Employment Information
Practice name
Fairfield Equine Associates
Last Updated
September 17, 2024
Internship Type
Combined
Philosophy of Internship: This is a hands-on internship in a fast-paced, ambulatory/referral practice setting aimed at providing highly motivated veterinarians with strong mentorship in a variety of diagnostic and treatment modalities. Interns gain well-rounded experience in both equine primary care and referral practice, with a heavy slant towards sport horse performance medicine. Emphasis of the internship will be in lameness examination and diagnostic imaging, with additional caseload supporting experience in surgery/anesthesia, internal medicine, emergency medicine, dentistry, and ophthalmology. Upon completion of our program, our interns have exceptional veterinary skills suitable for advanced clinical practice. Previous interns have also pursued residencies in diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, ophthalmology, and emergency/critical care.
Internship Duties: Interns rotate among all the doctors to see cases on the road and to help manage hospitalized patients. Interns (4) rotate weekly through: Hospital Day, Hospital Night, and two Ambulatory rotations. In the hospital, interns are responsible for daily patient assessments and assist with treatments and procedures, both elective and emergency. Interns also receive a week of anesthesia training at the University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center with their team of boarded anesthesiologists and staff. After an initial training period, each intern will be expected to scrub into surgical cases and run anesthesia. On the road, the intern initially shares ambulatory emergency case responsibility with a practice veterinarian. As the intern gains experience and comfort with seeing cases, their responsibilities increase, and they will see emergency cases independently. A senior veterinarian will always be available as back-up for consultation and assistance if needed. Additionally, each intern spends some time at our satellite location in Wellington, FL during the Winter Equestrian Festival. Hospital and journal club rounds are conducted regularly.
Facilities and Equipment: Our hospital facility was opened in November 2000, and includes a 16-stall hospital, fully equipped surgical suite (including laparoscopic and arthroscopic equipment and orthopedic equipment for fracture repair and arthrodesis, and laser capabilities for upper airway and other applicable surgical procedures), two induction/recovery stalls, treatment and examination areas, and a riding ring for lameness examinations. Our diagnostic equipment includes nuclear scintigraphy, Hallmarq low-field MRI, Sound digital radiography and ultrasound, and 1.2-m & 3-m video endoscopy/gastroscopy. Therapies commonly used include Prostride, A2M, stem cells, shockwave, Class 4 RLT Laser, functional electrostimulation (FES), and Magnawave. Complete in-house ldexx diagnostic laboratory is available as is iStat, SAA, and both insulin and lactate stall-side readers.
Staff Veterinarians: Richard D. Mitchell, DVM, MRCVS, DACVSMR; Robert T. Neff, VMD; Ryland B. Edwards Ill, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR; Kimberly J. Harmon, VMD; Danielle M. Stacy, DVM; Lamise M. Al-Basha, DVM; Summer Lawrence, DVM; Zena M. Hemmen, DVM; Rachel Powers, DVM; Rebecca Skirmont, DVM; Alycia R. Crandall, DVM, MBA, DACVS-LA, Ron Gaeta, DVM
Staff: Our full-time professional staff consists of 16 veterinarians, a COO, practice manager, two office personnel, a pharmacy manager, 9 ambulatory veterinary technicians, 3 therapy technicians, and 5 hospital technicians.
We routinely collaborate with specialists to provide care for horses requiring more in-depth diagnostics/procedures:
Dentistry: Robert Baratt, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, Dipl. AVDC-Equine
Internal Medicine: Amy Polkes, DVM, DACVIM
Ophthalmology: Corey Schmidt, DVM, MPH, MS, DACVO; Elizabeth Crabtree, DVM, DACVO
Types of cases: Approximately 3,000 lameness exams are performed each year. In the previous year, we performed 140 surgeries. The remainder of the caseload is comprised of medicine and wellness cases. Approximately 150 bone scans and 230 MRls are performed yearly.
Estimated Breakdown of daily or weekly load: The caseload at Fairfield Equine Associates varies from routine wellness care to advanced lameness cases in addition to a varied emergency caseload (ambulatory and hospital referral).
