Offsite Electives

Student will spend 2 weeks in the clinic (40 hours per week), 1:1 with the owner doctor covering a wide variety of skills and objectives. They will get the opportunity to hone their technical skills, observe or scrub in for surgeries (depending on clinic schedule), practice client communication, perform physical exams, and much more. During their 2-week externship rotation, students are expected to show up on time, be fully engaged with the staff, and take an active role in their learning experience. It's important to ask questions, try new things, and chat through cases to deepen understanding. The more involved students are, the more they’ll gain from the experience, so they are encouraged to embrace every opportunity to learn and contribute.

Are you a vet student looking for some real-world experience? We’ve got it for you! Whether you’re in your 1st or 4th year, we would love to have you for a few days or 2 weeks to show you what independent veterinary practice can be like. Our practice typically sees 40-60 doctor appointments daily, plus surgeries, ensuring you’ll be exposed to a variety of cases.

Do you want…

• Hands-on learning? We’ll guide you through physical exams, diagnosing, interpreting labs, surgery, record keeping, and client communications
• Mentorship? You will work with each of our vets to learn different approaches and answer all your questions.
• Diverse experiences? We see small animals, reptiles, small mammals, and birds!
• Housing? We have that available.
• A stipend? Yes, we’ll pay you for your work.
• A great location? We are located just south of Dallas, an easy drive into the Metroplex with all of its offerings.

Primarily ambulatory clinical experience with horses and small ruminants.  Opportunity for in clinic small animal medicine and surgery also available. 

At Sunnyside Veterinary Clinic we are a growing, 3 doctor practice located in smalltown London, OH. We serve a wide variety of clients and focus on providing support for people of all demographics. Our day to day operations include; surgeries (routine spays/neuters, dental cleanings/extractions, mass removals, enucleations, amputations, hernia repairs, emergency obstructions, etc.), imaging & working with a radiologist to interpret the findings/case, in-house lab work, emergency cases, and a variety of daily appointments ranging from wellness to euthanasia and sick appointments. 

While our primary focus is small animal, due to our area, we are often involved with farm animal, poultry, and other species as needed. 

Students would have the ability to work with an experienced team and see 'real life' in a privately owned practice. We also serve several different rescue organizations who bring in a plethora of cases giving our staff the opportunity to explore many different diagnosis and treatment. Time with our doctors, staff and clients would give any student the opportunity to apply the skills they have learned and prepare them for a future in veterinary medicine. 

This externship will provide hands-on experience in a small animal general practice setting. The student will observe and assist with routine appointments, surgical procedures, diagnostic testing, anesthesia monitoring, and client communication. The goal is to strengthen clinical skills, workflow understanding, and patient care knowledge in a companion animal hospital.

Two weeks of veterinary dentistry experience. Learned skills will be practiced via canine extractions on a cadaver head on the final day of the extramural.

Busy, small, rural general small animal practice, student will participate in all aspects of the practice, including but not limited to participating in examinations, diagnostics, surgery, imaging, client interaction.  

A two-week veterinary externship with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) offers students an immersive experience in regulatory veterinary medicine, animal disease control, and public‑health–oriented veterinary practice. BOAH’s mission is to protect Indiana’s animal agriculture, safeguard public health, and support a safe food supply through disease prevention, surveillance, and inspection programs. During this externship, students work directly with BOAH veterinarians and staff to gain hands‑on exposure to the unique responsibilities of state regulatory practice. Activities may include:

• Animal Disease Surveillance & Field Investigations: Students accompany BOAH veterinarians on farm visits to conduct disease testing, evaluate livestock health, and assist with sample collection for laboratory diagnostics. These activities support BOAH’s mandate to prevent and control the spread of infectious and zoonotic diseases in Indiana’s livestock populations.
• Regulatory Medicine & Public Health: Students learn how state veterinarians enforce animal‑health laws, respond to reportable diseases, and collaborate with producers, industry partners, and federal agencies. This includes exposure to emergency preparedness planning and response efforts for foreign animal diseases such as avian influenza or African swine fever.
• Food Safety & Inspection Programs: Students may observe BOAH’s meat, poultry, and dairy inspection programs, which maintain a vital link in ensuring a safe food supply for Indiana consumers. This provides insight into how veterinarians contribute to food‑system integrity beyond clinical practice.
• Interagency Collaboration & Outreach: Students gain experience working with other state agencies, extension personnel, and agricultural organizations. Opportunities may include participating in producer education, youth agriculture programs, or community outreach events.

The externship also emphasizes: understanding the role of veterinarians in state government, developing communication skills for interacting with producers and industry partners, strengthening diagnostic reasoning in population‑level medicine, and gaining exposure to career paths in regulatory and public‑health veterinary practice

BOAH’s student programs are designed to provide real‑world insights into veterinary public health, enhance professional readiness, and broaden students’ understanding of non‑clinical veterinary career opportunities

An externship at the Emergency Veterinary and Specialty Hospital of Roanoke will allow a student to experience a high case load of urgent and emergent cases on a walk in basis.  We provide 24 hour hospitalization with consultation available from multiple specialties.  Our doctors are accustomed to acting as hospitalists as well as managing an outpatient case load.  

The student will primarily shadow the ER doctor with occasional opportunity to observe surgery with a board certified surgeon and observe imaging with our boarded internist. The ER doctors will also allow the student to observe emergency surgical cases that are not deferred to the specialty service.  The student will observe crucial conversations with clients and the occasional student is given the opportunity to communicate directly with clients, under observation.  Students will additionally be exposed to electronic medical record keeping

An elective shadowing experience at Vital Vet Animal Hospital offers veterinary students a well-rounded, hands-on look at modern companion animal practice within a collaborative, Fear Free–certified environment.

Students will be exposed to a diverse caseload that reflects the full spectrum of small animal medicine. Cases range from routine wellness visits and preventive care to sick appointments, urgent care presentations, and a variety of surgical procedures. While the majority of patients are cats and dogs, approximately 30–40% of cases involve exotic species, including small mammals, birds, and reptiles. This provides students with valuable exposure to multi-species medicine and the nuances of handling and treating non-traditional companion animals.

Throughout the experience, students will actively observe and engage in physical examinations, participate in discussions surrounding diagnostic workups, and review laboratory and imaging findings. They will have the opportunity to observe diagnostic procedures and surgeries, while also talking through differential diagnoses and treatment plans with the veterinary team. Emphasis is placed on clinical reasoning, case management, and client communication.

Students will also gain insight into the spectrum of care approach practiced at Vital Vet. They will observe how treatment recommendations are tailored to align with each client’s goals, financial considerations, and their pet’s needs—learning how to provide high-quality medicine while respecting individual circumstances.

As a Fear Free–certified practice, Vital Vet prioritizes minimizing stress and anxiety for patients. Students will see firsthand how low-stress handling techniques, thoughtful scheduling, environmental modifications, and client education are integrated into daily workflow to improve patient outcomes and overall experience.

Overall, this elective shadowing experience provides a dynamic and educational opportunity for veterinary students to develop clinical insight, expand their species exposure, and observe compassionate, client-centered care in action.