Alaskan Wilderness

By: Emily  Mehlman

Colorado State University, Class of 2013

For my last official summer, I wanted to gain vet experience while also seeking adventure and travel.  Alaska was the perfect place, having a paid externship opportunity in small animal emergency and miles of wilderness to explore. 

Anchorage was our base-camp of sorts and where we spent 4 weeks working at P.E.T. Emergency while hiking/running/biking around the area.  Even close to Anchorage there was much more exploration than one could do in a single month.  Every day I either ran in nearby Kincaid Park, biked to the Aleyeska (the local ski area), or found a good day hike around nearby glacier lakes.  Without having the limitations normally dictated by the nightfall, any hour was a fine time to enjoy the limitless outdoors. 

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MSPCA-Angell Pathology Externship

By: Jolene Carlson

Purdue University, Class of 2011

I participated in one three week off campus block at the Mission of Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA)—Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, MA during June & July 2010.  MSPCA-Angell is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1868, making it second-oldest humane society in the United States.  Angell Animal Medical Center is a fast paced world class emergency hospital in Boston, MA.  I worked in the Pathology Department with Dr. Pam Mouser and Dr. Patty Ewing, both ACVP boarded pathologists.  During my time there, Angell clients were allowed to submit their deceased animals for a free educational necropsy performed by me with oversight from Dr. Mouser.

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South Africa and Wildlife

If you are interested in wildlife, natural science or just travelling this is a great opportunity. The application deadline is Oct 20. 

The International Symposium on Wildlife Utilization in South Africa (ISWU) is a biennial symposium dealing with veterinary involvement in wildlife management. It serves as a platform for leading speakers, both local and international, in the fields of Veterinary and Natural Sciences, to address veterinary students on a host of wildlife management topics and the role of the veterinarian in wildlife utilization.

http://www.symco.co.za/

Veterinary students worldwide are invited to attend this exhilarating symposium which will run from July 1-17, 2011. If you have any questions please check out the website or email dmurdy@westernu.edu.

Listen up! Student Externship Locator Available from AVMA

Externships are an important part of the veterinary curriculum as they expose students to vet med with a practical application method. Since I know the terminology can be confusing, I thought I would remind you that an externship is an opportunity for students to learn more about a specific area or get more hands-on time while they are still in school, generally without pay. An internship, on the other hand, is something you do after graduation to gain more experience, generally with pay. I was always a bit confused about this difference until it came time to set one up for myself.

Thanks to the AVMA, now there is an easy way for you to get more information about externship opportunities with the Student Externship Locator. It can be accessed directly at http://www.avma.org/vcc/student_externships/

This resource was developed in response to many requests for a way to make it easier to search for an externship position. Whether fulfilling a school requirement or looking to expand experience in a special interest area, the Student Externship Locator can help make that search easier. Employer posted externships may also be found on the AVMA's online job board, the Veterinary Career Center (http://www.avma.org/vcc/) Take a look at both resources to start your search. Good luck!

Pigs...In...Space! (Oops, I meant Nebraska!)

By: Ruth West

Class of 2011, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine

I am a junior at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine with an interest in swine medicine. UF does operate a small swine unit just off of campus, where I lived and worked for a year, yet I was very interested in seeing some large operation swine units and finding out for myself what working as a food animal veterinarian was all about.

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