This is a combined advanced training program in both Emergency/Critical Care and Surgery. The goal is to train doctors to provide high quality emergency services, including emergency surgery. This is the kind of training we would like our emergency doctors to have, and the program makes the doctors extremely marketable for emergency jobs in high quality specialty and emergency centers. While this program is not primarily intended as a stepping stone to residency, the graduating intern has a strong skillset in surgery and perioperative patient care, and is well prepared for a residency.

The emergency service at OSVS is extremely busy, and much of the surgical caseload comes from the emergency service. The intern will spend approximately 40% of their time on emergency/critical care shifts, working under the supervision of criticalists, ECC residents, and experienced emergency doctors. They will spend approximately 50% of their time in surgery rotations with the board-certified surgeons and surgery residents. They will scrub in on surgeries, help with inpatients and appointments, and will be proficient enough in emergency surgery by mid-year to be on call for emergency surgeries. The remaining time will be spent rotating through the various other specialties in the hospital. The ER/SX specialty interns do as much primary surgery as most surgical interns in other programs, but have the added benefit of strengthening their emergency/critical care and perioperative patient management skills due to the significant time working with criticalists. For this reason, the program is also a reasonable choice for someone who is undecided about whether to pursue ECC residency or do emergency work in a specialty hospital.

The Facility:

Ocean State Veterinary Specialists is a 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 approximately 26,000sf, including three surgery suites with advanced equipment for both soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries including laparoscopy equipment. Diagnostic imaging equipment includes digital radiography and multiple high resolution ultrasound machine, a CT scanner, endoscopy, fluoroscopy, and full time, on-site MRI. The fully-equipped intensive care unit includes oxygen cages, mechanical ventilator, telemetric electrocardiography, defibrillator, pulse oximetry, etc. In house diagnostic equipment includes blood gas and electrolyte monitors, and CBC, chemistry and coagulation analyzers. Advanced therapeutics are available including transfusion products, parenteral nutrition, and radioactive iodine therapy.

The Staff:

The staff includes specialists in internal medicine, surgery, radiology, oncology, neurology, emergency/critical care, cardiology, ophthalmology, and avian/exotic medicine. There are four criticalists, and approximately twenty internship trained and experienced emergency doctors, who are a vital source of support for the interns, especially on nights and weekends. There are well established residency programs in both Emergency/Critical Care and Surgery.

The support staff includes highly trained technicians, many of whom are certified, and several of whom have specialty certification. The ICU technicians are capable of placing central catheters, performing advanced patient monitoring, trouble-shooting ventilator cases, etc.

This is an exceptional team of people who truly care about their patients and each other. It is common for our interns to choose to stay on as emergency doctors because they appreciate the culture and the continuous learning opportunities.

Images of the hospital can be seen at our website www.osvs.net. 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. Providence is only minutes away and boasts outstanding restaurants, theater, and other cultural activities. Boston is an hour away as well. Many of our previous interns have come here for the internship, but then put down roots in Rhode island due to all the state has to offer. We are very proud that a large portion of the ER and specialty doctor staff have been with us for their entire professional careers. If you have questions about the hospital or position, reach out directly to Dr. Justine Johnson: jjohnson@osvs.net. 

All applicants must be eligible for a license to practice in the United States. Graduates of veterinary schools not approved by the AVMA must have completed the ECFVG process or similar, prior to application to the program. We are unable to allow any participants in an internship or residency without a license to practice.

About Ocean State Veterinary Specialists

United Veterinary Care is a fast growing, national group of primary care, emergency, and specialty veterinary practices united by a passion for culture, communication, collaboration, and teamwork. However, we’re not just another practice management company. We are the veterinary industry assimilator. Our goal is to change what is happening within the veterinary profession due to the rapid rate of corporate consolidation by providing our peers and partners with an alternative to the downside of corporate medicine. Our goal is to Empower, Support, and Unite all of our hospitals with support, training, and technology to elevate their businesses, retain their team members, and strengthen their unique brands to consistently deliver a superior client experience

Connections working at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists