Small Animal Cardiology Residency

The cardiology service of the University of Georgia (UGA) welcomes applications for a 3-year residency in veterinary cardiology. Constructed to meet requirements set by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Specialty of Cardiology, the goal of the program is board certification and diplomate status within the ACVIM. Candidates must be highly motivated and have completed a one-year rotating internship or have comparable private practice experience.The University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine is in Athens, Georgia, a community of approximately 215,000 residents located 65 miles northeast of Atlanta. Our new (as of 2015) 187,000 square foot state-of-the-art Veterinary Teaching Hospital features cutting edge technology and green space. The Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital has an average annual caseload of approximately 28,000 patients.The UGA cardiology service comprises three board-certified cardiologists (Drs. Mandy Coleman, Lauren Markovic and Hillary Hammond), three cardiology residents, two dedicated cardiology technicians, one veterinary assistant, and three client care representatives. We are well-equipped with Philips EPIQ CVx and iE33 cardiac ultrasound machines, including transthoracic and transesophageal transducers, a Philips CX50 portable ultrasound machine, two Philips TC70 electrocardiographs, a GE/OEC 9900 fluoroscopy unit, an EMKA hemodynamic monitoring system, and Spacelabs Pathfinder Holter monitoring software for on-site study interpretation. Additional on-site diagnostic imaging technologies include Siemens RS Somatom Sensation 64-slice CT scanner, Siemens Magnetom Skyra 3.0 Tesla cardiac-gated MRI, digital radiography, ultrasound, and nuclear scintigraphy. An interventional laboratory, well-equipped for both small and large animal transcatheter interventions, is also on-site in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Diplomates in the specialties of anesthesiology, emergency medicine and critical care, internal medicine, nutrition, neurology, oncology, pathology, radiology, surgery, and zoological medicine provide additional direct support of this program. In addition, relationships with surrounding pediatric and adult cardiology groups and industry provide support for a growing interventional caseload.The cardiology service is located within the small animal hospital, and most cardiac evaluations are performed on dogs and cats. Smaller numbers of large animals and exotic pets are examined. A typical day on the cardiology service includes between five and six outpatient appointments, with additional appointments added on an as-needed basis, and in-house consultations performed for other services. One day per week is dedicated for interventional procedures, and space is cleared within the schedule for emergent small and large animal interventional cases as they arise. The cardiology resident will have primary case responsibility as a member of the cardiology service. Clinical duties will be conducted under the supervision of a cardiologist and include diagnosing and treating companion animals with heart disease, managing interventional cardiology cases, communicating directly with clients, assisting with consultations for clinicians from other hospital services, and contributing to the education of senior veterinary students and interns in the teaching hospital. While the cardiology resident will not have general emergency responsibilities, providing back-up for house officers managing patients of the cardiology service presented after-hours on emergency is expected. This duty is shared by all cardiology residents. Off-clinic time will be allocated for research endeavors, collaborative writing of scientific manuscripts, as well as attending and participating in continuing education. Our residents participate in the didactic teaching of pre-clinical veterinary students and participate in and/or lead daily clinic rounds, weekly book club, weekly journal club, weekly multi-specialty house officer board preparation rounds, and weekly hospital-wide grand rounds. Cardiology faculty provide monthly advanced topic rounds, designed to prepare residents for board examination. Cardiology residents will gain exposure to congenital and acquired cardiopathology during advanced teaching laboratory utilizing UGA’s cardiovascular library of cadaveric hearts. Residents are expected to present at grand rounds once yearly and at multi-specialty board preparation rounds twice yearly. Residents are also expected to submit one first-author manuscript for publication in a scientific journal prior to completion of this program.The Veterinary Teaching Hospital provides each resident with $2,000 each year to offset professional dues and expenses associated with travel to a professional meeting. Current resident salary is $36,615 for the first year, $35,052 for the second year, and $36,252 for the third year.The start date for this program will be July 15, 2024. All ApplicantsThe University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, providing services to animal owners and veterinarians, and conducting investigations to improve the health of animals as well as people. The college benefits pets and their owners, food-producing animals, and wildlife by offering the highest quality hospital and diagnostic laboratory services. Equipped with the most technologically advanced facilities located on a university campus, the college is dedicated to safeguarding public health by studying emerging infectious diseases that affect both animal and human health.The College of Veterinary Medicine values all members of the university community, recognizing that differences in experience and culture can only lead to a more well-rounded, accepting academic environment as embodied in our Principles of Community. The successful candidate will be licensed to practice by a faculty license. This license, obtained without examination, permits veterinarians from non-AVMA-accredited veterinary schools to practice within UGA programs only. Whereas the regular Georgia state veterinary license requires graduation from an AVMA-accredited veterinary school or successful completion of the ECVFG program, this is not a requirement for the faculty license. Professional liability insurance is provided only for work performed