Internships & Residencies

The Equine Clinical Studies Internship at the UCD Veterinary Hospital is a one-year, rotating internship providing broad clinical training in a busy referral equine hospital. The programme is designed to support the development of core clinical skills, professional confidence, and clinical reasoning within an academic, multidisciplinary environment.

UCD Veterinary Hospital serves as a referral equine hospital, with a diverse caseload that includes medical and surgical disorders across all major body systems, lameness and poor performance investigations, and advanced dental and reproductive cases. Interns rotate through Equine Surgery and Equine Medicine & Reproduction services and gain hands-on experience in diagnostics, patient care, anaesthesia, surgery, reproduction, and emergency medicine, working closely with clinicians, residents, and nursing staff.

Interns are integral members of the clinical team and contribute to undergraduate teaching through case supervision, discussion, and support of students on clinical rotation. Participation in hospital rounds, journal clubs, and seminars is expected, and interns may present a seminar during the year, which may be developed into a scientific output where appropriate.

This internship is well-suited to graduates seeking structured exposure to referral equine practice, those considering residency training, or those wishing to consolidate clinical skills in a university teaching hospital. Positions are offered for a one-year duration with staggered start dates and are advertised through UCD channels.

Further information regarding the Equine Clinical Studies internships can be found here: UCDVH Equine Internships

The UCD Veterinary Hospital offers a unique Internship in Farm Animal Clinical Studies (FACS). This is a primarily hospital-based internship where the intern works under the guidance of senior clinicians, either European Specialists in Bovine Health Management (ECBHM Diplomates) or European Specialists in Animal Reproduction (ECAR).

The intern is facilitated to attend a herd health visit every two weeks, as well as contributing to the work of the Herd Health Team as often as possible. Interns work in a team environment together with clinicians and ECBHM and ECAR Residents delivering a cutting-edge referral service for farm animal veterinary practitioners throughout the Island of Ireland.

The Farm Animal Hospital operates 365 days of the year, including the provision of an on-call service in which the intern partakes on a shared rota with the equine interns. Interns in FACS are exposed to and perform surgery and in-depth medical work-ups, diagnostics and treatment of dairy and beef cattle, calves, sheep, goats, alpacas and pigs. Concurrently, the intern contributes to final year veterinary medicine and nursing student teaching.

The intern in FACS combined rota with equine interns necessitates the management of equine surgical and medical cases overnight and at weekends in the hospital. All diagnostic, surgical, anaesthetic, post-mortem and medical treatment facilities are contained within a shared building space which makes this an excellent learning and development environment under the mentoring of a dedicated, hard-working, enthusiastic and passionate team of friendly and empathetic colleagues.

An internship programme offers an excellent opportunity for any veterinary surgeon, in particular recent graduates, to gain further training in veterinary medicine and enhance their knowledge and clinical skills.

The UCD Veterinary Hospital offers both rotating and discipline specific internship programmes:

• Anaesthesia
• Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care
• Small Animal Internal Medicine
• Small Animal Rotating Internship
• Small Animal Surgery

Further information regarding our Small Animal Internships can be found in the following document:

Small Animal Internships

The Small Animal Surgical Residency at University College Dublin is a four-year ECVS-approved training programme designed to provide advanced clinical training in small animal surgery, while also supporting academic and professional development. The aims of the residency are to prepare the resident for the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Surgery (DECVS), to complete a postgraduate professional doctorate (Doctor of Veterinary Medical Specialisation – DVMS), to gain substantial experience in clinical research, and to develop strong teaching and communication skills.

Residents must enrol in the DVMS programme, which includes a formal Stage Transfer Assessment at approximately 18 months. The training requires a commitment of at least 36 weeks per year to clinical work, with the remaining 12 weeks (excluding holidays) devoted to research, publications, externships, conferences, and taught modules. Successful completion of the programme requires participation in relevant research projects, with the expectation of producing at least two publications in peer-reviewed journals and submission of a doctoral thesis.

Applicants must hold a veterinary degree registrable with the Veterinary Council of Ireland and demonstrate a clear commitment to specialist surgical training and academic research. In line with ECVS requirements, candidates should have completed either a one-year rotating internship or a minimum of two years in a high-quality small animal practice.

Day-to-day responsibilities for UCD residents are varied and include communication with clients and referring veterinarians, the development of surgical and clinical skills required for board certification, and regular participation in out-of-hours duties. Residents are expected to teach veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing students during clinical rotations, support interns and nursing staff, and take an active role in rounds, journal clubs, seminars, and taught postgraduate modules. They are also required to maintain detailed case, procedure, and activity logs in accordance with ECVS and DVMS standards.

Residency positions, when available, are advertised through the ECVS and UCD websites. Applicants must ensure their eligibility for registration with the Veterinary Council of Ireland before applying.

The Large Animal Surgery Residency at the UCD Veterinary Hospital is a four-year, ECVS-standard training programme designed to deliver advanced clinical training in equine and large-animal surgery while supporting academic, research, and professional development. The residency is structured to prepare the resident for the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Surgery (DECVS) and to complete a postgraduate professional doctorate (Doctor of Veterinary Medical Specialisation - DVMS), while gaining substantial experience in clinical research, teaching, and scholarly activity.

The UCD Veterinary Hospital functions as a busy referral equine hospital, with horses comprising the principal species treated, alongside farm animals and occasional exotic species. The caseload includes a broad spectrum of surgical and medical conditions, lameness and poor performance investigations, and advanced dental and reproductive cases. Surgical exposure includes soft tissue surgery, fracture repair, arthroscopy, laparoscopy, and comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Clinical training is delivered in a highly multidisciplinary environment, with close collaboration among surgery, internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, anaesthesia, dentistry, reproduction, and pathology.

