Ophthalmology Internships at Optivet Referrals (Hampshire, UK)
“Ophthalmology Internship
Optivet Referrals is currently looking for 3 Ophthalmology interns, one to start as soon as possible and the other two to start in January 2024. The ideal candidates are veterinary surgeons with a strong interest in ophthalmology. The candidates ideally will have some previous experience in general practice in UK.
Optivet Referrals is one of the leading Veterinary Ophthalmology hospitals in the UK, with state-of-the-art facilities, that is rapidly expanding and accepts referral surgical and medical cases apart from ophthalmology referrals. The Ophthalmology team consists of 5 Ophthalmology specialists (ECVO and DVOphthal), 2 senior clinical Ophthalmologists, 2 clinical Ophthalmologists, 2 Ophthalmology residents and 5 interns. The rest of the team includes a specialist Surgeon (ECVS), 2 Internal Medicine specialists, an Anaesthesia and Analgesia specialist (ACVAA & ECVAA), a senior clinical anaesthetist and an anaesthesia resident.
The ophthalmology caseload includes a wide variety of cases, both medical and surgical (uveitis, cataracts, glaucoma, corneal ulcers and grafts, entropion, face lifts, enucleations, lens luxations, eye tumours etc..), including some very advanced ophthalmology surgeries such as glaucoma surgery (endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation and gonio implant) and retinopexy and retinal reattachment surgery. The rest of the caseload includes orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeries, internal medicine cases and computed tomography (both inpatients and outpatients). The majority of the patients are dogs and cats (95%), and the remainder are exotics.
The responsibilities of the interns will be to support the veterinary team and the nursing team in the care of all patients. The ophthalmology intern will be expected to contribute to the care of ophthalmology in-patients, to help in consults, surgery and anaesthesia, and to provide out-of-hours service. The Ophthalmology team hold weekly Journal club meetings, which the interns are expected to attend. The whole Optivet team holds weekly in-house CPD presentations, where the interns will be expected to present at least once.
The internship will have a duration of 12 months. A competitive and attractive benefit package is offered. The interns will be expected to work 40 hours per week (distributed over 5 days) and to cover different shifts (days and nights). There is also a weekend on-call rota (no more than 1 in 5 or 6). Holiday entitlement consists of 25 working days plus statutory bank holidays and your birthday. The CPD allowance is 5 days. There will be a 3-month probationary period, during which the internship may be terminated by either party with a one-week notice period.
Optivet Referrals is located in Havant, Hampshire, in the South of England, near Portsmouth, Chichester, Winchester and Southampton, with easy train access to London city centre and 1 hour 20 min by car to Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The South of England enjoys more days of sun than the rest of the country, has beautiful beaches and is very close to nature reserves like the South Downs and the New Forest.
Candidates must be MRCVS and have the right to work in the UK (UK or EU citizenship, or with valid UK working VISA for the duration of the internship). If English is not their first language, candidates must have the relevant qualification of spoken and written English to obtain a VISA and as per RCVS requirements. (https://www.rcvs.org.uk/registration/applications-veterinary-surgeons/).
For applications or for further information, interested candidates may contact Emma Phillips, our Personnel Lead, (emma.phillips@optivet.com) or Eva Rioja Garcia, our Anaesthesia and Analgesia specialist and Clinical Lead (eva@optivet.com). Application deadline is Friday 7th July 2023 and interviews will be held the week of the 10th July 2023. As part of the application, please include a letter of intent, your curriculum vitae, and the contact details of two referees.
We can’t wait to hear from you!”