Offsite Electives

A hands-on clinical elective in small animal emergency and critical care at Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG). Students work alongside emergency veterinarians in VEG’s open-concept ER environment and are exposed to a wide variety of emergency presentations, diagnostics, treatment plans, procedures, surgery, and client communication. The experience emphasizes learning through direct participation in clinical cases, with students encouraged to identify learning goals and actively seek opportunities to practice skills. VEG specifically describes the DVM externship as an opportunity to work one-on-one with emergency doctors, develop treatment plans, diagnose emergent conditions, and gain real-world experience in an open-concept ER.

The externship materials emphasize a structured learning experience with opportunities to participate in history-taking, physical examinations, case discussions, medical records, procedures, surgery, CPR, vascular access, anesthesia, point-of-care ultrasound, and other emergency procedures under direct supervision

Veterinary students participating in an offsite elective with the Louisiana SPCA gain hands-on experience in shelter and community veterinary medicine within a high-volume, mission-driven environment. Students work alongside veterinarians and veterinary support staff while participating in preventive care, diagnosis and treatment of common medical conditions, population medicine, infectious disease management, and high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter.

Students may rotate through both our shelter and public-facing Community Clinic, providing exposure to the unique medical, financial, and social considerations involved in caring for shelter animals and pets belonging to underserved members of the community. Depending on experience level and caseload, students may participate in physical examinations, development of diagnostic and treatment plans, interpretation of diagnostic testing, surgical procedures, anesthesia, client communication, medical record documentation, and case follow-up.

The elective emphasizes practical clinical decision-making, efficient patient care, resource-conscious medicine, animal welfare, and the veterinarian’s role in improving access to veterinary care. Students are encouraged to take an active role in cases while receiving mentorship and supervision from experienced veterinarians.

General practice clinic focusing mostly on preventative care. 

Primary care small animal externship focused on routine wellness, preventative medicine, soft tissue surgery, wound care, and outpatient medical management. Students will work directly with our primary care veterinarian to gain hands-on clinical experience in general practice settings.

Shadowing at Preventative medicine clinic for Military active reserve and retired care of military working dogs 

Students will work for two board certified poultry veterinarians at a family-owned commercial broiler production company. Day to day activities will vary, but can include: visits to a chicken hatchery, feed mill, processing plant, farm visits (broilers and breeders), and necropsy duties. 

Veterinary Student Externship

Our veterinary externship provides veterinary students with hands-on clinical experience in a busy, collaborative hospital environment. Externs will work alongside experienced veterinarians, credentialed veterinary technicians, and support staff while gaining exposure to the daily operations of a high-quality veterinary practice.

During the externship, students may observe and participate in physical examinations, diagnostic testing, treatment planning, case discussions, surgical procedures, anesthesia, dentistry, emergency care, and hospitalized patient management, depending on their level of training and the hospital’s caseload. Externs are encouraged to ask questions, develop clinical reasoning skills, and practice effective communication with clients and the veterinary team.

The program is designed to help students strengthen their medical knowledge, technical skills, professionalism, and understanding of the veterinarian’s role in patient care. Each externship experience may be tailored to the student’s interests, educational goals, and experience level.

Ideal candidates are currently enrolled in an accredited veterinary medicine program and demonstrate professionalism, curiosity, initiative, compassion, and a commitment to patient care. Externs must comply with all hospital safety, confidentiality, dress code, and professional conduct requirements.

This externship offers students the opportunity to explore veterinary practice, build professional relationships, and gain meaningful experience in a supportive clinical setting.

Veterinary externs will gain experience as a GP veterinarian at our small animal practice. They will accompany the medical director and associate veterinarians in exams and procedures and will gain hands on experience performing exams, entering patient notes, and communicating with clients. They will also observe and potentially assist with treatments, diagnostics, and surgical procedures.

Elective Experience – Two-Week Small Animal General Practice Externship

During this two-week externship, the veterinary student will be immersed in the daily operations of a busy AAHA-accredited small animal general practice. The student will have opportunities to observe and participate, as appropriate for their level of training, in wellness and sick-patient examinations, client communication, diagnostic workups, treatment planning, surgery, dentistry, anesthesia, and inpatient care.

The externship will provide opportunities to:

• Perform physical examinations and develop differential diagnoses under veterinarian supervision.
• Interpret laboratory results, cytology, radiographs, and other diagnostic findings.
• Participate in medical case discussions and treatment planning.
• Observe and assist with routine soft tissue surgeries and dental procedures, including anesthetic monitoring and perioperative care.
• Gain experience in preventive medicine, vaccination protocols, parasite prevention, and chronic disease management.
• Develop communication skills through client interactions, case presentations, and medical record documentation.
• Work alongside veterinarians, credentialed veterinary technicians, assistants, and client service representatives to gain an appreciation for the collaborative nature of companion animal practice.
• One day each week of the externship will be spent at a local animal shelter, where the student will have increased opportunities for supervised, hands-on clinical experience. Under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian and veterinary support staff, the student may perform and/or assist with technical skills appropriate to their level of training, including placing intravenous catheters, preparing patients for surgery, inducing and monitoring anesthesia, endotracheal intubation, patient positioning and surgical preparation, and perioperative patient care. Students will also have the opportunity to scrub in and assist with routine spay and neuter procedures and other surgical cases as appropriate.
• This shelter experience is intended to complement the general practice portion of the externship by strengthening practical clinical skills, increasing confidence with common technical procedures, and providing additional exposure to high-volume surgery, anesthesia, and shelter medicine.

The externship will emphasize evidence-based medicine, Fear Free patient handling, high-quality patient care, client education, and teamwork. Students will be encouraged to ask questions, actively participate in case discussions, and progressively increase their level of involvement as their knowledge and skills permit under direct veterinary supervision. By the end of the two weeks, the student will have gained practical insight into the medical, surgical, and professional responsibilities of a companion animal general practitioner.

Sports Medicine, Performance horse based practice with some general medicine and Limited emergency services.

Focus on Top tier diagnostics, critical thinking, and Lameness for the Performance horse.  With integration of alternative therapies(i.e. acupucture, Chiropractic, laser, shockwave, etc.)