Dr. Shannon Finn, OVC 2018
(2017 Externship Blog Project)

My externship was one of the highlights of my final year. I really enjoyed the vets and clinic staff I worked with, and the length of time we were there really allowed us to grow and develop our skills. Being there for eight weeks gave us the ability to get to know the clients too! It’s a very formative time in the beginning of your clinical year in terms of getting your footing, putting book-learning into practice, and renewing your love for veterinary medicine. And nothing beats driving through the beautiful countryside in the summer.

There are so many highlights from my externship but I think the most rewarding part was working on my reproductive palpation skills and seeing progress over the eight weeks, as well as getting a loaner ultrasound for the last two weeks and learning to use that as well. I also really enjoyed being involved in treating sick animals and having the ability to follow up and see them improve!

My advice for DVM students when they are searching for their externship practice - have an idea of what you’d like to get out of your externship, either what aspect of practice you’d like to spend more time on, or some goals you want to set for yourself to be able to achieve by the end of it. This way you can pick a practice accordingly! Go on a ride-along before committing, and take note of how much teaching and hands-on experience you get with them. Your externship is your longest “rotation” and it’s super important to go to a practice that loves to teach and lets you do lots of hands-on work!

My experience at Milverton-Wellesley was so great that I decided to go back and work for them! As I mentioned in my final post for the Externship Blog Project, the mixed animal practice split into two separate clinics, a large and a small. I took a position as an associate at the large animal clinic located in Milverton. I’m really enjoying being part of this team again!