Internships, Externships, & Residency Programs

Veterinary Internships, Externships, & Residency Programs

Are you interested in a veterinary internship in the Los Angeles area? VCA Animal Specialty Group has a long-established educational program with highly successful rates of placement into specialty internships upon completion. Our internship positions are all filled through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP). To apply, you can visit the VIRMP website and choose VCA Animal Specialty Group Los Angeles to submit your application.

One Year Rotating Veterinary Internships

Our rotating internship program is designed to enhance and augment the experience of veterinary school or years spent in private practice. Whether you just graduated, or have been practicing for a while, there is always more knowledge to gain. Our uniquely collaborative teaching hospital where our specialists are committed to sharing their expertise with the next generation of veterinarians is the perfect place to further your education in animal medicine.

Our interns are hand-picked from a large pool of applicants every year. These applicants are often the top performers in their classes at veterinary school and are individuals who are actively seeking further education to become exceptional clinicians and some even aspire to go on to specialize in an area of interest.

What Is A Rotating Intern?

Our interns rotate through the core areas of internal medicine, surgery, neurology, oncology, and emergency/critical care, working directly with board-certified specialists. They attend daily clinical rounds, see office appointments, manage surgical and medical cases, and participate in surgery, radiology, anesthesia, and special procedures.

Through their daily activities, weekly educational rounds, and with the support of our team of highly educated specialists, these young doctors quickly outpace their classmates in their knowledge base, clinical skills, and diagnostic prowess. Our specialists will guide you to choose topics for further exploration, expand your abilities, and teach you proper patient care. We will also encourage our interns to prepare manuscripts for publication.

Specialty Internships

Some post-graduate students have goals of residency and eventual board-certification in their chosen specialty. For those individuals, we have specialty internship positions available to prepare the graduate for a residency program in surgery, internal medicine, or neurology. On top of hands-on learning experiences within the hospital, interns are given the opportunity to present in-house lectures and are encouraged to prepare manuscripts for publication – an invaluable resource when matching for a residency.

Veterinary Surgery Internship:

Surgery interns work directly with our board-certified surgeons. In addition to teaching rounds and formal lectures, a surgery internship is an intensive, hands-on learning experience. Over the years many of our surgery interns have gone on to pursue a surgical residency through our in-house program, other specialty practices, or at universities.

Small Animal Internal Medicine Internship:

Internal Medicine interns work side-by-side with board-certified internists, seeing cases and assisting with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures including endoscopy, rhinoscopy, cystoscopy, and abdominal or cardiac ultrasound. This well-established internship program currently has a 100% acceptance rate into residency programs.

Veterinary Neurology Internship:

We offer an intensive specialty intern program in neurology and neurosurgery. Neurology interns work as a team with our board-certified neurologists, learning/observing advanced case management, client communication, teamwork, collaborative thinking, neurosurgical procedures, CSF collection and analysis, and interpretation of advanced images such as MRI and CT

Are You Ready For Your Veterinary Internship?

If you're ready to take your education to the next level and take on the challenge of a veterinary internship, VCA Animal Specialty Group in Los Angeles offers a comprehensive educational program. As a teaching hospital, we have worked with veterinary students from around the globe who are interested in furthering their education in animal medicine with one of the best veterinary programs in LA. Visit the VIRMP website to apply or contact our hospital to learn more about the qualifications and requirements.

Veterinary Externship Program

VCA ASG offers a comprehensive externship program to veterinary students across the US. Candidates for our program would be students enrolled in their junior and senior years of veterinary school who would participate in clinical rotations over a number of weeks to meet curriculum requirements. This program is for individuals who are:

  • Looking for experience in a veterinary specialty practice.
  • Considering applying for an internship following graduation.
  • Hard-working, self-motivated, team players.
  • Currently enrolled in an AVMA-accredited university or veterinary program.

If you’re interested in completing a veterinary externship with VCA ASG in Los Angeles, please contact us for more information on how to get started. If you don’t have time for an externship, but would like to visit our facility, please reach out and we can accommodate a visit.

Veterinary Surgery Residency

The ASG surgery residency is an in-depth, intensive 3-year program designed to train the resident to become a fully competent small animal surgeon and meet the requirements of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons for board certification.

Surgery residents rotate through the clinical services of our board-certified surgeons, developing clinical skills, knowledge, and state-of-the-art surgical proficiency in soft tissue surgery, orthopedics (including joint replacement surgeries), neurosurgery, and oncologic surgery. Residents are also required to develop and implement a research project and present the results at a national meeting as well as complete a manuscript for publication in a referred journal.

The Surgical Residency Experience At VCA ASG

A wide variety of surgical cases are seen by ASG. Common cases include orthopedics, soft tissue and general surgery, as well as oncologic surgery. Our surgeons and neurologists also perform neurosurgery (intracranial and spinal cord). During your residency you’ll have access to advanced tools and unique surgical cases that will greatly enhance your knowledge and experience.

Become A Veterinary Surgery Resident

If you’re ready to take your career to the next level on your way to becoming a board-certified veterinary surgeon, applying for our surgical residency program at VCA Animal Specialty Group in Los Angeles is the perfect way to get started. Our long-established and highly esteemed program will enhance your knowledge and skills in veterinary surgery, preparing you for any complex cases that may come your way. Contact us for more information regarding our program requirements to see if you meet the necessary qualifications.