Riverchase Animal Hospital, TX

Riverchase Animal Hospital is a small animal veterinary practice dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality medical care for dogs and cats. We believe pets are not just animals, but cherished members of the family, and our team works to support the human–animal bond through excellent medicine, client education, and personalized care.

Our hospital provides comprehensive veterinary services including preventive care, wellness exams, dentistry, surgery, diagnostic testing, and treatment of medical conditions. The hospital is equipped with modern diagnostic and medical equipment to support thorough patient evaluation and treatment planning.

We serve a diverse companion animal client base and see a wide range of cases, from routine wellness visits to complex medical workups. Our focus is small animal general practice, treating both canine and feline patients throughout all life stages—from puppies and kittens to senior pets requiring chronic disease management.

The goal of the externship experience is to expose veterinary students to the day-to-day practice of high-quality small animal general practice. Externs will observe and participate in the diagnostic and decision-making process used by veterinarians as they evaluate cases, develop treatment plans, and communicate with clients. Emphasis is placed on understanding the reasoning behind medical recommendations, developing clinical thinking skills, and gaining exposure to the workflow of a busy general practice.

Externs will shadow veterinarians during appointments and surgeries while being introduced to all aspects of companion animal practice. This includes puppy and kitten visits, annual wellness exams for adult and senior patients, sick patient evaluations, dentistry, and soft tissue surgery. Daily discussions with the veterinarians will help students better understand case management, diagnostic reasoning, and treatment planning.

Extern will shadow DVMs and assist veterinary assistants when applicable. Student will have access to review digital medical records, x-rays, ultrasound images, and lab results. Externs will be exposed to scribe software and how this integrates into practice workflow.  Riverchase provides experienced veterinary assistants allowing externs to see how to best manage their time as doctors and delegate responsibilities so their time is available for doctor only skills.  

During the externship, students will be expected to actively participate in the learning process and engage with the veterinary team.

Student responsibilities include:

• Shadowing veterinarians during exam room appointments and surgical procedures
• Assisting support staff with patient treatments when appropriate and permitted
• Reviewing medical records and understanding the diagnostic and treatment plan developed by the veterinarian
• Participating in daily case discussions with veterinarians and team members
• Performing physical examinations on patients when appropriate
• Developing diagnostic plans and discussing clinical reasoning with the supervising veterinarian
• Observing and learning how veterinarians communicate medical findings and treatment recommendations with clients
• Assisting with patient handling and basic clinical tasks as directed by the veterinary team

Students will gain exposure to a wide variety of cases, including wellness care, preventive medicine, internal medicine cases, dentistry, and soft tissue surgical procedures. The externship is designed to help students strengthen their clinical reasoning skills, better understand case management in general practice, and experience the collaborative environment of a veterinary healthcare team

1709 E. Beltline Rd
Coppell, TX 75019
United States