Offsite Electives

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. 

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 in which students can get experience 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.

Ambulatory food animal practice.  We will be doing herd work and sick animal exams.  

Externships in all of the specialties are available to veterinary students currently in their clinical year(s) of study, with the intent of providing an educational opportunity to students and forming new relationships within the veterinary community. Extern responsibilities vary from observation with teaching discussion, to patient handling and client interviews (similar to a university experience) dependent upon the service visited and individual ability.  Students can apply for variable duration externships (2-4 weeks is typical).

The veterinary externship at Flower Mound Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center will provide the student with supervised clinical exposure to emergency and specialty veterinary medicine.

During the externship, the student will work alongside our emergency veterinarians to gain experience with the assessment and management of small animal emergency cases. Our doctors will provide instruction in patient triage, physical examinations, development of differential diagnoses, diagnostic planning, interpretation of laboratory and imaging results, treatment planning, stabilization of emergency patients, and continued management of hospitalized and critical patients.

The student will have the opportunity to observe a variety of emergency procedures and diagnostics, including point-of-care testing, radiology, ultrasound, emergency stabilization, and case management. When appropriate, the student may participate in hands-on clinical activities under the direct supervision of a veterinarian.

As a veterinary emergency and specialty center, the student will also have exposure to specialty medicine and the opportunity to observe surgical procedures performed by our board-certified veterinary surgeons. This will allow the student to see the progression of patient care from emergency presentation and diagnostic evaluation through specialty consultation, surgical intervention, hospitalization, and postoperative care.

The overall goal of the externship is to strengthen the student’s clinical reasoning, emergency medicine knowledge, communication skills, and understanding of collaborative patient care within an emergency and specialty hospital setting.

Ceva Animal Health is one of the world's largest animal health companies and the leading French company in the sector. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Libourne, France, Ceva develops, manufactures, and markets vaccines, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic tools, equipment, and services designed to improve the health and welfare of animals. The company operates in more than 47 countries and employs over 7,000 people worldwide. In the United States, the manufacturing and commercial operations are in Lenexa, KS. 

The U.S. Veterinarian Services team member work from home and engage customers throughout the country.  This offsite elective will focus on poultry.

Specific to poultry, Ceva is recognized as a global leader in poultry health, particularly in vaccination technologies. The company develops:

• Vaccines for major poultry diseases
• Hatchery vaccination systems
• Vaccine administration equipment
• Health monitoring and disease prevention programs
• Technical services and training for poultry producers

Ceva has been a leader in poultry vaccination for more than 20 years and provides solutions throughout the poultry production chain.

Ann Road Animal Hospital Veterinary Externship Program

Ann Road Animal Hospital offers a paid, immersive 2–4 week veterinary externship in Las Vegas, Nevada, designed to give veterinary students meaningful hands-on experience in a busy, supportive small-animal practice. As a GP+ hospital, we provide comprehensive general practice care while also managing urgent and emergency cases, giving externs exposure to a diverse caseload and the opportunity to strengthen their clinical skills in a real-world environment.

Purpose of the Program

Our externship program was created to help bridge the gap between veterinary school and clinical practice. We understand that becoming a confident veterinarian takes more than classroom knowledge. Students need opportunities to apply what they have learned, work through cases, communicate with clients, make clinical decisions, and receive constructive feedback from experienced veterinarians.

Our goal is to provide an environment where students can learn, ask questions, build confidence, and develop practical skills without the expectation that they already know everything. We want externs to leave Ann Road feeling better prepared for clinical rotations, graduation, and their transition into practice.

The Externship Experience

Externs work alongside our veterinarians and veterinary support team throughout the hospital. Depending on their level of training, interests, and available cases, students may gain experience with wellness and sick-patient appointments, diagnostics, case management, treatment planning, surgery, urgent and emergency cases, and hospitalized patient care.

Students are encouraged to become active participants in their cases rather than simply observing. Our veterinarians involve externs in clinical discussions and provide opportunities to work through diagnostic and treatment decisions while receiving guidance and feedback.

Additional Externship Benefits

In addition to complimentary housing, externs receive weekday lunches and a $400 pre-tax stipend. We work to remove as many barriers as possible so students traveling to Las Vegas can focus on learning, gaining experience, and getting the most out of their time with our team.

Ultimately, our externship is designed to give veterinary students more than an opportunity to observe. We want students to experience life in practice, strengthen their clinical skills, build confidence, develop meaningful mentorship relationships, and leave better prepared for the veterinarian they are becoming.

Our four-doctor mixed animal practice sees a mixture of cats, dogs and horses. The student may ride along on farm calls, assist in seeing horses in the clinic as well as have the opportunity to assist in a mixture of rooms for small animals for illness, injury and regular check ups. The student may also assist and shadow or assist in surgery for small animal or with standing procedures with equine. Our practice has a varied client base from all walks of life and we are located roughly an hour from OSU in a rural suburb of Dayton, OH.