Browse offsite electives by Name, Proximity, or Category. Click Apply to filter results. Use the Map to browse using a Google Maps interface and filter by proximity.
Students should be 3rd or 4th year veterinary students and must have basic horse handling skills.
The Veterinary Student Clinical Externships Program offers a variety of activities aimed at expanding a student’s understanding of the laboratory animal medicine field. Activities and learning objectives may include, but are not limited to:
- Expanded knowledge base in husbandry, biology, and diseases of common laboratory animal species through clinical work and participation in didactic seminars, study groups, and journal club.
- Improved and expanded clinical skills through direct participation in clinical cases and clinical rounds by shadowing veterinary technicians and/or residents, and through participation in case management with resident or faculty oversight.
- Increased understanding of animal pathology through direct work with pathologists and residents on current case submissions, attendance and participation in necropsies, and pathology rounds.
- Better understanding of animal anesthesia and perioperative care of multiple species through assisting Animal Surgery Operating Room Technicians with surgical procedures.
- Learn the basic principles of managing large colonies of laboratory animals by studying the basics of rodent health monitoring and quality assurance, attending Rodent Health Surveillance Team meetings, and shadowing Rodent Health Surveillance Technicians.
- Gain exposure to research techniques and animal models of disease through the study of clinical cases, review of animal protocol proposals, and attending select IACUC animal use training courses.
We offer unpaid rotations where students may shadow our three full-time veterinarians and assist where appropriate. Our schedule varies day to day and our patients include avian, exotic, canine, feline, and small mammal patients as well as injured wildlife for both routine appointments and surgeries.
Student will be engaged in examining, diagnosing, and treating a variety of small patients. We do surgeries 3 days/week, so the student will also be fully engaged in assisting with surgeries. As we are a mixed animal practice, the opportunity will arise to go on farm calls as well. Occasionally, we do some exotic work as it arises. That cannot be depended on.
Students are immersed in shelter and community medicine. There are limited surgical and dental opportunities, those are limited to students that come with strong surgical training.
Students work with Head of Veterinary Services and APL Surgeons. They work on herd health issues and individual care. An outpatient community service exists and the student may spend time in the outpatient clinic with a DVM.
Directly assist veterinarians in all aspects of patient care - including medical and surgical cases.
The Wildlife Center’s veterinary externship program is designed to provide students with practical experience in many aspects of wild animal handling, medical management, and husbandry.
Throughout the three-to-twelve week externship, externs will receive instruction and hands-on experience in anatomy, physical restraint, anesthesia, radiography, laboratory analysis, emergency triage, therapeutics, nutrition, wound management, surgery, and necropsy procedures. This externship emphasizes hands-on experience mentored by qualified wildlife veterinarians. This is a challenging program and we expect hard work and dedication from our students. In return, the Center promises to introduce externs to many aspects of clinical wildlife and conservation medicine in a friendly and professional teaching environment.
The veterinary extern must be a fourth/fifth year student registered in a veterinary medicine degree program and is expected to achieve the following goals:
- Be able to identify the common wildlife species of Virginia and have some understanding of their natural history.
- Know the techniques used to restrain wild animals, and perform physical restraint of wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- Perform physical examinations, basic clinical techniques (such as venipuncture), and treatment of wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- Be able to perform and interpret basic diagnostic procedures such as hematology and radiography of reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- Perform both inhalation and, if appropriate, injectable anesthesia on wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- Perform surgical procedures such as wound repair on appropriate cases.
- Know the humane methods of euthanasia used in wildlife species.
- Perform gross necropsies on wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- Have a basic knowledge of the important diseases of North American wildlife, especially wildlife zoonoses.
- Understand the medical and ethical issues regarding the treatment, rehabilitation, and conservation of wildlife.
- Understand the concept of conservation medicine, and the role the Wildlife Center can play in wildlife disease monitoring, ecosystem health, conservation, and public education.
- Develop communication skills by presenting a seminar on a case report or topic of interest to the staff of the Wildlife Center.
Observation and assisting doctors in surgery and appointments
To spend a couple of weeks interning here at Natomas Veterinary Hospital would give the participant an opportunity to see what it is like to work in a small animal veterinary hospital, including some of the background duties and challenges a practice owner has to deal with regarding clients, employees, and some economics of running a practice. Also the student would also gain appreciation of the practical experience of working up and treating typical small animal patients, and a few exotics, in the "real world" where we can still offer the ideal care but may be constrained financially and how a small animal hospital veterinarian would approach these cases on a day to day basis.
Observation of high diagnostic general practice. Varied surgeries performed including orthopedic, laproscopic procedures, laser surgery. Digital radiology and ultrasound on site.