Offsite Electives

Equine Medicine and Surgery is an 100 % equine practice specializing in racetrack medicine. Students will be exposed to a wide array of clinical cases with an emphasis on lameness and respiratory issues. Students will have an opportunity to observe and participate in lameness exams as well as diagnostic radiographs and ultrasound. Endoscopic exams are also a large part of our practice and students will be assisting in and diagnosing upper airway issues such as DDSP and entrapped epiglottis as well as lower airway EIPH and inflammation. 

Student will be shadowing 3 different GP DVMs throughout the course of 2 weeks. The hospital is also open for Urgent Care services on the weekends - if the student elects to shadow on those days they will have exposure to more sick patients.

In addition to seeing exams, the student will also shadow the DVMs in soft tissue surgery and dentistry. If there are team meetings they will be invited to participate. 

Our goal is to meet the externs at their levels of education and experience and to provide opportunities for growth in areas that they deem to be lacking.

We are a three doctor small animal general practice in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. We offer preventative care for dogs and cats, as well as appointments for illness. We do daily anesthetic dental cleaning with extractions as needed, spay and neuter surgeries.  We occasionally perform other surgeries including mass removals, cystotomies, gastrointestinal foreign body and explores as needed. Students would be involved in all types of appointments and procedures. 

The student will have an opportunity to participate in small animal physical exams, venipuncture, vaccination, surgical preparation, surgical assist, radiology, dental radiology and assist in COHATs. In addition the student will observe and participate in client communication.

The student will be given opportunity to evaluate lab results and observe echocardiograms and abdominal ultrasounds.

Animal Care Clinic is a small animal practice that focuses on canine and feline patients. We see patients almost daily for wellness check-ups, sick or wounded appointments and routine surgeries incuding spays, neuters and occasionally doctors will remove masses, repair ACL tears and amputations. The student will be able to float and see all of these while they are here at the clinic.

Externs will be exposed to all aspects of turkey primary breeding. Experiences may include visits to one or both of our hatcheries, turkey rearing farms, turkey egg production farms, and our company laboratory. Daily activities may include observing everything from flock inspections, production visits, communications with R&D team (geneticists), and communication with production team, to vaccination plan development and administration, turkey transport, animal welfare audits, and biosecurity training and assessment. 

The student will rotated through the cardiology service with three full time cardiologists.  Focus will be placed on physical examination, diagnostic plan creation, ECG interpretation, thoracic radiograph interpretation, and treatment of cardiovascular disease in the clinical setting. 

Our clinic is a 46 year old general practice in rural southeastern Ohio. While we were originally a truly mixed animal practice, we are now primarily small animal. Dogs & cats make up the gross majority of our patients, but we do see a small amount of chickens, rodents, snakes, horses, and occasionally food animal patients when they are brought into the clinic. We no longer make farm calls. We have over 1,700 clients, and see a wide variety of medical and surgical cases. 

Based on the students comfort level, they will shadow during appointments giving opportunities to also perform examinations, suggest ddx, suggest testing, review testing results, help develop treatment plans etc. They are encouraged to assist with surgical and dental procedures.

Description of Elective Experience

Maricamp Animal Hospital – Ocala, Florida

Maricamp Animal Hospital is a full-service small animal veterinary hospital offering a comprehensive elective experience for veterinary and veterinary technician students seeking hands-on clinical exposure in a progressive, team-oriented practice.

Participants in the elective experience will gain practical insight into the daily operations of a modern veterinary hospital, including preventive care, diagnostics, surgery, client communication, and integrative therapies.

Clinical Exposure Includes:

Preventive & Wellness Medicine

Comprehensive physical examinations

Vaccine protocols and preventive care planning

Parasite prevention and client education

Diagnostic Medicine

Digital radiology interpretation

Ultrasound procedures

In-house laboratory diagnostics

Cytology and case work-ups

Surgical Experience

Observation and/or assistance with routine spay/neuter procedures

Soft tissue surgery exposure

Surgical preparation and sterile technique

Anesthesia monitoring and patient recovery

Advanced & Integrative Therapies

Laser therapy treatments

Acupuncture

Regenerative medicine applications

Client Communication & Practice Management

Case presentation and treatment plan discussions

Estimate review and client education strategies

Understanding workflow efficiency and hospital SOPs

Exposure to team-based patient care

Learning Objectives:

Develop confidence in patient assessment and diagnostic planning

Strengthen understanding of anesthesia and surgical protocols

Improve communication skills with pet owners

Gain exposure to both conventional and integrative treatment modalities

Understand hospital systems that support quality patient care

Participants will work alongside experienced veterinarians, technicians, and customer care representatives in a supportive learning environment focused on high medical standards and compassionate service.