Dr. Jeremy Shaba, OVC 2015 (2014 Externship Blog Project

I was fortunate enough to spend my eight-week OVC externship in Northern Ireland at a wonderful mixed animal practice. Although I knew I wanted to join equine practice after graduation I was very excited to increase the depth of my veterinary education. My externship not only allowed me put the communication skills learned in the classroom into practice in a real-life setting but also gave me the opportunity to take primary case responsibility. 

The highlights of my externship included traveling the beautiful Irish countryside and getting a significant amount of hands-on experience with many different types of species. 

After graduation I completed an equine internship in Kentucky. Following my internship, I traveled to New Zealand to work the Southern Hemisphere breeding season. The past two years I have travelled between Kentucky and New Zealand chasing summer and all of the mares and foals! 

One of the most important things for me as I picked an externship clinic was diversity of caseload. Although I knew I wanted to be an equine vet, I still wanted to see and experience as much as I could across as many species as possible. Pick a clinic that students have been to before and that has a good reputation for a positive clinic culture where you will feel welcomed and supported. A good mentor will make all the difference in what you take away from the experience so make sure that is taken into consideration when applying.