Offsite Electives

Austin Equine’s externships are year-round for veterinary students regardless of class year. We encourage a minimum two-week commitment and we generally accommodate one student per externship, although two students are occasionally permitted. The externship program is very hands-on, and requires interactive participation. Externs are expected to assist with morning treatment, and observe and participate in all daily cases seen. Fourth year students on official externships are expected to help with after-hours emergency cases as needed. All students will be expected to take part in daily case rounds. The annual caseload is 6000–8000 cases and the average caseload per veterinarian is 100-150 per week. Austin Equine is an equine-only practice. Our veterinarian staff includes a board certified surgeon and doctors who focus on lameness, advanced dentistry, and theriogenology. Transportation is provided to and from the airport. Automobile use at the clinic can be provided for students who possess a current driver’s license. Modest, comfortable, on-site housing is provided. 

Pending student's capability and comfort, the extern student can work closely with clinicians to work through cases or take on individual cases with clinician guidance. Case load has a dynamic range due to the nature of emergency medicine. 

We are a mixed animal practice located in southwest Minnesota focused primarily on food animal. We provide traditional veterinary services along with consultation and production medicine for swine, dairy and feedlot producers. We have species specific veterinarians that practice in multiple states in the upper midwest.

We are an equine surgical referral hospital with one ACVS boarded large animal surgeon (Dr Tracey) and one GP that focuses on reproduction, dentistry and lameness (Dr Bottger).  We expect our externs to participate in day to day activities, treatments, and emergencies.   

Campus Veterinary Services provides both clinical and project support to the majority of research and teaching animals on campus which includes a large variety of species including the traditional rodent laboratory animal species but also includes fish, frogs, birds, sheep, cats, dogs and others. Students shadow our residents and staff clinicians during their externships and have assignments which include protocol review, journal seminar, resident seminar, wet lab participation, handout preparation and final presentation to staff on the last day of the rotation.

Externs will rotate with our general practice and emergency doctors during their externship.

• This is a food animal (predominately feedlot cattle) externship. Experiences will include, but not be limited to:
• Field Necropsies
•         Elective surgeies
•         Auction mart tour and cattle buying exercise
•         Cattle feeding exercise
•         Packing plant tour
•         Cow/Calf field exercise
•         Chronic pen management
•         Applied euthanasia techniques

·        Pen checking exercise

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Communication and Interpersonal Skills ~ Observe interactions among veterinarinas, clients and staff members, including grief counseling ad conflict resolution.  Observe division of labor between veterinarinas, technicians, office staff, etc.
• Practice Management and Business ~ Observe appointment scheduling procedures, fee structure, retail sales, operating costs, daily receipts, ownership structure, work schedule and billing/collection procedures. Become familiar with medical recordkeeping, business management software, drug inventory and labeling, controlled drug handling and sanitation and waste disposal.
• Veterinary Medical Skills Pertinent to General Veterinary Practice ~ Observe wellness appointment, pre-surgical appointment, emergency, etc.  Observe physical examination, restraint and safe handling, routine preventive medicine, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, routine laboratory tests, nursing care, routine surgical procedures, anesthesia and sedation protocols, induction, monitoring and recovery, digital radiology, necropsy, emergency appointments and intensive care.    

****Our practice allows students to actively participate and gain hands-on experience. 

Clinical rotation of Equine Medicine

Clear Springs Foods makes its home on the scenic Snake River Canyon of southern Idaho's Magic Valley. Here, our rainbow trout are farm-raised in concrete raceways fed by an abundance of crystal clear spring water. Ideal growing conditions, combined with a commitment to quality and innovation, have made Clear Springs the world's largest producer of rainbow trout, processing over 20 million pounds a year. Clear Springs Foods is vertically-integrated with a feed mill, brood stations, grow-out farms, processing plants, and trucking fleet distributing high-quality fresh and frozen products to markets across the United States twice a week. 

Veterinary externs at Clear Springs will spend time on the production facilities learning health management and production practices. They will be involved with fish heath exams and treatments on the farm in addition to spending time at the Diagnostic Laboratory participating in fish necropsies as well as performing bacteriology, virology, and molecular biology assays. Externs may also be involved with research projects that could include disease investigation, vaccine development and delivery, nutrition, brood fish selection, and others. 

A video about Clear Springs Foods can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/BtkAgoLwNME