Veterinary Student Externship

Overview

United Veterinary Care is delighted to host veterinary students for externships across our network of over 100 hospital locations in more than 20 states. This clinical experience allows you to apply your classroom knowledge in a real‑world hospital setting of your choice.

Our hands‑on externships are designed for clinical‑year students at AVMA‑accredited schools, typically in their 3rd or 4th year. You will share your goals at the start of your rotation and be quickly integrated into the team through participating in case discussions, collaborative problem‑solving, and hands‑on patient care in GP, ER, and specialty settings.

With opportunities across a wide variety of partner hospitals, you will gain diverse experience, mentorship, and confidence in your clinical skills. Students often describe their externships as transformative and highly supportive.

To help make these opportunities accessible, stipends are available to offset travel and lodging costs (unless prohibited by your veterinary school).

• Must be a current veterinary student at an AVMA‑accredited veterinary school
• Priority scheduling is given to students in their clinical years on official externship blocks for school credit
• Must provide proof of professional liability insurance. SAVMA members qualify for no cost insurance by applying at the following link: SAVMA Member Benefit and Resources | AVMA PLIT

Smithson Valley welcomes 3rd and 4th year veterinary medical students.

The Animal Hospital of Smithson Valley is located just outside of San Antonio in beautiful Spring Branch, TX. Our doctors have a wide range of interests, and as such, we are able to offer quite comprehensive care to a variety of species. We have all the bells and whistles, including ultrasound and endoscopy, and are pleased to be able to offer surgery to patients needing these procedures.

But what truly makes our hospital stand out, is the incredible team dynamic we have developed. Every employee is treated as a valuable member of our medical team, and they all contribute to our exceptional client and patient care. If you are looking for a fantastic full-service clinic in central Texas to continue on your path towards becoming an outstanding veterinarian, look no further than the Animal Hospital of Smithson Valley.

We'd love to host you for your externship.

Dogs, Cats, Pocket pets/small mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Potbellied pigs, Horses, Small ruminants.

Ultrasound, Endoscopy, Soft tissue surgery, Dentistry, Wellness/Preventative care, Medical appointments.

During your externship, you can expect to actively participate in cases and further your development towards becoming a veterinarian. Throughout your time with us, you will always be supervised by an experienced veterinarian and skilled support staff. Expect to be included in surgical cases, dental procedures, emergencies, sick patient workups, and routine medical appointments. You will discuss these cases with your supervising veterinarian and have them confirm your exam findings to verify whether you are on the right track with your plans before moving forward with the case as a team.

We truly enjoy hosting externs and having new graduates join our teams since with new team members comes new shared knowledge!