College of Veterinary Medicine

Small Animal Internal Medicine Residency Program

Objectives and Goals

This American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) residency program has been designed to provide in-depth training in small animal internal medicine and related basic and applied sciences. The program has been developed to provide the resident with a comprehensive knowledge base of internal medical conditions of small animals. Our program strives to prepare medicine residents for active careers in academia or specialty practice; however, our caseload provides excellent and broad medical experience over the three year residency allowing ventures in to other careers in the health-related professions. The overall goals of the program are:

• To become familiar with internal medical diseases afflicting dogs and cats and to be able to logically correlate clinical data in order to formulate correct treatment plans.
• To provide a firm understanding of the underlying pathophysiological basis of disease.
• To master the art and science of complete patient care and to appreciate the economic and emotional factors involved in the health care of small animals. To appreciate the importance of the human animal bond and the role of animals in clients’ lives.
• To develop the art of interpersonal communications for proper colleague and client relationships.
• To allow the resident an opportunity to develop teaching skills as they as they participate in the educational training of veterinary students.
• To allow the resident to complete a research project, to draft the results in a manuscript suitable for publication, and to present the research finding to the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine and at a national meeting.
• To provide the resident instruction and guidance in experimental design, grant preparation, manuscript writing, and submission for publication in referred journals.

Faculty in Direction Support of the Program

• Colin F. Burrows, BVet Med. PhD, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine), Professor and Department Chairman. Clinical interests are focused on small animal gastroenterology. Research interests include canine nutrition, gastrointestinal motility in health and disease, and the effect of diet on pancreatic disease.
• Kirsten Cooke, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine) Clinical Assistant Professor. Clinical interests include critical care, cardiology, and oncology.
• Richard C. Hill, MA, VetMB, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine), Diplomate ACVN, Associate Professor. Research areas of interest include nutritional influences on disease manifestation, nutrition of racing greyhounds, and evaluation of colonic physiology and pancreatic disease.
• Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine), Professor. Areas of interest are focused on feline infectious disease, neonatal cat health, and pet over population problems.
• Michael Schaer, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine), Diplomate ACVECC, Professor and Service Chief. Special clinical interests are in endocrinology and critical care.
• Andrew Specht, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine). Clinical Instructor. Clinical interest in hematological & immune-mediated diseases.
• Amy Stone, DVM, PhD. Lecturer. Areas of specialized interest include well-care and preventative medical education.
• Carsten Bandt, DVM, Clinical Assistant Professor. Areas of interest include emergency medicine, critical care, and hemodialysis.
  

Specialty Faculty in Support of the Program (Interest Area)

• Dr. Cheryl Chrisman (Neurology)
  
• Dr. Tom Schubert (Neurology)
  
• Dr. Amara Estrada (Cardiology)
  
• Dr. Robert Prosek (Cardiology)
  
• Dr. Herb Maisenbacher (Cardiology)
  
• Dr. David Lurie (Oncology)
  
• Dr. Rowan Milner (Oncology)
  
• Dr. Roger Easley (Clinical Pathology)
  
• Dr. John Harvey (Clinical Pathology)
  
• Dr. Rick Alleman (Clinical Pathology)
  
• De. Heather Wamsley (Clinical Pathology)
  
• Dr. William Castleman (Gross Pathology)
  
• Dr. Pamela Ginn (Gross Pathology)
  
• Dr. Barbara Sheppard (Gross Pathology)
  
• Dr. John Roberts (Gross Pathology)
  
• Dr. Lisa Farina (Gross Pathology)
  
• Dr. David Taylor (Gross Pathology)
  
• Dr. Scott Terrell (Gross Pathology)
  
• Dr. Matt Winters (Radiology)
  
• Dr. Rosanna Marsella (Dermatology)
  
• Dr. Gail Kunkle (Dermatology)
  
• Dr. Dana Liska (Dermatology)
  
• Dr. Gary Ellison (Surgery)
  
