Integrative and Mobility Medicine Internship

Program Information 

The proposed internship fulfills an educational niche in the education of qualified veterinarians in mixed animal integrative medicine, inclusive of acupuncture, sports medicine, and rehabilitation principles. The successful candidate will work primarily at an equine acupuncture satellite facility under the direction of Dr. Huisheng Xie (3 days per week). The remainder of the time will be spent with the small animal Integrative Medicine service at the Small Animal hospital (2 days per week).  The equine acupuncture center in Ocala provides additional caseload for large animal acupuncture training, and the small animal caseload in integrative medicine remains the largest of any academic institution in the United States. The creation of a mixed animal integrative medicine internship provides unique training opportunities and desirable hospital support for the qualified candidate.

Qualifications

The specialty nature of this program requires that a successful applicant have experience with canine, feline, and equine medicine. Ideally, the candidate would have completed a rotating internship or have equivalent practice experience. Certification in mixed animal acupuncture or in rehabilitation would be desirable. Candidates should also have a strong academic commitment with an interest in teaching and in clinically-relevant research.

Program Outline

42 weeks: Mixed Animal Integrative Medicine: The majority of the intern’s weeks will be spent within the integrative medicine service. Each week will be divided between two small animal integrative medicine days in Gainesville, and three equine acupuncture days.

8 weeks: Elective Rotations: With the input of the service faculty, the intern, at the discretion of the hosting service, may engage with other clinical services. Relevant examples would include large animal surgery / sports medicine, small animal surgery, large animal medicine, small animal critical care, diagnostic imaging, and visits to outside practices.

10 days of annual leave.

House Officer Rounds: House officer rounds will be held at weekly to discuss critical concepts in the literature. Assigned readings should be read in advance of the meeting. House officers may be asked to prepare cases to discuss, brief presentations on core topics, literature summaries, or independent research on an assigned topic. House officer rounds may also be used to evaluate satisfactory performance in the program, through written or oral examination.

Weekend schedule and on-call: The intern shall provide weekend integrative medicine support for hospitalized patients on half of the weekends during the program year. Emergency on-call for non-integrative medicine evaluations or treatments is not required unless it is required of an elective rotation.

A full description on internship duties and expectations is available from the program coordinator.

The UF College of Veterinary Medicine is located in the city of Gainesville in North Central Florida. This area enjoys a warm climate and there are abundant opportunities for a variety of outdoor recreational activities nearby. Although the work schedule for the internship is demanding, there is time available to explore the area and enjoy the benefits of being in Florida.

More information about the UF College of Veterinary Medicine and the Small Animal Hospital can be found on our website at www.vetmed.ufl.edu.

Caseload

The following information represents the average of cases in direct support of this program

Total No. Annual Cases Average Daily No. Cases Presented to Hospital Average No. Cases Treated Daily as Outpatients Average No. of Inpatients Each Day Average No. Daily Surgeries Performed Average No. of Emergency Cases Seen Daily
2,500 10 10 1 0 0

Number of Faculty/Clinicians in Direct Support of Program: 4
Number of Residents in Direct Support of Program: 2

Application Requirements

  • Standard VIRMP Application Packet
  • VIRMP Application
  • Veterinary School Official Transcript from University Registrar
  • Personal Statement
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • 3 – 4 Standardized Letters of Reference
  • Additional Requirements from the Program
    Preferably at least two of the standardized letters of reference should be from Small Animal Clinicians.
  • Additional information for graduates of universities outside of the United States and Canada

Visa Sponsorship

If you will require visa sponsoring or are unsure about your work status, please review the Information for Foreign Applicants page and contact this program prior to applying. Please be aware that some programs listed in the VIRMP accept applications ONLY from citizens of the United States (or Canada if a Canadian program) or from applicants who possess permanent residency status at the time of application.