Disclaimer: The information contained on this web site is meant to be used as a general guide for the services Ocean State Veterinary Specialists.
Ocean State Veterinary Specialists reserves the right to change services,staff and information represented on this web site without notice.  In
case of an emergency involving your pet, consult a veterinary professional for recommendations specific to your pet’s condition immediately.

Internship Program


Description of Program

Ocean State Veterinary Specialists (OSVS) is a large and busy 24 hour hospital providing emergency and specialty
referral services to the state of Rhode Island, as well as parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The hospital is a
17,000 sq. ft. facility with state-of-the-art  diagnostic equipment including digital radiography, CT, on-site MRI,
laparoscopy, endoscopy, ultrasound and a fully equipped in-house laboratory. The intensive care unit is staffed
with very capable technicians and includes oxygen cages, a mechanical ventilator, 4-patient telemetric EKG, and
other monitoring equipment. Advanced therapeutics are available, including transfusion products, parenteral
nutrition, and peritoneal dialysis. The staff includes specialists in internal medicine, surgery, emergency/critical
care, radiology, ophthalmology, oncology, and avian/exotics, as well as a group of very experienced emergency
doctors.

The 12 ½ month internship has an emphasis on emergency and critical care medicine. The intern will spend
approximately ½ of his/her time on emergency shifts. During these shifts, the intern will have access to specialists
for consultation. Extensive daily case rounds ensure that the intern has the opportunity to learn from each case
he/she sees as well as cases being managed by other doctors. The intern will also spend 1/6 of their time on surgery
rotations, 1/6 on internal medicine rotations, and 1/6 on elective rotations to include ophthalmology, radiology and
oncology. In addition to case rounds, there are weekly didactic rounds for the interns presented by the various
specialists. The intern is expected to participate in the teaching of visiting student externs, and also to present
two lectures to the technicians. The internship is designed to expose the participant to the various specialties,
allowing the intern to develop a special interest to pursue a residency, but also providing a broad education in
high quality medicine and surgery which will be valuable in any future practice.

East Greenwich is in the middle of the state of Rhode Island on the west shore of Narragansett Bay. It is close to
scenic Newport and coastal beaches, and approximately one hour from Boston. Fourth year veterinary students
or graduated veterinarians can apply through the matching program offered by the Veterinary Internship and
Residency Matching Program (VIRMP). Graduates of foreign veterinary schools not accredited by the AVMA must
fulfill the requirements for foreign graduates as described on the AVMA website (www.avma.org), which include
completion of a year of study at a veterinary school in the US, and passing the required exams to be eligible for a
Rhode Island state license. For more information , visit the VIRMP website www.virmp.org or contact Dr. Justine
Johnson at OSVS or by email at jajicu@aol.com.