MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Dr. Chaffin

I. Objectives of the Medicine Residency Program

Medicine residents hold appointments as Veterinary Clinical Associates (VCA's). All VCA appointments are funded by Texas A&M University to provide patient care and teaching assistance in the clinical programs of the College of Veterinary Medicine. All VCA's are supported by the same teaching funds as senior faculty, and are expected to perform many of the same services and duties. Faculty and residents share the responsibility for any value gained from the program.

The major objectives of this program are:

A. Provide several options (tracks) of veterinary medical training to the resident, depending upon the desires and aspirations of he/she:

1. Track One: Three-year internal medicine residency in a clinical environment;

2. Track Two: Three-year internal medicine residency incorporating graduate work on a Master of Science (M.S.) degree; or

3. Track Three: Three-year internal medicine residency in a clinical environment followed by the opportunity to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

B. Provide the resident with the environment to become highly proficient in the diagnostic principles and therapeutic methods in large animal medicine.

C. Enable the resident to use new knowledge emerging from medical research to improve evaluation and care of patients.

D. Provide the resident with the resources to satisfy the requirements for qualification and ultimate certification as a diplomate of large animal internal medicine set forth by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).

E. Prepare the resident to express clinical ideas and concepts to other members of the veterinary profession in a concise, professional manner (e.g., seminars, lectures, continuing education programs).

II. Individual Resident Mentor

A. Resident Mentor

The resident shall choose a large animal medicine faculty member to be his/her mentor by December 1 of the 1st year. A resident mentor must be a diplomate of ACVIM.

B. Responsibilities of Resident Mentor

1. Advise resident about preparation for and meeting requirements of ACVIM qualification and certification.

2. Advise resident about options for graduate study and other issues regarding career plans and professional development.

3. Provide guidance for completion of scheduled requirements according to guidelines established by the Large Animal Medicine Section.

4. Prepare and convey to resident for which they are mentor a summary of evaluations (every 6 months) by the medicine section faculty.

C. Responsibilities of Resident Supervisor

1. Ensure residents are aware of all requirements and responsibilities of the residency program.

2. Ensure residents are aware of all requirements and responsibilities for registration, qualification, and certification by ACVIM.

3. Administrate regularly scheduled reviews of resident’s performance and progress by the medicine section faculty.

III. Graduate Program

A. The primary goal of the graduate program is to provide scientific training in a discipline compatible with the resident’s career goals.

B. Pursuit of a Master of Science (M.S.) degree requires writing a thesis. The necessary research and manuscript preparation is completed during the 3-year clinical residency training program.

C. If the degree is taken in another department, the graduate program must be coordinated with the Head of the Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery. The Resident Mentor should be a member of the Graduate Committee.

D. The graduate degree program offers coursework in clinical and basic sciences together with opportunities for the student to pursue his/her special academic interests. The graduate degree program is intended to provide basic knowledge and skills in research activities (i.e., designing, conducting, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting scientific investigations).

E. The general requirements of the graduate degree program are as follows:

1. Admission to the Graduate School.

2. Successful completion (grade of B or better) of at least 32 credit-hours of courses and research.

3. Successful completion of a research project and formulation of a Master's thesis based on the research performed.

4. Pass a final comprehensive written and/or oral examination covering all work taken in the degree program, which is conducted by the student's Graduate Advisory Committee and other members of the faculty who have been active in the student's course work.

F. Specific requirements of the graduate degree program are described in greater detail in the following resources:

1. The Graduate Degree Program section of this manual.

2. The Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog and Handbook.

IV. Medicine Residency Program

A. Goals, Related Objectives and Requirements

1. Completion of a 3-year advanced clinical training program subject to formal evaluation, under supervision of board-certified individuals designed to train the resident in the art and science of the practice of clinical medicine.

2. Prepare the resident to qualify for examination and ultimate certification by the ACVIM.

3. Facilitate completion of a graduate degree program if desired (not recommended).

4. In-depth training in physical evaluation of patients, performance of diagnostic procedures, use of therapeutic techniques, and overall medical management of these same patients will be combined with experience in developing interpersonal relationships, fee structure, instrumentation, radiographic interpretation, and clinical laboratory evaluation.

