Internship in Rabbit and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery

UE06: £34,610.00 Per Annum.

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies/ Hospital for small animals.

Internship in Rabbit and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery

Fixed Term Contract - 12 months.

Full Time - 35 hours per week

The Opportunity:

Based within the Hospital for Small Animals at Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, this one-year Rabbit and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship programme offers excellent preparatory experience for those considering further clinical training.   

Our 12-month internship programme provides an opportunity for recently-qualified veterinarians or veterinarians who have already done a rotating internship and are looking for more specialist experience to receive high-quality postgraduate training in small animal rabbit and exotic animal medicine and surgery.  

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies has an international reputation for postgraduate training.  Our Small Animal service provides the opportunity to develop clinical, teaching and research acumen and experience in a supportive environment to help an enthusiastic MRCVS to achieve their career goals. 

Each intern will also be paired with a mentor, to assist with pursuing a research project and guidance on career progression. We also boast a thriving programme of continuing education within the hospital, including dedicated weekly seminars for interns, as well as practical sessions and journal clubs. Candidates must have enthusiasm, a willingness to learn and an ability to function as part of a dedicated team in a busy hospital.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week), with additional contribution to an out-of-hours rota 

The salary for this post is £34,610 per annum.

Your skills and attributes for success: 

• Member of RCVS or eligible at time of appointment
• Appropriate English language qualification
• Ability to work in the UK – please check right to work pages (via link below). Applicants should ensure they have fully read and understood the UK Immigration criteria required to apply for this position. 
• Communicate an interest in and enthusiasm for small animal rabbit and exotic species
• Evidence of appropriate experience in clinical practice 

Click to view a copy of the full job description(opens new browser tab)

Informal enquiries can be made by email to Jenna Richardson the Head of Small Animal Rabbit and Exotic Medicine and Surgery, on email [email protected]. 

Application Information  

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

- CV

- Cover letter

As a valued member of our team you can expect: 

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page(opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits 

An internship is a 12-18 month fixed term position awarded to qualified veterinary surgeons (usually early career) who wish to explore becoming a Specialist by achieving a Specialist qualification. This applies to both small animal and equine internships. The role is heavily supervised by more senior vets and has formal taught components. A 12 month internship rotating through different Specialties is a requirement to be eligible to apply for the next step in Specialist training -a residency.

Specialist training is via a three year residency followed by examination. The Specialist diplomas are awarded by either the European Board of Vet Specialists (EBVS) or the American equivalent and are recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in the UK. The curriculum is approved by the individual European colleges who sit under the EBVS, and the eligibility criteria for entering the training is also decided by the colleges, and includes a rotating internship. 

Below are links to the European colleges of Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology, Neurology and Surgery as examples of this requirement. 

https://ecvim-ca.college/resident-enrolment/

https://www.ecvo.eu/quickmenu/becoming-an-ecvo-diplomate.html

Training Guidelines_0.pdf (ecvn.org)

document-library.php (ecvs.org)

There are also focussed discipline specific internships which are often undertaken after a rotating internship. These are again 12 month fixed term contracts for individuals who are wanting to further their specialist knowledge, by working in their field, to strengthen their application for a residency, whilst applying for a residency programme.

Postgraduate study | Veterinary Schools Council UK (vetschoolscouncil.ac.uk)

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality. 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages(opens new browser tab)

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 21 November 2025.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone. 

Interviews will be held after the closing date.

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role.  This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.