Small Animal Rotating Internship 2019-2020 Year

Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for your interest in Friendship! Below are a list of the most common questions we get about the internship. We are always looking for ways to enhance our program, so some of this may be subject to change and is based on the 2018-2019 intern class year and any foreseen changes.

Table of Conents

1. Why choose a Friendship Hospital small animal rotating internship?
2. Why is the internship important to Friendship?
3. Can I set up an in person interview after I apply to the internship?
4. Are candidates required to have a Skype interview? What if a candidate does not have access to Skype?
5. What if a candidate is not available during the times interviews are being conducted?
6. Who will attend my interview from the Friendship team?
7. What will the format of the Skype interview be?
8. When will interview invitations be sent out?
9. Is there an advantage to applying early within the application window in order to secure an interview spot?
10. I am a foreign student. Will Friendship sponsor visas?
11. Does Friendship see exotics?
12. Where do interns typically live during their internship? Isn’t Washington, DC, expensive?
13. What is orientation for new interns?
14. Do interns get assigned a mentor during their internship? How is that determined? What is the structure of that mentorship relationship?
15. Do interns have primary case responsibility?
16. Do interns get any surgical experience?
17. What is the secret password for the interview?
18. How does the schedule work?
19. Is there any time when interns are scheduled outside of the hospital?
20. Do interns have elective time? What can interns do with that time?
21. How many days per week are interns scheduled?
22. Do interns get any paid time off during the internship? Are there restrictions for when this time can be used?
23. Are interns typically scheduled to be alone in the hospital recieving cases?
24. Do interns get evaluations during the program? How often?
25. Are interns on-call? Do interns need to live close to the hospital?
26. Are there opportunities for research or publishing?
27. What is the schedule for rounds?
28. I want to do a residency or specialty internship.What is Friendship’s match rate? Does Friendship have relationships with institutiosn that have residencies to help make connections?
29. I want to do a residency or specialty internship. Is it possible for an intern to get letters of recommendation from specialists at Friendship before it is time to apply?
30. Is there the ability to take time off for residency interviews or job interviews if deciding to go into private practice after the internship?
31. For those interested in pursuing general practice primary care or emergency positions, does Friendship do anything to help interns with the job placement and evaluation of job offers?
32. Is Friendship hiring any other specialists than those currently on staff?
33. After completing an internship at Friendship, how have interns progressed in their careers?
34. What veterinary schools do interns come from?
35. What are the Mission, Vision, Core Values and Service Standards of Friendship?
36. Can I come for an in person visit before applications or ranks are due?
37. Can I contact a member of the current intern class?
38. What characteristics is Friendship looking for in an intern?
39. Will Friendship reveal their rankings once finalized?
40. Does the internship committee have any general advice for me?

Why choose a Friendship Hospital small animal rotating internship?

Friendship is a great place to do an internship! We have a long history (the internship is 35 years old!) of graduating interns ready to move into specialty internships, residencies, successful emergency or general practice careers. Since our founding in 1936, Friendship has been dedicated to practicing high quality, progressive medicine.

Our goal is to occupy a space between a university setting and traditional private practice to allow for exposure to a high caseload as well as to mentor and strengthen an intern’s knowledge base and clinical skill set. Our team of specialists are practicing cutting edge medicine and are well-connected to academia and other institutions throughout the industry. Being a hybrid practice, our patients can receive comprehensive care including primary care, emergency and specialty all under one roof with a collaborative team focused on the patient’s best interests!

In addition to 15 primary care veterinarians, 12 urgent care veterinarians, two surgical interns, a medicine intern, and two certified rehab practitioners, our continuously growing team includes:

Specialty Team

Micki Armour, VMD, DACVO

Laura Barbur, DVM, DACVS

Chloe Block, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)

Lindsay Boozer, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology-Neurosurgery)

Janine Calabro, DVM, DACVECC

Nicole Cohen, DVM, DABVP (Canine & Feline)

Courtney Crane, DVM, DACVECC

Gideon Daniel, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

Tovah Dorsey, DVM (Practice limited to E/CC)

