What Makes a Good Intern at a Specialist Hospital.
I get a lot of questions about pathway to specialty training. This often starts with an internship, and is your best chance to impress the people who are involved in choosing which vets are suitable for a specialist pathway. However, even if you don't go down the specialist pathway, it is a great way to get references to set yourself up for you career.
But what actually makes a good intern? Here are my tips;
- Where possible, read ahead to see what cases are coming in, so you can do a quick revision on the differential diagnoses/surgery/anatomy etc. You will also learn more if you have a baseline knowledge.
- Ask questions. Ask genuine questions, and not questions that are designed to prove knowledge. Try to learn as much as you go, as this thirst for knowledge won't go unnoticed.
- Write up whatever notes you are tasked with, but then also show initiative in terms of writing other notes that might be helpful to the clinicians. They will notice the extra effort when they go to do it and it is already there.
- Have a note pad so you don't forget tasks (a note pad may also help with taking notes on the things you learn as well).
- Use your initiative. There is a huge difference between an intern that goes the extra mile in terms of thinking ahead to 'how can I be most helpful' and the one that hides out and thinks no-one is noticing. To really impress, learn how your clinicians like to work so you can be ahead of the game. Offer to run the urine sample etc.. before being asked, and check in frequently as to how you can help those you are working with.
- Be a team player with a positive attitude. Most interns are pretty good at this, but it goes without saying that if you are not polite to the rest of the team or have a negative 'can't' versus 'can do' attitude, you are not going to be as successful.
Pictured - One of our sensational nurses Ash (p.s. happy birthday!) with 'good intern' Cam 😁 (in fact Cam won the BEST intern award 2025 - very well deserved Cam, Congratulations again)
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