We believe that the rest of your career is advanced from your experience in your first year of practice as a veterinarian. Some may call it an Internship, but we call it Mentorship! For those who want the most out of their first year as a Veterinarian, come learn alongside us! Our goal is to teach you in ONE YEAR what most Veterinarians will learn in FIVE YEARS. Request Info!
"You are never by yourself here. You come in every day and have a whole support team of doctors and mentors working alongside you. This program is for someone who isn’t quite ready to take off their training wheels, but who is ready to be a Doctor and start practicing medicine in the real world." - Dr. Samantha Gans - The 5th Year Class of 2021
We challenge our team daily to achieve the impossible! Having fun with our work family on our epic culture building and team bonding events is just one of the reasons why our culture is unlike any other!
Encourage by example or experience, while nurturing a sense of empowerment and innate desire to expand one’s knowledge and skills.
Show compassion, encouragement, and assistance with one’s individual dreams and aspirations; dramatically advancing one’s confidence through consistent and intentional communication and feedback.
To achieve something that they think may be difficult or impossible; foster excitement in the opportunity for success and growth, and a recognition of one’s infinite potentiality.
Here is a more comprehensive list of the procedures and therapies our 5th Year Veterinarians have experienced hands-on in only their 1st year as a licensed doctor:
We created the most unique rotating internship in Scottsdale, AZ, to assist new graduating veterinarians gain experience in general practice, shelter medicine, emergency and critical care, and advanced surgery and dentistry.
Work LESS THAN 40 HOURS a week!
Rotating nights & weekends off
Health, Dental, & Vision Insurance with Employer Contributions
Continuing Education & Travel Allowance
Paid Time Off for Vacation and Sick Time
Competitive Program Salary – Ask About "The 5th Year" Mentorship Program Pay Structure!
Culture Building and Team Bonding Events
Appreciation Fridge Stocked Weekly (Redbull, Coffee, Ice Cream, Veggies, and more!)
Grubhub+ Membership: Free Food Delivery to Home or Work!
Employee Assistance Program
Retirement Planning with Contributions After the Program
Associate Veterinarian Positions available with one of our clinics after the Program!
How do you treat a blocked cat with a $500 treatment plan? $1000? $5000? What is the best way to treat a brown recluse bite? How would you treat an aggressive dog with a severe inner ear infection?
Three-week rotations start through each of the following areas of medicine:
Dr. Conzemius obtained his DVM & PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Iowa State University. His surgical residency was completed at U. of Pennsylvania. He served as Faculty at U. of Pennsylvania, Iowa State U., and U. of Minnesota. His special interests include orthopedic and joint (elbow, knee, and hip) surgery, and he was the ACVS Founding Fellow in joint replacement surgery. Dr. Conzemius now lives in AZ, and enjoys rock climbing, wakeboarding, and spending time with his family. He has been hired as the Director of Specialty Surgery at GQvet, full-time starting in January 2023!
Dr. Langhofer grew up in Indiana as the son of a veterinarian. He graduated from Purdue University in 1998, as the youngest veterinarian in the nation. He works closely with many species of exotic pets, and is very interested in holistic medicine in dogs and cats. He and his wife have a beautiful daughter and 2 sons. His pets at home include 3 dogs, 2 cats, 3 birds, and a desert tortoise. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, spicy food, and is an avid whitewater kayaker.
Dr. Kerby is the Director of The 5th Year Internship Experience. After graduating in 2018, Dr. Kerby dove right into private practice, with a strong focus on emergency medicine. This created a valuable experience as he quickly recognized both the positives and the areas opportunity of a non-structured start to a veterinary career. Having a passion for teaching and mentorship himself, he jumped at the chance to create a unique internship program that focused on culture, work life balance and practical medicine while developing new graduates into all-star associate veterinarians. Dr. Kerby is a graduate of Washington State School of Veterinary medicine, lives with his corgi Garrus, his orange tabby Bruce and spends his days off playing disc golf!
