Rotating Internship – Small Animal

About the Role

This is a full-time fixed-term internship designed to give you a comprehensive foundation in specialist small animal medicine. You’ll rotate through 10 different disciplines—internal medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, oncology, emergency and critical care, neurology, cardiology, ophthalmology, and dentistry—working alongside world-renowned specialists in the UK’s largest network of referral hospitals.

Based in Livingston, you’ll be part of a vibrant community of over 100 rotating interns and 100+ residents. This is a structured, supportive environment where your professional development is the priority, with clear pathways into specialist residencies, advanced general practice, or academia.

Key Responsibilities

• Gain hands-on clinical experience across multiple specialist disciplines, including diagnostics, surgery, and patient care from day one
• Work directly with multi-disciplinary specialist teams on cases ranging from complex medical conditions to surgical procedures
• Participate in small-group seminars, weekly clinical teaching, monthly film reading sessions, and clinical reasoning rounds
• Engage in research opportunities, with support to present at international conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals
• Complete the RECOVER online certification in basic and advanced life support
• Develop professional skills through dedicated workshops in CV writing, interview techniques, and long-term career planning

Requirements

• Registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)
• At least 1-2 years of experience in a small animal practice
• Must have completed (or be very close to completing) the RCVS Veterinary Graduate Development Programme (VetGDP)—applications cannot be accepted without this
• Available to begin at the earliest opportunity; flexibility around start date is negotiable
• Visa sponsorship available for international candidates who meet eligibility requirements

Benefits

• Competitive salary: £38,213 per year
• 1:1 mentoring with trained mentors and regular check-ins with your Internship Director and the Linnaeus Internships Lead
• Comprehensive induction to set you up for success from day one
• Tailored teaching programme including small-group seminars, weekly clinical teaching, monthly film reading sessions, clinical reasoning rounds, and ongoing professional skills and wellbeing workshops
• Year-long research training course with full support for clinical research and publication
• RECOVER emergency care training in both basic and advanced life support
• CertAVP enrolment for all rotating interns
• Unrivalled network of over 130 specialist pathway internship and residency posts across the UK’s largest specialist-led referral group
• Primary care pathways into advanced roles within Linnaeus’s network of outstanding primary care practices

About the Practice

Linnaeus is a forward-thinking partnership of highly-respected primary care and referral veterinary practices across the UK and Ireland. The group comprises some of the best clinicians in the profession and is committed to excellence and their purpose: A Better World for Pets. Linnaeus operates the largest network of specialist-led referral hospitals in the UK, alongside a network of outstanding primary care practices.

The group carefully selects partner practices to ensure the highest levels of patient care. Together, they provide a growing community of like-minded veterinary professionals working across all fields of veterinary medicine, including small animal, farm, and equine.