4
- Equine general practice
- Sports medicine practice
- Equine/LA surgical residency
- Equine/LA medicine residency
- Ophthalmology residency
- Imaging residency
- Anesthesia residency
Start date
June 2, 2025
End date
June 4, 2026
Application Deadline
September 16, 2024
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
Newtown
[USA] Connecticut
Fairfield
06470
32 Barnabas Road
Practice Mailing Address
32 Barnabas Road - Newtown - Fairfield - [USA] Connecticut - 06470
Clinical Experience and Responsibilities
Yes
Service rotation description
Interns start the internship with a week of anesthesia training at the University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center with their team of boarded anesthesiologists and staff.
The interns spend a week being oriented on the protocols of the practice included but not limited to orientation of the practice software (HVMS), intern schedule, hospital protocols for admission, care and discharge of patients, anesthesia and surgery, pharmacy protocols, laboratory (in house and referral laboratories), and managing phone calls and usage of digital radiography, ultrasound, endoscopy/gastroscopy, as well as managing imaging (scintigraphy and low-field MRI) patients. Relative to the ambulatory portion of the practice, they learn how different doctor/technician teams manage their trucks, how the equipment is cared for, re-stocking trucks and managing laboratory requests, and communication with clients and referring veterinarians.
Interns rotate among all the doctors to see cases on the road and to help manage hospitalized patients. The interns (4) rotate weekly through: Hospital Day, Hospital Night, and two Ambulatory rotations.
In the hospital, interns are responsible for daily patient assessments and assist with treatments and procedures, both elective and emergency. Each intern will be expected/encouraged to scrub into surgical cases and run anesthesia. There is technical staff that assists with further training, assisting, and mentoring anesthetic responsibilities.
The hospital night intern is not responsible for night treatments; there are overnight technicians that provide general care and perform treatments. The night intern assists with receiving and caring for emergencies and performing veterinary duties (passing nasogastric tubes, analyzing blood results, etc) on cases that require veterinary care overnight. If the night intern is not required to be up overnight, they are encouraged to see ambulatory cases the following day to further their clinical experiences.
The two ambulatory intern veterinarians rotate among the 10 ambulatory doctors and the two ACVS surgeons when they are on the road seeing cases. This work is a mixture of ambulatory emergencies, wellness care, and sports medicine/lameness work.
For the first 10-12 weeks of the internship, intern veterinarians attend after-hour emergency cases with an associate. During this time, they will mentored in both clinical and communication skills to help prepare them to see cases alone. As the intern gains experience and comfort with seeing cases, their responsibilities increase and they will see emergency cases independently. A senior veterinarian will always be available as back-up for consultation and assistance if needed.
Additionally, each intern spends time at our satellite location in Wellington, FL during the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Hospital and journal club rounds are conducted regularly.
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
75-90%
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?
2
Equipment the intern has exposure to within the practice
- Arthroscopy
- Laparoscopy
- Fracture repair sets
- Gastroscopy
- Endoscopy
- Stat CBC analyzer
- Stat whole blood chemistry analyzer
- Blood gas analysis
- On site diagnostic lab
- MRI
- 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
- Advanced podiatry/therapeutic farriery
- Power dentistry
Any additional information the practice would like to share on their internship program:
Fairfield Equine Associates hosts CE meetings regularly for clientele and veterinarians. The scope of these meetings varies from hosting local equestrian organizations to industry sponsored CE for veterinarians to ISELP meetings. Intern veterinarians are encouraged and welcomed to attend.
Caseload
Total number annual cases
14422
Total number ambulatory cases
13817
Total number in-house cases
625
Avg number of after hour emergencies per week in the busiest time of year
10-25
Avg number of after hour emergencies per week in the least busy time of year
5-10
Significant seasonality to the caseload
Yes
Seasonality description
A large population of the horses we serve travel to shows and participate in the winter venues of Ocala and Wellington. We are a little slower in our sport horse work in CT and NY from January to March, but the remainder of the year we have a steady appointment schedule. Interns do spend some time in Wellington, FL during the Winter Equestrian Festival, which is a busy time of year for our FL practice.
Types of cases: Approximately 3,000 lameness exams are performed each year. In the previous year, we performed 140 surgeries. The remainder of the caseload is comprised of medicine and wellness cases. Approximately 150 bone scans and 230 MRls are performed yearly.