Dr. Beth Engelschall was born in Illinois and moved to Arizona with her family in 1998. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Science. She then attended Colorado State University where she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2017. During school, she had the opportunity to travel to rural Nicaragua and Costa Rica to volunteer her services and to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. After graduating, she returned home to Arizona to start her career as a veterinarian. Her professional interests include preventative medicine, feline medicine, soft tissue surgery, and dentistry. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, hiking, reading, and cooking. She shares her home with five rescue cats – Marshmallow, Waldo, Baxter, Archie, and Smudge, and her rescue dog named Toby.
Dr. Hailey Magnussen was born in Southern California but grew up in Arizona and attended Arizona State University for her undergrad. She worked as a veterinary technician at The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic before going to veterinary school at Colorado State University. She worked in the surgery department and critical care unit at CSU throughout vet school, and developed a passion for soft tissue surgery and emergency medicine, as well as preventative care. Although she loved the beautiful hiking and winter activities Colorado had to offer, she is excited to be back in Arizona! She has a dog, Rocco, and a cat, Spunky. In her free time, she enjoys camping, spending time with her family, hiking, and cooking.
Dr. Kelsey (KJ) Sampayan went to undergrad at Colorado Christian University (CCU) where she majored in pre-med while on a soccer scholarship. She also worked as a kennel tech at a small animal clinic near her school. Kelsey then went to Veterinary school at Midwestern University for her DVM and graduated in 2020. During veterinary school, she was a receptionist and technician at a general practice and emergency clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has a special interest in tricky dermatology cases and cardiology.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband (Brandon), two Golden Doodles named Zella and Willow, and her bunny Leila. Dr. KJ also plays indoor and outdoor soccer for a couple leagues in the valley.
Dr. Greenwood is an Arizona native! After completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Arizona, she moved to the White Mountains where she met her husband, Willie. She then attended Ross University on the beautiful island of St. Kitts for three years, and then one year at Louisiana State University. She moved back to Arizona after she obtained her DVM. She has a passion for emergency veterinary care, and enjoys the fast pace it brings to our days! She has a love for all animals both big and small and currently has one adorable little dog. In her free time, she can be found in the mountains fishing, camping, or skiing!
Dr. Dan Fonza was born in Illinois but has spent most of his life growing up in Arizona. Dr. Fonza attended veterinary school at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland and received his DVM in 2013 to practice veterinary medicine. Apart from having a strong interest in general dentistry and soft tissue surgeries, Dr. Fonza has been heavily trained in Endoscopy and carries with him 5 years of experience. In his spare time, he enjoys lightning photography, skiing, hiking, camping and tackling home improvement projects. Most importantly, he strives to be a loving father and husband and loves spending time with his wife, two beautiful (and wild) kids and his dog Maple.
Dr. Kurth is an Arizona native! She graduated from Colorado State University in 2016. Since graduating, Dr. Kurth has practiced in a mixed general practice and emergency setting. She has undergone additional training in ultrasonography and is offering diagnostic ultrasounds at QCVC. In 2018 she attended a week long training course and was part of the first class of veterinarians certified in the use of Ozone therapy. She is excited to share it’s many benefits with her patients. At home Dr. Kurth enjoys spending time with her husband and two wonderful children Remington and Caroline. She enjoys family dinners, board games, racquetball, camping and reading. Her family shares their home with two dogs, Monty (a Miniature Schnauzer) and Red (a Labradoodle) and a cat named Lightning Storm. They also have two Morgan Horses named Sparky and Malibar along with several chickens.
Dr. Meschino is an Arizona native born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona. She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona. She attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine before graduating in 2016 and returning home to Arizona. Dr. Meschino has experience working with many different types of pets and has a big interest in solving difficult dermatology cases. Her pets at home include a tortoise named Edgar, a kitty named Pascal, two dogs and horses. Her Boxer mix Eza is a tripod and Doug is an energetic Hanging Tree Cow Dog. Aristocrat is her competition Arabian horse and Notch is a Quarter Horse. In her spare time Dr. Meschino competes in cutting and reining and enjoys getting outdoors. You’ll frequently find her at the lake kayaking, paddle boarding or going for a hike.
