Offsite Electives

Elective Experience – Two-Week Small Animal General Practice Externship

During this two-week externship, the veterinary student will be immersed in the daily operations of a busy AAHA-accredited small animal general practice. The student will have opportunities to observe and participate, as appropriate for their level of training, in wellness and sick-patient examinations, client communication, diagnostic workups, treatment planning, surgery, dentistry, anesthesia, and inpatient care.

The externship will provide opportunities to:

• Perform physical examinations and develop differential diagnoses under veterinarian supervision.
• Interpret laboratory results, cytology, radiographs, and other diagnostic findings.
• Participate in medical case discussions and treatment planning.
• Observe and assist with routine soft tissue surgeries and dental procedures, including anesthetic monitoring and perioperative care.
• Gain experience in preventive medicine, vaccination protocols, parasite prevention, and chronic disease management.
• Develop communication skills through client interactions, case presentations, and medical record documentation.
• Work alongside veterinarians, credentialed veterinary technicians, assistants, and client service representatives to gain an appreciation for the collaborative nature of companion animal practice.
• One day each week of the externship will be spent at a local animal shelter, where the student will have increased opportunities for supervised, hands-on clinical experience. Under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian and veterinary support staff, the student may perform and/or assist with technical skills appropriate to their level of training, including placing intravenous catheters, preparing patients for surgery, inducing and monitoring anesthesia, endotracheal intubation, patient positioning and surgical preparation, and perioperative patient care. Students will also have the opportunity to scrub in and assist with routine spay and neuter procedures and other surgical cases as appropriate.
• This shelter experience is intended to complement the general practice portion of the externship by strengthening practical clinical skills, increasing confidence with common technical procedures, and providing additional exposure to high-volume surgery, anesthesia, and shelter medicine.

The externship will emphasize evidence-based medicine, Fear Free patient handling, high-quality patient care, client education, and teamwork. Students will be encouraged to ask questions, actively participate in case discussions, and progressively increase their level of involvement as their knowledge and skills permit under direct veterinary supervision. By the end of the two weeks, the student will have gained practical insight into the medical, surgical, and professional responsibilities of a companion animal general practitioner.

Sports Medicine, Performance horse based practice with some general medicine and Limited emergency services.

Focus on Top tier diagnostics, critical thinking, and Lameness for the Performance horse.  With integration of alternative therapies(i.e. acupucture, Chiropractic, laser, shockwave, etc.)

Students are immersed in clinical service. Senior clinicians discuss cases and help the student formulate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. Students observe client interactions in the exam rooms. As patient stability allows, students are invited to participate in procedures, such as thoracocentesis, abdominocentesis, etc.

Duties for DVM students from AVMA-accredited veterinary colleges include:

• Mentored surgical and medical case responsibility, including patient examination, assessment, formulation of a diagnostic and treatment plan, and administration of treatments.

• Spay/neuter surgeries, assistance with dental or soft tissue surgeries, and assistance with anesthesia.

• Assistance with vaccine clinics and other procedures/events depending on availability.

Surgery (routine, soft tissue, exploratory, orthopedic,etc), Surgical Laser, Therapy Laser, Dentistry, Ultrasonography, Radiology, Laboratory (in house Idexx & reference), Pharmacy, Client Education & Communication, Avimark,  Nutrition, Preventatives, Vaccinations, Geriatric Care, Nursing & Hospitalization, Wound Care

General mixed animal practice including medical and surgical cases

Student shadows our veterinarians, participates in surgeries, treatments, interacting with clients, gaining experience in all areas, small animal, horse room, and cow room. Assists in after hours calls and farm calls. With the aid of our veterinarians, they are allowed to determine courses of treatment. 

The student will be riding with 1 of 4 veterinarians that work at the clinic. The clinic works with 90% dairy cattle, 5 % beef cattle and 5% small ruminants. The clinic is entirely ambulatory and the student will be on approximately 3-4 farms per day. She will have opportunities to palpate everyday of the week and use an ultrasound for pregnancy diagnosis and calf thoracic ultrasound. We also provide extensive sick cow work, and perform a high number of surgeries per week that she will be able to assist with. 

We welcome students to gain experience in general practice. Our hospital offers wellness, urgent care, and general surgery. 

Town & Country Veterinary Hospital is an independently owned, small-animal general practice located in Media, PA, serving the greater Aston/Delaware County area. Our four-doctor team provides comprehensive wellness, medical, surgical, and dental care, with an emphasis on evidence-based, multimodal medicine.  As a privately owned practice (not part of a corporate consolidator), we place a strong emphasis on continuity of care, client communication, and clinical autonomy. Students on elective rotation will be integrated into daily appointment flow, surgery, and case management alongside our doctors and support staff, gaining exposure to the operational and clinical realities of independent general practice.