Internship - Small Animal Medicine and Surgery

VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital

Intern Survey Results

Positions: 16
Survey Responses: 9
Category: Small Animal Rotating
Program Dates: 6/12/2017 to 6/23/2018

Responses except for Question 11

  1. Strongly Disagree
  2. Disagree
  3. Neither agree or disagree
  4. Agree
  5. Strongly Agree

Questions

  1. The internship met the program description as provided in the VIRMP

    Mean: 2.9

  2. The time spent on emergency duty matched the program description

    Mean: 3.3

  3. I received an orientation to the work environment and job requirements at the start of the internship

    Mean: 4.2

  4. I was provided with supervision and opportunity to consult with other doctors at the institution/practice regarding patient care

    Mean: 3.4

  5. Rounds, journal clubs, or other educational opportunities were regularly available during the internship

    Mean: 3.8

  6. Adequate opportunity to study and prepare for clinical cases was provided

    Mean: 2.3

  7. I was satisfied with the clinical training opportunities provided during the internship

    Mean: 3.0

  8. The internship met my learning objectives

    Mean: 3.1

  9. I was treated in a professional manner by staff and other doctors

    Mean: 2.0

  10. I would recommend this internship program to a friend or colleague

    Mean: 2.9

  11. The average number of hours I worked per week

    Mean: 5.6

    1. Less than 40 hours
    2. 40-49 hours
    3. 50-59 hours
    4. 60-69 hours
    5. 70-79 hours
    6. Greater than 80 hours

Program Being Evaluated Follows

Employment Information

Salary: 42,600

Benefits: VCA provides its interns with a comprehensive benefits package, including: VIN Membership at no charge Continuing Education allowance Eligibility for Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage Eligibility for Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance Eligibility to participate in 401(k) retirement savings plan Professional Liability Coverage

Vacation: 5 days.

Is a contract required? Yes

Is a non-compete clause required? No

Is a State license required? Yes    If yes, what is the licensure fee? $275-375. See http://goo.gl/GlKQz

Is a DEA license required? No

Is USDA accreditation required? No

Caseload

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

Total No. Annual Cases: 40000
Average Daily No. Cases Presented to Hospital: 110
Average No. Cases Treated Daily as Outpatients: 80
Average No. of Inpatients Each Day: 30
Average No. Daily Surgeries Performed: 8
Average No. of Emergency Cases Seen Daily: 20

Number of Faculty/Clinicians in Direct Support of Program: 36
Number of Residents in Direct Support of Program: 6

Diplomates in Direct Support of Internship

Full Time Part Time/Consultant Full Time Part Time/Consultant
ABVP ACT
ACVAA ACVD
ACVCP ACVN
ACVO 2 ACVR 1
ACVS 3 ACZM
AVDC ACVECC 4
ACVIM/CARD 2 1 ACVIM/INTMED 4 1
ACVIM/NEUR 2 ACVIM/ONC 2
ACVB 1 ABVT
ACLAM ACPV
ACVM ACVP
ACVPM ACVIM/LA
ACVR/ONC 1 ACVSMR

Registered/Licensed/Certified Veterinary Technicians

In Direct Support of Program: 25
Assigned to the Emergency Service per shift: 2
Assigned to the Intensive Care Unit per shift: 2

Other Personnel of Note

Emergency Service and ICU RVTs per shift vary from 2-4 depending on the day of the week. There are 2-3 RVTs or assistants working per shift in both treatment rooms. In addition to the RVTs listed above, we have approximately 35 veterinary assistants employed.

Clinical Experience and Responsibilities

  1. Yes No
    Does the intern have primary case care responsibility for first-opinion and emergency/critical care cases?
  2. Yes No
    Is the intern the primary surgeon on a broad range of elective and entry-level procedures?
  3. Yes No
    Does the intern have primary case care responsibility for complex cases with supervision by a boarded specialist?
  4. Yes No
    Are patient rounds held daily with a boarded specialist in attendance?
  5. 50%
    What is the percentage of time the intern will be directly supervised?

Didactic Training

  1. Yes No
    Are teaching rounds held weekly?
  2. Yes No
    Does the intern deliver a professional presentation or seminar to senior clinicians and peers?
  3. Yes No
    Does the intern have an opportunity to attend a professional meeting?
  4. Yes No
    Is financial support provided to attend a professional meeting?
  5. Yes No
    Is the intern required to complete/submit a publication?

