Veterinary Externship – Clinical

Job Description

Veterinary Extern | NVA General Practice

The Tone:
This is an enriching veterinary externship experience offered by NVA General Practice, with specific opportunities available at White Pine Veterinary Clinic. NVA operates a network of veterinary hospitals, each with its unique character, yet all united by a core commitment to fostering a supportive environment, delivering excellent medical care, and providing exceptional service to animal patients and their loving owners. This externship is designed to provide veterinary students with a profound opportunity to immerse themselves in the day-to-day operations of a thriving general practice, gaining invaluable, practical, hands-on clinical experience that is fundamental for their professional development and future careers in veterinary medicine.

The TL;DR
• Role: Externship
• Type: Temporary (Experiences typically range from two to eight weeks, depending on both student availability and the hospital’s schedule)
• Location: In-person, White Pine Veterinary Clinic

• Mission: To equip veterinary students with direct exposure to general practice operations, allowing them to develop critical hands-on clinical skills and enhance professional communication within a supportive, medicine-focused environment.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Patient Assessment: Work intimately with a supervising veterinarian to diligently gather comprehensive patient histories and accurately perform physical examinations, which are foundational steps in diagnosing and treating animal patients effectively.
• Clinical Procedures: Engage actively in a broad spectrum of diagnostic procedures, contribute to essential dentistry services, and gain practical exposure by observing, assisting with, or, when appropriate, performing surgical procedures, all under close professional guidance.
• Treatment & Management: Collaborate in the thoughtful creation of individualized treatment plans for diverse cases and actively participate in the ongoing medical management of patients, ensuring continuous and adaptive care pathways.
• Professional Communication: Cultivate and refine crucial communication skills through consistent interaction with the entire medical team, dedicated support staff, and directly with clients, fostering effective interdisciplinary and client-facing dialogue.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Must be a veterinary student currently enrolled in a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program; NVA is specifically accepting applications for Class of 2027 and Class of 2028 spots.
• Experience: All veterinary students, regardless of their current class year (e.g., first, second, third year), are strongly encouraged to participate in NVA externships; students who have progressed into the clinical portion of their education are specifically eligible for a travel and living expense stipend, with detailed amounts and program information available via provided links.
• Skills: A keen interest in developing practical clinical skills across a variety of areas including patient history taking, physical examination, treatment plan development, diagnostic interpretation, dentistry, surgical observation/assistance/performance, and comprehensive medical management; demonstrated capability or strong aptitude for effective communication within a diverse medical team and with clients.