Veterinary Social Work Internship Program

About Veterinary Social Work

At MedVet, Veterinary Social Work interns help achieve our program mission of providing clients and caregivers with the resources they need to attend to the emotions and humanity involved in veterinary medicine through interdisciplinary partnerships, short-term emotional support, and crisis intervention.

Interns work directly alongside and under the supervision of a licensed, master’s level social worker in our MedVet hospitals.

Direct Practice

The interns will participate in the following types of direct practice:

• Direct interventions – the intern will communicate directly with the client/family to provide case management, discharge planning, grief support, crisis intervention, process medical care options or quality of life decisions, or help identify barriers to compliance or care options for pets.
• Caregiver consultation – MedVet caregivers can consult the VSW team before, during, or after client communication to strategize and skill-build so the team member has the resources to conduct the interaction.
• Structured group offerings – depending on availability at the hospital, the intern can participate in, co-lead, and potentially lead certain support groups and help with other educational offerings.
• Community partnerships and referrals – interns provide case management through community resources and partnerships for clients who need on-going support.
• Macro projects – interns can participate in project work tailored to the intern’s interests.

Program Structure

Social Work interns can expect:

• Multi-day, synchronous orientation – Offered in January, May, and August; synchronous portions offered with new interns from all hospitals plus dedicated time in the intern’s hospital.
• Daily direct client work – Focused on short-term interventions (crisis intervention work, grief support, group work, patient advocacy work, and interdisciplinary practice).
• One-on-one training – Interns train alongside the hospital’s Veterinary Social Worker and co-create a learning plan that supports their learning and will allow most interns to start independently triaging client cases within a few weeks. The Veterinary Social Worker is the supervisor and mentor to the intern, and the intern receives consistent, dedicated in-person time with their Veterinary Social Worker. Our program follows the “watch one, do one, teach one” model, and provides interns with the opportunity to teach others towards the end of their internship.
• Learning cohort – Each cohort of interns grow together, work alongside each other, and support one another throughout the school year. Interns make connections nationally during weekly virtual group supervision, led by Veterinary Social Workers from around the country.
• Didactic series on Veterinary Social Work – Interns are provided with live and recorded didactic content to support their learning and clinical development.
• National connections – Interns attend group supervision with interns at MedVet hospitals across the country, as well as attend networking and learning meetings together. They also will build connections with the VSW’s at other hospitals, learning from social workers with a variety of different backgrounds.
• Evening and weekend availability – allowing flexibility for interns with a variety of commitments. Each intern is required to work some evening and/or weekend hours during their internship.

Eligibility and Application Process

Veterinary Social Work interns must be enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s level social work program at an accredited university. Our program has partnerships with over 25 universities nationwide and can work with new schools to set up an agreement if we do not already have a partnership in place with the intern’s university. Interns must be available to work on-site at one of the following MedVet locations:

• WestVet Boise
• MedVet Chicago
• MedVet Columbus
• MedVet Dallas
• MedVet Salt Lake

Prospective interns can apply by sending a resume and cover letter to Director of Social Work, Laurie Maxwell. Eligible applicants will go through an interview process and will be placed based on fit and availability.

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