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- Feb 18, 2019
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Hey all! Starting to mildly panic about internship/residency applications this year and have a few questions so I figured I would start this thread (trying to get into zoo med for context). Currently small animal rotating intern at a private practice. I received a lot of advice when applying to match last year, but feel like I know very little about the dos and don'ts of applying for specialty internships/residencies.
Do people typically apply for specialty internships and residencies after rotating? I know it's almost impossible to get a zoo residency without a specialty internship, but one of my mentors said its good to get your name out there and let people see how you've grown from one year to the next when they look at your application again next year. Someone else told me it might seem a little presumptive to the people running the program though.
Also, I know letters are a critical part of application. I was wondering what ratio vets within the specialty to vets you worked with on your internship (ex. ER, IM) is recommended? Does this vary for applications between specialty internships and residencies? Also how important is it that all letter writers are boarded? I know they should be for the most part, but for example does a letter from a non-boarded zoo vet carry any weight if it is added on as a 4th letter?
Generally, for specialty applications, what sorts of questions do you feel it was most important to ask when applying? I had a pretty good question list going when applying for rotating, but for zoo med I honestly feel like I would go anywhere that would accept me so I'm not sure what information would be important to collect prior to application/ranking.
What is the interview process like for specialty internship/residency applications? For those who have done them do they typically ask you to travel to different locations to tour hospitals or were most interviews over zoom? If they expect you to travel is that something that most rotating internships are pretty understanding about you taking time off for? (Obviously I know this will depend on the hospital but in general?) Are they pretty standard interviews or do they ask medical knowledge or case-based questions?
Finally for those that have previously applied for specialty internships/residencies, is there anything you wish you had known or done beforehand?
Do people typically apply for specialty internships and residencies after rotating? I know it's almost impossible to get a zoo residency without a specialty internship, but one of my mentors said its good to get your name out there and let people see how you've grown from one year to the next when they look at your application again next year. Someone else told me it might seem a little presumptive to the people running the program though.
Also, I know letters are a critical part of application. I was wondering what ratio vets within the specialty to vets you worked with on your internship (ex. ER, IM) is recommended? Does this vary for applications between specialty internships and residencies? Also how important is it that all letter writers are boarded? I know they should be for the most part, but for example does a letter from a non-boarded zoo vet carry any weight if it is added on as a 4th letter?
Generally, for specialty applications, what sorts of questions do you feel it was most important to ask when applying? I had a pretty good question list going when applying for rotating, but for zoo med I honestly feel like I would go anywhere that would accept me so I'm not sure what information would be important to collect prior to application/ranking.
What is the interview process like for specialty internship/residency applications? For those who have done them do they typically ask you to travel to different locations to tour hospitals or were most interviews over zoom? If they expect you to travel is that something that most rotating internships are pretty understanding about you taking time off for? (Obviously I know this will depend on the hospital but in general?) Are they pretty standard interviews or do they ask medical knowledge or case-based questions?
Finally for those that have previously applied for specialty internships/residencies, is there anything you wish you had known or done beforehand?