A hands-on clinical elective in small animal emergency and critical care at Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG). Students work alongside emergency veterinarians in VEG’s open-concept ER environment and are exposed to a wide variety of emergency presentations, diagnostics, treatment plans, procedures, surgery, and client communication. The experience emphasizes learning through direct participation in clinical cases, with students encouraged to identify learning goals and actively seek opportunities to practice skills. VEG specifically describes the DVM externship as an opportunity to work one-on-one with emergency doctors, develop treatment plans, diagnose emergent conditions, and gain real-world experience in an open-concept ER.
The externship materials emphasize a structured learning experience with opportunities to participate in history-taking, physical examinations, case discussions, medical records, procedures, surgery, CPR, vascular access, anesthesia, point-of-care ultrasound, and other emergency procedures under direct supervision
VEG is a 24/7 emergency veterinary hospital with an open-concept floor plan that keeps clients and their pets together throughout evaluation and treatment. The clinical team includes emergency veterinarians, veterinary nurses/technicians, assistants, and other support staff who work collaboratively in a fast-paced emergency setting.
Educational resources include direct mentorship from emergency doctors, participation in rounds and case discussions, and a structured DVM externship checklist with learning objectives and recommended clinical skills. Students have access to the hospital's emergency diagnostic and treatment capabilities and may participate in procedures such as IV catheter placement, CPR, ultrasound, anesthesia, surgery, thoracocentesis, abdominocentesis, and other procedures appropriate to their experience and the supervising doctor's comfort level. All procedures are performed under direct supervision.
Equipment: xray, in-house lab, point of care ultrasound, endoscope, surgery suite
Students are expected to be actively engaged rather than purely observational. At the beginning of each shift, students should identify approximately three learning goals and discuss them with their mentor. Students participate in rounds, shadow their mentor doctor, take histories, perform physical examinations when appropriate, develop differential diagnoses and diagnostic plans, assist with medical records, communicate with clients, and seek opportunities to participate in procedures and surgery.
The VEG materials specifically encourage students to speak up when they want to practice a skill because the ER team will continue working at its normal pace. Students may be involved in hands-on procedures based on their training and experience, but they do not have primary case responsibility and require direct supervision for procedures
15830 Redmond Way
redmond, WA 98052
United States