Offsite Electives

At Bluegrass Equine Surgery we offer interactive, hands on, experience in the central Kentucky equine industry. Students get to experience one on one learning opportunities with our vets, travelling out in the field to see horse farms and meet clients, to working in the surgery suite and scrubbing in on surgeries. At BES we provide multiple services for clients in the surrounding area, including but not limited to elective surgeries (orthopedics, throat, eye, reproductive), lameness exams, scintigraphy, digital radiographs, injections, Thoroughbred sales, shockwave therapy, pre-purchase exams, herd health medicine, and reproduction. For an externship, students can see a bit of both worlds, or choose a specialty, and follow along with the doctors during their stay. Students are encouraged to ask questions and gain as much experience as possible on externships. Typically externships are offered at 1 to 2 week stays. Free housing can be provided if reserved ahead of time.

During this clinical rotation, students gain practical experience working with both companion animals and livestock under the supervision of veterinary professionals. The rotation provides exposure to routine veterinary care, diagnostic procedures, and treatment planning while helping students develop foundational clinical and professional skills across a wide range of species. We commonly work with multiple species on a daily basis, with our large animal caseload consisting mostly of beef cattle, equine, small ruminant and camelids. 

Students gain experience in small and large animal medicine cases, assisting with patient evaluations, treatment planning, and follow-up care. The rotation includes management of hospitalized patients, where students manage hospitalized patients, fluid therapy, medication administration, and supportive care. Students will also assist with emergency and urgent care cases, developing an understanding of triage, stabilization, and emergency treatment protocols.

Along with extensive medicine cases, students will also be immersed in the typical day-to day appointments. Routine wellness, vaccines, follow-up appointments typical for small animal. On the large animal side they will also complete bovine fertility tests, working calves, dystoicas, down cow calls, colics, routine equine exams and lameness exams. 

The rotation also provides extensive experience in veterinary surgery, allowing students to hone their skills doing common procedures including spay and neuter surgeries, orthopedic procedures, and general soft tissue surgeries such as cystotomies, enterotomies, and gastrotomies. Students may also gain exposure to large animal surgical procedures when available.

In addition to companion animals and traditional livestock, students gain experience with small ruminants, camelids, and occasional exotic species, broadening their understanding of species-specific handling, medicine, and preventive care.

We are an AAHA practice with 1.5 DVM's that the student will be able to shadow and consult with. This will be a fully immersive experience and that student will round with a DVM on each case and surgery. The student will be expected to actively participate in the selection of diagnostics and treatments of the patients as well as physical examinations. 

At The Vet Clinic of Palm Harbor, our veterinary student externs are welcomed as part of the team from day one. We are a four-doctor, small animal practice committed to high-quality medicine, efficient systems, and a culture that is fun, friendly, and professional.

Externs gain hands-on exposure to:

• Wellness and preventive care appointments
• Sick and urgent care cases
• Diagnostic workups (cytology, in-house labs, radiology interpretation)
• Anesthesia monitoring and surgical procedures
• Dentistry and dental radiographs
• Client communication and case discussions
• Treatment planning and medical record documentation

Veterinary Student Externships @ Bond:
➔ Our goals for hosting Veterinary Student Externships at Bond is to provide a
comprehensive hands-on clinical experience to help their growth and
development during their final years of veterinary school.
➔ While these students are with us, we want to ensure they are exposed to a
variety of urgent care cases and routine wellness scenarios. It is important that
we use this time to properly engage these students with our best practices of
medicine and communication.
➔ Externs will be from veterinary schools across the country, primarily ranging
from 3rd to 4th year. You will be responsible for appropriately guiding them
through the various skills they are expected to develop while spending time in
our clinics.
➔ Below is an outline of what our externs can be performing and observing,
as well as tasks and actions we should avoid having them perform while
spending time with us.
Allowed to:
● Appointments
○ Perform: Writing all medical records for any doctor whose appointment
for which they are present (scribe role, including
history-taking/presenting case to DVM).
○ Observe: Estimate creation and Presentation by VA/DVM.
○ Observe: Development of treatment plan.
○ Perform: Physical examination with oversight of veterinarian when
appropriate
○ Observe: Appropriate restraining techniques for animals.
● Treatments
○ Perform: Blood pressure (doppler, indirect under supervision of
LVT/DVM)
○ Observe: Assist treatment team administering medications, SQ fluids,
IV fluids,etc.(Under direct supervision of LVT or DVM)
○ Observe: Radiograph interpretation by DVM.
● Procedures (Perform)
○ Perform: Place urinary catheters in male dogs (under direct supervision
of LVT and/or DVM)
○ Perform: Draw blood on stable animals from Cephalic, and Saphenous
veins, under supervision by a nurse (2 attempts maximum per pet)

