Offsite Electives

Small animal practice: preventive care and illnesses/injuries

Working Schedule: M, T 8-5; W 9-6; Th 10-7; Sat 8-2

Extern will be shadowing Dr. Traci Gilbert, managing DVM at the clinic during working hours.  

Forest Glen Animal Hospital sees a variety of wellness, senior wellness, urgent care, and occasional emergency cases throughout the week.  Appointments for extern student would be MTW, Saturday.  On Thursday, extern will have the opportunity to shadow in surgery and can perform surgeries for our rescue partner Chicago Canine Rescue under DVM supervision, depending on proficiency.

We hope to also offer the opportunity for hands-on skill building such as catheter placement, venipuncture, ultrasound guided cystocentesis, and intubation, as well as other valid skills.

Throughout the externship, we will have case discussions, building from presentation to follow up after discharge to build case management and communication skills.

Our goal is to provide veterinary students with practical, real-world experience in diagnosing, treating, and managing a variety of small animal cases, as well as gaining insight into the day-to-day operations of a general veterinary practice.

Key Components:

1. Clinical Skills and Diagnostic Techniques
2. Medical and Surgical Case Management
3. Client Communication and Education

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain hands-on experience in performing basic veterinary tasks and procedures under the supervision of licensed veterinarians.
• Enhance diagnostic reasoning and develop problem-solving skills in real-world cases.
• Build communication skills by interacting with clients and discussing patient care plans.
• Increase confidence in clinical decision-making and learn the standard protocols for common veterinary conditions
• Understand the scope and demands of a general veterinary practice, including client care, medical management, and practice operations.

Supervision and Feedback:

Throughout the elective, the student will receive mentorship and guidance from practicing veterinarians and support staff. Regular feedback will be provided to help the student reflect on their progress, identify areas for improvement, and further develop their clinical skills. This elective experience allows veterinary students to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world veterinary practice, preparing them for a future in clinical practice.

Provide exposure to the daily operations of a small animal general practice. Participate in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of common medical and surgical cases. Responsibilities will include assisting with physical examinations, client communication, diagnostic procedures, and routine preventative care such as vaccinations, venipuncture, radiography, and laboratory testing. Observe and assist with elective surgical procedures, including spays, neuters, and dental prophylaxis.

We are an eight doctor with one Doctor Who practices exclusively referral advanced dentistry. We operate Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM until 6:00 PM. The  will be shadowing and being involved directly in both regular appointments, sick appointments, and scrubbing in with surgeries and dentistry. They will rotate through several doctors for exposure to different ideas and personalities in our field. 

Work in day to day gp practice 

We are seeking a professional that would like to learn with a family-like work atmosphere who enjoys educating clients while providing excellent patient care during our 30 minute Wellness and 40 minute Non-well Appointments.  Students would have opportunity to experience shadowing a veterinarian/practice owner in all aspects of the job.   Please go to our website CHOICEVETS.COM for more information and please check out what clients say about us (google and facebook reviews).

Gain valuable hands-on experience through our Scottsdale Spay and Neuter Clinic externships. This opportunity allows students to refine their surgical skills, assist with anesthetic monitoring, and actively participate in patient care from intake to recovery. Externs will also practice writing SOAPs and deepen their understanding of community-based population control efforts.

Externs will be shadowing within Chesapeake Valley Referral Center at Atlantic Veterinary Internal Medicine and Oncology. The referral center houses neurology, ophthalmology, surgery, cardiology and emergency as well as our IM and oncology department. We work closely with these services to provide comprehensive care to our patients. Externs will have the opportunity to work with board certified internists to see common IM cases. They will also have the opportunity to work with an oncologist up to two days a week to see common oncology cases. Students will be able to participate in appointments, procedures, and transfer patient care. 

Student will be shadowing one of the four veterinarians at our practice to gain experience and knowledge in all aspects of general small animal medicine. Experiences include interacting with clients, examining patients, laboratory testing (in house or through Idexx, Cornell, University of Penn, Michigan, Texas A & M), radiology, ultrasonography, anesthesia, surgical procedures, and dentistry. Student will also have exposure to end-of-life discussions with clients and the euthanasia process.