General Practice Externship

Mapleview Animal Hospital is a small animal general practice located in Norwalk, Ohio. Founded in 1972 by Dr. James Lonz, Mapleview Animal Hospital provides full-service veterinary care for dogs and cats, including medical, surgical, and dental services. We take pride in our long-standing reputation in the community and our commitment to compassionate, high-quality patient care. Our goal is to provide students with a supportive, real-world learning environment.

We aim to demonstrate how long-term staff and loyal clientele foster trusting, communicative relationships that positively impact the daily operations of a busy veterinary practice.

Student involvement will include shadowing and assisting veterinarians during outpatient appointments, as well as surgical and dental procedures. Outpatient cases may involve internal medicine, preventative care, dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiology, orthopedics, and daytime urgent or emergent cases. Surgical and dental procedures may range from routine spays and neuters, dental prophylaxis (with or without extractions), mass removals, and hernia repairs to more complex or urgent cases such as cystotomies, amputations, urethral obstructions, and exploratory surgeries.

Opportunities under the direct supervision of a veterinarian may include: participating in examinations, diagnostic/treatment planning, client communication and medical documentation, assisting with surgical procedures, supporting dental cleanings and extractions, administering medications and providing patient treatments.

Mapleview Animal Hospital has 3 veterinarians. We are fully staffed with 5 Registered Veterinary Technicians as well as Veterinary Assistants, Client Service Representatives, a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager and an Assistant Manager. Students will work directly with the veterinarian while also receiving guidance and support from our experienced staff. This collaborative approach ensures students gain exposure to both medical decision-making and the teamwork that supports high-quality patient care.

We are a busy general practice. We are open Monday - Friday 8:00am-6:00pm. There are no after-hour emergency, on-call, or weekend hours. Surgical and dental procedures are scheduled Monday - Friday 8:00am-12:00pm. Surgical and dental procedure time varies dependent on the type of procedure. In general, there are 4-6 surgical and/or dental procedures a day. Outpatient appointments are scheduled Monday - Friday 8:30am-6:00pm.

Standard outpatient appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes. We also accommodate same-day urgent care cases, which are scheduled for 40 minutes and worked into our standard outpatient schedule.

In-house equipment includes:

• digital radiographs
• digital dental radiographs
• laboratory - Urine sediment analyzer
• CBC hematology analyzer
• Blood chemistry analyzer
• point of care ultrasound
• tonovet
• doppler
• microscopy

Interested students should contact Nicki at  or by email at

Individual schedules will be discussed with students based upon the veterinarian's schedule and availability. Days of the week will include Monday - Friday and hours will range from 30-40 hours/week.

Students will be shadowing/assisting the veterinarian in outpatient appointments as well as surgical and dental procedures.

Students are expected to uphold ethical, moral, and professional standards at all times. This includes maintaining a professional appearance and a positive, respectful attitude. Appropriate attire consists of scrubs or business casual clothing.