Amanda Foskett, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

JD Foster, VMD, DACVIM (SAIM)

Mathieu Glassman, VMD, DACVS

Elyshia Hankin, BVSc, MS (Hons), DACVR

Joshua Hobbs, DVM, DACVR

Courtney Horn, PharmD

Nicole Luensman, DVM, MS, cVMA, DACVAA

Denise Kelley, DVM, DACVIM

Dana Kuehn, DVM, DABVP (Canine & Feline)

Darcie Kunder, VMD, DACVD

Eric Langfitt, DVM (Practice Limited to E/CC)

Joanne McKnight, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Tracie Romsland, DVM, DACVP (Clinical Pathology)

Meaghan Ropski, DVM (Associate in Surgery)

Erick Spencer, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

Maggie Thies, DVM (Practice Limited to ECC)

Why is the internship important to Friendship?

While over the years, the structure and goals of the internship have changed, Friendship has always been focused on high quality medicine. The rotating internship is one way for Friendship to stay up to date on the newest information in the veterinary field by constantly interacting with new graduates. It keeps our focus on staying progressive.

The internship also puts an emphasis throughout the hospital on teaching/training.

The program allows Friendship the opportunity to give back to the industry, by helping to shape new veterinarians and give them a solid foundation to build on toward a successful career.

Can I set up an in person interview after I apply to the internship?

While we absolutely encourage applicants to visit Friendship (more information can be found below), we do not perform in person interviews during the application process. We perform all internship interviews via Skype in the first few weeks of January.

Are candidates required to have a Skype interview? What if a candidate does not have access to Skype?

All intern candidates that wish to be considered for ranking and are selected for interview,  must participate in an interview with us during the first two weeks of January (unless special circumstances exist and other arrangements are made). Even if you have previously visited Friendship, externed, or even worked here as a team member, this time is required for consideration. We prefer Skype. However, we can also use another video chat service such as FaceTime, etc, should you not have access to Skype.

What if a candidate is not available during the times interviews are being conducted?

Interviews will be conducted during the first few weeks of January from 8am-6:45pm Monday thru Saturday. If you are completely unable to be available during these times and are invited to interview, you should respond to the invite to let the internship committee know. We will do our best to find a time before ranks are due to set up a Skype interview with at least two members of the selection committee. This should only be done if it is impossible to set up an interview during the preset times.

Who will attend my interview from the Friendship team?

The link below will give you access to the plan for who will participate in each interview barring any unforeseen emergencies. Please note this is subject to change.

Interview Schedule

What will the format of the Skype interview be?

The first part will consist of basic interview questions to determine your fit at Friendship. We will go through some questions to see how well you can integrate into the Friendship team.

The second part will be a case review. We will present a case for you to work through with our veterinarians. You may need access to your email during this time to receive information to review. The point of the case is not necessarily to get immediately to the correct answers (or to get to them at all) but to see your ability to work through the information. Relax and do your best to process what is presented to you. We understand that not everyone has been through certain clinical rotations or been exposed to specific information/situations.

The final portion of the interview will be a chance for you to ask any questions you have about Friendship and/or the internship. We will also provide you some information about who we are and what distinguishes us among available internships.

When will interview invitations be sent out?

As applications are complete/near complete, we will evaluate them against our interview selection criteria. We will send interview invitations out on a rolling basis. However, because applications need to be complete or near complete, the first invitations will likely not be sent until around Thanksgiving time for those that apply early in the appication window. Candidates will be able to schedule their interview online at any time after receiving the interview request. However, all interviews will be held in the first few weeks of January before ranks are due.

Is there an advantage to applying early within the application window in order to secure an interview spot?

During the application window, applications are reviewed as they are submitted. We have determined set criteria that will automatically receive an interview invitation during that time. If your application does not meet the minimum threshold to receive an automatic interview invitation, it will be reviewed by our internship committee to determine if an interview invitation should be sent. Once the application window closes, all applications that have not already received an interview request will be reviewed. At this time, depending on the total applicant pool, our criteria may be tightened or loosened for interviews. We will also take another look at any prior applications that have not yet been sent an interview request based on the final criteria set given the interview slots available.

