Offsite Electives

The San Diego Zoo Clinical Medicine Rotation offers a rich experience to veterinary students with a sincere interest in zoological and wildlife medicine. The mission of San Diego Zoo Global is to save species worldwide by uniting our expertise in animal and plant care and conservation science with our dedication to inspiring passion for nature. The San Diego Zoo has a diverse animal collection consisting of large and small carnivores, marsupials and monotremes, great apes, Old World and New World primates, prosimians, hoostock, megavertebrates, over 2000 birds, approximately 1500 reptiles and amphibians and a variety of aquatic species. Students will receive mentorship from a team of veterinarians including ACZM boarded staff and may assist registered veterinary technicians in care of hospitalized patients, anesthetic monitoring and neonatal exams (caseload dependent). Students will have the opportunity for observation and supervised participation in clinical procedures, however the degree of participation will depend on the experience, skill level, interest and preparedness of the student, as well as the medical situation of the animal. Students will gain exposure to many of the aspects of zoological medicine, which may include: preventative medicine, emergency triage, animal shipments and quarantine, behavioral husbandry, remote anesthetic delivery systems as well as other safe methods of restraint. Students will attend daily Veterinary Department rounds, weekly Journal Club and monthly Morbidity and Mortality Rounds (mammal, avian, reptile) as possible.

Students will be responsible for a project that investigates a clinical problem, evaluates past medical cases, or is a topic of interest. A presentation of the topic with its findings to the veterinary and/or husbandry staff is expected during the last week of the externship

As part of our commitment to mentoring the next generation of Veterinarians, VCA Shoreline Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Shelton, Connecticut is pleased to offer Externships to DVM students in their 3rdand 4th years of school.

As part of your Externship, you will follow cases from start to finish.   You’ll be supervised and evaluated by one our Doctors as you interact with clients, take patient histories, observe treatments, and discuss case dynamics. 

Like Students that have completed Externships with us in the past, we believe that you will gain valuable insights into the kind of practice you’ll want to join after graduation.  And if your goals include applying for an Internship with our hospital, this is an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate your skills and academic knowledge in front of our Intern Director—as you both aim to find a mutual fit. 

The Banfield Externship Program provides veterinary students in their clinical year the opportunity to practice medicine one-on-one alongside an experienced mentor veterinarian as a "doctor-in-training" to develop medical and surgical skills. Each extern is assigned a mentor and is
expected to complete an individual set of weekly goals based upon their interests and Banfield hospital procedures. Externs will be exposed to a wide range of experiences geared towards developing their clinical skills in a nurturing, supportive environment, ranging from technical
applications to inter-personal relationship techniques.

In accordance with the State Practice Act, students are provided with the opportunity to:

• Gain experience in general Pet medicine in a bond-centered practice.
• Understand Banfield’s best practice standards, code of conduct and ethics.
• Understand the concepts of quality medicine and preventive care.
• Understand how both high quality and high case load can complement each other.
• Learn to perform a physical exam and to record a thorough medical history.
• Improve technical skills such as:  drawing blood, placing catheters, giving injections, starting fluids, assisting with anesthesia and surgeries under the mentor doctor’s direct supervision.
• Collect and interpret laboratory specimens.
• Learn how to order the appropriate diagnostic tests.
• Learn to establish effective therapeutic plans.
• Learn how to properly restrain dogs, cats and exotic pets for different medical procedures.
• Learn how to efficiently and effectively use hospital equipment.
• Learn how to charge appropriately for services provided and why this is important.
• Learn and practice effective client and team communication skills.
• Learn to work effectively with hospital associates and others critical to their success.

The Toledo Zoo has an animal population of over 10,000 animals and the Animal Health and Nutrition Department consists of three full-time veterinarians, three full time veterinary technicians, and three full-time commissary stewards.  The student will be primarily under the direction of the veterinarians but will work closely with all team members. 

Students will spend 2-8 weeks assisting the veterinarians and zoo staff with all aspects of clinical zoological medicine, including but not limited to: daily animal care, medical rounds, general medicine and surgery, clinical pathology, radiology, pathology, and record keeping.  Students are encouraged to make use of the literature and other resources available to prepare for procedures and current cases. 

First half of offsite experience will include:

1/2 day shadowing office calls, 1/2 days observing assisting surgeries

second opinion, brief write up of all radiographs taken

second opinion, q and a about all blood panels 

minor surgery such as laceration repair, abscess surgery

Second half of offsite experience

All of the above plus elective surgical procedures and dental extraction under supervision of licensed veterinarian

About Animal Medical Hospital

Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Animal Medical Hospital is an AAHA accredited hospital, committed to providing the highest quality veterinary care and client service. We are a 24-hour hospital offering both general and emergency medicine as well as boarding, grooming, and day camp services. AMH is a modern, well-equipped, small animal hospital, which was started in 1983 and moved into a new 16,000 sq. ft. facility in 1992. We are currently expanding our hospital to include a brand new state of the art ICU. AMH was honored as one of the Top 8 Finalists for AAHA’s 2010 Practice of the Year.

