Emergency & Critical Care Residency

Overview

The Emergency and Critical Care Residency in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University combines ample clinical experience with theoretical knowledge.

Faculty

This is a three-year standard track residency currently supported by five ACVECC diplomates (Drs. Christine Rutter, Justin Heinz, Igor Yankin, Thomas Edwards, and Lance Wheeler) and trains seven residents.

Learn more about our Emergency & Critical Care faculty.

Program

Emphasis is on the management of a heavy and varied caseload. Residents will spend a substantial portion of their time on primary ER duty under the supervision of a faculty member. As they proceed through the program, residents will spend an increasing amount of time with the team overseeing the critical care unit. Our Criticalists work closely with the residents, with direct mentoring on the clinic floor in the spirit of board certification requirements. The critical care resident is often responsible for cases requiring high-flow oxygen therapy, ventilation, pressor support, or having special intensive care requirements such as peritoneal dialysis, post-arrest, or resuscitation management. The hospital has extensive advanced diagnostics relevant to ECCM including 3T MRI, 24/7 CT, fluoroscopy, several NOVA analyzers, and viscoelastography. The Emergency and Critical Care Service is supported by a large number of talented faculty, and our residents interact closely with board-certified specialists in anesthesiology, internal medicine, surgery, neurology, cardiology, ophthalmology oncology, and diagnostic imaging.

Requirements

The Emergency and Critical Care residents are encouraged to develop both clinical and academic skills during their programs. Residents provide both clinical and didactic teaching to students, interns, and junior residents. Each resident is required to collaborate with experienced clinician-scientists to design, complete, and publish an original manuscript. Residents and faculty hold twice-weekly didactic rounds, which cover physiology and pathophysiology topics, as well as a review of current literature. These sessions are geared towards the board certification process. Other specialty services in the hospital also have regular didactic sessions, and our residents are encouraged to join these when possible.

For More Information & to Apply

  • More information about the program is available here.
  • All applications must be submitted through the VIRMP site.
  • Please direct any questions about the program to Dr. Christine Rutter.

Wilson reading a report

Previous Residents Talk About the Program

“This program has prepared me well, and I am so glad I came to Texas A&M. We have a great team here.”
— Courtney Wilson, DVM, ECC Resident 2014–2017

Tork lovingly looking at the dog

“Our ER and critical care caseload is vast in size and diversity. Working closely with our three criticalists in both the ER and the ICU provides a rich learning environment that has been invaluable in my residency training.”
— Laurie Torkildsen, DVM, ECC Resident 2015–2018