Therefore, there is likely a very slight advantage to applying before the last few days of the window to secure an interview spot because the criteria may tighten based on the final pool of candidates. Also, if you apply early and are selected, you will have the advantage of having more options available for interview time slots.

I am a foreign student. Will Friendship sponsor visas?

Friendship is happy to sponsor visas for well-qualified applicants. For those outside of Canada and Mexico, we work with an experienced immigration attorney to help expedite the process. For Canadian and Mexican citizens, the process is far less complicated and we will work internally with you to get everything taken care of prior to starting your internship. Friendship has had numerous international interns throughout the years.

Does Friendship see exotics?

Friendship does not currently see exotics. We have explored becoming a Level 1 Trauma Center which would require seeing exotics on emergency. This is not yet determined and would require some additional training and CE for our staff doctors. There is not currently a timeline associated with this plan.

Where do interns typically live during their internship? Isn’t Washington, DC, expensive?

Washington, DC, can certainly be a bit more expensive than some other places in the country, however,  our interns are able to find great housing options throughout the metropolitan area. Some interns will find apartments inside DC, while others will live in the Maryland suburbs of Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, or Takoma Park. Friendship is located just one mile inside the DC line and ½ block from the Tenleytown-American University stop on the red line of the metro. Many affordable communities are located along the metro.

While many interns find housing close by to the hospital, some choose to live a little further away due to family housing or other reasons. The interns schedule and on-call requirements are described below. However, as long as the intern can make in into the hospital within 45-60 minutes when all call, they will not have a problem with their housing choice.

What is orientation for new interns?

Orientation for the interns consists of about two weeks at the end of June. During this two weeks, the interns will go through basic new team orientation/human resources functions and get information about how the hospital works-- meeting with various team members, learning the computer system, and other important information. This typically takes a few days. After that, there are labs and didactic rounds and shadowing of the outgoing interns and/or staff doctors to understand workflow.

Do interns get assigned a mentor during their internship? How is that determined? What is the structure of that mentorship relationship?

Yes! All interns will be assigned an official mentor for the year. After match, we will send out a survey to all of our new interns asking additional questions about your long term career goals. This will help us to determine who the best match will be to help mentees be successful throughout their time in the program. Additionally, in each rotation, interns are being directly mentored by specialists, emergency doctors and general practitioners in order to strengthen their clinical skills.

Mentors/Mentees meet regularly to help guide them through the year. Preparation for specialty internship/residency match (if applicable), as well as other skill and knowledge development will be enhanced through this relationship. Our mentors are keen to help our interns succeed both within the internship and beyond.

Do interns have primary case responsibility?

Yes! Interns have primary case responsibility on their overnight emergency receiving blocks (with a staff doctor for guidance). On emergency/critical care blocks, interns have the opportunity to have primary case responsibility on in-hospital cases and outpatient receiving (with the guidance of Criticalists and staff emergency doctors). Interns also have varying amounts on case responsibility on each of the specialties. A recent former intern from the 2016-2017 class reported a caselog of over 1,100 cases in which she had primary case responsibility.

Do interns get any surgical experience?

Interns receive a tremendous amount of tissue handling experience performing laceration repairs on emergency receiving. Typically, interns will scrub in on specialty surgery and emergency surgeries to assist the specialty or staff surgeons.  

What is the secret password for the interview?

Good, you are reading this! Our secret password for the interview is “Progressive” The reason we picked the word Progressive is because Friendship strives to practice the most progressive medicine possible, bridging the gap between a university and traditional private practice. Our doctors take a collaborative approach to medicine to provide the absolute best care to our patients and our clients.

You will need the password-- Progressive-- if you are selected for an interview with Friendship! Hint: the password is case sensitive.

How does the schedule work?

The schedule is broken down into 13 four week blocks that flow in a specific order. Each intern starts on a different block and will follow the same schedule rotation from whichever point they started. There are some services that have a full blocks and some that have split blocks. The schedule may have some adjustments before being finalized, but is likely to be two blocks each of internal medicine (including dialysis), critical care/emergency, overnight emergency receiving, 1 block each of neurology, specialty surgery, cardiology, split blocks include anesthesiology, clinical pathology, dermatology, pain management/rehab, oncology, ophthalmology, primary care, general surgery and elective time.

