Internships


The application window for this position is now closed*

Would you like to work alongside Southfields Veterinary Specialists at the cutting edge of veterinary medicine? Unleash your potential by joining our rotating internship programme!

We are pleased to offer a one-year rotating internship at our multi-disciplinary referral centre. Internships at Southfields provides an opportunity for career development and can act as a stepping-stone towards small animal residencies and other postgraduate programmes. It also provides an outstanding experience for those wishing to return to general practice. All our Interns have a veterinary degree registerable with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and have at least one year of post-graduate experience in a small animal practice.

You will be working from a brand new £16 million hospital with cutting-edge facilities, equipment and a range of wellbeing areas and schemes for our team.

The rotating internship programme is designed for highly motivated veterinary surgeons who wish to expand their clinical knowledge, skills and experience, working under supervision in a multi-disciplinary referral hospital and providing an emergency out-of-hours service. Second-year specialist internships may be available at the end of this fixed-term contract, and we also offer a residency training programme in selected disciplines.

Involvement in clinical research, CPD and externships is actively encouraged. This is complemented by journal clubs, in-house specialist lectures, seminars and small-group teaching. We offer our interns the opportunity to assist our veterinary surgeons and Specialists, not just to observe from the sidelines.

Why join Southfields?

At Southfields Veterinary Specialists we have expanded and grown our referral services to offer a range of 14 disciplines. At this exciting time, we’re looking to not only attract the very best veterinary specialists to make a huge difference to our clients but also to invest in and develop the veterinary specialists of the future.

We are also a part of Linnaeus, comprising of the largest network of Specialist-led referral practices in the UK and Ireland, with over 120 interns and 90 residents working across the group with endless career opportunities. As a company that is part of Mars Veterinary Health, we are committed to excellence and making A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

What does a Southfields intern do/what should you expect?

We offer paid one-year rotating internships with rotations through diagnostic imaging, soft tissue surgery/orthopaedics, neurology, internal medicine, oncology, anaesthesia, cardiology and ophthalmology, plus two weeks in an elective rotation.

We also offer service-focused intern positions each year in cardiology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, oncology, neurology, anaesthesia and soft tissue surgery.

Our intern’s benefit from close collaboration with senior clinicians in each discipline and, under their supervision, will be given responsibilities suited to your level of knowledge and skills.

We offer great opportunities for you to gain experience and develop your skills in our different specialist disciplines. You’ll be a highly motivated individual keen to progress your career with a discipline-specific team. We can offer you a well-supported internship programme and a salary of £35,000 per annum.

Many of our interns go on to achieve Residency training positions. We currently have eight residents at Southfields, who work in a range of services.

Meet our Rotating Internship Director, Aldara Eires Diaz

Aldara is an RCVS and EBVS® European Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine. Having graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, she completed an internship at the university and then moved to the UK.

Aldara spent two years working in small animal practice, followed by a 12-month rotating internship at the Animal Health Trust and an internal medicine residency at DWR Veterinary Specialists. She joined Southfields Veterinary Specialists in 2020 and enjoys all fields of internal medicine, particularly feline medicine, gastroenterology and endocrinology.

As rotating internship director at Southfields, Aldara coordinates and organises the programme to ensure it delivers the highest quality of learning and mentorship. She said:

“I really enjoy teaching and love seeing the progression that interns make throughout the year as they develop their knowledge and clinical skills.”

Why join our team?

Southfields is one of the UK’s largest veterinary referral centres, with a state-of-the-art £16 million hospital that opened in August 2022.

Only 30 minutes by train from central London, Southfields is within easy reach of the beautiful Essex countryside and well placed for international travel links by air and train.

We are passionate about enabling you to develop your career. A high percentage of our previous interns have progressed into discipline-specific internships and residencies. During the internship you will benefit from excellent clinical training from specialists; 1:1 mentoring with a trained mentor within a framework of monthly mentoring sessions; seminar teaching opportunities; and support to undertake clinical research.

At Southfields you will be associated with a network of Specialist-led referral practices and over 120 specialist pathway internship and residency training posts.

How else will you benefit?

We are passionate about enabling you to develop yourself and your career. A high percentage of our previous interns have progressed into discipline-specific internships and residencies.

There are so many opportunities to progress into residency training at Southfields or across the group.

Alternatively, we can support you to become a highly-skilled clinician and progress your career within primary care practice.

Whatever path you choose, you will also benefit from:

  • Excellent in-clinic training from Specialists in our multi-disciplinary practices
  • 1:1 mentoring with a trained mentor within a framework of monthly mentoring sessions
  • Regular check-in meetings with the Linnaeus Internship and Residency Manager
  • Small group seminar teaching
  • Monthly intern film reading sessions
  • Professional skills development
  • Research skills training
  • Support to undertake clinical research
  • RCVS Knowledge Library subscription for journal access
  • RECOVER online basic and advanced life support training
  • Career development workshop
  • Unrivalled network of specialist-led referral practices and over 120 Specialist pathway internship and residency training posts
  • Access to careers within our network of excellent primary care practices.

Want to find out more?

*Thank you to everyone who applied for our Summer 2024 Rotating Internship Programme. Applications are now closed.

If you are interested in a Rotating Internship at our hospital, please register your interest by emailing your name and CV to [email protected]