By the time Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) candidates reach their final year, they’ve already mastered the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology, and diagnosing and treating disease. During their fourth year, some DVM candidates opt to spend up to six weeks honing their skills in settings beyond campus.

Erin Burton, the College of Veterinary Medicine's (CVM) senior associate dean of academic and student affairs, says externships help bridge the gap between academic training and real-world application by giving students a chance to experience how veterinarians engage with their communities in a variety of non-academic settings, including private or corporate practice, industry, state or federal agencies, or specialized fields such as aquaculture or honeybee medicine.

“Through these placements, students gain firsthand insight into the practical realities of veterinary practice, including the day-to-day operations, client interactions, and community relationships that define the profession,” Burton says.

Here’s how three DVM candidates say their externship experiences shaped their careers.

Sophia Farrow

Sophia Farrow entered CVM with a clear goal: to become a veterinary cardiologist. During a recent externship at a large specialty hospital in Scottsdale, Ariz., she had the opportunity not only to immerse herself in the cardiology specialty but to explore other specialties. One of her most memorable experiences was assisting in a rare type of brain surgery called a front-approach craniotomy.

“I was up there handing the surgeon instruments,” she recalls. “It was amazing.”

However, her externship at a small, rural general practice outside Seattle proved to be the most transformative. The hospital was short-staffed, with just one veterinarian. It was a stark contrast to the more than 30 specialists she’d worked alongside in Arizona. 

“I went from being a shadower and a learner to a doer,” says Farrow, who built a small client base at the practice and is considering signing a general practice contract with the hospital. 

“If you had asked my classmates, they’d tell you I’m the ‘cardio kid.’ A year ago, if someone told me I’d be considering a general practice, I would’ve called them crazy.”

Farrow plans to complete another externship in India this spring. She says the experiences she had in Arizona taught her invaluable lessons in both medicine and professionalism.

“Externships are a way to sell yourself as a veterinarian, to network and to learn how to be an effective and calm communicator,” she says.

Jenna Geier

Growing up, Jenna Geier’s family never had pets, but that didn’t stop her from falling in love with animals—or chasing her dreams of becoming a veterinarian.

The summer before her second year at CVM, Geier fostered a miniature schnauzer named Ruby, a senior dog who was given just two months to live. It turned out that Ruby had other plans and, under Geier’s care, she lived for more than two years. When it was time to put Ruby down, Geier had a veterinarian come to her home so Ruby could pass peacefully in a place where she felt comfortable.

“She was my introduction to how amazing senior pets are and the importance of providing them comfort care during their final years,” says Geier, who plans on pursuing a career in small animal medicine with a special interest in hospice and palliative care.

To deepen her skills, Geier externed with Soucheray’s at Home Veterinary Care in the Twin Cities, and Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, a nationwide network of vets specializing in end-of-life care. Those experiences, she says, taught her the importance of being out in her community, client communication, and the different techniques for euthanasia.

“The owners allowed me into their homes during those difficult times,” she says. “They allowed me to witness the human-animal bond, and that is very special. The main goal is to keep the animals comfortable, the humans comfortable, and make sure everyone feels at peace.”

Eliza Merges

For Eliza Merges, the best classrooms don’t have desks—they have dairy cows. Before she came to CVM, she spent several months working with a large-animal veterinarian in upstate New York, where she gained experience in dairy farming. During that time, she began as an intern and quickly advanced to assistant manager.

Merges has completed two externships so far, and has four more scheduled. Her first was in New York, where she worked with a veterinary clinic, conducting daily herd checks, identifying pregnant cows, consulting on reproductive programs, and assisting with surgical emergencies. Merges says she got valuable hands-on experience palpating cows, performing cesarean sections and surgically repositioning cows’ fourth stomachs, testing milk quality, and managing young stock.

“I was also a part of discussions with the veterinarians and producers on how to maximize both animal welfare and farm production,” she says.

Her second externship, in Indiana, focused on learning how to manage groups of calves raised by different producers and tracking their health and development.  

“I have never met a farmer who will not teach a student something,” she says.

Through these experiences, Merges says she was able to envision herself as a practicing veterinarian and understand the real-world challenges of the profession. The externships also helped her build communication skills and professional connections across the dairy industry.

“You learn so many ways of doing one task or accomplishing one goal,” she says. “Then you figure out what works best for you.”