UC Davis will fill five Small Animal Rotating Internship positions for the 2027-28 academic year, the first time the program has run since 1980-81, a gap of more than four decades.

The internships will be based at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), which processes more than 55,000 patient visits a year and ranks among the busiest academic teaching hospitals in the country.

The five interns will rotate through a caseload spanning emergency, first-opinion, referral, and specialty work. Dr. Michael Mison, the VMTH's chief veterinary medical officer, called that breadth central to what he described as the most immersive way to grow clinically after graduation.

What rotations will interns complete?

Core rotations cover small animal internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, emergency and critical care, cardiology, medical oncology, neurology, anesthesia, diagnostic imaging, and clinical pathology.

Elective blocks may include exotics, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, primary care, anatomic pathology, radiation oncology, nutrition, and behavior. Research opportunities may also be available depending on intern interest.

Interns will see emergency, first-opinion, referral, and specialty cases at a single site. The structure aims to mirror the decision density of private practice while keeping board-certified specialists within reach for case consultation.

How will responsibility scale across the year?

Dr. Jamie Burkitt, co-director of House Officer Affairs, said interns will take primary responsibility for cases that match their experience and comfort level, with consistent faculty supervision. As they progress, that can grow to managing emergency patients and leading complex specialty cases under a board-certified specialist.

Mison added that the program's goal is building "judgment, competency, and confidence regardless of where an intern goes next."

Who is the program for?

Most candidates will be recent DVM graduates. UC Davis frames the year as a foundation for specialty residency, academic clinical practice, referral medicine, emergency care, or high-quality general practice.

Dr. Kate Hopper, director of the VMTH's Small Animal Hospital, said exposure to UC Davis's specialist roster helps interns "see career paths they might not otherwise consider."

Current DVM students also stand to gain. They will work alongside "near-peer" interns and observe the academic rotating internship format up close during their clinical rotations.

The arrangement gives students a working preview of postgraduate training before they commit to the match themselves.

When and how should candidates apply?

Candidates apply through the Veterinary Intern and Resident Matching Program (VIRMP). The window opens November 1, 2026, and closes January 4, 2027. The UC Davis House Officer website lists program details.

What does this change for new graduates?

Rotating internships remain a contested post-DVM choice. Critics point to long hours and modest pay relative to entering practice directly. Advocates cite mentorship, caseload diversity, and specialty exposure as counterweights.

UC Davis's relaunch lands in a setting with five positions, a defined supervision model, and an explicit plan for graduated autonomy. That combination may shift the calculus for fourth-year students weighing the 2027 match.

The relaunch arrives at a time when new graduates weigh pay and hours against the mentorship and caseload an internship delivers. A structured academic rotating internship with five slots and defined supervision may attract candidates who would otherwise bypass the match entirely.

Whether other academic centers follow with similar revivals will become clearer as the 2026-2027 match cycle unfolds.