Specialisation offers

The Vetsuisse Faculty at the University of Bern offers structured continuing education programmes. Open positions can be found on the job portal of the University of Bern (Working at the University of Bern).

Internships

An internship is a one-year, species-specific training programme offered in one of the three clinics of the Vetsuisse Faculty at the University of Bern. This provides an opportunity for veterinary graduates to gain practical experience after completing their veterinary degree. These programmes allow newly qualified veterinarians to further develop their clinical skills and medical knowledge in a supervised environment through guidance and mentoring.

A key foundation for further specialisation is a rotating general internship. During this programme, interns are introduced to all major areas of veterinary medicine through short rotations. For further enquiries, please contact the respective clinic management. Specialised internships (one year in a single area of veterinary medicine) are also offered. If you have any additional questions, please contact the head of the relevant unit directly.

Residency / Fachtierarzt

The Vetsuisse Faculty at the University of Bern offers structured continuing education programmes lasting from 2 to 5 years. In Bern, these programmes, called residencies, are carried out in 18 different specialist areas of clinical and paraclinical veterinary medicine.

These are official, nationally or internationally established specialisation programmes that aim to achieve the highest globally recognised professional qualification in veterinary medicine (European Qualification Framework Level 8). International programmes are certified by either the European Board for Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) or the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS). In certain specialist areas, FVH (Fachtierarzt/-tierärztin) specialisation programmes are also carried out, which offer broad, in-depth further training focused on one animal group. The FVH title as a specialist is standardised throughout Switzerland and recognised in other countries.

These structured specialisation programmes are based on the guidelines of the relevant umbrella organisation (EBVS, ABVS or GST) and are completed with a selective examination. Various objectives must be demonstrated for admission to the examination, such as (para-)clinical experience (case collection) and the publication of one or more research projects.

Further information on the EBVS
Further information on the ABVS
Further information on the GST

Offered Specialisation Programmes

Overview of all recognised specialisation programmes of the European and American Colleges as well as the GTS specialist veterinary training courses offered at the Vetsuisse Faculty Bern:

European Colleges
Field of specialisation  College Abbreviation Programme information
Anesthesiology European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia ECVAA

Anaesthesiology_2025

Aquatic Animal Health 

European College of Aquatic Animal Health 

ECAAH

Aquatic Animal Health_2025

Bacteriology European College of Veterinary Microbiology ECVM

Veterinary Microbiology_2025.pdf

Bovine Health Management  European College of Bovine Health Management ECBHM

Bovine herd medicine_2025

Dermatology European College of Veterinary Dermatology ECVD

ECVD_Dermatology_2025

Large animal surgery for horses European College of Veterinary Surgeons ECVS

Equine Surgery_2025

Equine Internal Medicine European College of Internal Equine Medicine ECEIM

Equine Internal Medicine_2025

Small Animal Internal Medicine European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Companion Animals ECVIM-CA

Small Animal Internal Medicine_2024

Small animal surgery European College of Veterinary Surgery ECVS

Small Animal Surgery_2025

Emergency and intensive care medicine
for small animals
European College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care ECVECC

Emergency and intensice care medicine_2024

Parasitology European Veterinary Parasitology College EVPC

Veterinary Parasitology_2025

Radiology European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging ECVDI
Porcine Health Management  European College of Porcine Health Management ECPHM

Porcine Health Management_2025

Veterinary Neurology European College of Veterinary Neurology  ECVN

Veterinary Neurology_2025

Veterinary Pathology European College of Veterinary Pathologists ECVP

Veterinary Pathologie_2025

Veterinary Public Health  European College of Veterinary Public Health (Population Medicine) ECVPH

Veterinary Public Health_2025

Wildlife Population Health European College of Zoological Medicine ECZM

Wildlife Population Health_2025

American Colleges
Field of specialisation  College Abbreviation Programme information
Small Animal Internal Medicine 

American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 

ACVIM

Small Animal Internal Medicine_2024

Veterinary Pathologists American College of Veterinary Pathologists ACVP

Veterinary Pathologie_2025

National Continuing Programmes (FVH)
Field of specialisation  College Abbreviation Programme information
Horse medicine Schweizerische Vereinigung für Pferdemedizin  SVPM

Horse medicine_FVH_2025

Swine medicine Schweizer Vereinigung für Schweinemedizin SVSM

Swine_FVH_2025

Ruminant medicine Schweizerische Vereinigung für Wiederkäuergesundheit SVW ASSR

Ruminant Medicine_2025

Specialist in Laboratory and Fundamental Veterinary Medicine

Schweizer Vereinigung für Veterinär-Labordiagnostik

SVVLD

FVH_Labor_Grundlagenmedizin_ENG