Suggested Externship Activities

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Case of the Week
Career Conversations
Appointments
Diagnostic Imaging
Dentistry
Surgery
During “slow times” at the clinic

If your hospital is new to hosting veterinary student externs, we are providing some helpful suggestions for activities that they like to be included in. If you already have a robust externship program, please continue with the activities that have made your experience a success!

If you have any suggestions for activities that have been successful at your hospital, please feel free to share them by emailing Dr. Robin Bast at robin.bast@unitedvetcare.com . Learning from best practices makes us all more successful!

Case of the Week

Encourage your extern to pick one case per week to research further. VIN is an excellent resource for this, and researching a case will provide a great self-directed activity. They could pick any case of interest and learn more about the patient's risk factors, typical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment options, and prognosis. On the final day of week one, have them share their findings with you, just like they would discuss a case at the university. The next week, repeat the exercise with the student selecting a different case. Opportunities like this truly highlight the wonderful exchange of knowledge when we welcome vet students and new grads into our hospitals!

Career Conversations

Your Recruiting Specialist has already connected with scheduled externs to have discussions about job opportunities. However, vet students truly enjoy discussing career paths with the doctors and Practice Managers at the clinic. If there’s an opportunity to take your extern out for coffee or a meal, please do! This one-on-one attention shows vet students that we care about their career development and offers a helpful preview of what they could expect if they accepted a job at your hospital.

Appointments

Introduce your extern to clients. Clients are happy to meet students! Having your hospital serve as a place of learning reinforces the high quality of your practice to your clients.
Allow the extern to complete an initial exam. The supervising veterinarian should confirm findings by also examining the patient. Discuss differential diagnoses list together.
Have the extern formulate a diagnostic plan and create an estimate. The supervising veterinarian should review and modify as needed. Veterinary students are commonly used to the clients they see at their university teaching hospital. Often, these clients are prepared to perform all recommended tests and treatments. Having more real-world experiences during externships offers students valuable skills by frequently working in a stepwise fashion to prioritize the most important tests and treatments.
Allow externs to review and interpret the diagnostic test results. Externs enjoy explaining their thought process and their proposed treatment plan to supervising veterinarian. The supervising veterinarian will discuss and modify as needed before presenting the plan to the client.
Externs enjoy helping with hospitalization instructions, homecare instructions, and dose calculations. The supervising veterinarian will review and verify the work performed by the extern before moving forward.

Diagnostic Imaging

Many externs are looking to get more comfortable and confident with radiograph interpretation. Reviewing recently obtained radiographs offers a great opportunity to improve these skills. Provide the extern the patients’ signalment and clinical signs that prompted the radiographs. Then, let the extern review the radiographs and discuss their findings. If the radiographs were sent out for interpretation, this could be an excellent self-study opportunity as well.
Many externs enjoy participating in diagnostic ultrasound studies. Perhaps your extern can perform an ultrasound on a cat or dog that is getting prepped for spay surgery. This offers a convenient opportunity because the abdomen is shaved for surgery, and the patient has pre-medications/sedatives on board.

Dentistry

Allow your extern to make evaluations of the dental radiographs and findings during the anesthetized oral exam. Externs can plan what needs to be done, and you can discuss whether you agree or have an alternate recommendation.
Many severe periodontal disease cases requiring multiple extractions will be remarkably symmetrical and allow for the perfect “see one then do one” opportunity. As the supervising veterinarian, you could demonstrate proper flap creation, alveolar bone removal, sectioning, elevation, and extraction techniques for a patient requiring extraction of a few maxillary premolars on the left side. When the patient is repositioned for the right side, you could let your extern work on these same extractions (if indicated) with your assistance and supervision.

Surgery

Many externs are seeking surgical opportunities while on externships. Supervising veterinarians may feel comfortable delegating portions of the procedure to their externs while remaining scrubbed in and ready to take over the surgery if needed. Other vets may prefer to remain the primary surgeon throughout the procedure and have the extern assist. For example, if you are uncomfortable with the extern performing a spay, perhaps you would be comfortable with them suturing the abdomen closed in your preferred manner, with you by their side.
Some hospitals will partner with local animal shelters and rescue groups to bring shelter animals to their hospital for the extern to perform spays and neuters, with direct supervision by an experienced veterinarian.

During “slow times” at the clinic

Have your extern help create client education handouts or homecare instruction templates.
Invite your extern to prepare an educational seminar for the support staff.
Supervising veterinarian and extern could conduct a CPR drill together with the team.