• Dr. Dan Lewis (Surgery)
  
• Dr. Jim Farese (Surgery)
  
• Dr. Anthony Pozzi (Surgery)
  
• Dr. Nick Bacon (Surgery)
  
• Dr. Dennis Brooks (Ophthalmology)
  
• Dr. Kathy Barrie (Ophthalmology)
  
• Dr. Caryn Plummer (Ophthalmology)
  
• Dr. Sheilah Robertson (Anesthesia)
  
• Dr. Luisito Pablo (Anesthesia)
  
• Dr. Shauna Cantwell (Anesthesia)
  
• Dr. James Bailey (Anesthesia)
  
• Dr. Shauna Cantwell (Anesthesia)
  
• Dr. Andre Shih (Anesthesia)
  
• Dr. Louis Archbald (Theriogenology)
  
• Dr. Margo MacPherson (Theriogenology)
  
• Karine Onclin (Theriogenology)
  
• John Verstegan (Theriogenology)
  
• Dr. Michael Schaer (Critical Care)
  
• Dr. Richard Hill (Nutrition)

Historical Background

The Small Animal Internal Medicine Residency program at the University of Florida has been in existence since 1978.

Program Description

The Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences offers a 3-year residency program in small animal internal medicine to prepare talented veterinarians for a career in academic veterinary medicine specialty practice or industry. Emphasis is placed on clinical medicine, teaching, and clinical research in preparation for boards.

Clinical Medicine

The Small Animal Medicine referral service operates a two-team system with a faculty member and resident on each team. An intern may also be assigned to one or both teams. Teams see cases every other day with workups, consultations, and teaching on the non-receiving days. We have a separate outpatient medicine service providing well-care, so referral cases make up a majority of the internal medicine caseload. Emergency cases are seen by the triage service, which is staffed by interns and supervised by the internal medicine clinicians on the non-receiving days. After-hours emergency care (UFVMC patients and emergency referral cases) is shared by 10-15 house officers. Internal Medicine residents participate in this emergency roster during the first 2 years. During their second and third years, the internal medicine residents also provide a back-up medical consultation service for the emergency clinicians.

Residents spend the majority of their residency on the internal medicine service. Additional required rotations include cardiology, neurology, oncology, nutrition, radiology and clinical pathology. Elective rotations may be chosen from other services within the hospital (ophthalmology, dermatology, pathology, zoological medicine) or out rotations at referral hospitals, other colleges, or human hospitals.

Organized rounds and seminars in support of the residency training program include daily student rounds, daily house officer rounds, bi-weekly cardiology rounds, bi-weekly small animal medicine journal club, bi-weekly Clinicians Problem Conference, weekly Medicine Seminar, weekly Resident Seminar, and a multitude of other seminars and rounds presented by other departments and at the Shands Medical Center nearby. In addition, each resident is expected to attend and participate in the weekly resident seminar series and to present one seminar per year.

The University of Florida Veterinary Medical Center houses state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment including endoscopy, laparoscopy, ultrasonography, CT, MRI, nuclear scintigraphy, and fluoroscopy. Unique strengths in therapy at the UFVMC include invasive cardiology, nuclear medicine, stereotactic radiation therapy, and feline kidney transplantation. Well trained animal nurses function around the clock to provide excellent patient care in the intensive care unit. The University of Florida Shands Medical Center is located a short walk from the UFVMC, and provides a rich resource of collaborative and research opportunities. The Small Animal Internal Medicine Service is staffed by faculty with diverse interests including oncology, gastroenterology, nutrition, endocrinology, critical care, feline medicine, hematology, and infectious diseases.

Teaching

Teaching skills are developed in the clinic, in lectures prepared for the Resident’s Seminar Series, in didactic lectures given to veterinary students, and in student laboratories. The resident seminar series is presented weekly and is designed to provide residents an opportunity to review and to present scientific material. Each resident will present one seminar yearly. The topic must be chosen at least 3 months in advance to allow ample time to prepare for this seminar.

