Offsite Electives

Working 4 doctors at South Bay with small animals practitioners in room and in the surgery suites. 

The Wildlife Center of Virginia offers an externship designed to provide students with practical experience in many aspects of wild animal handling, medical management, and husbandry. 

The Wildlife Center is a non-profit conservation organization with a professionally staffed, fully equipped, 5,700 square foot hospital.  WCV is presented with approximately 4,500 patients annually representing over 250 different species. Sixty-five percent of the patients are birds and approximately half of these are raptors. 

Throughout the three-to-twelve week externship, externs will receive instruction and hands-on experience in anatomy, physical restraint, anesthesia, radiography, laboratory analysis, emergency triage, therapeutics, nutrition, wound management, surgery, and necropsy procedures.  This is a challenging program and we expect hard work and dedication from our students. In return, the Center promises to introduce externs to many aspects of clinical wildlife and conservation medicine in a friendly and professional teaching environment. 

The veterinary extern must be a fourth/fifth year student registered in a veterinary medicine degree program and is expected to achieve the following goals:

• Be able to identify the common wildlife species of Virginia and have some understanding of their natural history.
• Know the techniques used to restrain wild animals, and perform physical restraint of wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
• Perform physical examinations, basic clinical techniques (such as venipuncture), and treatment of wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
• Be able to perform and interpret basic diagnostic procedures such as hematology and radiography of reptiles, birds, and mammals.
• Perform both inhalation and, if appropriate, injectable anesthesia on wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
• Perform surgical procedures such as wound repair on appropriate cases.
• Know the humane methods of euthanasia used in wildlife species.
• Perform gross necropsies on wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
• Have a basic knowledge of the important diseases of North American wildlife, especially wildlife zoonoses.
• Understand the medical and ethical issues regarding the treatment, rehabilitation, and conservation of wildlife.
• Understand the concept of conservation medicine, and the role the Wildlife Center can play in wildlife disease monitoring, ecosystem health, conservation, and public education.

Well established small animal practice with a great relationship with the community. We are an AAHA accredited practice and we also have a new facility as of 7/14/2024. 

We have four veterinarians who practice up to date medicine and surgery. We offer a wide variety of surgeries including orthopedics. We perform advanced abdominal ultrasound imaging and echocardiography. 

Students can gain experience with all aspects of veterinary medicine in general practice. 

Our five-doctor small animal practice treats patients ranging from cats and dogs to pocket pets, rabbits and bees. The student will have an opportunity to join doctors in appointments, help treat patients, assist in surgeries and have daily discussions with the veterinarians.  The student will also get an introduction into honey bee management, treatment and prevention of diseases.  We serve a diverse clientele and are located in the heart of Richmond Hill, north of the Greater Toronto Area.

The visiting student will experience the clinical diagnostic routine of the Texas A&M University Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory (https://vetmed.tamu.edu/parasitology-lab/), and the Verocai Parasitology Research Laboratory (https://vetmed.tamu.edu/verocai-lab/) both directed by Dr. Guilherme Verocai DVM, MS, PhD, DipACVM (Parasitology).

The Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory offers diagnostic tests for the Small Animal and Large Animal Veterinary Teaching hospitals at TAMU, and external clients, including zoological facilities, pharmaceutical and diagnostic industry, government agencies, and livestock producers.

An array of classical, microscopy-based tests is offered, including double-centrifugation fecal flotation, saline sedimentation, McMaster, Mini-FLOTAC, modified Wisconsin, Flukefinder, Baermann, coproculture, parasite specimen identification, modified Knott’s among others. Annuallyh, the lab processes over 5,000 samples of a variety of animal species, including companion animals, livestock, exotic animals and wildlife.

In the research lab, the student will be exposed to a variety of molecular and immunodiagnostic tests. The research lab currently has multiple active projects, including the development of novel molecular diagnostic tests for various helminth parasites including the Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis), filarioid nematodes infecting carnivores and ungulates (Dirofilaria, Onchocerca), projects on the epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasites of bison, ticks and vector-borne parasites of companion animals.

The student will also actively participate in the lab meeting, the VetPDx webinars, and interact with other professional and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.

Medvet New Albany is an ER clinic where emergency surgeries are performed.   4th year veterinary students will be paired with a clinician and able to follow them into rooms to hear client conversations, assist in diagnostics and surgeries, discuss problem lists, diagnostics, and treatment plans.  

U of I Dermatology Rotation 

Diseases affecting the skin and ears are visible to owners and a common source of distress for animals and their owners. Indeed, skin and ear diseases are the most common reasons for pet owners to seek veterinary care. Because many skin diseases have similar clinical appearances it is important to develop a systematic approach to dermatology cases. The emphasis on this rotation is primary level care of dermatology patients—teaching rounds focus on topical therapy, management of allergies (food and environmental), ectoparasites, bacterial skin infections, dermatophyte infections (including zoonotic concerns), immune‐mediated skin diseases, and diseases of the ear. Students are actively involved in performing basic diagnostic procedures including cytology, skin scrapings and skin biopsies. Principles of treatment and the importance of client education are discussed in detail. The majority of cases are outpatients. Cases are received Monday‐Friday. Year 3‐4 veterinary students are involved in all aspects of case management including history taking, physical examinations, discussions of differential diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, discussions of treatment options and writing of discharge instructions.

General practice hospital with 65% cat/dog and 35% exotic pets.  Exotic includes avian, reptile, small mammal, and non traditional species including native wildlife.  Students will have opportunities to work with local cat rescues, pet stores, and potentially local wildlife and wildlife rehabbers (as needed).  Due to the variety of species seen, cannot guarantee any one species will be seen on a given 2 week rotation.  Students without any exotic experience will be encouraged to learn the basics and will be given opportunities to interact with them.  Will try to expose students to working up cases in general practice as they prepare for starting their career.

• Our 10-doctor mixed animal practice treats patients ranging from cats and dogs to rabbits.
• Veterinary externs at will spend time on client communication, engagement and proper medical documentation. They will be involved with  exams, treatments, surgery and dental.

At VCA Old Canal Animal Hospital we've helped pets live long, healthy and happy lives since 1975. We deliver the best medical care for pets and the best experience for pet owners. Located in Plainville and serving the communities of Plainville, Southington, New Britain, Newington, Farmington, Meridan, Wethersfield, Bristol, Waterbury, Wolcott, West Hartford, Plymouth, Hartford, and Middletown, our veterinarians, technicians and pet-friendly support staff are trained to the highest standards. Their thorough knowledge of the latest procedures and medicines ensures that our patients receive the best in preventive and healing care.

Services Offered:

• Preventive Care: Wellness exams, vaccinations, parasite control, and weight management programs.
• Primary Care: Dental care, general surgery, internal medicine, and pain management.
• Advanced Care: Digital radiology and ultrasound services.
• Alternative Medicine: Acupuncture services.
• Pet Counseling: Behavior and nutritional counseling.