness evaluation area on hard footing as well as a covered lameness evaluation area on soft footing, and a 4-stall isolation unit. A separate imaging center houses nuclear scintigraphy, CT, and MRI for cases requiring advanced imaging techniques for comprehensive lameness and neurologic evaluations. We offer the services of an acupuncturist, farriers, clinical pathologists, a cardiologist, and radiologists on a consultant basis. In addition, our Field Services division has two fully equipped trucks with portable digital radiography, ultrasound, shockwave, gastroscopy, and upper airway endoscopy.

The internship program provides comprehensive training in equine medicine, surgery, emergency/ critical care, ophthalmology, cardiology, advanced imaging, sports medicine, and adjunctive therapies including equine physical therapy. Individuals receive training and mentoring from experienced clinicians, each with expertise in different areas of equine medicine, surgery, lameness, and ophthalmology. Due to our teamwork approach interns also interact extensively with our experienced and dedicated staff of technicians, barn attendants, and consultants. The internship is an intensive “hands-on” oriented program with primary clinicians providing support and guidance as needed to the intern to allow the development and sharpening of clinical knowledge and skills. We have always prided ourselves on the degree of independence we have instilled in our interns throughout the year. As knowledge and experience increases so does independence. We have 3 intern positions available yearly. The interns rotate on medicine and surgery services assisting with outpatient appointments, emergencies, elective surgeries, and care and treatment of the hospitalized patients. Interns also see field cases with our field service. There is a rotating schedule for on-call emergency responsibilities with a senior clinician and surgeon as backup.

The caseload is substantial. A typical day may include 5-8 lameness appointments, 3-4 medical evaluations, and 2-5 elective and/or emergency surgeries (including arthroscopy, other orthopedic cases, respiratory procedures, colic, and other soft tissue problems) as well as CT or MRI evaluations under general anesthesia. Two to Three days a week, the ophthalmologist sees 5-6 outpatients and/or performs 1-2 surgical procedures in addition to being available for emergencies. The cardiologist sees cases on an as needed basis. Colic is our most common emergency and approximately 300 cases may present in a year of which about 85-90 are surgical. Our horse population is diverse and includes sport horses (eventing, hunter/jumper, dressage), racing (STB, TB), competitive trail riding, driving, western pleasure, drafts, many interesting breeds, and backyard pasture pets. This provides diverse experience for clinicians allowing us to see more than the “typical” problems of a single population of horses.

Currently the interns begin their year-long position at the end of June to beginning of July and are provided with a comprehensive compensation package which includes a salary, health insurance availability, continuing education allowance, one week paid vacation, paid exam and licensure fees, association membership (including AAEP), and additional stipends for emergency and after-hours admits and discharges paid on a quarterly basis (averages $500-1000 per quarter). To ensure excellence and continuity of care, interns are required to live in the apartment above the hospital during nights on call and are strongly encouraged to live there full time.

The apartment has a large fully-equipped kitchen, furnished living room and dining area, a washer and dryer, cable TV, 2 bathrooms, and 3 bedrooms. Rent is deducted monthly and includes all utilities, TV, and internet access. The apartment is shared with 2 to 3 student externs at a time throughout the year, which enhances the experience for both the interns and the externs.

At the end of the yearlong training, interns should expect to have gained proficiency in diagnostic, technical, and surgical skills and developed a deeper understanding of equine medicine. The experience will prepare them for private practice or for further residency training. Past interns have successfully completed residencies and become highly respected specialists in their fields. Many have remained in the New England area and become successful referring veterinarians.

Veterinary students interested in the internship positions are strongly encouraged to spend at least 1-2 weeks doing an externship at NEEMSC before applications are due. Please contact Alexis Stasinos, the extern coordinator, at extern@newenglandequine.com to schedule an externship. It is important that intern candidates work well with each other and with the doctors and staff of the hospital. Most every successful intern candidate has spent at least 2 weeks as an extern.

The internship application consists of:
• a curriculum vitae
• a letter of intent
• a copy of school transcripts
• 3 letters of recommendation
• a personal photo

Internship applications should be submitted to the internship coordinator electronically at
kraynor@newenglandequine.com or via the mail to:

NEEMSC
15 Members Way
Dover, New Hampshire 03820

For more information, please visit our website, www.newenglandequine.com or e-mail Katy Raynor at kraynor@newenglandequine.com.