This position is posted on the Veterinary Internship & Residency Matching Program at: http://www.virmp.org. Position is posted every year.
The Residency in Cardiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia is a 3-year program that provides individuals with a broad-based education and clinical training in the specialty of veterinary cardiology.
Important programmatic outcomes include: 1) expertise in the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases of small and large animals; 2) ability to perform and interpret noninvasive and invasive diagnostic studies; 3) understanding the pathophysiologic basis of cardiovascular disease; 4) competency in managing multi-systemic internal medicine disorders; 5) competency in minimally invasive interventional procedures; 6) certification in Cardiology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine; and 7) successful completion and publication of a research project. Pursuit of a concurrent Master of Science degree is required and a manuscript must be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Most of the graduate courses are taught within the teaching hospital by specialists in a variety of fields which will prepare the resident for board certification. More information regarding the graduate studies can be found at https://cvm.missouri.edu/veterinary-medicine-and-surgery/vms-graduate-program/.
Clinical training:
Clinical training in cardiology is supervised by two ACVIM board-certified cardiologists. The resident and supervising faculty meet daily for informal discussion and feedback, and the resident and faculty meet twice each year for a structured formal performance evaluation and resident feedback. The resident spends approximately 85% of their time participating in clinical training in the Veterinary Health Center. This experience includes primary care cardiology (referral practice), in-hospital case consultation, clinical teaching of senior veterinary students including daily rounds, and urgent/emergent care on-call responsibilities. Didactic teaching opportunities are also available depending on the goals/desires of the resident.
The resident will be trained for competency in echocardiography, electrocardiography, cardiac catheterization, angiography, temporary and permanent cardiac pacing, balloon valvuloplasty, and PDA occlusion procedures. The resident is encouraged to attend the weekly cardiovascular medicine lecture series/grand rounds at the University of Missouri School of Medicine as well as conferences and research symposiums at the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. Off-site rotations at other institutions with a cardiovascular program can be arranged. In addition to the boarded cardiologist, faculty members with specialties in internal medicine, neurology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, ophthalmology, radiology and diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, soft tissue surgery, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology, emergency and critical care medicine, community practice, equine internal medicine, and large animal internal medicine also support the program. The overall campus environment of collaboration in the general area of cardiovascular sciences is strong.
The Cardiology Service sees 5-6 outpatient appointments per day on receiving days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) and performs 1 routine interventional procedure per week (Wednesdays) with urgent/emergency procedures added on as needed. In-house consultations are performed as requested by other services in the hospital and ranges from 0-6 per day (typically 2-4). In patient caseload varies from 0-3 patients per week. The resident will share after-hours on-call with the other cardiology residents. The Cardiology Service is supported by two full-time registered veterinary technicians and a veterinary assistant.
Boards preparation and research requirements:
Training includes general education in cardiovascular physiology, pathophysiology, pathology, pharmacology, and clinical science, with a minimum of two dedicated hours per week of cardiology resident rounds time. Additional training includes resident participation in departmental seminars, multi-disciplinary case conferences, and journal clubs.
General education in cardiovascular physiology, pharmacology, and clinical science are attained through self-study, review of relevant literature, use of the Veterinary and Medical School libraries, and participation in regularly-scheduled classes, seminars, and journal clubs (generally scheduled in the morning, prior to clinical duties). These courses and seminars are clinically-relevant activities (including courses in cardiovascular medicine, respiratory pathophysiology, clinical oncology, clinical endocrinology, clinical neurology, clinical pharmacology, data analyses, and various journal clubs and clinicopathologic conference). Structured resident classes and seminars are designed to prepare the resident for high-level practice and board certification examinations, but are also listed as graduate courses, making it feasible for the resident to enroll for academic credit as a part of the Master of Science degree.
At the onset of the program, the resident and advisor prepare a long-term plan of study. Experiences are planned to provide the resident for competency in clinical medicine, physical diagnosis, echocardiography, electrodiagnostics, cardiac catheterization, angiocardiography, cardiac pacing, and interventional procedures. There are extensive materials available for study of cardiovascular pathology. Faculty directly involved in support of the program include two board-certified cardiologists as well as faculty members with specialties in internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, radiology and diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, surgery, anesthesiology, emergency and critical care medicine, community practice, and theriogenology. The overall campus environment of collaboration in the general area of cardiovascular sciences is very strong, and the support for cardiovascular research is excellent. The trainee should have ample opportunity and support to participate in one or more supervised clinically-relevant, research projects during the program.
The resident will complete a formal two-week rotation on the Internal Medicine Service for general boards preparation. Sufficient time out of clinics is allocated to plan and complete a research project (including obtaining grant funding and publication of a first author manuscript), prepare credential materials, and to study for specialty and general board examinations. The first year of the residency has 6 weeks off for research, the second year has 6 weeks off for research, and third year has four weeks off for research. Second year, there are four weeks of off clinics study time for general boards. Third year, three weeks are dedicated to credentials preparation in November and six weeks are dedicated to study for the certifying exam.
Hospital laboratory facilities and equipment:
The teaching hospital facilities include an on-site clinical and diagnostic laboratory, radiology, surgical suites, endoscopy suite, and intensive care unit. Facilities especially relevant to the cardiology program include: clinical echocardiography laboratory with three dedicated echocardiographic machines (GE Vivid E90, E9, and IQ) with transesophageal, tissue Doppler, and strain/speckle tracking capabilities; three dedicated PACS and echocardiographic workstations; full cardiac catheterization suite with digital fluoroscopy and hemodynamic monitoring; automated 12-lead electrocardiography; digital heart sound recorder/simulator; Holter monitoring system; event recorder; telemetric ECG for exercise studies (equine patients); digital radiography, cardiac-gated CT, and 3.0 Tesla MRI within the Veterinary Health Center.
Candidate requirements:
Applicants must be graduates of an approved College or School of veterinary medicine (with academic standing in the top 25% of the class), have completed a one-year rotating internship or equivalent, and be eligible to obtain a standard veterinary license in the State of Missouri by the time the program starts. Applications will only be accepted through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program. Interest in patient care and teaching veterinary students is an important requirement for the position. The candidate should have good interpersonal skills and be capable of working cooperatively with faculty, students, house officers, and hospital/departmental staff. Professional comportment and appearance are expected. References are required.
Further information can be obtained by contacting:
Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Department Chairman’s Office
E-mail: mucvmvmsadmin@missouri.edu