Additional organized rounds and seminars in support of the resident clinical and teaching programs include daily Small Animal Medicine Rounds, daily House Officer Rounds, biweekly Small Animal Medicine Journal Club, weekly Medicine Seminars, and biweekly Cardiology Rounds. The menu of rounds and seminars is tailored to assist residents in literature review and board preparation and to expose them to a broad range of clinical and academic experiences. Residents are also encouraged to attend medical grand rounds at the nearby College of Medicine (Shands Medical Center) as time permits.

Research

All residents at the University of Florida are required to complete a research project in the biological sciences. The form of such projects is highly variable and may include retrospective clinical studies. All projects involve a literature search, with subsequent development of a hypothesis and appropriate methodology to address the specific aims. A manuscript on the project, suitable for publication, must be prepared and submitted to the medicine faculty in order to complete the residency program satisfactorily. Residents also present their projects with results and conclusions to the faculty and at a national meeting. Intramural funding (up to $2,000) is available on a competitive basis in the fall of each year for these residency research projects. Medicine residents compete for these funds by researching literature and writing a proposal. These grant proposals are evaluated and ranked by the College Research Committee.

Projects must obviously be realistic in terms of achievable goals and financial feasibility. Good planning done well in advance, is clearly critical. The project is intended to be an entry into the world of scientific investigation and is believed to lead to better trained residents who are equipped to make significant contributions to veterinary medicine.

A second manuscript is also required, but this may take the form of a review article, case report, or other format not requiring traditional research.

Library

A wide selection of current journals is available in the Reading Room of the Veterinary Medical Center. The main Health Science Library is located in the Health Science Center within the College of Medicine; roughly a 10-minute walk from the College of Veterinary Medicine. Each resident is required to be familiar with pertinent articles in the current literature

Resident Selection Procedure

First-year residents are virtually always recruited from high-quality internship programs. In rare exceptions, residents have been recruited following exceptional experience in practice without a formal internship. A DVM degree or its equivalent is a prerequisite. Small animal medicine faculty and residents evaluate applications, and final selection of the resident is made through the Veterinary Intern-Resident Matching program. Selection is based on:

• The individual’s curriculum vitae, including college transcripts.
• A letter of intent containing the applicant’s statement of interest and goals.
• Reference letters from a minimum of three people.
• 4. The quality of the internship and other prior veterinary experience.
• An optional interview. Candidates interested in interviewing with the faculty and visiting our hospital should contact Dr. Julie Levy, 352-392-2226 ext 5717, Fax 352-392-6125, levyj@vetmed.ufl.edu. Because we appreciate the high costs involved in interviewing, this is not required or expected of candidates. However, we welcome anyone wishing to spend time with us to meet the faculty and residents and to see the facilities. Interviews should be scheduled for December 14, 2007 or January 11, 2008.

Employment and Benefits

The starting stipend for residents is currently $25,250. Residents will receive medical insurance for themselves. Family insurance is available for an additional fee paid for by the resident. The College of Veterinary Medicine will provide Professional Liability Insurance (malpractice insurance coverage).

Residents accrue annual leave at the rate of 15 work days for each full year of employment. Annual leave may only be granted for the amount of time accrued but may be taken as earned. Leave must be taken in the year in which it was earned; unused leave does not “roll over” to the next year. Residents will not be paid for any unused leave at the time of their termination or completion of their program. Schedules for vacations should be established at times arranged by the Program Coordinator. Vacation time is to be taken when the resident is not scheduled to be on clinic or emergency duty. Requests must be made on the standard University Leave Form well in advance, and must be signed by the Small Animal Medicine Service Chief and the Chair of the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. Except in unusual circumstances, approval will not be granted for annual leave during the final 3 weeks of the residency.

The Veterinary Medical Center provides an academic development fund for each resident. These monies may be used to purchase journal subscriptions, to pay dues for annual veterinary society memberships, or to help defray the cost of attending national veterinary meetings such as the ACVIM.