Offsite Electives

Grace Animal Hospital is an AAHA-accredited, small animal and avian/exotic hospital located in beautiful Bridgeport, West Virginia. We are a full service, well-equipped, and progressive 4-doctor practice. While most of the patients we see are canine and feline, we also see small mammals, reptiles, birds and poultry. 

Grace Animal Hospital is privately-owned and family-centered with no on-call, overnight, or weekend responsibilities. Our culture is one of compassion, collaboration, thoroughness, and building strong bonds with our clients and their pets. Our entire team is committed to providing the highest standards of veterinary care and exceptional client communication and service. 

Our externship program offers veterinary students the chance to work alongside experienced and collaborative veterinarians in a private practice setting.  You’ll receive one-on-one mentorship while building critical clinical skills such as history taking, physical exams, diagnostic interpretation, treatment planning, anesthesia protocols, and end-of-life care discussions. We will also tailor the externship focus to the individual, helping you develop skills in areas of personal interest or areas where you feel you need more experience.  You will also participate in morning rounds discussions, and be involved in case management for both in-patients and out-patients. 

DESCRIPTION

Animal Emergency Hospital, a thriving emergency veterinary practice on the East Coast in Bel Air, Maryland, is excited to announce openings for first- through fourth-year veterinary student externships. Our full-service emergency facility offers mentorship in outpatient, ICU, and surgical care in a caring, compassionate environment where you will learn and grow in your career.

Program Overview:

Our externship program is loosely structured to accommodate each student’s needs, and you can rotate in two- to eight-week blocks, according to your school requirements and schedule. During your three 12-hour weekly shifts, you will shadow your assigned mentor, assist with patient triage, attend ICU rounds, contribute to patient care decisions, and scrub into procedures and surgeries. Shifts will focus on inpatient ICU care or outpatient triage and surgery.

Why choose Animal Emergency Hospital?

Animal Emergency Hospital’s 50-plus team members enjoy a culture focused on caring, compassion, and dedication not only to patients and clients, but also to fellow team members. We do not hesitate to help each other, and we spend time together outside work, supporting local charities and attending fun events. Our hospital includes endoscopy, ultrasound, and a full in-house laboratory, and our veterinarians’ proficiency and skill allow them to perform more surgeries than most other hospitals.

This elective is with the Pedigree Stage Stop dog sled race (https://wyomingstagestop.org/). This race runs annually for ~10 days and takes place in Western Wyoming. Students have the opportunity to examine sled dogs, diagnose racing-related injuries and illnesses, collect samples for performance-enhancing drug testing, all while working directly with the veterinary team (4-5 sled dog veterinarians).

1. Clinical & Diagnostic Expectations

Externs are expected to actively transition from classroom knowledge to hands-on case management. Key clinical duties include: 

• History Taking & Exams: Efficiently gathering dermatological histories from clients and conducting comprehensive skin and otic examinations. 
• In-House Diagnostics: Developing proficiency in performing and reading diagnostic tests. This heavily includes skin scrapings, fine needle aspirates (FNA), trichograms, and surface cytology. 
• Specialized Technology Exposure: Observing and assisting with advanced specialty equipment, including multi-head teaching microscopes, video otoscopy for deep ear flushes, and CO2 lasers. 
• Case Synthesis: Presenting physical findings to the attending dermatologist, formulating differential diagnoses (ranging from common environmental allergies to rare immune-mediated diseases), and discussing treatment options

2. Engagement & Academic Participation

An externship is highly collaborative, and students are evaluated on their enthusiasm and integration into the specialty team. Expectations include: 

• Punctuality & Presence: Arriving early for morning rounds and remaining engaged throughout high-volume clinic days.
• Proactive Shadowing: Actively volunteering to assist technicians and clinicians while asking thoughtful, concept-driven questions.
• Rounds & Presentations: Participating in clinical rounds, literature reviews, or journal clubs.

3. Logistical & Professional Standards

• Soft Skills: Demonstrating strong client communication and teamwork. Dermatology relies heavily on client compliance for long-term allergy or chronic ear management, so observing how clinicians navigate difficult client conversations is a major component.

This is a single doctor practice that cares for dogs and cats. We provide general practice services including vaccinations and preventive care, surgery, lab work, radiology (including dental radiology), and ultrasound. We also provide behavioral counseling and therapy. The student will learn the art of history taking, developing a differential list and then selecting diagnostics to determine the definitive diagnosis and treatment plan. Keeping spectrum of care in mind while communicating with the doctor and clients. This practice has a strong culture of client communication. The open forum of this practice allows students and staff to stay alert to communication with clients so everyone can support the patient and client needs.

