Rotating internship (small animal)

The Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (SACS) at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual for a rotating internship. The internship program is designed to provide a broad-based clinical experience under the supervision of SACS faculty members and residents.

Successful applicants will be asked to withdraw their application from the 2027-28 Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) match.

The WCVM is Western Canada’s regional college of veterinary medicine, and 88 students are annually admitted to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. The college also includes more than 200 graduate students, clinical interns and residents. It is part of a comprehensive academic health sciences group on the university campus. For further information, please visit the WCVM website. 

The Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC) is a state-of-the-art facility serving Western Canada as a busy AVMA- and AAHA-accredited teaching hospital and referral centre. The hospital’s clinical team includes specialists in anesthesia, dentistry, emergency and critical care, exotics, dermatology, internal medicine, medical imaging, medical oncology, nutrition, ophthalmology, radiation oncology, sports medicine, and rehabilitation and surgery. Modern large surgical suites, a CT scanner, MRI, ultrasonography and PET-CT are available on site.

The WCVM is located in the vibrant and economically booming city of Saskatoon — Saskatchewan’s largest city and one of the sunniest cities in Canada. For more information on Saskatoon, please visit the Saskatoon Tourism website.

The intern will have primary case responsibility for new cases presenting to the VMC as well as in-hospital management of a wide variety of clinical cases. Interns will also be assigned night emergency shifts on a rotating basis (about seven to 10 weeks per year). About 50 per cent of the intern’s time will be spent on the emergency service, which includes days, nights and weekends. A senior resident or faculty member is available for consultation and assistance if needed. In addition to their clinical responsibilities, interns are expected to provide assistance with the instruction and supervision of final-year veterinary students in the clinic. They will participate in daily case-based rounds.

Mandatory rotations currently consist of weeks in internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, and emergency and critical care. Elective opportunities include primary care, ophthalmology, oncology, dentistry, medical imaging, wildlife and exotics, and physical rehabilitation. Up to two weeks of elective rotations can be done on external rotations that are self-organized and self-financed. During the internship, a didactic lecture series is delivered which is designed to prepare interns for clinical practice. Interns are also encouraged to participate in veterinary pathology seminars, weekly seminar series, a journal club associated with each of the intern’s rotating services, and professional development lectures offered throughout the year. Each intern will be required to present one seminar to faculty, staff and students. Interns are encouraged to prepare a paper suitable for publication.

Interns are required to enrol with the USask College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in the Graduate Certificate Program (Small Animal Rotating Veterinary Internship), based in the WCVM Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. A $145 application fee will be reimbursed to the applicant upon their arrival. Interns will be awarded a WCVM bursary to cover tuition and student fees, and their licensing fees with the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association (SVMA) will be reimbursed once the internship has begun. Upon successful completion of the program, an internship certificate will be awarded.

The following is a partial summary of income and expenses related to the USask Graduate Certificate Program (Small Animal Rotating Veterinary Internship). This information is current as of June 1, 2026. Internship fellowship amount: $28,000 (CAD) per year. Tuition/student fees and SVMA licensing fees will be covered by a WCVM bursary. Annual vacation: three weeks.

Interested individuals should contact:

Marissa Evans, Graduate Programs Coordinator
Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM)
marissa.evans@usask.ca
Use the subject line USask Rotating Internship Application 2027-28

Please include:

• curriculum vitae (CV)
• transcripts
• three letters of reference sent directly from referee to Marissa Evans
• English scores, if required. Visit grad.usask.ca for more details.

Application deadline: August 9, 2026

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Foreign applicants who are graduating from a non-AVMA accredited veterinary college are encouraged to have completed NAVLE, ECFVG, CPE or other educational equivalency assessment certification program before applying.