Below you will see an example schedule for one of the 2018/2019 interns. Please note that there is a possibility that changes will be made to the schedule and this should just serve as an example schedule. Friendship aims to balance exposure with our services, work/life balance and learning opportunities in order to set up an ideal schedule.

Is there any time when interns are scheduled outside of the hospital?

There is elective time that can be spent either inside or outside the hospital, but no core rotations are outside the hospital.

Do interns have elective time? What can interns do with that time?

Yes! Interns receive two weeks of elective time during the year. This time can be used to spend additional time in the hospital in areas of specific interest or to go out to gain experiences not available within the hospital. Interns have used elective time for additional time on in-hospital rotations or outside of the hospital for behavior, shelter medicine, exotics, research, radiation oncology, and other areas of interest. We maintain strong relationships with the local humane society, the National Zoo, and the specialties we do not house within Friendship and can help arrange the elective time.

How many days per week are interns scheduled?

All blocks except overnights have five day work weeks with two days off per week. Overnights are alternating 3 or 4 day work weeks with 3 or 4 days off. Please note that there is some additional on-call time during a few rotations. For the 2018-2019 class, that is detailed above.

Do interns get any paid time off during the internship? Are there restrictions for when this time can be used?

Interns have ten days of paid time off throughout the year. These days can be used for vacation, sick time or other personal reasons. Time off cannot be used during emergency receiving or overnight shifts, though interns have switched shifts amongst themselves in emergency situations.

Are interns typically scheduled to be alone in the hospital recieving cases?

No! During the day-time Critical Care/Emergency receiving rotations, interns are working directly with the Criticalists with inpatients or are receiving cases under the guidance of our emergency doctors. On overnights, interns are working with a staff emergency doctor every night of the week.

Do interns get evaluations during the program? How often?

Yes! Interns receive a performance evaluation and feedback after each block (monthly) as well as direct feedback while on rotations. Friendship also seeks anonymous input from interns about the program regularly throughout the year in order to strengthen it both during the current year and in subsequent years.

Are interns on-call? Do interns need to live close to the hospital?

Interns are not on-call for most blocks. However, on a few blocks, interns will be called in to assist in emergency surgeries.  

We split on-call between several blocks so that interns will not have to be on-call without a break during a block. The on-call is set at the beginning of the year and interns are permitted to trade on-call days. Each intern will be on call 28 days for the year. Most on-call days are days they are already scheduled to work.

Interns do not need to live very close to the hospital in order to meet their on-call responsibilities. While many interns can find affordable housing fairly close to the hospital, as long as an intern can make it into work within 45-60 minutes, their housing choices should not be liited based on on-call responsibilities.

Are there opportunities for research or publishing?

FHA encourages interested interns to consider research projects and publication. However, we want interns to be realistic about what can be accomplished prior to December (residency application deadlines), particularly in a busy private practice. FHA has had searchable electronic medical records for quite some time, so a retrospective study is a possibility. Case reports or imaging/pathology reports (e.g. What is your diagnosis? reports in JAVMA) would likely be the easiest type of manuscript to prepare in that timeframe.

FHA is currently participating in or scheduled to launch several clinical trials and other studies which the interns can participate in.

What is the schedule for rounds?

Friendship believes that didactic teaching, in addition to our high caseload, is an important part of building the foundation for interns. The following is a fairly comprehensive list of all rounds and journal clubs. Some are mandatory and interns are marked off of clinical duties for them. Some are dependent upon the rotation that the intern is currently assigned.

Cage-side rounds:

Cage-side rounds are held three times per day, to coincide with shift changes for doctors. Morning rounds (overnight updates and case distribution) are at 7:30am daily. Brief rounds for inpatient transfer to swing shift and overnight doctors are held at approximately 4pm and between 10pm and midnight.  Specialists are present for morning and afternoon rounds.

