Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center (PVSEC)

Description of Elective Experience: 

PVSEC is Western Pennsylvania’s largest and most comprehensive multi-specialty referral hospital – offering small animal Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Critical Care, Dentistry, Dermatology, 24-hour Emergency, Internal Medicine, MRI & CT Imaging, Medical Oncology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Rehabilitation Services, and Surgery. Our 35,000 square foot facility, is home to over 40 board-certified specialists, emergency veterinarians, emergency and critical care residents, surgery residents, and rotating interns. We provide care for approximately 1000 animals weekly amongst our services.  We offer a wide variety of diagnostics including in house and send-out laboratory, MRI, CT, ultrasound, endoscopy, fluoroscopy, and digital radiography.

Externships are available to students in their clinical year(s) of study, in the following specialties depending on availability: Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Dentistry, Emergency, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Radiology, and Surgery.

Extern responsibilities vary from observation with teaching discussion, to patient handling and client interviews (similar to a university experience) dependent upon the service visited and individual ability.  Hours are variable depending on the service, but are typically constrained within normal medical business hours, except for the emergency department, where students can elect to attend their preferred 12 hour shift (day, noon, night). Students can apply for variable duration externships (2-4 weeks is typical). No stipend or housing are currently available to externs.  PVSEC requires an unofficial transcript and three professional references for all externs. Please check us out at www.pvs-ec.com.  You can find an extern application under “Educational Opportunities” on our webpage. 

Institutional and Educational Resources - staffing, equipment, etc.: 

PVSEC is Western Pennsylvania’s largest and most comprehensive multi-specialty referral hospital – offering small animal Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Critical Care, Dentistry, Dermatology, 24-hour Emergency, Internal Medicine, MRI & CT Imaging, Medical Oncology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Rehabilitation Services, and Surgery. Our 35,000 square foot facility, is home to over 40 board-certified specialists, emergency veterinarians, emergency and critical care residents, surgery residents, and rotating interns. We provide care for approximately 1000 animals weekly amongst our services.  We offer a wide variety of diagnostics including in house and send-out laboratory, MRI, CT, ultrasound, endoscopy, fluoroscopy, and digital radiography.

Student Responsibilities - what is expected of students in terms of hours, days of the week, shadowing or actual support?: 

Extern responsibilities vary from observation with teaching discussion, to patient handling and client interviews (similar to a university experience) dependent upon the service visited and individual ability.  Hours are variable depending on the service, but are typically constrained within normal medical business hours, except for the emergency department, where students can elect to attend their preferred 12 hour shift (day, noon, night). Students can apply for variable duration externships (2-4 weeks is typical). No stipend or housing are currently available to externs.  PVSEC requires an unofficial transcript and three professional references for all externs. Please check us out at www.pvs-ec.com.  You can find an extern application under “Educational Opportunities” on our webpage. 

Supervisor: 
Dr. Kenton Rexford
Website: 
www.pvs-ec.com
Contact email: 
Address: 
807 Camp Horne Rd
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
United States
Practice or Institution Type: 
Is student housing available?: 
No
Hours of supervision by a licensed veterinarian per week: 
Varies by specialty. We can typically accomodate each student's needs.