Residents must enrol in the DVMS programme, which includes a formal Stage Transfer Assessment at approximately 18 months. Training requires a minimum commitment of 36 weeks per year to supervised clinical activity, with the remaining 12 weeks (excluding annual leave) allocated to research, preparation of peer-reviewed publications, externships, conference attendance, and taught postgraduate modules. Successful completion of the programme requires active participation in clinical research, with the expectation of producing at least two peer-reviewed publications and submission of a doctoral thesis.

Applicants must hold a veterinary degree that is registrable with the Veterinary Council of Ireland and demonstrate a strong commitment to specialist training in large animal surgery and academic development. In accordance with ECVS requirements, applicants should have completed either a one-year rotating internship or a minimum of two years’ experience in a high-quality large animal or equine practice.

Day-to-day responsibilities include communicating with clients and referring veterinarians, developing surgical and clinical competencies as required for board certification, and participating in out-of-hours emergency and on-call duties. Residents are expected to contribute to the teaching of undergraduate veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing students during clinical rotations, support interns and nursing staff, and participate actively in clinical rounds, journal clubs, seminars, and taught postgraduate modules. Maintaining detailed case logs, surgical procedure records, and activity documentation in accordance with ECVS and DVMS requirements is mandatory.

Residency positions are advertised when available through the ECVS and UCD websites. Applicants must ensure eligibility for registration with the Veterinary Council of Ireland prior to application.

The European College of Animal Reproduction residencies in Ruminant reproduction and herd health and Equine reproduction provide our residents with a 4 year training programme where they will cover all aspects of animal reproduction with the aim work towards taking their board certifying exams at the end of the four years.

The training of the residents aims for them to progress from dealing with cases together with their supervisor to being able to lead on the case handling and management as they reach the later stages of their residencies. Residents in ruminant reproduction also cover the herd and flock health aspect of the fertility management in larger groups of animals. A

longside the clinical training, the residents also get the opportunity to do research in the area of reproduction which will culminate to scientific publications as well as conference presentations, thus aiming to contribute to evidence based veterinary medicine in the area of animal reproduction.

UCD Equine Reproduction residency is accredited for both American (ACT) and European (ECAR) colleges of animal reproduction.

Residents are exposed to complex referral cases, advanced reproductive techniques and biotechnologies (on site), as well as daily breeding management (in partner facilities). All training is conducted under the supervision of highly qualified mentors. The program also encourages international collaboration, supported by the mentors’ networks, training opportunities abroad, and participation in international congresses.

International networking is supported by the mentors’ network, training period abroad and participation in international congress.

In addition, the DVMS program is a unique opportunity for candidates with a strong interest in research and academic careers. Participants are enrolled in a doctorate program completed with the defence of a thesis.

The UCD Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia Residency offers a comprehensive four-year specialist training pathway within a leading European academic veterinary hospital. Based in Dublin, our supportive, friendly, and skilled team includes three European Specialists in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Dipl. ECVAA), a residency-trained anaesthetist, four dedicated anaesthesia nurses, three residents, and a small animal anaesthesia intern.

Our programme is fully approved by the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (ECVAA) and combines intensive clinical training with research, teaching, and professional development. The residency is integrated with the Doctor of Veterinary Medical Specialisation (DVMS) degree, providing residents with both a recognised specialist qualification and an advanced academic degree.

Programme Highlights

• Specialist training: Wide-ranging experience with both small and large animal referral cases under the supervision of ECVAA Diplomates.
• Research opportunities: Structured involvement in clinical research, aiming for two publications in peer-reviewed journals, and preparation of a DVMS thesis.
• Professional development: Active participation in journal clubs, book and training tool discussions, case rounds, seminars, and credit-bearing taught modules designed to strengthen both clinical and research expertise.
• Teaching and leadership: Progressive responsibility in teaching veterinary and veterinary nursing students through lectures, tutorials, practicals, and clinical rotations, as well as mentoring interns.
• International exposure: Opportunities to attend conferences, undertake externships, and connect with the wider anaesthesia specialist community.

Clinical Commitment

Residents contribute to the hospital’s busy referral service with a minimum of 36 clinical weeks per year, providing anaesthesia care across a wide caseload of species. Out-of-hours duties (small and large animals) are shared on a 1:3 or 1:4 basis, ensuring exposure to emergency and critical care anaesthesia. Four weeks of annual leave are provided.

Beyond Clinical Work

Protected time outside clinical service allows residents to focus on research, publications, professional training modules, and the development of teaching and communication skills. These elements ensure graduates are prepared to succeed both in the ECVAA Diploma examinations and in academic or specialist clinical careers worldwide.

UCD Veterinary Hospital, as a recognised Centre of Excellence, is registered as a training facility for Residents in Bovine Health Management under the European College of Bovine Health Management (ECBHM)

There are two residencies which are supervised by our team of ECBHM Diplomates/European Specialists in Bovine Health Management.

This unique residency is a species-focussed residency with the resident under-going a structured Standard Residency Programme of 4 years duration, when combined with the research degree programme of the Doctorate of Veterinary Medical Specialisation (DVMS).

Residents are trained in all aspects of advanced bovine internal medicine, surgery, herd health investigation and monitoring.

Residents are facilitated in achieving their annual case logs of individual animal cases in the UCD Veterinary Hospital and herd health cases through the UCD Lyons Herd Health Hub and herd health investigations provided as part of the UCD veterinary referral service.

Residents attend a training workshop in a different country each year as well as attending and presenting at conferences during their residency.

The residency culminates in the publication of two peer-reviewed research publications and in the ECBHM professional certifying examination from the end of the third year of the residency.

Residents contribute hugely to the delivery of teaching and the clinical services within the hospital and herd health hubs and are an integral part of the Farm Animal Clinical Studies and Herd Health Teams.