○ Observe: Cystocentesis (DVM/LVT to perform), extern can help in use of
ultrasound to identify anatomy

● Surgeries
○ Perform: Scrub in and assist in any procedure as long as they are fully
overseen by the Doctor who is performing said procedure.
○ Perform: Scale and polish under the supervision of an LVT or DVM.
○ Perform: Assist anesthetic team (documentation, checking blood
pressures).
● Laboratory Tests
○ Perform: PCV/TS, USG, Azo strips, Lactate, BG (under supervision of an
LVT or DVM)
○ Observe: Sample preparation for reference laboratory testing
○ Perform: Prepare and review ear cytology samples. (under guidance/
supervision of an LVT or DVM)
○ Perform: Prepare and review blood smear samples. (under
guidance/supervision of an LVT or DVM)
○ Observe: Diagnostic interpretation by DVM.
● Client Communication
○ Observe: Surgical discharge of patients.

Not Allowed to:
● Appointments
○ See appointments on their own.
● Treatments
○ Administer IV treatments.
○ Administer vaccines.
○ Perform treatments of any kind without direct supervision by LVT/DVM.
● Procedures
○ Perform cystocentesis
○ Place IV catheters
○ Perform procedures of any kind without direct supervision by LVT/DVM.
● Surgeries
○ Perform surgeries on any client owned animals
○ Assist with any dental extractions
○ Administer anesthetic medications
○ Intubate or extubate any client owned animals.
● Client Communication
○ Communicate financial information or code status

Equine Medicine and Surgery is an 100 % equine practice specializing in racetrack medicine. Students will be exposed to a wide array of clinical cases with an emphasis on lameness and respiratory issues. Students will have an opportunity to observe and participate in lameness exams as well as diagnostic radiographs and ultrasound. Endoscopic exams are also a large part of our practice and students will be assisting in and diagnosing upper airway issues such as DDSP and entrapped epiglottis as well as lower airway EIPH and inflammation. 

Student will be shadowing 3 different GP DVMs throughout the course of 2 weeks. The hospital is also open for Urgent Care services on the weekends - if the student elects to shadow on those days they will have exposure to more sick patients.

In addition to seeing exams, the student will also shadow the DVMs in soft tissue surgery and dentistry. If there are team meetings they will be invited to participate. 

Our goal is to meet the externs at their levels of education and experience and to provide opportunities for growth in areas that they deem to be lacking.

We are a three doctor small animal general practice in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. We offer preventative care for dogs and cats, as well as appointments for illness. We do daily anesthetic dental cleaning with extractions as needed, spay and neuter surgeries.  We occasionally perform other surgeries including mass removals, cystotomies, gastrointestinal foreign body and explores as needed. Students would be involved in all types of appointments and procedures. 

The student will have an opportunity to participate in small animal physical exams, venipuncture, vaccination, surgical preparation, surgical assist, radiology, dental radiology and assist in COHATs. In addition the student will observe and participate in client communication.

The student will be given opportunity to evaluate lab results and observe echocardiograms and abdominal ultrasounds.

Animal Care Clinic is a small animal practice that focuses on canine and feline patients. We see patients almost daily for wellness check-ups, sick or wounded appointments and routine surgeries incuding spays, neuters and occasionally doctors will remove masses, repair ACL tears and amputations. The student will be able to float and see all of these while they are here at the clinic.