5. Participation in didactic and laboratory instruction of students in the professional curriculum. The resident is required to help with laboratories in some courses and in selected lectures in the student elective programs. This affords teaching experience and further professional development. The resident is required to participate in the Spring Seminar series each year, including presentation of a seminar each Spring.

6. Participation in teaching of clinical medicine and patient management in the professional student program.

7. Gain experience in the ability to write and publish scientific papers. The resident is required to submit 1 manuscript for publication in a refereed journal. This is due by December of the second academic year to allow sufficient time for acceptance by the selected journal before the deadline to apply for the ACVIM certifying examination (October 1 of the 3rd year). The manuscript must be accepted for publication by April 1st of the year in which the resident sits the certifying exam.

8. Preparation of case reports to fulfill requirements of the ACVIM Credential's Committee. A total of 3 case reports are required to apply for the ACVIM certifying exam (deadline for application is October 1 of the 3rd year). A preliminary case report (not to be submitted to ACVIM) should be completed in ACVIM style and submitted to the Resident Supervisor by December 1 of the 1st year. This case report will be reviewed by at least 3 faculty members. Two case reports can be completed by October of the 2nd year and submitted to ACVIM for evaluation. This submission is encouraged. Guidelines for preparation of case reports are available from ACVIM, as are examples of accepted case reports. Case reports submitted to the ACVIM must be prepared solely by the candidate without assistance or review by other faculty members.

9. Residents may elect to take the ACVIM general examination either a) after two years of his/her residency program, or b) in combination with the certifying examination after 3 years of the residency. If option (a) is chosen, application to take the general exam is due by October 1 of the 2nd year. Application to take the general and certifying exams or certifying exam alone (if the general exam has already been passed) is due by October 1 of the 3rd year. Three case reports and 1 publication accepted by refereed journals are necessary for certification, but are no longer coupled to the examination process.

10. Formal evaluation of each resident's clinical job performance and progress toward ACVIM board eligibility will be done December and June for each year of the program by the medical faculty in the Section of Medicine. The Resident Supervisor will meet with each resident to discuss results of evaluations. If performance expectations are not met, professional development time will be reduced. The resident will receive a copy of the evaluation, 1 copy will be kept on file with the Medicine Resident Advisor and 1 copy will be filed in the Resident’s personnel file.

B. Appointment - The academic rank of the resident will be Veterinary Clinical Associate. Reappointment for each year will be decided by the Medicine Section and Head of the Department.

C. Stipends and Benefits

1. Stipends are determined annually by the Head of Department. They are standard for all residents in the Department of Veterinary Large Animal Medicine and Surgery and increase with each year of service.

2. Residents may participate in the University's medical-surgical insurance program.

3. All courtesies, such as athletic ticket purchases, use of university facilities, parking permits, etc., are the same as for other faculty.

D. Certificate of Completion of Program

A certificate of completion of the residency program will be presented to the resident upon successful completion of the three-year medical residency. ACVIM bylaws require institutional certification of completion of the candidate's residency before an ACVIM diploma is granted.

E. Duties and Responsibilities

1. Clinical service assignments and education program (refer to descriptions of individual years below).

A. Arrive by 7:00 am to 7:30 am (depending on caseload) to examine cases and assist students with morning treatments and evaluations

B. Primary call after hours for hospitalized cases, unless otherwise stated

C. Participate meaningfully and fully during all rounds and VLAMS Departmental Spring Seminar Series

D. Maintain a suitable professional appearance and demeanour

2. Residents are required to participate in the provision of emergency services by the Large Animal Clinic. Emergency duty is assigned using a rotation schedule that is approved by the faculty.

A. Daytime

I. Telephone calls (1 degree for non-veterinarians)

B. Nights and weekends

I. Primary, secondary, and tertiary: all medicine cases
II. Senior clinician as back-up
III. Hours

a. 5 pm until 8 am on weekdays
b. 8 am until following 8 am on weekends (noon Friday)
c. Must be at clinic from 8 am to 10 am for weekend duty

3. Participation in the departmental staff-intern-resident seminar program is required. The seminar program consists of a variety of scheduled professional development activities (clinicopathologic conferences, seminars, and group discussions). In general, activities will be scheduled weekly, and each resident will not be assigned more than two major presentations per year.

