Offsite Electives

We are a small animal general practice and emergency practice. The primary case load is cats and dogs with occasional pocket pets (guinea pigs, rabbits) and birds. Daily cases range from routine preventative medicine to emergency intervention, surgery, and hospitalization. The facility includes dental suite, surgical suite, access to digital x-ray, dental x-rays, and ultrasound.

This externship is offered as an opportunity for students to gain experience working in both general practice with exposure to emergency cases in the state of Hawaii. Our goal is to help students gain confidence with seeing a variety of cases and encouraging them to come up with and develop diagnostic and treatment plans.

The extern will be exposed to many educational activities which will include:

General practice of clinical medicine and surgery, discussions of therapeutic decisions, periodic evaluation of extern, preventive medicine programs, business management guidelines, attendance of local association meetings, if possible, advanced pain management, and behavioral strategies including fear-free practices.    

We are a small animal veterinary clinic in Baltimore, Ohio that values accessibility to care and supports a wide range of clientele.

Students will be following the doctors in exam rooms and be given the opportunity to take the lead during exams. they can develop their own diagnostic and treatment plan with the input of the veterinarian they are working with. 

Students will be assisting with surgical procedures ( spays, neuters, enterotomies, cystotomies, amputations, enucleations, mass removals, etc.)  Students can perform surgeries under supervision of the DVM as time allows.

Students can perform blood draws, place IV catheters and perform cytology.

Students can perform dental cleaning and extractions under doctor supervision. 

This elective experience gives students the opportunity to work alongside our Director of Animal Behavior and Welfare in a moderately sized, urban companion animal shelter. Experiences include cageside rounds (behavior and medicine), clinical treatment plan creation, and assistance in enrichment programming; students are exposed to and engaged in decision making in a shelter setting to better the lives of the animals in our care.

During the elective experience at American Pet Hospital, the veterinary student will be fully integrated into our hospital team, gaining hands-on experience in a small animal general practice. Under the supervision of our veterinarians, they will participate in daily clinical activities, including patient examinations, diagnostic workups, treatment planning, and surgical preparation. The student will also have the opportunity to observe and assist in a variety of soft tissue surgeries and dental procedures, including those performed with our cutting-edge surgical laser. Additionally, the student will be exposed to advanced therapeutic modalities such as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and laser therapy for pain management and tissue healing. In both routine and emergency cases, the student will contribute to patient care and case discussions. This elective is designed to provide a comprehensive and supportive learning environment that fosters clinical skill development, professional communication, and critical thinking preparing the student for the demands of a veterinary internship and future clinical practice.

Vet Wildlife Medicine

Our three doctor small animal general practice serves the urban community of Huntington, IN.  As a general practice, the student will see patients for annual wellness exams and vaccinations, common sick exams, and mild emergency exams.  Participation in examination, disease work-up, and treatment plans is expected.  General surgery such as ovariohysterectomies, castrations, lumpectomies, and dental cleanings are also performed at this facility.

Muddy Paws Rescue, a 100% foster-based dog rescue in New York City, offers a 2–4 week externship designed to provide veterinary students with immersive training in anesthesia, surgery, pain management, and shelter medicine. Unlike traditional shelter programs, we do not house dogs onsite, which allows students to focus on individualized care, surgical efficiency, and anesthetic monitoring. Students rotate through both anesthesia and surgery roles, gaining hands-on experience with pre-anesthetic exams, patient prep, monitoring, recovery, and selected surgical procedures under direct veterinary supervision. The program accepts up to four students per block, with priority for clinical-year students, and is especially suited for those with a strong interest in surgical practice within a community rescue setting.

 This elective course is designed for students to see dermatology cases. Teaching methods include group discussions, case presentations, individual instruction with clinical cases, and self-directed learning using class notes and videos, textbooks, and literature searches. 

• Demonstrate proficiency in obtaining an accurate history pertaining to dermatological cases 

• Demonstrate proficiency in describing dermatological lesions using correct terminology 

• Demonstrate proficiency in performing basic dermatology procedures including skin scrapings with identification 

of common mites, skin cytology with identification of bacteria and yeast, otoscopic examination with identification of tympanic membrane, ear cytology with identification of bacteria and yeast. 

• Be familiar with the indications and procedures for allergy testing and skin biopsies. 

• Demonstrate proficiency in developing differential diagnosis and diagnostic plans for patients with itching, ear infections, skin rashes, hair loss, mucocutaneous lesions, skin nodules and draining tracts. 

• Demonstrate the ability to discuss the important aspects of performing a restrictive diet trial for identification of food allergies. 

• Be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages and use of different types of flea and tick control products. 

• Understand and be able to explain the purposes of different types of shampoos and other topical products used in veterinary dermatology. 

• Be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different options for management of itching in dogs and cats. 

• Be able to discuss treatment options for staphylococcal skin infections including the management of methicillin resistant staphylococcal infections. 

• Be able to discuss treatment options for dermatophytosis and malassezia skin infections and to explain zoonotic concerns. 

Observation at a busy referral veterinary dermatology and allergy practice with 2 board certified dermatologists and one third year resident in dermatology.