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Externship Program (for Veterinary "students")

Cornell University Hospital for Animals welcomes matriculating veterinary students from other colleges (in their final or next to final clinical year of veterinary school) who wish to participate in clinical rotations with our veterinary students. Visits are limited to six weeks (with no more than four weeks on one service). Requests for an extension will be determined on a case by case basis. Demonstrated competence and proficiency in both spoken and written English language skills are required to facilitate the educational process and client communications.

Services that may be visited

Ambulatory
Anesthesiology
Cardiology
Clinical Pathology
Community Practice Service-Medicine /Surgery
Dentistry
Dermatology
Lab Animal Medicine
Large Animal Medicine
Large Animal Surgery-Soft Tissue/Ortho
Neurology/Neurosurgery

Oncology
Ophthalmology
Pathology
Imaging/Radiology
Shelter Medicine
Small Animal Medicine
Small Animal Surgery-Soft Tissue/Ortho
Large Animal Theriogenology
Zoo, Wildlife and Exotic Animal Medicine

Schedule for Clinical Rotations 2012

Clinical rotations are scheduled on a space-available basis, with the approval of the service chief, in approximately two-week consecutive blocks of time.

Blocks 2012
   
C4 Jan 9 - Jan 22
C5 Jan 23 - Feb 5
C6 Feb 6 - Feb 19
D1 Feb 20 - Mar 4
D2 Mar 5 - Mar 25
D3 Mar 26 - Apr 8
D4 Apr 9 - Apr 22
D5 Apr 23 - May 6
D6 May 7 - May 20
A1 May 21 - Jun 3
A2 Jun 4 - Jun 17
A3 Jun 18 - Jul 1
A4 Jul 2 - Jul 15
A5 Jul 16 - Jul 29
A6 Jul 30 - Aug 12
A7 Aug 13 - Aug 26
B1 Aug 27 - Sep 9
B2 Sep 10 - Sep 23
B3 Sep 24 - Oct 7
B4 Oct 8 - Oct 21
B5 Oct 22 - Nov 4
B6 Nov 5 - Nov 18
C1 Nov 19 - Dec 2
C2 Dec 3- Dec 16

 

Application Procedure & Requirements

To apply:

  • Submit a request to visit, include your curriculum vitae or resume, your current year in veterinary school, your university and the proposed dates of the visit (based on the clinical rotation schedule above) with the service(s) you wish to attend.
  • Because we are located in a rabies-endemic area, proof of a rabies vaccination/titer results within two years of your visit date is required!
    Without this proof you will be unable to attend your rotation.
  • Proof of a negative Tuberculin (TB) test within one year of your visit dates is required for Zoological, Wildlife, Exotics and Lab Animal Services.
    Without this proof you will be unable to attend your rotation.
  • Infection Control Guidelines - These procedures are to be performed prior to entering the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.
  1. Clothing MUST BE thoroughly laundered before being worn. Bring more than one pair of coveralls or lab coats.
  2. Footwear must be carefully and thoroughly scrubbed clean and disinfected using the following procedure:
  • For rubber over boots, scrub well with a detergent. (Detergent with bleach, mixed at 2 ounce per gallon of water works well for this.)
  • After scrubbing, mix a fresh solution of detergent in hot water and fully immerse the boots for at least 15 minutes. (IF available, a disinfectant can be used in place of detergent.)
  • Rinse boots with water, allow to dry completely.
  • For other footwear, clean and scrub as described above. Use a toothbrush to get into any grooves in the soles. After cleaning, if boots cannot be immersed, allow the soles of the shoes to stand in a shallow container in a solution of 1:32 bleach solution (4 oz. per gallon) for a minimum of 5 minutes. Allow boots to dry completely.
  1. DO NOT bring equipment (pocket organizers, thermometers, hoof picks, lead ropes, fanny packs) to our facilities unless they are new.
  2. Stethoscopes are the exception. Your stethoscope must be thoroughly cleaned. To clean, first remove any organic matter with a wet sponge. Using a 4x4, wipe with Nolvasan solution, covering all surface areas, allow to dry. Wipe off with water and soft cloth, spray or wipe stethoscope with alcohol and allow to dry. Use Q-tips to clean the small parts and remove the cover on the head of the stethoscope and clean separately following the above procedure.

Applications to attend our rotations are reviewed and approved by the section chiefs of the services in the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.

 

Costs

Student visitors are responsible for all personal arrangements and expenses associated with their visits. Fees are charged to register as a non-credit extramural university student during the visitation period and to cover program administration costs.

 

Contact Information

To obtain current fees and additional information, please contact the following individual:

Clinical Programs
Attn: Pilar Thompson
Cornell University Hospital for Animals
930 Campus Road, VMC Box 35
Ithaca, NY 14853-6401
Email: pav37@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-253-3477
Fax: 607-253-4231 rca7