Equine Residency

Overview

The Royal Veterinary College offers several residencies that are world-renowned training programs for veterinary specialisation.

These residencies are open to qualified veterinary graduates with appropriate experience (typically a one year rotating internship and/or a period of time in first opinion equine practice) who wish to specialise in specific disciplines related to equine practice.  Residencies in equine medicine, equine surgery and large animal diagnostic imaging are three-year programmes approved by the relevant specialist college from the European or American Board of Veterinary Specialisation, during which you will also be registered for the degree of Master in Veterinary Medicine (MVetMed), which you will complete during the residency. You will progress through a structured training programme consisting of specialist clinical training based at the RVC’s Equine Referral Hospital, and academic, scholarly and applied clinical research training structured through the MVetMed degree based at the RVC’s Hawkshead Campus.

Two surgery, two medicine and one or two large animal diagnostic imaging residents are completing their training in the hospital at any given time so positions are not available every year. Available positions start during the first week of July each year and can be found under residencies available.

All programmes are three-year training programmes that are approved by the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Surgery, the European College of Equine Internal Medicine, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Large Animals) and, for diagnostic imaging, the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging. The programmes are designed to enable residents to fulfil the credential requirements of the respective specialist college so that the resident is eligible to sit that colleges' diploma examination at the end of the training period and be recognised as a veterinary specialist.

Residents are supported by a team of ten European/American and RCVS recognised specialists in the Equine Referral Hospital (five surgery specialists, four medicine specialists and one large animal diagnostic imaging specialist). There is also extensive specialist support in related disciplines at the RVC including anaesthesia, ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiology and gross and clinical pathology. Residents rotate through clinical services relevant to their chosen area of study, training rotations in related subjects and through research training blocks. Residents work under supervision throughout and are given increasing responsibility as they gain experience during the programme.

Residents work as an integral part of RVC Equine's clinical teams and are intimately involved with the Hospital’s clinical, teaching and clinical research activities. Career routes of equine residents after completion of the programmes include specialist clinical work in private practice, specialist clinical work in university teaching hospitals and further research training (PhD) to become a clinical scientist.