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Working/Functional Title

Assistant Professor of Primary Care

Position Summary

The College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, invites applications from outstanding individuals for the position of Assistant Professor in the Health Programs (HP) appointment system.

The role of the successful applicant will encompass clinical service, education, and research/scholarly activity. The amount of time dedicated to each of these endeavors is flexible and will be geared towards the interests, strengths, and qualifications of the applicant. The current Primary Care team consists of two full-time, and one part-time primary care faculty, three licensed veterinary technicians, and a veterinary assistant devoted to the primary care service in the Veterinary Medical Center. The Primary Care Service sees outpatient appointments for routine wellness and medical concerns. The service also caters to many second-opinion cases due to our ability to perform more advanced diagnostics and easy accessibility to specialty consultations. Primary Care performs sterilization surgeries for dogs/cats and other routine surgeries commonly performed in a primary care setting such as mass removals and cystotomies. Routine dental procedures are also performed via the service. The Veterinary Medical Center faculty also include specialists in surgery, internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care medicine, cardiology, neurology, dermatology, ophthalmology, medical and radiation oncology, theriogenology, sports medicine and rehabilitation, and anesthesia. 

Considerable effort will be devoted to clinical service and instruction. The position involves extensive instruction of veterinary medical and veterinary nursing students in a teaching-hospital setting, surgical supervision of veterinary students in a traditional hospital setting with the goal of also providing training in an outreach shelter environment. Additionally, the position will also be responsible for training veterinary interns assigned to the Primary Care Service.

This position will also be responsible for teaching and the continuous improvement of didactic and laboratory courses. This will include the development of educational support materials in assigned courses in the DVM programs. The instructional model employed at MSU utilizes direct and experiential learning for preclinical and clinical veterinary and veterinary nursing students. The goals are to emphasize critical thinking, increase student autonomy, and provide hands-on experience under direct veterinary and veterinary nurse supervision, aiming for a model of excellence in companion animal first opinion and preventative care.

Health Programs (HP) appointments are unique to Michigan State University and are predicated on the need to enhance programs in clinical education, patient care services and clinical research. Health Programs (HP) appointments emphasize clinical service and teaching, although these positions are flexible to allow ample time for research and scholarly activity. Both tenure system and HP appointments are expected to contribute to preclinical and clinical education of veterinary students, interns, and residents. Health Programs (HP) appointments are unique to Michigan State University Colleges of Human, Osteopathic, Veterinary Medicine, and Nursing and were created to enhance programs in clinical education, patient care services, and clinical research. HP faculty appointed in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences typically have 50-70% clinical assignments devoted to clinical and pre-clinical instruction, patient care services, and the general administrative efforts of the Department and College. In addition, HP faculty are expected to be active in research and other scholarly endeavors. A complete description of the Michigan State University HP system is available at