Thank you for your interest in the veterinary student assistant program for the summer of 2024.

We welcome applications from highly motivated veterinary students with a strong interest in equine surgery, emergency and critical care, and internal medicine. As a veterinary student ICU assistant, you will work under the direct supervision of ICU technicians and doctors caring for hospitalized patients. Our hospital caseload is varied and consists of a combination of medical and surgical emergency patients and elective cases, as well as mares housed for reproductive management.

Date:

Mid-May to mid-August 2022

For the first 2 weeks you will be in ICU to work under the direct supervision of ICU technicians during one of three shifts: 7 AM to 3 PM, 3 PM to 11 PM or 11 PM to 7 AM. Scheduling of ICU shifts will be handled by the Head ICU Technician. Treatments for ICU and other patients are scheduled every 3 hours at 12’s, 3’s, 6’s and 9’s. You will be responsible for assisting ICU technicians and doctors with treatments, as well as cleaning and proper disinfection of ICU, elective and isolation stalls.

Overnight and weekend emergency cases are seen by Dr. Shannon Murray, DVM, MS, DACVS. You will assist with after-hours emergencies and perform other tasks related to the care of patients and the facility as directed by the Head ICU Technician who will oversee and sign off on a skills checklist for each ICU Veterinary Assistant.

After 2 weeks, you will have the option of experiencing daily activities 1 day per week in other departments such as surgery (with 3 boarded surgeons), internal medicine (with 1 boarded internist), theriogenology (with 1 reproductive veterinarian) and field practice (with 14 ambulatory practitioners). During this time, your primary responsibility will remain assisting in the ICU 4 days per week.

You will be exposed to a number of different appointments during your field service days that will involve your assistance with: lameness exams, dentistry, diagnostic procedures, preventative care, emergencies, reproduction and integrative therapy. You may observe and help with MRIs or nuclear scintigraphy during surgery or field days as well.

Non-emergency surgeries are scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Dr. Jackie Hill, DVM, DACVS-LA. On your surgery days you may be asked to assist with induction, sterile
preparation, surgery assistance, and recovery under the supervision of technicians. If you have a strong interest in anesthesia you will have an opportunity to assist with anesthesia on surgery days. 

Internal medicine cases are seen in the clinic four days per week and in the field one day per week by Dr. Melissa Fenn, DVM, MS, DACVIM. You will observe work-ups of medicine cases and diagnostic procedures including ultrasound and endoscopy. Daytime emergency cases are seen by Drs. Hill and Fenn; you may be asked to assist with these cases.

You will be required to attend the Monday Morning Doctors’ Meeting from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM each Monday. This meeting includes a lecture on a topic relevant to equine practice as well as case discussions. In addition, you are encouraged to attend Journal Club each Tuesday at 7:30 AM followed by stall-side rounds on all hospitalized patients at 8:00 AM. At the end of the summer, you will be asked to give a 10-15-minute presentation during the Monday Morning Doctors’ Meeting on a case or procedure that you observed and found interesting. Depending on your interests (surgery, emergency and critical care, or internal medicine) you will choose a mentor who will oversee your Veterinary Student Assistant Program, and provide you with feedback during the summer.

For the duration of your employment, you will be responsible for working a minimum of 5 days and 40 hours per week according to a schedule provided for you, with some overtime if needed. You will have 2 days off per week.

Qualifications: Enrollment in veterinary school, veterinary technology school or pre-veterinary students and successful completion of at least 1 year of the veterinary curriculum. Demonstrated interest in equine practice. Horse handling and restraint experience in a veterinary setting. While performing the duties of this job, the veterinary student assistant may have to stand for long periods of time, jog horses in-hand, restrain horses for difficult procedures, and may be required to lift 50-70 lbs.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, CV, transcript and 2 letters of reference by March 15, 2024 to summer.internship@littletonequine.com with ICU Vet Student Assistant Program in the subject line or apply through the following link: https://www.ICU-Intern-Asst-Program

Date:

Mid-May to mid-August 2022

About Littleton Equine Medical Center

We are a full-service equine specialty referral center in Littleton, Colorado. We take great pride in having an exceptional national reputation for providing excellent care for our patients and their owners. Our practice was founded nearly 70 years ago, on the principles of passion, compassion, and professionalism. We strive to provide our patients with the best possible care within hospital and ambulatory services sports medicine; surgery, imaging (including MRI), wellness, internal medicine, integrative medicine, reproduction services and on-site laboratory.

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