Please note: all externship rotations are currently on hold through the end of March. We are unable to schedule students at this time. Thank you for your understanding and patience!

Internship Program

VCA Animal Specialty and Emergency Center accepts seven veterinarians to participate in our rotating internship program each year. VCA ASEC also accepts specialty interns in surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, and diagnostic imaging. Participation in the specialty internship program requires prior completion of a rotating internship. All of these internship positions are filled through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP).

Rotating interns’ time is divided between the surgery service, the ICU/critical care service, the internal medicine service, and emergency duty (primary receiving). Available on-site elective rotations include cardiology, diagnostic imaging, and oncology.

Interns are expected both to learn and to contribute knowledge. Rounds are held daily, covering our surgical, internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, radiology, ICU/critical care, and emergency patients. In addition, attendance and participation are mandatory in our grand rounds, journal review and morbidity/mortality rounds. A lecture series is presented throughout the year by senior clinicians, residents, and guest speakers. Interns are required to present one lecture to their peers and one lecture to the technical staff.

Our 10,000 square foot hospital has a high-tech, fully-staffed ICU with a 30-patient capacity. A full range of diagnostic equipment is in routine use, including: extensive in-house lab instrumentation, digital radiography and fluoroscopy, video-endoscopy, GE Logiq-7 4-D color-flow Doppler ultrasonography, GE Prospeed digital helical CT, echocardiography, blood pressure monitoring, and continuous ECG telemetry. Arthroscopy, laparoscopy, CO2 laser, and lithotripsy technology are available.

Interns who have completed our program have been successful in obtaining specialty internship and residency positions in a range of specialties (surgery, emergency/critical care, diagnostic imaging, anesthesiology, internal medicine, etc.).

In addition to salary, compensation includes eligibility for health insurance, a continuing education allowance, and 5 days of paid vacation.

We are located in West Los Angeles, a highly urbanized area with numerous cultural and recreational opportunities close by. We are fifteen minutes from beaches, UCLA, Beverly Hills, LAX international airport, and downtown Los Angeles. Within 2 hours drive, there are amusement parks, ski resorts, many more beaches, deserts, and mountains.

The successful applicant will be hard-working, self-motivated, intelligent, friendly, and enjoys working with others. Applications are through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP): www.virmp.org. Completion of an externship or a visit and personal interview (or phone interview) are strongly encouraged, but not mandatory. For further information, please feel free to contact our intern director, Dr. Nicole Spurlock, by email at nicole.spurlock@vca.com.

Please note: all externship rotations are currently on hold through the end of March. We are unable to schedule students at this time. Thank you for your understanding and patience!

Externship Program

VCA ASEC has offered an externship program to veterinary students across the country (and the globe) since 1990. Our program has grown to over 70 participants annually. We accept students enrolled in their junior and senior years of veterinary school for rotations of one to four weeks in length to fulfill private practice or elective curriculum requirements.

Our objective is to educate veterinary student externs while maintaining referral-caliber patient care, as well as referral-caliber communication and service to our clients and referring veterinarians. Boarded specialists, experienced emergency clinicians, residents, and interns are all involved in teaching visiting students. A senior clinician from each department is designated as a mentor to students assigned to that department. However, students are expected to be involved in cases with all clinicians from the assigned department.

VCA ASEC’s externship program is for you, if:

Please download the Extern Orientation Packet for detailed information regarding VCA ASEC’s externship program, including mentorship, expectations, and schedule. Externs are expected to attend daily case rounds, as well as any grand rounds, journal review, radiology rounds, and lectures that occur during their time with us.

Additional Information for Potential Externs

We do not require nor do we provide professional liability (malpractice) insurance, health insurance or worker’s compensation for externs. If an extern’s university mandates that insurance coverage be obtained, it is the responsibility of the extern to arrange such coverage. We are happy to provide a letter confirming your acceptance if this is required.

VCA ASEC does not charge visiting students for participation in our externship program, nor do we provide any compensation/payment to externs.

We are not able to provide or assist in arrangement of housing accommodations for visiting students. Many externs stay with relatives or acquaintances in the Los Angeles area. Other options include: the Claremont Hotel (310-208-5957), area hostels, or www.airbnb.com.

VCA ASEC accepts applications from students attending AVMA-accredited universities abroad. However, because the externship program is designed to provide university credit for the senior year curriculum, students of AVMA-accredited universities in the U.S. and Canada are given priority when scheduling rotations. At this time, we are not able to accept applications from students of non-accredited universities.

Questions? Please feel free to e-mail us at lavan.holmes@vca.com if you have questions that are not addressed online. Our educational program coordinator will reply to emails within 1-2 weeks.

1. Email your name, veterinary university, email contact, year of expected graduation, and the year of study at the time of intended externship to Jean.Reichle@vca.com.
2. Specify that the “Radiology and Imaging Department” as your preferred department.
3. Specify the number of weeks you would like to spend with the Radiology/Imaging Department. For Western University 4th year students, you must select one of the designated four week blocks. It is not possible to start in the middle of one block and finish in the middle of the subsequent block. This policy is enforced in order to maximize the number of students we are able to accommodate.
4. Select a preferred start date based on the schedule of available weeks. Only one student is scheduled with the Radiology/Imaging Department at once.
5. Provide alternative dates and enter any questions you may have.
6. Dr. Reichle will contact you via email within 1-2 weeks of receipt of your application.

1. Email your name, veterinary university, email contact, year of expected graduation, and the year of study at the time of intended externship to lavan.holmes@vca.com.
2. Specify which of the Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Surgery or Emergency & Critical Care departments are your preferred department. List those that are alternate choices. If you would like to split your time between two or more departments, please make a note of this.
3. Select a preferred start date based on the schedule of available weeks. A maximum of two students are scheduled with each department at once during a given week. For Western University 4th year students, you must select one of the designated four week blocks. It is not possible to start in the middle of one block and finish in the middle of the subsequent block. This policy is enforced in order to maximize the number of students we are able to accommodate.
4. Provide alternative dates and enter any questions you may have. The schedule posted on the website is updated approximately every month. It is possible, therefore, that a week that appears available on the posted schedule may have already been filled. It is helpful if you can provide alternate dates.
5. Our externship coordinator will contact you via email within 2 weeks of receipt of your application.

**Please do not sign up for an externship unless you are certain that you will attend. Last-minute cancellations prevent other students from having the opportunity of completing an externship here. Externs who sign up and fail to attend without advance notice of cancellation will not be eligible for internship consideration at VCA ASEC.