as a UGA resident. If the resident desires to work outside of UGA and the residency program, it is the resident’s responsibility to acquire professional liability insurance.Proof of medical insurance coverage and proof of immunization for measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, tetanus, hepatitis B, and rabies are required. Health insurance is required and is the financial responsibility of the individual. Medical insurance is available through the Graduate School at a reasonable rate but may be waived if the resident provides proof of alternative acceptable medical insurance. Medical insurance through the Graduate School will be available beginning August 1, 2024. Please visit the following website for additional information regarding health insurance fees https://hr.uga.edu/students/Mandatory_Plan/student_mandatory_plan_home/. Be advised that the UGA policy will not take effect until August 1, 2024, so you will need to independently obtain health insurance from July 14, 2024, until August 1, 2024.Residents receive 10 days of vacation leave for every 12 months of training and a reasonable amount of sick leave. Residents for each specialty, along with working faculty, cover service responsibilities during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday break. Leave does not carry forward from year to year. Vacation and sick leave will renew on July 1 each year.The residency is a non-degree graduate program, leading to an official University certificate of completion. A one-time application fee of $75 ($100 for international students) and tuition and student fees (approximately $3000/year) are the responsibility of the individual selected for the program. Required fees allow access to the Ramsey Student Activities Center (sports complex), the Gilbert Student Health Center, and student tickets for athletic and cultural events. Student services are accessible once the fall semester begins. Residents must pay parking fees (approximately $240/year) that can be payroll deducted (monthly or yearly). The University of Georgia classifies residents as graduate students; thus, for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, residents are not considered to be full-time employees. This makes the residency years at the University of Georgia ineligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Please consider this information if you desire to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness or other loan repayment programs.International ApplicantsInternational applicants must provide two official/certified copies of their academic records from each institution of higher education that the applicant has attended. These records must include all coursework. Photocopies are not acceptable. Separate proof of degrees is also required. If the original language of the academic record is not English, a certified English translation must be attached to the original. Applicants who graduated from a non-English language veterinary school must submit official TOEFL scores (see http://www.toefl.org for details). These scores must not be more than two years old. Foreign applicants who have completed a year of academic study in the US can provide a university transcript instead of TOEFL scores. A valid US driving license is required. International applicants must arrive three weeks before the residency start date to obtain a social security number, veterinary licensure, and driving license. International students matching to our program must participate in a mandatory health insurance program provided by the University of Georgia (find information at: https://hr.uga.edu/students/Mandatory_Plan/student_mandatory_plan_home/ ). Proof of immunization for measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, chicken pox, hepatitis, and rabies is required.International candidates must consider application processing times well ahead of the program start date. Please note that it may take up to 10 days to obtain a social security number. Information about this process can be found at https://isl.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/09/Social_Security_Office-TheBasics.pdf . A social security number is required to apply for a Georgia veterinary faculty license, and it may take up to 30 additional days to receive this license. More detailed information for international candidates is available through the Office of Global Engagement (https://globalengagement.uga.edu). Offers to international applicants are contingent upon successful application for the appropriate visa.Additional InformationThe University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status in its programs or activities.Athens, Georgia captures the true essence of a college town, with its focus being the university's approximately 40,118 students. It is a friendly place that blends the small town feel with many of the amenities offered by Atlanta, which is only 65 miles away. Athens has a vibrant cultural and music scene, being home to R.E.M. & Widespread Panic among others. The weather is relatively mild most of the year, although during July & August, the heat and humidity are very apparent. For more information on Athens, GA, visit: http://www.visitathensga.com/ Please refer to the following website, which includes answers to the most frequently asked questions and additional information about our program: https://vet.uga.edu/education/intern-residency-programs/intern-residency-programs/.We will be offering virtual interviews in 2023-2024. Invitations for interviews will be extended after the application deadline. Applications MUST be complete in the VIRMP system by the VIRMP deadline. Materials processed by the VIRMP after the deadline will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. If you have submitted all of your materials to the VIRMP by the deadline, but they have not been processed, please contact the VIRMP directly. All applications must be made through the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (details are available from https://www.virmp.org/ ).Please email for further information on this program or refer to the Department’s website (https://vet.uga.edu/education/academic-departments/small-animal-medicine-and-surgery/).The UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMIR0Ayz6ys&;feature=youtu.be.

Full interventional catheterization suite.