Offsite Electives

Students in the Banfield Externship Program will: 

• Gain real-world experience through exposure to full-service hospitals and techniques under the watchful care of a personal coach 

• Develop medical and surgical skills under the care of a licensed coach as allowed by state regulations.

• Learn to practice veterinary medicine within a well-equipped hospital. 

• Perfect physical examination skills using Banfield's proprietary computer-guided exam minimum standards. 

• Learn about the business of veterinary practice through exposure to Banfield's marketing and leadership initiatives.

Description of Elective Experience: 

Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital is a 24-hour referral center and emergency hospital in Northeastern Ohio, approximately one hour southeast of Cleveland.  Metropolitan supports specialists in the areas of Critical Care/Emergency, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Oncology, Surgery, Radiology, Neurology, ophthalmology, and Exotics.  Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital is a teaching hospital offering Externships, General Internships, Specialty Internships (Exotics/Medicine/Surgery), and Residencies(exotics/medicine/surgery/neurology/cardiology).  We welcome Veterinary students and encourage participation in our teaching programs.

Our Externship program allows veterinary students the freedom to design a rotation schedule emphasizing their specific interests in Internal Medicine/Oncology, Surgery/Neurology, Cardiology, Ophthalmology, and/or Critical Care/Emergency Medicine.  This personalized schedule, our commitment to teaching, our large caseload, and our hospital's commitment to provide the highest quality veterinary care, lead to a great experience for our veterinary externs.

Hands on general practice case management.

At Appalachian Veterinary Services, students will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a dynamic, mixed-animal practice. Our clinical rotation aims to provide students with a well-rounded understanding of veterinary medicine in both companion and large animal settings. 

Students who participate in our clinical program can expect to be exposed to diverse clinical cases where students will work alongside our experienced team of veterinarians to create treatment plans for a variety of cases including routine wellness exams, emergency care, surgical procedures and herd health management. Under the supervision of our veterinary team, students will participate in clinical procedures such as diagnostics, imaging, and treatment plans which will allow them to build on their technical skills and clinic decision-making expertise. Our team is dedicated to offering students the opportunities to ask questions, discuss cases and receive constructive feedback all while enhancing their clinical skills. 

Here at the North Main Animal Clinic, we are committed to high-quality patient care for companion animals. We are located in Dayton, Ohio and proudly serve a diverse community of clients. Externs should expect to gain hands-on experience tailored to their needs. Previous offerings include a comprehensive dentistry elective that was in conjunction with Midmark and OSU. We've also worked with second and third year students and those experiences were based on the individual extern. Requests fulfilled were working daily appointments, developing a physical exam routine, working cases, reading and understanding diagnostics and practicing surgical skills.

Students will experience the life of a newly minted solo rural mixed large animal practitioner.  This will include being immersed and engaged on regular farm calls as well as involved in how as a solo practitioner the business is handled and being expanded.  Farm calls consist of around 70% equine cases and 30% mixed large animal with the majority of that being beef cattle clients.  Students will be expected to be heavily involved in taking histories, performing species appropriate physical exams, creating problem and differential diagnostic lists, deciding on diagnostic plans, and executing treatment plans.  They are also expected as they become comfortable to be involved with the client comunicaton and case follow up.  Emergency service is offered and students are invited and encouraged to participate when possible.  Housing is available for students that wish to stay.

At Care Pets the student will have the opportunity to work with all of the doctors at the practice so that they can see a variety of cases and different points of view on tackling cases.  This will include  GP for dogs and cats, exotics and the rehab service. They will also get to participate in surgery, appointments and hospitalized cases.  The students will also participate in daily discussion of cases with the doctors. Sellerburg Indiana is about 20 minutes from the Louisville metropolitan area so we see a mix of rural and suburban clients.  We practice high quality medicine, but also can provide experience in treating pets with owners in financial hardships.  Depending on the timing of the extern the student maybe able to work with our boarded surgeon or go off site for raptor cases, koi cases or coyote.

High volume veterinary ophthalmology surgical practice 

The elective experience at the School of Veterinary Medicine provides students with a comprehensive and immersive learning environment. Participants engage in a variety of clinical, laboratory, and field-based activities designed to enhance their practical skills and theoretical knowledge. Elective students gain hands-on experience in surgical procedures for both small and large animals, exotic animal care, and advanced veterinary diagnostics.

Students will work closely with faculty members and experienced veterinarians, assisting in pathology, microbiology and food safety laboratories, as well as participating in field visits to bovine, swine, poultry, aquaculture, and small ruminant farms. This exposure helps students develop a holistic understanding of veterinary medicine, including disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across multiple species.

The elective program is structured to provide a balance between supervised clinical practice and independent learning opportunities. Students are encouraged to take initiative, ask questions, and actively engage in all aspects of veterinary care. The experience aims to prepare students for real-world veterinary challenges by providing them with practical skills, critical thinking abilities, and professional confidence.

 Student(s) will be shadowing one of the Veterinarians at our 6-doctor practice to gain experience and knowledge in all aspects of general small animal medicine. This includes interacting with clients, examining patients, laboratory testing (in house or through Idexx), radiology, in house ultrasounds, anesthesia, surgical procedures, dentistry, cold laser therapy and interactions with a mobile ultrasound service (cardiac and abdominal) and a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Students will also have exposure to end-of-life discussions and process.

We have a special interest in brachycephalic breeds and work closely with several reputable Bulldog Rescues in the area. Aside from general and emergency surgeries, we also perform soft palate resections, corkscrew tail amputations, entropion surgery, etc. on these high-risk breeds. 

Cases will be discussed throughout the day. Students will also have ample time to discuss cases at the end of their shifts and ask any questions they may have.