UC Davis will accept applications through January 4, 2027, for five one-year Small Animal Rotating Internship positions at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the first cohort the hospital has offered in more than 45 years.

The 2027-28 program, administered through the Veterinary Intern and Resident Matching Program (VIRMP), restores a rotating track to the teaching hospital's postgraduate catalog. Interns rotate through nine core services: internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, emergency and critical care, cardiology, oncology, neurology, anesthesia, diagnostic imaging, and clinical pathology. Elective blocks add exposure to exotics, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, primary care, pathology, radiation oncology, nutrition, and behavior, with research opportunities also available.

What does the curriculum cover?

The core nine-service rotation block anchors the year. According to UC Davis, supervised case work spans emergency, first-opinion, referral, and specialty caseloads at the teaching hospital. As interns demonstrate competency, they assume greater responsibility for patient care alongside specialists and residents, with explicit emphasis on clinical judgment, client communication, and teaching skills.

The elective menu gives candidates a way to bias the year toward a particular career direction. A candidate eyeing orthopedic surgery can stack orthopedic and soft tissue electives; one leaning toward general practice can fold in primary care, dermatology, and nutrition. Research-eligible candidates can pursue a project within the clinical year, an option that mirrors rotating internship structures at peer academic centers.

Who is the program designed for?

The rotating track targets early-career veterinarians who have not yet committed to a single specialty. UC Davis positions the year as preparation for residency training, specialty or referral practice, emergency medicine, academic careers, or general practice. Candidates must apply through VIRMP; the January 4, 2027 deadline governs submission. Match results will follow in spring 2027 through the standard VIRMP cycle.

Why does the return matter at the practice level?

Rotating internships function as a screening and skill-building year for residency candidates and as a broad clinical foundation for associates heading into general or emergency practice. UC Davis discontinued its rotating track more than 45 years ago, and candidates seeking that format on the West Coast have had to apply elsewhere. The teaching hospital's caseload supports a range of specialty training programs, giving rotating interns the case volume and case-mix breadth typical candidates need to compete for residency positions in internal medicine, surgery, emergency and critical care, and other disciplines.

For practice owners, the return expands the pipeline of broadly trained associates who have completed a single year of supervised emergency, surgery, and internal medicine rotations, a profile that has grown harder to recruit in recent years. Hospitals and primary care clinics that have historically drawn rotating interns from other regions will now have a Northern California option to add to their candidate lists.

UC Davis will release further program details, including elective scheduling logistics, research track requirements, and stipend figures, on the Small Animal Rotating Internship webpage as the application cycle progresses.