Objective:
The primary purpose of this mentorship program is to provide new graduates and/or low-ER experience general practitioners with exposure to emergency medicine in a controlled environment that allows them to learn and grow the skills needed to succeed in ER practice. It will provide mentored, experiential, and clinical training for veterinarians seeking to advance their clinical competence within ER medicine.
The primary purpose of this mentorship program is to provide new graduates and/or low-ER experience general practitioners with exposure to emergency medicine in a controlled environment that allows them to learn and grow the skills needed to succeed in ER practice. It will provide mentored, experiential, and clinical training for veterinarians seeking to advance their clinical competence within ER medicine.
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A little bit about me: I am the mentorship coordinator and medical director for the hospital. When I first graduated veterinary school, I had plans to pursue a career in equine medicine. Those plans didn’t work as I had hoped, and I found myself in an associate position at a small animal hospital with no clue what I was doing! Luckily, my first boss was an excellent teacher and in my first week of practice, he had me assisting him on various surgeries including GDV and cystotomy.
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I made the transition to working as a full-time ER doctor over 8 years ago and, once again, I found myself surrounded by brilliant doctors ready to help me and teach me how to manage these more critical emergency cases. I will never forget how this coaching made things seem so much less daunting and those memories were the catalyst behind starting this mentorship program. If you choose to apply for one of the mentorship positions at our hospital, I consider it my privilege to spend the next 6-9 months helping you build the tools you need to approach any problem in practice as well as the foundations for how to take care of yourself in a profession that is growing more challenging by the week. In the following pages you will find our mentorship program outline, which will help give you an idea of what you would be learning at AEH throughout your mentorship. After you have been in the ER field for 3 years, we can also mentor you for ABVP Certification. This program is a great option for those who aren’t ready to pick a specialty right after vet school or for those who develop their passion for emergency medicine after practicing for several years. This is also a great option for those who want to become board certified but are not interested in pursuing an internship! I would love the chance to speak with you via email or zoom to answer any questions you may have, and we are always welcome to in person visits as well. If after reading through this you interested in learning more, please reach out!
What to expect with our structured mentorship.
We take our mentorship role very seriously at AEH. This means that for the first year of working with our team, you will NEVER be the only doctor in the building. You will start out being directly paired with another of our senior doctors as you work to solidify your medical and surgical skills and develop your client communication style. As you gain confidence, you will transition to filling the mid-shift position where you have more autonomy, but still have a senior doctor in the building if you need guidance with a case. Structured mentorship skills list >
Schedule
The schedule during the mentorship program is a total of 156 twelve-hour shifts per year. This breaks down to 13 shifts per month, one of which will be dedicated to case review and continuing education. You will average 3-4 shifts per week, with no more than three days scheduled in a row without a day off. This will help maintain a healthy and sustainable work/ life balance while still allowing exposure to a wide variety of cases and practice styles. At least one day per week will be completely free of any clinical commitments or educational requirements.
"Behind every good doctor is a great nurse"
....or in our case a team of them
Highly Skilled Nurses that help you along your journey.
We know behind every great doctor is a great team of veterinary nurses. That's why we ensure every department is fully staffed with highly trained assistants and technicians to support you in delivering the highest level of patient care. We average 2-3 techs per scheduled doctor on the floor. We are one of the first in the industry to develop a detailed training and mentorship program that empowers our nurses to learn and grow at their own pace. Investing in our team over the years has not only led to having one of the most successful technician mentorship leveling programs in the industry, but also one of the highest retention rates in the profession. With such a large nursing staff, we know it can be tough to learn everyone's skillset at first, so we make it easy- our nurses proudly show off their tier level on badges for everyone to see. Continuing education is important to us, so even after our nurses complete the leveling program we offer CE, support, and sponsorship to expand their skillset and knowledge. Learn more about our nursing mentorship program >
Surgical skill opportunities every day.
Animal Emergency Hospital does a large volume and variety of soft tissue surgeries. During your mentorship, you will be initially assisting, and eventually taking the lead on performing surgeries ranging from foreign body removal to c-sections. Our doctors love surgery and are available for each other by scrubbing in to work side by side, offering a second opinion, or even just answering a quick question. During surgeries, your patient is monitored by a senior, experienced veterinary nurse, who has passed our rigorous training and testing process so you can literally focus on the task at hand.
Continuing Education ensuring your growth never ends.
One of our biggest passions as a hospital is education. Our team stays up to date on the latest products and medical innovations by attending annual CE conferences, having in-house CE opportunities, and online CE such as VetGirl. Our doctors are provided a generous budget to partake in amazing CE opportunities, such as skiing in Steamboat Springs or traveling to Jamaica.
Compensation allowing you to practice medicine, not salesmanship.
From Day 1, you're paid as the full medical professional you are. We even cover all your licensing costs and any fees, dues, and memberships associated with being a doctor as well as full health insurance coverage. At Animal Emergency Hospital, our focus is on doing what is best for the patient. Our doctors are paid on straight salary, not commission, which allows us to focus on helping the patient in front of us however we can. You will never have to worry about having to upsell a treatment, fight for cases, or push beyond what is best for you or your patients in order to pay your rent or meet a commission deadline. An additional benefit of this- there is no negative accrual, so you get paid when you are enjoying your vacation, not wondering how to pay your employer back for your time off.