Our goal is to provide a well-rounded learning experience in both general practice and emergency medicine to veterinary students that is focused on their individual learning goals.

Externs will rotate between our two departments spending time on the general practice side with appointments and routine surgeries (spay/neuter, declaw, dentistry, etc) as well as experiencing daytime emergency medicine (seeing walk-ins, managing hospitalized patients, etc). If interested, we do offer evening emergency experience and can work out a schedule to accommodate this for you. We also perform a variety of emergency surgeries based on the specific cases that come in (examples include GDV, C-Section, Splenectomy, Enterotomy/Gastrotomy, etc).

Our Mission: We strive to provide superior service and compassionate care to improve the lives of the pets we serve. We value integrity, superior service, compassionate care, respect, teamwork and accountability.

Students have the opportunity to complete elective rotations in: Internal Medicine, Emergency/Critical Care, Ophthalmology, Oncology, Surgery, or a combination of any of the above.  During the elective block students will spend time on the selected service, and will work directly with the attending clinician on new case evaluation and work up, as well as management of patients on that service that are admitted to the hospital.

All hospital rounds are held everyday from 8:30-9:30 in the conference room. There is also a didactic lecture every Tuesday morning for our interns, and journal club every other Thursday.

Select Sires, Inc.  is an bull AI stud located in Plain City, OH.  Students will be exposed to biosecurity principles, export testing and documention, and bull reproduction and health.

General Program Description

• CROW is a nonprofit wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center providing care for native and migratory wildlife on the Gulf Coast of Southwest Florida.
• CROW’s fully equipped wildlife hospital admits over 6,000 patients per year including more than 200 different species of birds, mammals, and reptiles.
• The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to return sick, injured or orphaned wild animals back to the wild.
• The Student Program is designed to augment the educational pursuits of natural science, veterinary, and veterinary technician students.
• Students are supervised and assisted by a full-time, boarded specialist veterinarian, veterinary interns, Certified Veterinary Technicians, wildlife rehabilitators, and other staff and volunteers.
• Emphasis is placed on the student gaining an understanding of the entire rehabilitation process from admittance to release, evidence-based wildlife and conservation medicine, as well as the One World, One Health concept.

Externship for Veterinary Medicine Students (4 to 12 weeks, minimum of 20 working days)

• Veterinary Medicine students participate in daily hospital and rehabilitation center activities with a focus on providing medical treatments and care to patients in critical care.
• Daily activities include giving all the medical treatments to patients, caring for neonatal wildlife (including assisted alimentation), observing surgery, administering anesthesia, learning to do venipuncture in a variety of species, giving parenteral and oral medications and fluids, admitting emergent wildlife patients, and performing physical exams, reading radiographs and cytology slides, learning routine husbandry, rescuing, and releasing wildlife as available.
• They participate in ongoing clinical research and give Education Center presentations to the public. They participate in weekly didactic and case rounds.
• After an initial training period, veterinary students may have the opportunity to assume primary case responsibility under the veterinarian’s supervision and guidance.
• They also help with feeding, cleaning, environmental enrichment, and patient welfare.
• Students will also be scheduled in our baby rooms as needed during the week.  

Duration

• The externship program lasts 4-12 weeks, depending on the student’s needs and program availability.
• Program openings are available throughout the year and applications are considered as they are received.
• On-site housing is available for $75 per week.  

Location

• CROW operates on a 12.5-acre campus on Sanibel Island, Florida. The organization's hospital and visitor education center are located adjacent to J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
• Beaches and local restaurants are a short distance from campus.
• The mainland of Fort Myers past the Sanibel Causeway is 15 minutes away from CROW.

Requirements

• Applicants must be over 18 years of age.
• Applicants must currently be attending an accredited veterinary medical school to be considered.
• A minimum of 1 year animal care experience is REQUIRED.
• All accepted applicants must agree to and sign rules and regulation forms regarding commitment, housing, dress code, code of conduct, photo policies, etc. along with liability waivers.
• Current fees include a $125 program fee and $75 per week housing fee. 
• This is an unpaid position.
• Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination is REQUIRED upon acceptance.
• All accepted applicants must provide proof of current tetanus immunizations and proof of pre-exposure rabies series.

How to Apply

• Visit our website at www.crowclinic.org and download and return completed application materials to students@crowclinic.org or to PO Box 150, Sanibel, FL 33957.
• For questions not answered on the website or in the application packet, please email students@crowclinic.org

THERE IS NO DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS. Applications are accepted year-round and are processed as they are received.

Clinical experience in a feline practice.  Patient load consists of wellness, chronic illness management, dentistries, surgery.  Preceptor will be exposed to varieties of cases and learn communication and diagnostic skills, in addition to observing gentle handling techniques for cats.