Offsite Electives

4th year veterinary students gain hands on experience in a full-service hospital that sees dogs, cats, and exotic medicine. Students can perform surgery and dental care, work up cases, and develop hospitalized care plans alongside 8 practicing veterinarians. It is comprised of two, 5 day work weeks- 4 week days and 1 weekend day. 

Students will be shadowing our board certified theriogenoligist as well as outpatient and inpatient appointments, with a focus on reproduction. There will be blood draws, labwork, xrays, ultrasounds, caesarian sections and more.

Student will assist DVM with evaluation of avian & exotic animal patients; review treatment options, and communicate with clientele.  Student will train in associated laboratory techniques such as Gram stains, Cytology, in-house Complete Blood Count & Serum Chemistry analysis, and observe diagnostic testing services including ELISA and Molecular Diagnostic assays.

Student will be able to help formulate elective experience to their needs if necessary.  This elective will allow student insight into the contribution of veterinarians in an academic institution where curriculum is currently being developed.  Student can be involved in teaching professional students in their first and second year didactic courses.  Student can also delve deeper into veterinary specialty careers, including internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, to name a few.  Student will be able to participate in daily activities in these three specialties while also interacting with other professional students.  

Students will be able to shadow the primary DVM with medical appointments, technical appointments, surgeries, handling of emergencies, etc. 

• Shadow and observe our ER doctors

• Help out doctors and staff 

• Scrub into surgery

• Assist with medical records

• Communicate with clients

To learn as much as possible related to the veterinary care of pet pigs - for which there are very few options! Including but not limited to: handling & restraint, behavior, nutrition, basic maintenance care (physical exam, hoof trim, tusk trim, vaccinations, blood collection), +/- surgery such as castration or spay if available.

Option 1: Cow-Calf and Feedlot Production Medicine Externship (2-week blocks offered seasonally) 

The primary objective of our ambulatory-based externships is to expose students to the skills and knowledge needed to become a succesful cow-calf and feedlot practitioner. Daily activities will aid in fine-tuning skills necessitated by beef cattle practice and provide the students with an understanding of common needs of clients, key aspects of preventive medicine, and steps necessary to transition to a consulting-based relationship. Students should expect to be in the field daily, accompanying the veterinary team. Skills and competencies we expose our students to include, but are not limited to, individual animal exams and diagnostic testing, palpation and reproductive ultrasound, breeding soundness evaluations, obstetrics, necropsies, feedlot surgeries, disease investigation, data analysis, consulting strategies, and much more. The students will also have the opportunity to learn from various veterinarians and other professionals who are experts in other crucial topics such as nutrition, marketing, and cattle selection, etc. This clinical externship is best suited for 3rd or 4th year students looking to enter a beef cattle practice following graduation or a mixed animal practice with a heavy influence of beef cattle cases. 

Option 2: Advanced Beef Production Medicine Rotation (single 2 week block in July)

The primary objective of this competitive rotation is to provide 4th-year veterinary students with the knowledge-base, skill-set, and resources necessary for a successful career as a cow-calf and feedlot practitioner and consultant. Various segments of this rotation are specifically designed to address weaknesses commonly identified by new graduates and their employers (i.e. difficulty conducting risk assessments and formulating customized vaccination protocols, inability to assist with genetic evaluation and selection of sires that complement environmental challenges or marketing opportunities, etc.). Learning modules will be accomplished via wet labs, tours, lectures, investigations, and group discussions. The students will have the opportunity to learn from various veterinarians and other professionals who are experts in preventive medicine, nutrition, management-intensive grazing, marketing, cattle selection, risk management, etc. This non-clinical rotation is ideal for 4th year veterinary students with a keen interest in cow-calf and/or feedlot production medicine and consulting. An invitation to apply will be distributed to students who are registered as student AABP members during the fall of each year. The rotation takes place for 2 weeks each July immediately following the Calgary Stampede.  

We are a 24 hour emergency only hospital. No specialty. We manage emergency cases such as DKAs, blocked cats, septic patients, congestive heart failure… Etc. Lots of emergency surgery as well including foreign bodies, splenectomy's, pyometra

Daily farm visits with review during travel time.  Necropsy with follow up diagnostics.  Ultrasound pregnancey diagnosis in swine.  Production records review.