Maddie's Shelter Medicine Internship Program

The 12-month Maddie's Shelter Medicine Internship provides interns with knowledge and experience in all aspects of shelter medicine and surgery through a partnership between University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dane Country Humane Society, in Madison, WI. The goals of all clinical training are to create trainees who can practice and provide care independently, comfortably, and efficiently for many different species. The internship is designed to build the intern’s skills in communication, evaluation, teaching, technical and diagnostic capabilities, animal handling, surgery, and dentistry while building their knowledge base in shelter medicine, surgery and medical concepts. Interns will receive instruction and supervision on medical and surgical care, shelter consulting, disease outbreak management, diagnostic testing, and shelter medicine research.Training experience and responsibilities will be shared between clinical responsibilities and programmatic activities (e.g. outreach consultation, research, teaching and course participation). The bulk of the interns’ clinical time will be spent at Dane County Humane Society. A typical work week will consist of 3 x 11-hour weekday shifts, 1 x 9-hour mid-week shift and 1 x 4-hour weekend shift with 2 consecutive days off each week including one weekend day. Interns are responsible for on call duties every other week. On call duties are limited to answering phone calls outside of shelter hours from shelter staff and clinicians at the teaching hospital which provides emergency care for shelter and stray animals. Interns provide medical care at Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) with primary case responsibility supervised primarily by our UWSMP clinical instructor. Interns are also mentored as part of a team of 3 shelter staff veterinarians, technicians and assistants. Interns learn to supervise rotating veterinary students through mentored teaching. Interns are the first to respond to urgent medical needs in the shelter, provide medical support to the large shelter foster network. Interns manage intensive care cases under direct supervision, instruct and supervise veterinary students on rotation, and receive advanced instruction in high-quality high volume spay/neuter and small animal dentistry as well as other advanced surgical procedures including enucleations, amputation, FHOs, etc. Interns also have primary care responsibilities providing access to veterinary care on Pets for Life appointments and community house calls. Species cared for include felines, canines, rabbits, and pocket pets/exotics. Occasional livestock, equine, and wildlife exposure is possible, if interested. Interns will receive a minimum of 1 week of off-site dedicated spay neuter training (at ASPCA spay neuter alliance or similar) as well as participate in weekly shelter medicine journal clubs, trainee meetings, and national shelter medicine rounds. Interns also have access to and work with 1 UW Program Director, 3 UW outreach veterinarians, 1-2 UW Maddie’s Shelter Medicine residents and nationwide shelter medicine fellowship members. Interns attend a 1-week shelter medicine intensive as well as two semester long discussion-based courses (Intro to Shelter Medicine and Diversity, Equity. And Inclusion in Animal Welfare). Interns are expected to present on the national level through National Shelter Medicine Rounds and may have the opportunity to attend the annual HSUS Animal Care Expo. Regular feedback is a consistent daily practice during the internship. Scheduled mentorship check ins and opportunities for feedback will occur with supervisors every three months. Topics will include interests and opportunities for growth, degree of medical and surgical knowledge, especially as it pertains to shelter medicine, problem solving abilities, communication and technical skills, and participation in clinical and program activities. Input on evaluations is invited from the intern as well as other veterinarians and staff members with whom the interns have interacted. Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: A. Consultation, Outreach, and Educational Responsibilities 1. Assist with outreach activities.2. Assist with consultations with shelters throughout the United States. 3. Assist with development of shelter medicine educational materials and presentations. 4. Attend rounds, seminars, meetings, and courses as directed6. Participate in journal club.7. Assist with projects as directed8. Conduct on-site sample collection from shelter disease outbreaks.9. Other duties as assigned. B. Clinical Responsibilities in the Shelter1. Work collaboratively with and under the supervision and direction of the UW Maddie’s Clinical Instructor of Shelter Medicine and the Shelter Veterinarians to direct, conduct, and evaluate treatment plans, disease control measures, and hands-on medical treatment and progress of animals housed at the shelter.2. With guidance from the UW Maddie’s Clinical Instructor of Shelter Medicine and the Shelter Veterinarians, create, implement, and evaluate practices, procedures, and protocols to ensure continued health of individual animals as well as the population as a whole. 3. Perform spays and neuters for many domestic species. 4. Perform other surgical procedures when deemed appropriate for a DCHS animal. 5. Communicate the need for scheduling of outside veterinary resources for procedures not available at DCHS. This would include after-hours emergency care and some orthopedic surgery. Interns will work with the UW Maddie’s Clinical Instructor of Shelter Medicine and Shelter Veterinarians to decide what treatments or procedures are needed. 6. Assist with internal and public relations consultation and education services as they pertain to veterinary medical issues. 7. Advise and assist with the Foster Program including assessment of foster candidates and providing prompt medical services for animals in foster care. 8. Provide emergency medical care for domestic and non-domestic animals.9. Provide after-hours telephone consultation pertaining to issues of veterinary medical importance as deemed appropriate by the UW Maddie’s Clinical Instructor of Shelter Medicine and Shelter Veterinarians. 11. Assist in the instruction of Veterinary Medicine students on rotations.12. Advise and assist with Maddie’s Felines in Treatment (FIT) - dermatophyte treatment operations. 13. Adhere to all safety and medical protocols. 14. Maintain patient records by accurately recording treatments, procedures, and test results in the computerized shelter database. 15. Other duties as assigned.Questions regarding the program can be sent to: Emily Pellatt, Maddie’s Clinical Instructor of Shelter Medicine2015 Linden Dr. Madison, WI 53706 [email protected] For more information on the UW-Madison Shelter Medicine Program, refer to: https://www.uwsheltermedicine.com/ For more information on the Dane County Humane Society, refer to: https://www.giveshelter.org/

Ability to send out samples to Idexx and the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. Ability to send animals out for diagnostic testing on a case by case basis through partnerships with UW Vet Care and other local clinics. Ability to bring in outside specialists to complete advanced diagnostic and surgical procedures on a case by case basis.