European College of Equine Internal Medicine

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Utrecht University Equine Neonatology Externship for ECEIM/ACVIM-LA Residents

Introduction

Utrecht University Equine Hospital is a large and busy referral hospital in the Netherlands, providing state of the art care for horses and donkeys. The division of Equine Internal Medicine currently consists of ten ECEIM diplomats and two residents. Every year during foal season a special Equine Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is set up to provide intensive care treatment for critically ill foals. The unit is staffed by European board certified ECEIM specialists and technicians. Specially trained foal nurses (veterinary students) watch the foals 24/7 and provide round-the-clock care for the sick foals.

Externship

Utrecht University Equine Hospital provides ECEIM and ACVIM residents with the opportunity of a one-month externship in the NICU to develop and expand their clinical and diagnostic skills in equine neonatology. Each externship starts on the 1st day of the month.

For the 2024 foal season, we have openings for:

  • 1 - 31 March 2024
  • 1 - 30 April 2024
  • 1 - 31 May 2024
  • 1 - 30 June 2024

Set up & responsibilities

During the externship the visiting residents will have primary responsibility for all (medicine) foal cases in the hospital, including the critically ill foals treated in the NICU. The resident is expected to draft diagnostic and treatment plans for all cases under his/her watch, all under direct supervision of one of the diplomates. Client communication is handled by the supervising diplomate. The main responsibilities are during opening hours of the hospital, but residents are welcome to also participate in the out-of-hours service when new foal cases are admitted to the hospital. If time allows, the resident is also allowed to participate in the work-up of other medicine cases. We have a large and diverse caseload covering all aspects of equine internal medicine.

Requirements

All applicants should be in an official ECEIM or ACVIM-LA residency program (preferably in their 2nd or 3rdyear). Furthermore, applicants should make sure they are eligible to work in the EU (Schengen zone).

Practical issues

Residents are expected to sign a hospitality agreement prior to the start of the externship. This allows the resident to perform practical procedures and ensures that he/she is insured for liability through Utrecht University. Residents are responsible for organizing their own travel, housing and transportation. Upon acceptance, the resident will be provided with some suggestions for housing (please realize this can be costly and hard to arrange in Utrecht). Depending on the location where the resident is staying, transportation will be needed. A car is most practical, but traveling from the city to the university is also possible by bike or public transport (not running between 1 - 6 AM).

Application

Interested residents are encouraged to send an email including a short CV to Mathijs Theelen (m.j.p.theelen@uu.nl) and Esther Siegers (e.w.siegers@uu.nl), deadline for submission is November 1st 2024.