This elective more geared towards HPSP (health profession scholarship program) students who are commissioned in the military or hope to be commissioned in the military. Students will experience the complexity of being an Army Veterinarian from the clinical aspect as well as the public health aspect.
The Fort Campbell Veterinary Center is a fully staffed clinic that comprises military and civilian veterinarians. We have one civilian veterinarian who has worked with our clinic for over 20 years. Currently we have seven military veterinarians (2 board certified, 3 interns, 2 non-board certified veterinarians). The two board certified veterinarians are boarded in emergency critical care and public health. We also have civilian and military veterinary technicians on staff. Since the veterinary center (VETCEN) is a teaching hospital we have more equipment than other military clinics. The VETCEN currently has radiology, two surgical suites, two dental tables/equipment to perform two dentals simultaneously with radiograph capabilities, in house lab work, send out lab work, pathology send out, two microscopes, four privately owned animal exam rooms, one military working dog exam room, kennels, heated kennels with oxygen capabilities, scope, ultrasound, ECG with print out capabilities, pharmacy, and TIVA capabilities. There is also a library available for clinical case references. We utilize electronic record keeping system called ROVR (remote online veterinary record).
The student will present to work at 9:00 Monday- Friday. If this student is an HPSP student who is commissioned in the military they will be expected to perform physical training with the Branch from 0630-0730 M-F. The end of the work day varies depending on the case work; however, our clinic closes at 4:30 PM. The student will be on call with the licensed veterinarian for after hour emergencies for our military working dogs and for any complications that arise from our surgical patients. Our veterinary center is a teaching hospital and we have a board certified emergency critical care specialist on site along with 3-4 veterinary interns rotating through the clinic yearly. This gives students the opportunity to learn from the board certified specialist and to be active in multiple cases to include surgical or clinical. We generally perform surgeries and clinics Monday- Friday with working dog emergencies and clinical cases always taking precedence. The student will have the flexibility to shadow or assist with performing surgical procedures or running clinics with supervision. We also have a civilian veterinarian on staff that has worked in our clinic for over 30 years and brings a lot of knowledge to the table.