Join Our Team

Brandon Equine Medical Center is dedicated to providing exceptional learning opportunities to young veterinarians and veterinary students. Our intern and extern programs offer a full range of equine specific veterinary experiences both in the clinic and out in the field.

Interns

Brandon Equine Medical Center offers two or three internship positions yearly. The goal of our program is to allow our interns to build a strong foundation in equine medicine and surgery in order to develop into a confident equine practitioner. Individuals wishing to pursue an equine surgical residency will be well prepared to do so. Likewise, interns are able to leave our practice and immediately become a productive asset in a general ambulatory practice.

Our veterinarians closely supervise our interns with the interns’ duties, including:

• Daily examination and care of hospitalized patients.
• Assisting in surgical procedures.
• Assisting in evaluation and treatment of outpatient and emergency admissions.
• Alternating rotation through the emergency anesthesia schedule.
• Provide after-hours ambulatory emergency service (minimum two nights per week).

Our philosophy is that interns are an important part of our team of doctors and not just observers. As the year progresses and the interns’ skill set increases, their responsibilities will increase. We also believe that interns are human beings, and although our interns work very hard, they also have personal time off. Each intern has one-night off-call a week and one three-day weekend off each month. They are also allowed three days for continuing education and five days for vacation for personal affairs or interviews. We do provide living quarters within a short distance of the clinic.

Minimum qualifications include graduation from an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine, passing the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination, and a Florida veterinary license. Qualified applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, three letters of reference, and a letter of intent regarding the applicant’s future career interest no later than December 1. An extern visit or interview prior to the January selection is preferred.

Complete the Join Our Team form or email Dr. Melissa Restifo at mrestifo@brandonequine.com.

Externs

Brandon Equine Medical Center’s externship program is a valuable asset for veterinary students. The goal of our externship program is to provide as much “hands-on” experience as possible for the veterinary student. We encourage our externship applicants to spend two to three weeks at our clinic. The longer that the veterinary student is with us and the more comfortable our veterinarians become with the student’s knowledge and skill, the more “hands-on” the experience becomes. Shorter stays can be arranged as well.

We consider our externship program to be an excellent building block for our internship positions, as it allows our professional and para-professional staff to work with the potential internship candidates to determine if they will be a good fit for our team. This is very important, as our interns are the primary liaison between our veterinary technicians/assistants and the veterinarians, which makes teamwork essential.

Our schedule fills up quickly, so if our externship program interests you, please contact us as soon as you have a date range in mind. Availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Transportation to and from the clinic is the extern’s responsibility. Please use the About the Area dropdown for links to Tampa International Airport and shuttle information. A shopping center, including a Publix grocery store, and a variety of restaurants are within walking distance of the clinic.

Living quarters are provided on the premises for the externs. Interested veterinary students should complete the Join Our Team form or contact Dr. Melissa Restifo at mrestifo@brandonequine.com to confer about available time slots. All applicants must submit a curriculum vitae and a letter of intent prior to their final acceptance for a position. Please click here for important information on Externship Expectations.

We are seeking a self-motivated, certified large animal veterinary technician to join our progressive private equine practice in Tampa Bay, FL. The ideal candidate is a team player with a positive attitude who can assist veterinarians primarily in the clinic and occasionally on ambulatory calls. Responsibilities would include supervision and management of inpatients along with doctors and interns; assistance with outpatient and elective cases; and emergency coverage. A candidate with experience in anesthesia and surgery and ACT certification is preferred but not required. The position will provide ample opportunity for advancement, and a successful candidate will exhibit leadership and organizational skills that will facilitate them potentially serving in a managerial role in the future. The candidate would also be expected to assist doctors and other technicians in the training of new technicians and interns (three per year) regarding hospital policy and reinforcement of technical skills.

Compensation: Salary commensurate with experience. Additional benefits include a health insurance stipend, vacation, CE allowances, CE budget, and tuition reimbursement. Temporary housing may also be available.

About Brandon Equine: We are a seven-doctor practice just outside of Tampa, FL that focuses on maintaining the highest quality of patient care and client services while encouraging personal and professional development amongst our staff. The clinic has a thriving ambulatory division, as well as a steady caseload of daily outpatient cases (largely sports medicine) and emergencies. The clinic is fully equipped with in-house laboratory equipment; digital ultrasound and radiography; endoscopy; gastroscopy; arthroscopy; mobile dental facilities; and a full surgical suite.

Brandon Equine Medical Center’s technician externship program is a valuable asset for veterinary technician students. The goal of our externship program is to provide as much hands-on experience as possible for the veterinary technician student. We encourage our externship applicants to spend 8 to 10 weeks at our clinic. Shorter stays can be arranged as well.

Our schedule fills up quickly, so if our veterinary technician externship program interests you, please contact us as soon as you have a date range in mind. Availability is on a first come, first served basis.

Transportation to and from the clinic is the extern’s responsibility. Living quarters are provided on the premises and a shopping center is within walking distance from the clinic and includes Publix Grocery, and various restaurants.

Interested veterinary technician students should complete the Join Our Team form or contact Loretta North at lnorth@brandonequine.com to confer about available time slots. All applicants must submit a curriculum vita and cover letter prior to their final acceptance for a position.

Getting Here

Brandon Equine Medical Center is located in Brandon, Florida. Brandon is in unincorporated Hillsborough County, Florida, approximately 15 miles east of the city of Tampa. As of the 2010 census. the community had a total population over 100,000. If arriving by plane, Tampa International Airport is easily accessible and Super Shuttle is a convenient way to get from the airport to Brandon Equine.

Downtown Tampa

A short drive from Brandon, Tampa is a modern city that serves as the business center of Florida’s west coast. Tampa’s railroad resort origins are reflected in the University of Tampa’s Henry B. Plant Museum, housed in the 1890s arabesque Tampa Bay Hotel, which was once the training base for Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. Tampa sits on the Hillsborough River and is home to the Riverwalk, where attractions include:

• Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
• The Florida Aquarium
• Sparkman Wharf
• Port Cruise Ship Terminal
• Tampa Bay History Center
• Amalie Arena
• Glazer’s Children’s Museum
• Tampa Museum of Art
• David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
• Florida Museum of Photographic Arts

Ybor City

For more than half a century, Ybor City was the “Cigar Capital of the World,” and it is still one of the best places to buy hand-rolled cigars. A short trolley ride from downtown Tampa, this historic Cuban enclave is now known as Tampa’s Latin Quarter— and party central.

Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay doubles as one of America’s most thrilling amusement parks as well as one of the largest zoos in the country. Rides include 12 roller coasters, including the country’s largest and fastest all-wooden double coaster. On the 80-acre African-style savannah, you can come face-to-face with free-ranging zebras or feed a giraffe by hand. A zoologist accompanies you on the VIP tour while the Serengeti Safari takes you on an open truck ride out among the grazing wildlife.

St. Petersburg & Clearwater

Across Old Tampa Bay from Downtown Tampa, you’ll find the Pinellas Peninsula, site of St. Petersburg and Clearwater Beach. St. Petersburg is a museum lover’s town with the Florida International Museum, the Florida Holocaust Museum, and the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum. Clearwater Beach offers miles of sandy white beaches, warm sunshine, and clear gulf waters.

Professional Sport Teams

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional football team based in Tampa, Florida. Founded in 1976, they are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League and play at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002.

The Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional hockey team based in Tampa. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Winners of the 2003-2004 Stanley Cup, they play in the Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa.

The Tampa Bay Rays are a major league professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. Since 1998, they have played indoors at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.