Didactic rounds:

Didactic rounds specifically for the interns with specialists are held on average six times per month (Currently Wednesday and every other Tuesday morning). These rounds are required for all interns unless they are on out-rotations during an elective block or have requested an excused absence.

CVT rounds are held twice per month. All interns rotate through presenting assigned chapters from Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy XV.

Hospital-wide M&M rounds are typically held once monthly.

Presentations:

All interns are required to make one presentation during the year (generally scheduled November thru January).

Journal clubs:

Surgery once weekly

Oncology once weekly

Internal Medicine once weekly

Surgical Oncology once monthly

In total, there are currently about 22 didactic rounds or journal club sessions per month in addition to cageside/clinical rounds.

I want to do a residency or specialty internship.What is Friendship’s match rate? Does Friendship have relationships with institutiosn that have residencies to help make connections?

In the last 5 years, 15 of the 21 interns that applied for residencies were matched-- this is a 71.4% match rate, comparable with the reported match rate in the VIRMP with academic institutions (71.01% average reported for the 2019-2020 VIRMP across academic institutions). An additional 4 of those 6 unmatched went on to specialty internships or fellowships in their field. There are times when based on factors like specific location/geographic preferences means that folks who don’t match to a specific program do not pursue multiple options or look for placement outside the match. Generally speaking, a well qualified candidate in our program should be able to move on to a residency or specialty internship in their field after a rotating internship at Friendship.

Friendship staff doctors maintain close relationships with their colleagues in academia and at large, high quality private practices. We are happy to connect well qualified candidates with these institutions.

I want to do a residency or specialty internship. Is it possible for an intern to get letters of recommendation from specialists at Friendship before it is time to apply?

Yes! After we match and survey about their interests, we will attempt to set up the schedule in such a way that an intern looking to specialize in a particular area will rotate through appropriate services so that they may ask for letters of recommendation from the board-certified specialists to strengthen their application.

Is there the ability to take time off for residency interviews or job interviews if deciding to go into private practice after the internship?

Friendship can typically accommodate interns use of their paid time off for residency interviews or job interviews. Interns will also sometimes switch shifts amongst themselves in order to use days to do this.

Friendship’s specialists, staff doctors, and management will help interns interested in applying for residencies with their application preparation.

For those interested in pursuing general practice primary care or emergency positions, does Friendship do anything to help interns with the job placement and evaluation of job offers?  

Friendship management meets with the intern class during a rounds session usually in late January or early February to discuss how to evlauate a potential clinic for employment; how to read job offers and how to negotiate for pay and benefits. Friendship will provide current information about the state of the industry and help with job placement. Friendship management is happy to assist interns in evaluating job offers as they receive them.

Friendship maintains strong relationships with hospitals and clinics locally as well as across the United States to help make connections for job placement.

Is Friendship hiring any other specialists than those currently on staff?

Friendship has been expanding rapidly over the last several years.  We are currently looking to expand by adding an additional Criticalist, Oncologist and Surgeon. There are a few other current specialties we are evaluating and may expand. While we are hopeful to fill these positions, we take our time to find the best fit. Therefore, a ranking decision should not be made based on these openings.  

After completing an internship at Friendship, how have interns progressed in their careers?

Friendship is proud to have had a small animal rotating internship since 1984 that has grown throughout the years. We have had over 150 interns complete the program and go on to a variety of careers-- diverse paths such as specialty, general practice, emergency medicine, practice ownership, government and corporate services are all represented among our internship alumni!

Specialties represented by our intern alumni are as follows:

ABVP

Anatomic Pathology

Anesthesia
Behavior

Cardiology

Clinical Pathology

Dentistry

Emergency and Critical Care

Internal Medicine

Neurology

Nutrition

Oncology

Ophthalmology

Radiology

Shelter Medicine

Surgery

Zoo medicine

What veterinary schools do interns come from?

In recent years, Friendship’s applicants have come from every AVMA-accredited school in the United States and many from throughout the world. Friendship’s former interns represent 30 different AVMA accredited schools.

What are the Mission, Vision, Core Values and Service Standards of Friendship?

