24 month internship - Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons - Suffolk

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Our rotating 24-month Internship Scheme was developed to allow intensive training in four vital areas of equine practice. There are three positions available each year, starting in January, May and September. The progressive programme is split into six, four-month rotations, as follows:

1. Anaesthesia

During the first four months the new intern learns anaesthesia, with specialist training from our ECVS boarded consultant anaesthetist Claudia Gittel MRCVS. During this time, you will also be supported by our Diploma holders in Surgery and Medicine.

2. Inpatient Care

During the second four months you will be involved in inpatient care, working closely with the senior hospital interns, with supervision from our Surgery and Medicine Diplomates.

3. Diagnostic Imaging

During the third four months you will be based at the Diagnostic Centre, supervised by Vanessa Peter MRCVS, who is head of diagnostic imaging. The primary role will involve radiography and scintigraphy, with the opportunity to follow cases through 3D diagnostic imaging (CT and MRI) when time allows.

4.    Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine

During the fourth rotation (also at the Diagnostic Centre) you will assist with orthopaedic, lameness and poor performance investigations. This stage is supervised by our Sports Medicine Diplomates, Sarah Boys Smith MRCVS and Mariana Castro Martins MRCVS.

5 & 6.    Senior Interns

During the final eight months, the senior interns will oversee patient care within the Hospital and Diagnostic Centre and act as an advisor to the more junior interns. Senior interns will also provide holiday and absence cover of the intern team throughout the site. They will usually take responsibility for initial assessment of emergency admissions, and will liaise closely with our clients and referring veterinarians.

Interns will gain invaluable experience and knowledge throughout the programme by working closely with our team of specialists. The rounded training that this offers equips interns with a valuable skillset suitable for most aspects of modern equine practice.
It also provides a solid foundation upon which to further their career, be that in ambulatory practice, or in pursuit of specialist training and qualification.

On occasion, there may be the opportunity to join one of our ambulatory practice teams at the end of the internship. Such vacancies typically include stud medicine, racing work or first opinion ambulatory practice. Senior interns will have the chance to see practice with these teams, to gain an insight into the different areas of our practice.

Our internships are advertised on our website once a year (normally in January/February). Following an interview process, we appoint three interns: one for May, one for September and one for the following January.

A new intern joins our hospital team every 4 months. Although prior experience in equine practice is an advantage, exceptional new graduates will be considered. During each stage, the incoming interns are trained by both their senior intern colleagues, and the supervising specialists. Every four months the interns will progress through to the next stage of the programme, as detailed above.

‘Out of hours’ duties for emergency admissions, anaesthesia and inpatient care are shared equally by all interns on a 1 in 3 rota. There are normally two interns on call, where a more senior intern is paired with a junior intern. When ‘on call’ the senior intern carries a ‘duty phone’, which must be answered at all times. Interns do not take external calls for referrals or advice – these are dealt with by the clinical director on call.

Our interns are expected to work hard during their time at our practice and have a large ‘out-of-hours’ commitment, particularly in terms of receiving and working up emergency cases (mostly colic cases and trauma injuries) prior to medical or surgical management.
The ‘on call’ interns must remain within the hospital site at all times. If one intern has been up throughout the night, the other interns cover his/her next morning duties to allow an adequate rest period. The interns also cover each other’s work during holiday periods.

Interns are allocated 33 days of holiday (inclusive of bank holidays), which should be taken at times convenient to other team members. In addition to this, three days funded ‘CPD’ is allowed each year. The salary for this position for the 2025-26 year is £33,339 per annum. Shared furnished accommodation within the hospital site is also provided. All utility bills relating to accommodation will be paid. All of our accommodation has a strict “NO PETS” rule, imposed by our landlord, which is not negotiable.

After an initial three-month probation period, the intern is expected to remain for the entire period of the 24-month employment term, the agreement applying to both employee and employers.

About the practice

Rossdales is the largest exclusively equine practice in Europe, with 60 veterinary surgeons and more than 120 support staff, across four locations. Our Equine Hospital and Diagnostic Centre are located in Exning, two miles outside of the racing town of Newmarket.
In addition to the hospital, we have a practice in the centre of Newmarket, which is the location of our equine clinical pathology laboratory and also the base for our specialist racing, stud and ambulatory teams who provide services for clients in the surrounding area. We also have two ambulatory branch practices, one located in Hertfordshire and one in Lambourn.

Our practice is made up of a diverse, supportive and passionate team of professionals, which allows us to provide the highest standard of care to our patients. We are proud to have the use of the latest cutting-edge facilities and equipment to service our work.

Although the original primary focus of the practice was the racing industry, as Rossdales has evolved over the years, our client base has developed to include a large proportion of sport and pleasure horse owners. Our referral practice has also expanded to the extent that almost 70% of our referred medical and surgical, and laboratory samples, now come from veterinary practices throughout the UK and other EU countries.

How to apply

If you wish to apply for an intern position, please send your full curriculum vitae with a recent photograph and with contact details of two referees as soon as possible to Kelly Pugsley, HR administrator, Rossdales Equine Hospital, Cotton End Road, Exning, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7NN. Alternatively email your application to kelly.pugsley@rossdales.com. The closing date for applications is Monday 24 February 2025.

All applicants will receive a reply as soon as we have selected a short list. Short-listed applicants will be interviewed as soon as possible thereafter, with a view to the successful candidates starting work in September 2025, and January and May 2026. If you have a preference for start date, please indicate this clearly.

We look forward to hearing from you.