Reynolda Veterinary Hospital is located in Winston-Salem, NC. We see primarily small animal patients (cats and dogs) with occasional exotic pets (reptiles and small mammals). Student externs should plan to spend 40-hours each week at Reynolda Veterinary Hospital. Students may choose their schedule between 5 x 8-hour days or 4 x 10-hour days Monday-Friday only. The hospital is closed on weekends. Our externs will be able to:

• Attend to scheduled appointments under direct (1:1) DVM supervision and collaborate to:
  • Practice physical exam skills on client-owned patients under direct DVM supervision
  • Generate a patient-specific problem list and list differential diagnoses
  • Design a patient-specific diagnostic and treatment plan
  • Interpret diagnostic results 
  • Communicate with owners

  • Compose medical records under direct DVM supervision (AI-assisted optional)

     

• Practice technical skills under direct (1:1) DVM or Licensed Veterinary Technician supervision  including:
  • Fear Free patient handling techniques
  • Lab sample collection and handling 
  • IV catheter placement
  • Intubation

  • Anesthesia monitoring

     

• Participate in soft tissue surgery, dental cleaning and oral surgery under direct (1:1) DVM supervision

  • Generate balanced anesthesia protocols 
  • Scrub-in to observe and possibly perform various soft tissue surgeries (determined via individual student experience and skill level)
  • Interpret dental radiographs and perform complete oral exams with dental charting

   

WPAFB VTF is a general practice Military Veterinary Medicine experience that includes small animal medicine, military working dogs, public health, and food safety. Externs are exposed to military veterinary medicine under direct supervision of a DVM. 

Valley Veterinary Clinic offers externships for students interested in dairy production medicine. Our practice services dairy farms of all shapes and sizes, from 50 to >10,000 cows. We pride ourselves on having a collaborative team of veterinarians who work together to provide the best service we can to our clients.

Our goal with any externship is for the student to improve in their skills regardless of where they start. Each student will come with different past experiences, so the more open they are about their abilities and interests, the better we can tailor an experience for them. Students will have the opportunity to get significant palpation/ultrasound experience, as well as medical/surgical experience. A typical day will begin with herd health appointments and will usually include sick cow calls or emergencies. Those interested in advanced reproductive services will find plenty of opportunity to ride with our Genetic Services team. Other areas include records analysis, calf lung ultrasound, employee training, and team meetings/consultation. Students often ride with 8-10 different veterinarians, meaning they will hear many different perspectives and get to see many different farms. They will also participate in our weekly breakfast meetings where we discuss cases and catch up. 

Mohnacky Animal Hospitals is a family-owned veterinary organization serving North San Diego County, California, with locations in Vista, Escondido, and Carlsbad. Our corporate office serves as the central administrative contact for the organization. We are also affiliated with Helping Paws Animal Hospital in Anza, California, and partner with the Helping Paws Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting community initiatives and expanding access to affordable veterinary care, including programs benefiting military service members and their families.

Our hospitals offer students a diverse, hands-on clinical learning experience that extends beyond routine wellness and preventive care. Students will have opportunities to work alongside our team of six experienced veterinarians, including a board-certified theriogenologist and a veterinarian certified in acupuncture, both of whom also practice general veterinary medicine. Our clinical services include internal medicine, reproductive medicine, acupuncture, dentistry, soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, anesthesia, diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, and post-operative care. While primarily treating dogs and cats, our hospitals also occasionally see exotic/pocket pets, further broadening clinical exposure.

Students will actively participate in daily clinical activities under appropriate supervision, including patient examinations, obtaining medical histories, developing diagnostic and treatment plans, reviewing laboratory and imaging results, documenting medical records, and discussing cases with supervising veterinarians. Depending on their experience and demonstrated competencies, students may also assist with surgical preparation, anesthesia monitoring, dental and surgical procedures, treatments, and post-operative patient care.

Our goal is to provide a well-rounded educational experience that strengthens clinical reasoning, practical skills, client communication, and collaboration within a veterinary team. Students will also gain exposure to veterinary practice management software, electronic medical records, and emerging technologies used to support daily clinical operations. Specific learning opportunities and levels of participation will vary based on hospital location, supervising veterinarian, clinical caseload, and the student's educational level and demonstrated competencies.

Our 3.5 doctor small animal practice will have students focused on general practice appointments and procedures, including dentals, spays, neuters, mass removals, general wellness appointments, and non-critical sick appointments. Students will have an opportunity to shadow appointments, participate in surgeries, be hands-on for diagnostics that include radiographs, endoscopy, and lab work.