Veterinary Intern

WORK-LIFE BALANCE and option for associates position at 6 months.

Staffing number and tasks:
We have two boarded surgeons, and three general practitioners. Our treatment area is staffed with 6 highly trained licensed technicians, 2 certified veterinary assistants, and 10 assistants/barn personnel responsible for patient care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 2 front office staff members. Our licensed technicians are primarily responsible for overseeing the assistants, anesthesia, client communication, managing our client’s individual parasite programs, lab work, and inventory. Our assistants are responsible for assisting the doctors with daily appointments, in house patient care, instrument sterilization, patient transport services, and maintaining the bio-security protocols. The front office makes and receives appointments, manages all of our larger barn accounts, accounts receivable, in-house patient updates, patient follow ups, routine reminders, estimates, and Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and website account management.

Type of practice:
100% equine

Practice facilities:
Waller Equine Hospital sits on 9 acres of beautiful pasture land on FM 2920 Road northwest of Houston in Waller, TX. Our main building consists of a reception area, administrative office, veterinary offices, an employee and client lounge/conference area, pharmacy, digital radiography viewing, laboratory, and a large surgical suite with two recovery/induction stalls, and a reproduction lab. We have internship and externship housing on site.
The patient facility consists of an indoor and outdoor exam area, covered lameness pad, breeding shed, 7 intensive care stalls, 15 hospital stalls, an isolation unit, 13 large paddocks, and 2 pastures. Diagnostics and equipment such as digital radiography units, RLT Sound Laser, repro/tendon/abdominal ultrasound, video endoscopy/gastroscopy, Irap/PRP centrifuge, Anderson sling, dental power float, video arthroscopic and laparoscopic equipment, internal fixation equipment, blood gas analysis, gas anesthesia, positive pressure ventilation, ECG, direct blood pressure monitoring, in house culturing, complete blood cell counts, and biochemical profiles. We have 4 ambulatory vehicles, and a hauling service. Outside of the practice we operate the Equine Laboratories reference lab at the Sam Houston Race Park where we complete reference lab samples as well as Coggins testing.

Name of vets in practice:
Christopher P. Boutros DVM, DVSc, DACVS
Jennifer Whyard, BVetMed, MRCVS, DACVS-LA
Erica Beadle, DVM
Emily Ligon, DVM
Jessica Bush, DVM

Specialists that come to our hospital:
Ophthalmologist: Dr. James Herrmann
Dental specialist: Dr. Nick Moore
Theriogenologist: Dr. Joey Vest

Case Load:
General health care: Dentistry, vaccines, Coggin’s testing, skin disease, exams, and castrations.
Reproduction: Artificial insemination 50 cases/year, stallion collection 35 cases/year, semen freezing 4 stallions/year, problem mares, high risk foaling.
Surgery: 85% Soft tissue, and 15% orthopedic. Approximately 42 colic surgeries/year
Referral: Emergencies, surgeries, medicine, lameness

Type of cases as percentage:
15% emergency (colic, lacerations, neuro)
20% Lameness, pre purchase
15% referral
20% General health (vaccines, Coggin’s testing, exams, skin disease, castrations)
10% Reproduction
20% surgery

Estimated breakdown of daily load:
Hospital hours are Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm and Saturdays 10am – 2pm. We are available for after-hours emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Externs and technicians are responsible for morning assessments and treatments on hospitalized patients. We see approximately 36 horses per day with 2 daytime emergencies. We see approximately 2.5 horses per night/weekend on emergency.

Philosophy of internship: Our goal at Waller Equine Hospital is to provide a new graduate with a well-rounded exposure to equine practice by introducing a large and varied caseload while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The Houston area is home to a wide variety of breeds and disciplines which are well represented in our caseload. We hope that a well-motivated intern can use this opportunity as a springboard to their next endeavor whether that be a specialty residency or private practice. The interns will be involved in the cases in every aspect from client relations to surgical decisions as their confidence and abilities progress.

Pre – requisites:
Must be a graduate veterinarian, taken and passed the NAVLE with a working knowledge of horsemanship. The intern must be self-motivated, a team player, detail oriented, and have good people skills.

Notification of acceptance:
All applicants will be notified by February 28th in writing.

Employee benefits:
401K plan
Health insurance, liability insurance
One continuing education conference
On-site housing
One week of paid vacation

Employment contracts:
Employment agreement

List of internship duties:
Interns will begin by rotating with a different doctor each week. The intern’s duties will include assisting with referral and routine appointments, client communication, scrubbing in for surgeries, intake and treatment of daytime emergencies, and attending to overflow appointments. There are technicians who perform the in-house treatment duties and anesthesia 24-hours per day, but it is recommended that interns round with the technicians in the mornings to oversee the treatments of the in-house patients and to gain exposure to a wide variety of cases. There will also be a rotation of anesthesia call during the year so that the intern can become familiar with the induction, maintenance and recovery of the surgical patients.

Emergency duty requirements:
Initially, the intern will be on call every other night with a senior veterinarian. Once the intern becomes proficient and confident, they will take emergency duty every third week Monday-Monday with a backup senior veterinarian. While the intern is on emergency duty, there will be no daytime appointments for him/her. Technicians staff the hospital 24 hours for fluid therapy and monitoring.

Amount of supervision:
The intern will be directly supervised for the first several months then it may decrease as the intern shows ability to fully work up cases, perform diagnostic procedures and initiate treatment plans. There will always be a senior veterinarian on call for consultation and to assist with complicated procedures and surgery.

Internship salary:
$45,000/year
50% of the emergency fee. This has been $10,000-13,000 per year added income for the intern.
Housing provided in a 3 bedroom modular home on the property. It is shared with externs when they are on rotation.
Housing includes electricity, internet, water and trash.
Cell phone allowance provided
Dues AVMA, AAEP, TSBVME
Health insurance stipend on group health plan
AVMA PLIT
Disability

Term of Employment:
One year, dates negotiable, typically from July 1st – July 1st. Intern will be evaluated at 6 months and offered an Associate position for the remaining 6 months if both parties are agreeable. We will continue to mentor at the same level for the last 6 months regardless of whether the intern moves into an associate position. The associate contract will renew yearly in July.