Species other than equids
No
Number of specialty certified clinicians
Number of clinicians in direct support of program
12
Diplomats of the following specialties (including their European Equivalents)
ACVA – American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists - 1
ACVIM – American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine - 1
ACVO – American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists - 2
ACVS – American College of Veterinary Surgery - 2
ACVSMR- American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation - 2
AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College - 1
Other personnel of note (outside specialists, farriers, dentists, etc)
We routinely collaborate with specialists to provide care for horses requiring more in-depth diagnostics/procedures:Dentistry: Robert Baratt, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, Dipl. AVDC-EquineInternal Medicine: Amy Polkes, DVM, DACVIMOphthalmology: Corey Schmidt, DVM, MPH, MS, DACVO; Elizabeth Crabtree, DVM, DACVO
Additional certifications/area of expertise represented in the practice
Acupuncture certification, Chiropractic certification, MBA
Technician present on ambulatory calls
Yes
Overnight technical staff (if hospital present)
Yes
Other details about technician support of intern doctors
Each veterinarian is supported by a technician daily and technicians cover overnight and evening treatments in the hospital. They also support after-hours surgeries and emergency cases received in the hospital. Technicians do not routinely assist on after-hour ambulatory calls but could be available if necessary.
Compensation
Annual Salary
$36-40k
Total benefits package
Download the Benefits Worksheet
Additional opportunity for emergency compensation
Yes
The intern veterinarians receive $100 of the emergency fee for each after-hours ambulatory emergency. This results in ~$3,500-$4,000 of additional income over the duration of the internship.
Opportunities for additional income (production bonuses, working horse shows, etc).
Yes
Production bonuses are not available for the intern veterinarians but they are compensated for horse show duty that they work.
Benefits
Benefits offered
Yes
Click here to download the Benefits Worksheet
Value of total annual compensation
~$79,000
Housing offered
Yes
Housing Type
On-site
Paid time off (PTO) offered
Yes
# of PTO days
7
PTO stipulations
Approval required in advance for planned PTO; flexibility for unplanned/last minute PTO
Health insurance offered
Yes for employee
Amount of health insurance premium intern is responsible for
Basic healthcare (medical, vision, dental) is included ($0 paid by intern). Additional/supplemental insurance is available and this premium is paid for by intern.
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
No
State license required
Yes
USDA license required
No
DEA license required
Yes
Association fees reimbursed / stipend offered
No
Student loan payments reimbursed / stipend offered
No
401K program offered
Yes
Employer matching offered
Yes
3%
Clothing / logo wear stipend offered
Yes
Phone or phone stipend offered
Yes
Maternity / paternity leave offered
No
Discounted pet care and / or a pet medications policy offered
Yes
Practice vehicle or mileage reimbursement offered
Yes
Other benefits offered
FEI credentialing fees paid for by practice
Contract
Non-compete clause required
No
Non-US residents may apply
Yes
Method internship offers are made
Phone call
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
Whatever time the candidate needs but at least 7 days
Outcomes Assessment
How long has the practice offered internships?
20 years
Avg number of interns who completed the program per year for the past 5 years
4
Number of interns from this program who applied for a residency in the past 5 years
8
Number of interns from this program who entered a residency position directly out of the internship in the past 5 years
3
Number of interns from this program who accepted a second or specialty internship in the past 5 years
5
Number of interns from this program who accepted a residency position in the past 5 years
8
Number of interns retained by the practice as associates in the past 5 years
4
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)?
100%
Number of former interns currently employed by the practice
5
Are current or former interns from the practice available for reference?
Yes, email the practice contact for details.
Additional information about the internship program
Founded in 1989 and developing rapidly, Fairfield Equine Associates has gained a world-wide reputation as one of the finest equine medical practices in the world. Receiving national and international recognition for excellence in the care and treatment of the sport horse, we have been proud to serve the United States Equestrian Team at multiple Olympic Games and other international events for the past four decades. In November of 2000, Fairfield Equine opened a state-of-the-art equine hospital in Newtown, Connecticut. With highly skilled staff and the latest technological advancements, our patients receive innovative care of the highest caliber. We recognize that our ability to provide premium care to our patients consists of a few key ingredients: our staff, our clients, and our referring veterinarians. We are dedicated to exceeding our clients' expectations while providing compassionate, comprehensive health care for their horses.