Our Mission:        

We are a leader in comprehensive animal healthcare that improves the wellbeing of our patients, clients, team members and community.

Our Vision:

To be the most medically progressive independent animal hospital in the country while adhering to our core values.

Our Core Values:

The Friendship Family:

• Commits every team member to a clear, shared vision of our future.
• Values personal and professional growth. Shares knowledge with the entire healthcare team.
• Sets and maintains high service and healthcare standards. Holds individuals accountable to those standards.
• Is committed to providing excellent care to our patients, our clients and each other twenty-four hours every day.
• Fosters an environment of loyalty, respect and equality. Recognizes and celebrates the diversity of our clients and our team.
• Is committed to open and honest communication.
• Cultivates a positive environent which is cooperative, supportive, productive, creative and fun.
• Is committed to community service and corporate social responsibility.
• Strives to be a national leader in the veterinary healthcare profession.

Our Service Standards:

In addition to practicing the highest quality, collaborative medicine for our patients, Friendship wants to live up to the highest of levels of service for our clients. In every interaction, Friendship strives to live up to those standards that our clients have come to expect. We have, therefore. set up the FHA CARES Service Standards to guide our decisions and ways in which we interact with our clients.  

FHA CARES:

Our clients expect us to be:

        Compassionate

        Attentive

        Respectful

        Expert

        Safe

Can I come for an in person visit before applications or ranks are due?

Absolutely! We would love to give you a tour of the facility and answer any questions you may have in person, though this is not required to be considered for ranking. Regardless of visit, all intern candidates that are selected for an interview are required to do so through our Skype format so that all candidates can be uniformly evaluated.

To set up a visit to the hospital, please use the link: https://fhainternvisit.youcanbook.me You can arrive at either 8am or 12noon and should expect to spend about 4 hours at the hospital.

We encourage externships as well. To set up an externship, you can use our externship website accessible through the friendship website.

Can I contact a member of the current intern class?

Yes! We encourage you to reach out to one or more of our current rotating interns to discuss the program. Though the program is reviewed annually and changes are made from year to year, the current intern class can give you a good idea about the workings of the program, learning opportunities, support provided and culture of the hospital. The current intern class can be contacted by emailing interns@friendshiphospital.com. This is likely the quickest way to get an answer, as the first intern available will respond.

We also held info sessions this year where students could log in to talk with our current interns. Those dates have passed. We also held webinars about the program held by the intern committee chair and COO. Those dates have also passed, howeve, we recorded one and the links are available below.

To access a video of the first Information webinar, please use the following link:

This was presented by Kieran Mara, Chief Operating Officer and Janine Calabro, DVM, DACVECC, Intern Committee Chair

friendshiphospital.com/internshipwebinar

If you are having trouble with the video, you can access the Slideshow here:

friendshiphospital.com/internshippresentation

What characteristics is Friendship looking for in an intern?

In addition to your complete VIRMP packet including personal statement, transcripts and letters of reccomendation, Friendship relies on our interview process to determine the right fit for our internship class. We are looking for individuals who are interested in collaborating, working hard, who will be able to integrate into our culture as a hospital. Friendship interns develop lifelong relationships with FHA team members. We always say “Once you are one of us, you are always one of us.” Therefore, we want applicants who will not only be great doctors, but also great team members.

Will Friendship reveal their rankings once finalized?

Once interviews are complete, the internship selection group will meet to discuss and finalize our ranking decisions. We will not disclose those rankings to applicants. This does not me you are not ranked highly (or even number 1). We will not ask you to disclose your rankings at any time.

Does the internship committee have any general advice for me?

When making ranking decisions, it is important to think about several things:

• What are your goals after your internship?

• Do the institutions you are ranking highly support your goals

• Where do you feel comfortable?

• You are spending a year working there. You want to feel comfortable, have strong mentorship, excellent exposure to cases, and good support.

Remember, no matter where you match, you get out of it what you put in! You have decided to take this year to invest in yourself. Make the most of it! Work hard. Establish methods to organize your time. Learn a lot. Find mentors. Have Fun! Relax.