Veterinary Residency Program

Interested candidates must meet the following prerequisites prior to applying to the program:

• Must be a graduate from an accredited AVMA-accredited institution with DVM or equivalent degree. Candidates from non AVMA-accredited institutions must have the ECFVG and a license to practice veterinary medicine in at least one state of the US
• Citizen or noncitizen resident of the United States
• Passed The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)

Our program uses VIRMP for all applications. Please submit your application directly through the site. Note that the laboratory animal medicine program deadline is earlier than other specialties, as noted in our program’s description.

Additional Requirements

Admission to the program is also contingent upon successful completion of background investigation including criminal history and identity checks. Additional security measures are instituted for ABSL3-facility access.

Visa Sponsorship

If you will require visa sponsoring or are unsure about your work status, please review the Information for Foreign Applicants page and contact this program prior to applying. Please be aware that some programs listed in the VIRMP accept applications ONLY from citizens of the United States (or Canada if a Canadian program) or from applicants who possess permanent residency status at the time of application.

Each year up to two new residents can enter the program. The program is designed as a 3-year cycle, but a 2-year option may be possible for candidates with a Ph.D. Composition for each of the years is below:

First Year

The program is designed so that residents spend their first year on clinical rotations in Rutgers’ facilities. First year residents rotate through all areas of the animal care program on both north and south campuses and develop familiarity with laws, regulations, and IACUC functions including protocol review and practice techniques and procedures with all species used and housed at the University.

Primary rotations include clinical medicine and preventive medicine/health surveillance and compliance. Additional rotations may include experimental surgery, gnotobiotic facility, aquatics, farm animals, imaging, ABSL3 containment, In-vivo research services (IVRS), genome editing shared resource (GESR).

Residents participate in didactic training including a laboratory animal medicine seminar series, journal club, slide rounds, and management training. During the first year, residents are also encouraged to begin an internal research project under the supervision of veterinarians on staff.

Second Year

The second year of the residency program is dedicated to performing mentored research, with the goal of primary authorship on a hypothesis-driven, peer reviewed, scientific publication as part of the requirements for ACLAM boards eligibility. During the second year, residents also have the option to do research studies within Animal Care in areas such as animal welfare, enrichment, anesthesia, analgesia, etc.

Residents will continue to participate in didactic components and IACUC protocol review is done by residents independently (with or without mentor’s oversight) during their second and third year.

Third Year

The third and final year includes assigned rotations in external sites at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Princeton University and niche areas at Rutgers University. Residents spend three months at Princeton, six months at the New Jersey BMS sites, and three months at Rutgers. These rotations will provide instruction on large animal clinical work, additional species, and GLP studies.

All residents also participate in regulatory inspections as they occur (AAALAC, USDA, OLAW, etc) and participate in on-call duty on a rotational basis with other veterinary staff members.