Offsite Electives

Chicago Equine Medical Center is an equine hospital located in northern Illinois. We serve Chicagoland suburbs as both an ambulatory practice (specializing in sports medicine and performance) and as a referral hospital (supporting local veterinarians for emergencies and surgery). Externs that visit our practice are paired with an ambulatory veterinarian each day, and shadow daily appointments ranging from routine soundness examinations/treatments and preventative care to after hour emergencies and elective surgeries. The goals of the externship are to provide a high level of exposure to broaden the interests and skills of veterinary students. The extern will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced, friendly environment. This program should provide the extern with enough clinical exposure to allow a solid foundation to pursue further studies in equine sports medicine.

Franklin Animal Clinic is a full-service small animal veterinary practice. We are a 13-doctor practice and serve as the central hub for five affiliated veterinary clinics, giving students exposure to a high-volume, multi-doctor environment. Students will gain hands-on experience under the supervision of licensed veterinarians, including physical exams, diagnostics, case management, client communication, and daily practice workflow. The elective includes a dedicated surgery day where students will shadow the surgeon and observe a variety of surgical procedures. Students may also perform feline spay and neuter surgeries under direct supervision, as appropriate to their skill level.

• Performing rapid patient assessment and triage
• Developing differential diagnoses and initial treatment plans for emergency cases
• Managing common emergency presentations such as trauma, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal emergencies, neurologic crises, endocrine disorders, and toxicities
• Interpreting emergency diagnostics (bloodwork, radiographs, ultrasound/FAST scans)
• Gaining familiarity with critical care monitoring, fluid therapy, pain management, and emergency pharmacology
• Enhancing communication skills with clients during high-stress situations
• Understanding ER workflow, case handoffs, and medical documentation

Students will shadow our board-certified veterinary dermatologist, Dr. Britt Levy, as she performs procedures and sees patients throughout the day. Dr. Levy performs a variety of procedures including intradermal allergy testing, biopsies, and polyp removals. Students will assuredly be able to observe allergy testing, and may be able to observe the other procedures types as well depending on scheduling. Throughout the day, students will have the opportunity to shadow Dr. Levy as she sees appointments. Dr. Levy's technicians spend many hours reviewing records for the proceeding day in order to synthesize the information she needs to diagnose patients. Dr. Levy will be able to describe her theories as to what is going on with patients prior to appointments, fill the technician in on the treatment plans of returning patients, and discuss the reasoning behind her diagnoses and treatment plans following appointments. Dr. Levy will dedicate her lunch periods to sitting and answering the students questions she was unable to answer in the morning. 

Student will be joining the veterinary team of the Copper Basin 300 sled dog race (https://www.cb300.com/) for the entirety of the 2026 race. They will perform pre-race veterinary exams with the team (who will collectively examine about 430 dogs) and will be on call for the entirety of the 72-hour long race to triage and treat injuries during the race. I am the head vet of this race and work for the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Students will shadow at a full-time, small-animal, dermatology clinic in Indianapolis, with Dr. Curtis Plowgian, a board-certified veterinary dermatologist. Typical cases seen include allergies, bacterial and yeast pyoderma and otitis, endocrinopathies, and immune-mediated diseases such as pemphigus foliaceus, sebaceous adenitis, etc. 

The veterinary student extern shadows the attending veterinarian and hospital team to gain hands-on exposure to small animal practice. Responsibilities include assisting with medical examinations, observing and supporting diagnostic and surgical procedures, communicating with and educating clients, and learning veterinary assistant and hospital workflow duties. The extern collaborates with doctors and staff to support patient care, improve efficiency throughout the day, and contribute to the development and execution of treatment plans.

Rathna’s Pet Clinic is a small animal veterinary clinic in Tiruchirappalli, India, dedicated to practicing medicine to consistently provide the safest care possible for pets. During this experience, students will experience the highest quality of medical management, surgical care, and client satisfaction. Students will learn how to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical clinical experience through supervised case management, diagnostics, surgery assistance, and client communication. Students will be immersed in an environment that works to consistently improve the client’s access to specialized, leading-edge surgical services.

We offer 2-4 week observational externships that can be tailored to the student's areas of interest. During weekdays 8am-6pm we offer experiences with our specialists (IM, Surgery, Cardio, Radiology, Neurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology) or with the Emergency and Critical Care departments 24/7, 7 days/week.

Seville Animal Hospital is a small animal practice with 2 full time doctors and 2 part time doctors. We are located south of Medina Ohio and we see canine and feline patients only. The student will shadow one of our full time DVM's listening and learning to varied cases throughout their time here.