Facilities

  1. Yes No
    Does the intern have access to current medical textbooks?
  2. Yes No
    Is a computer with internet access provided?
  3. Yes No
    Does the intern have access to search engines for scientific literature and online journals?
  4. Yes No
    Does the primary hospital have an intensive care unit?

Equipment

  1. Do interns have access to the following equipment/technology, either on-site or outsourced?
    • Ultrasonography
    • Electrocardiography
    • Blood Pressure Monitoring
    • Echocardiography
    • Endoscopy
    • CT Scan
    • Bone Plating Equipment
    • MRI
    • Digital Radiography
    • Laparoscopy
    • Arthroscopy
    • Basic clinical laboratory equipment
    • Nuclear Medicine
    • Blood Gas Analysis
    • Diagnostic Laboratory
    • Physical Therapy

Scheduling

These percentages may not be cumulative

  1. case dependent, ~10%
    Percentage of program intern is assigned to daytime primary emergency
  2. 20%
    Percentage of program intern is assigned to overnight primary emergency
  3. 46%
    Percentage of program intern is assigned to first opinion (primary care) clinics
  4. 26%
    Percentage of program intern is provided elective time
  5. 0%
    Percentage of program intern is required to work at a secondary (satellite) clinic

Orientation/Supervision/Mentoring

  1. Yes No
    Is a formal orientation program required?
  2. Yes No
    Does the intern have a mentor who is a veterinarian in the practice?
  3. Yes No
    Are written performance evaluations provided?
  4. Yes No
    Is an internship orientation manual provided?

Additional Information about Program

The VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital internship program strives to provide an experience unmatched by any other internship. The program has a large and diverse caseload and a strong mentoring tradition, therefore providing great opportunities for learning. Interns assume primary responsibility for the management of their cases, and are provided with assistance and guidance by our many specialists. Because we place a strong emphasis on learning, interns participate in twice daily rounds and are required to attend twice weekly CE lectures. Interns are expected to be highly motivated individuals who are capable of handling a high caseload while maintaining primary responsibility for their patients. We are one of the oldest and largest specialty hospitals in the United States (established in 1972). The hospital is unique in that in addition to specialty services, it has a large general practice and emergency caseload. In January of 2013 we moved into a new state-of-the-art 42,000 sq. ft. facility, creating one of the largest integrated veterinary medical centers in the world; providing comprehensive medical and surgical care in virtually all specialties. In addition to our general practice caseload, we offer referral services in internal medicine, surgery (orthopedic, soft tissue and minimally invasive procedures), neurology, neurosurgery (brain and spinal), oncology (chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation), radiation oncology (linear accelerator, IMRT, stereotactic radiosurgery), emergency medicine/critical care, cardiology, ophthalmology, radiology (helical CT, MRI, ultrasound), behavior, zoological medicine and surgery, and alternative/complimentary medicine (acupuncture and rehabilitative medicine). Intern rotations are three to four weeks long and include general medicine (hospitalized cases), surgery, daytime receiving, overnight emergency duty and specialty rotations (internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, neurology, ophthalmology, emergency medicine, radiology, exotics, and behavior). Interns work five days a week with two days off in a row on every rotation. In addition, we are able to arrange elective rotations allowing interns time to focus on other areas of interest. Continuing education is offered twice a week and includes a rotating schedule of orthopedic rounds, journal club, morbidity and mortality rounds, medicine rounds, radiology rounds, ECG rounds, and lectures presented by our doctors and guest lecturers. Once a year the interns present a grand rounds lecture to the staff and doctors. VCA provides its interns with a comprehensive benefits package including: • VIN membership at no charge • Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs online subscription at no charge• Continuing education allowance • Eligibility for Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage • Eligibility for Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance • Eligibility to participate in 401(k) retirement savings plan • Professional Liability Coverage Interns who have completed our program have had a high success rate in obtaining residency positions in all specialty areas. A visit and a personal interview are encouraged but are not mandatory. A California license is required to enter the internship. This may be a temporary or permanent license. Temporary licensure requires licensure from another state prior to graduation. Please call the California State Board for more details at (916) 263-2610 or http://www.vmb.ca.gov/forms_pubs/vet_app.pdf.Our location between Beverly Hills, Westwood (UCLA) and Santa Monica is just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica mountains, two hours from mountain ski resorts and close to many cultural, educational, and recreational facilities.