4. Each resident will be provided the opportunity to present at least one (1) fifty-minute lecture on selected Large Animal Internal Medicine subjects to the professional students in each academic year of the residency training program.

5. Expectations of Large Animal Internal Medicine Residents

A. By December of First Year:

I. Satisfactory evaluation by the faculty
II. Complete a sample case-report in format for ACVIM credentialing process and submit for review by faculty who are diplomates of ACVIM (at least 3 reviewers)
III. Select a faculty mentor.

B. By October of Second Year:

I. Satisfactory evaluation by the faculty
II. Complete at least 2 case-reports in format for ACVIM certification
III. Have submitted a report for publication to a journal acceptable for ACVIM credentialing process

C. By December of Third Year:

I. Satisfactory evaluation by the faculty
II. Have written the ACVIM general examination
III. Have submitted credentials to ACVIM for certification (1 first-author publication and 3 ACVIM case reports)

F. Enrollment in Graduate School

1. The resident must be admitted to the Graduate College if he/she is to pursue a graduate degree. Individuals are encouraged to apply for admission as soon as they accept the residency position. The Graduate Record Examination should be completed no later than October of the 1st year.

2. The resident shall select a Graduate Advisory Committee by December 1 of the 1st year. Refer to the Graduate Degree Program section of this manual for additional information.

G. Service Rotation and Educational Program

1. First Year Resident

a. Clinical duty assignments: eleven four-week blocks in clinics and one four-week block for professional development. Professional development time can be used to work with other services (eg, cardiology) or prepare case reports, publications, lecture materials and all other scholarly activities including conducting research.

b. Registration with the secretary-treasurer of the ACVIM should be done by September 1 of the 1st year.

c. A "practice" case report should be submitted to the resident's advisor and other faculty selected by the resident by December 1 of the 1st year.

d. Active participation in medicine section’s journal club.

e. Staff-Intern-Resident Seminar Program Participation.

1. The Faculty Coordinator for this program will schedule and assign responsibility for activities within this program. No more than two major presentations will be required during the 1st year.

2. Participation in the departmental program is required. In addition, attending seminars and conferences held by other units of the college (e.g., radiology, necropsy, pathology, clinical pathology, physiology, etc.) is encouraged.

f. Service Rounds

1. Daily rounds of assigned clinical service.

2. Medicine rounds once weekly (required).

2. Second Year Resident

a. Clinical duty assignments: ten blocks in clinics, two blocks for professional development; the PD blocks to be scheduled to meet the needs of the resident and the department by the best available compromise. The resident may be placed in charge of a clinical service and student group for one of his/her clinic blocks with mutual agreement of the resident, his/her advisor, and the Chief of Medicine.

b. The requirement for submission of a publication is to be met by December 2nd year.

c. Two ACVIM-style case reports should be completed by October of the 2nd year. ACVIM allows an option for submission of 1 case report by October of this 2nd year.

d. The 2nd year resident must apply to take the ACVIM general examination following two years of his/her residency program. Application to the ACVIM is due by October 1 of the 2nd year.

e. Participation in Intern-Resident staff seminars, clinical rounds, teaching assignments, and emergency duty will continue as described in other portions of this document.

3. Third Year Resident

a. Clinical duty assignments: 9 blocks in clinic and 3 blocks for professional development; the PD blocks to be scheduled to meet the needs of the resident and the department by the best available compromise. The resident may be placed in charge of a clinical service and student group for up to three of his/her on blocks (with mutual agreement of the resident, his/her advisor, and the Chief of Medicine).

b. Application to take the ACVIM certifying examination (or general and certifying examination) is due by October 1 of the 3rd year. Three case reports and one article in a refereed journal are required. For articles that are not yet published, a copy of the paper and a letter of acceptance from the editor is also acceptable; however, many journals will not issue a letter of acceptance until the manuscript has been reviewed and edited.

c. Participation in Intern-Resident staff seminars, clinical rounds, teaching assignments, and emergency duty will continue as described in other portions of this document.

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