Autumn was born in Rochester, Minnesota but moved to AZ when she was very young. She has always had a love for animals and has been working with the team since 2009. Since then, she has greatly enjoyed learning the different aspects of veterinary medicine. She is constantly inspired by the many relationships she builds with the veterinarians of tomorrow, and finds great joy in learning everyone's individual dreams. Seeing how The 5th Year can support these ambitions is both rewarding and exciting for her! Autumn completed her Certificate for Veterinary Business Leader in 2020. She has a ragdoll kitty named Sasha, and may be looking to add a canine friend to the family soon! In her free time, she enjoys being a soccer mom, spontaneous trips with friends and family, nurturing her online shopping habit, camping, and watching football or hockey.
Dr. Buscema is from Tucson, Arizona. She has always grown up around dogs, horses, and cats and knew early on she wanted to devote her life to them. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Veterinary Science, minoring in Microbiology and Biochemistry. After graduation, she moved to Glendale, Arizona to acquire her degree in Veterinary Medicine at Midwestern University. Dr. Buscema is very excited to join the team at Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic! Megan has an interest in preventative care, while building strong client relationships to help care for everyone’s four legged friends. When she is not helping other animals, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with her terrier mix rescue, Poppy or enjoying the company of her horse, Elco.
Lance grew up in Tempe, AZ. He spent six years living in Lake Tahoe, CA in his early 20’s attending the University of Nevada, Reno and ultimately graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in Global Business Management. His career path took him from Hotel Management to Commercial Real Estate Management then into Pharmaceutical Sales. His love for animals led him to veterinary medical sales where he established himself as an industry leader. This ultimately led him to us at Hippo Vet where Lance currently serves as our Director of Clinic Outreach and Recruiting. He has family connections to the entertainment industry and has worked as a promoter, tour manager, and in artist management. His passions are veterinary medicine, health and fitness, skiing, live music, biking, hiking, skateboarding, kayaking, charity work and the love of his life, his cat Zipper.
Dr. Lockhart grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. As an undergraduate he attended Louisiana State University. He attended veterinary school in St. Kitts, in the West Indies, and graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Lockhart performed his small animal internship at VCA Animal Referral and Emergency Center of Arizona. He has one dog named Luna and two cats named Thundercat and Anthony. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, eating sushi, working out, exercising his artistic skills by drawing and painting.
Dr. Miller grew up in Iowa and Wisconsin. While attaining his B.S. in Animal Science at Brigham Young University - Idaho, he rubbed shoulders with large animal veterinarians during an externship back home in Wisconsin and knew that veterinary medicine was for him. After receiving his veterinary degree at the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, he spent 6.5 years in the United States Army Veterinary Corps. He loved serving with and providing medical care for the military working dogs. His service grew a passion for leadership and mentoring others. After the military, he spent time in Page, AZ as a solo mixed animal practitioner, as the base veterinarian at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, and finally joined Canyon View Cares Veterinary Hospitals in northern Utah as business partner. Dr. Miller is excited about his current partnership with HIppo Vets Group and for the opportunity to mentor the next generation of all-star veterinarians in Utah! He loves spending time with his wife and four kids. They have two rabbits, and one dog named G.I. Jane, born on Veteran’s Day. He enjoys all things outdoors and most recently Spartan races.
Michelle has been working as a veterinary technician since 2014 and recently became a Certified Veterinary Technician! She enjoys everything and anything outside including hiking, going to the lake, snowboarding and traveling with her beloved 5-year-old dog Stanley. When She’s not traveling to the beach or the mountains with her A+ copilot Stan, they are at home cuddled on the couch with their 18-year-old kitty Roland. She grew up with various pets and always had a passion to help animals. Michelle was quickly promoted to lead veterinary technician here at TSVC, where she gets to help animals everyday while surrounded by the most supportive coworkers!
Dr. Bronstein is originally from New York CIty. She has always been interested in working with animals but did not begin her path to veterinary medicine until sophomore year of college. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College in Massachusetts with a major in Philosophy. After graduating, she spent 6 months in Thailand volunteering at an elephant sanctuary before completing a pre-med post-baccalaureate at City College in New York City. She then moved to Arizona to complete her veterinary degree at Midwestern University. She has an interest in emergency medicine and preventative care. She places a keen emphasis on building relationships with clients, working with them to treat their pets, and giving them happy and healthy lives. In her free time she enjoys kickboxing and dance classes, playing volleyball, and spending time with friends and family. She has a 5 year-old dog named Amos and a 9 year-old cat named Messi.
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