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College of Veterinary Medicine

Residency: Emergency and Critical Care

NC State CVM offers a three-year ACVECC-approved in small animal emergency and critical care residency. The residency is designed to prepare candidates for board certification and adheres to guidelines set forth by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.

Program

Direct supervised training will take place in the companion animal intensive care unit and the day triage service of the Veterinary Hospital (VH) under the mentorship of three ACVECC Diplomates (Drs. Bernie Hansen, Terri DeFrancesco and Rita Hanel) and one ACVIM Diplomate (Dr. Steven Marks). Other supervised training in internal medicine, surgery, neurology, ophthalmology, diagnostic imaging, anesthesia and cardiology will be achieved in accordance to ACVECC guidelines.
The intensive care unit is fully equipped to provide state-of-the art care for critically ill patients. The unit is staffed around the clock by 12 veterinary critical care technicians and supported by an animal blood bank service. One of our nurses has achieved AVECCT specialty certificate and several others are in progress in their certification process. We promote a family-friendly environment encouraging owner visitations facilitated by a small visitation room within the ICU. The ICU is a support service that provides patient care and monitoring for approximately 1300 small animal patients annually from all the VH specialty services such as Internal Medicine, Surgery, Neurology, Cardiology, Oncology, and others.

Residents also participate in daytime and after-hours shifts with the VH emergency service, a rapidly growing referral and primary care service housed adjacent to the intensive care unit.  Case load for the VH ER service was approximately 1650 cases for 2008 fiscal year. The ER service is staffed with 12 veterinary emergency technicians and 2 staff intern-trained experienced ER clinicians.

Patient care in ICU and ER are supported by a specialist-supervised, fully equipped hospital capable of CT, MRI, and ultrasound imaging, full lab support, and endoscopy. The ICU and ER are fully equipped to provide state of the art continuous emergency and critical care, including but not limited to mechanical ventilation, in-department ultrasound, CBC, chemistry panel and coagulation assessments including TEG, osmometry, invasive blood pressure evaluation and analysis.

Residents participate in daily patient rounds, weekly journal and book clubs, and multiple weekly rounds and seminars. Residents participate in the training of senior professional DVM program students and residents in other programs. All residents are expected to provide a state-of-the-art presentation to the VH community and rotate in the medicine section’s and ECC section’s schedule for grand rounds presentations. A research project will be conducted during the program, resulting in a publication that satisfies the ACVECC credentials requirement.

The program concurrently trains at least 3 residents. Trainees receive semi-annual written evaluations and the evaluations are discussed with the Resident Advisor and the Hospital Director. The annual reappointment of the resident is contingent upon continued satisfactory performance in all aspects of the program.

Inquiries are best made by email.

Leadership and Faculty

BH
Bernie Hansen
Bernard Hansen

Assoc Professor

919-513-6658
TD
Terri DeFrancesco
Teresa DeFrancesco

Professor

Apply

This residency participates in the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians’ (AAVC) Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) when a position is available.

Apply Here  

Information for International Applicants

Preference is given to applicants who have graduated from a college that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. If you wish to apply for an internship or residency program things to keep in mind:

  1. Have your degree translated and evaluated by a reputable company. Options include: Josef Silny & Associates, Trustforte Corporation, and World Education Services
  2. Some programs require the TOFEL exam to qualify for a internship or residency position.
  3. Most foreign interns and residents are appointed to H-1B visas.
  4. To ensure that a foreign national candidate has the H-1B visa at the start of their program the candidate will be asked to pay for the premium processing filing fee of $1,225 USD, if necessary.
  5. Getting a visa takes between 4 and 6 months if the visa is expedited it takes approximately 15 business days.
  6. Take the initial steps and apply for The Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) certification program is accepted by all state veterinary regulatory boards and the federal government as meeting, either in part or full, the educational prerequisite for licensure or certain types of employment, respectively.