Offsite Electives

Welcome to Amici Cannis!

We’re thrilled that you’re interested in joining our team as a student volunteer. Your curiosity, compassion, and energy are exactly what make our work so meaningful, and we can’t wait to welcome you into our mission. Volunteering with Amici Cannis isn’t just about lending a hand. It’s about becoming part of a community that cares deeply for animals and the people who love them. And what better place to do that than in the heart of Cotacachi, a town full of charm, culture, and breathtaking natural beauty? It’s a truly magical setting where meaningful work meets unforgettable experiences. Whether you're assisting in clinics, supporting outreach, or learning how we track impact through data, your time with us will be both enriching and inspiring. We’re honored to have you on this journey and look forward to the difference we’ll make together.

Students at our hospital gain hands-on clinical experience with a wide range of animal species, working directly with small animals—including dogs, cats, pocket pets, and exotics. Our diverse team of veterinarians and skilled technicians provides a collaborative environment where students actively participate in patient care, diagnostics, and treatment planning. We prioritize mentorship and strive to enrich each student’s educational experience by offering individualized support, constructive feedback, and professional guidance to help them develop strong clinical skills. Students follow doctors in exam rooms and are given opportunities to take the lead during exams, developing their own diagnostic and treatment plans with veterinary input. They also assist with surgical procedures—including spays, neuters, enterotomies, cystotomies, amputations, enucleations, and mass removals—and may perform surgeries under DVM supervision as time allows. Additionally, students can perform blood draws, place IV catheters, conduct cytology, and carry out dental cleanings and extractions under doctor supervision, ensuring a comprehensive and immersive learning experience that prepares them for both small and large animal practice.

Students at our hospital will experience a variety of hands-on clinical experience with a wide range of animal species. Our program provides opportunities to work directly with small animals—including dogs, cats, pocket pets and birds—as well as large animals such as horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and goats. Our diverse team of veterinarians and skilled technicians offer a collaborative environment where students will actively participate in patient care, diagnostic procedures, and treatment planning. 

Our team prioritizes mentorship and actively seeks to enrich the educational experience of the individual.  Students will receive individualized support, constructive feedback, and professional guidance as they develop their clinical skills. We hope the immersive learning environment we provide will enrich their university experience and prepare students to enter the field of veterinary medicine confidently with a strong foundation in both small and large animal practice

Clinical Specialty Rotation in Private Specialty Dentistry and Oral Surgery Practice with 3 Diplomates of the American Veterinary Dental College, AVDC Resident.

Kevin Stepaniuk, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC (former University of Minnesota CVM Faculty), Current Lecture of Curriculum and Labs (Dentistry and Oral Surgery) at Oklahoma State University, and Laboratory Teaching at Oregon State University CVM

Alice Sievers DVM, DAVDC, Current lecturer and laboratory instructor at Oregon State University (Dentistry and Oral Surgery). 

1. Client/patient intake with history, presenting problem - SOAP format
2. Triage of patients
3. Formulating list of rule outs and needed testing
4. Instructing/performing/assisting with testing
5. Interpretation of test results
6. Treatment planning and implementation
7. Communication of results, treatment plan with client

8. Surgical planning and performance of surgery

   A typical day at a Las Vegas veterinary hospital for small animals.

We have a great work place focused on patient care and team work. Our externs have the opportunity to learn from a wonderful team of doctors and registered technicians. We allow our externs to follow along in appointments ranging from general wellness and preventative medicine to injury/illness and emergency appointments. Our veterinarians performed routine surgeries (spays, neuters, lump removals) to  emergency procedures (splenectomies, explanatories, and more) allowing our externs to follow along from start to finish and scrub in for a hands on experience. We value externs who want to collaborate and participate in patient care and treatment plans. 

This elective externship provides students with an immersive learning experience in community-based animal welfare initiatives in Tanzania. Participants will engage in practical activities focused on treatments and care for donkeys, dogs and cats-species often neglected within local communities. Through participation in outreach programs, animal health education, and welfare improvement project, students will develop competencies in field based veterinary practices, cross- cultural communication and community engagement.

Student can shadow and observe all procedures and surgery. Can provide instruction and allow demonstartion of procedures, imaging etc under supervision.

The Small Animal and Exotics experience at BluePearl Pet Hospital – Richmond provides veterinary students with immersive, hands-on exposure to specialty and emergency medicine in a high-volume referral setting. 

Students will rotate through various specialty and emergency departments within the hospital, including:

• Emergency & Critical Care
• Internal Medicine
• Neurology & Neurosurgery
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Exotic Animal Medicine
• Coming in 2026, cardiology

The elective emphasizes a combination of clinical observation, supervised participation, and case-based learning across both common and complex presentations in dogs, cats, and exotic species.

Okeechobee Livestock Veterinarians is a four doctor ambulatory large animal practice servicing mostly food animals in central and south Florida. We service primarily beef and dairy cattle but also see swine, small ruminants, horses, camelids, and exotic hoofstock.