ASPCA Animal Hospital Small Animal Rotating Internship
Our veterinary internship program provides excellent practical experience with a high caseload and strong mentorship. AAH interns participate in core rotations in the hospital, such as internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, soft tissue surgery, and dentistry. Interns also complete specialized rotations in recovery medicine for victims of animal cruelty, veterinary forensics, and shelter medicine. Our interns leave with a deeper knowledge of veterinary medicine and the ability to apply it in a variety of circumstances to advance the veterinary profession and welfare of animals and the community.
Join an Internship Info Session
Join us online December 12, 2024 and January 23, 2025 from 5-6 PM ET for a discussion about the upcoming AAH internship. Please email AAHInternship@aspca.org to be invited via Zoom.
“My internship at the ASPCA prepared me not only to be an excellent shelter veterinarian, but also a well rounded veterinarian. The high caseload and wide range of cases taught me efficiency, flexibility, and comfortability with any case that walks in the door. The opportunity to learn from so many veterinarians of diverse backgrounds was priceless.”
Program FAQs
Applications are open at the VIRMP website. Please contact us for more information.
VIRMP is the first program veterinarian students should apply to. VIRMP opens to applicants each November and closes in January. The students that match with the ASPCA are accepted into the program first. If we still have open spots available, that’s when candidates should apply on the ASPCA career website.
- Appointments (scheduled emergency cases)
- Treatment (procedures and overflow emergency cases)
- Soft tissue surgery: high volume spay neuter and working with staff doctors (pyometras, foreign bodies, cystotomies)
- Internal Medicine (with specialist)
- Specialty surgery (with specialist)
- Anti-Cruelty and Recovery Center (medical care of anti-cruelty patients)
- Forensic Veterinary Sciences
- Adoptions/Sheltering
- Community Medicine
- Dentistry
This depends on the rotation.
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During rotations like IM and Surgery, they have supervision of specialists.
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During Treatment, a staff doctor will always help and/or supervise the treatments they perform.
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During ARC, the staff doctors directly supervise management of inpatients and intakes
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During Appointments, the intern has the most primary case responsibility.
Interns do have on-call responsibilities but do not have overnight shifts.
Yes, we have an organization-wide mentorship program matching veterinarians with veterinarians. We also have a mentorship program within our location in NYC to allow for more targeted mentoring.
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We have had interns go into specialty medicine including specialty internships (ECC, Surgery, Dermatology) and residencies (IM, Dermatology, Behavior)
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In the last 5 classes, interns have been hired for open staff positions within the organization including in the ASPCA Animal Hospital, Adoption Center, Kitten Nursery, Community Medicine, and Anti-Cruelty Recovery Center.
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2 of our previous interns have obtained graduate certificates in veterinary forensic sciences and now work in the Veterinary Forensic Department
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Additionally, the remaining intern graduates have gone into general practice, per diem, emergency, and animal welfare.
Yes! ASPCA is active in doing research. Current subjects of interest are long-term inadequate nutrition in starvation, prognostic indicators of foreign body surgeries in a non-specialized setting, and infectious disease protocols in outpatient settings
Previously published papers:
Apply to our program!
Applications open at the VIRMP website November 1st 2024. Please email AAHInternship@aspca.org for more information!