Externships

Four Week Externship
Description and Skills Checklist
Veterinary Student

SpecialtyVETPATH is a veterinary diagnostic laboratory that provides services to veterinary hospitals, clinics, and specialty hospitals locally, regionally, and internationally. Externships are supported through the educational side of SVP, The Alliance. (Please visit our website for more information about The Alliance: https://svpalliance.com/)

This externship experience will build on and reinforce the knowledge base acquired during veterinary training and clinical rotations, while establishing a strong foundation in pathology to guide your practice of medicine. This rotation is recommended both for those interested in pursuing specialization in pathology and those planning to pursue a career in clinical practice.

Activities

• Tour of SVP encompassing safety orientation and introduction to the physical areas of the laboratory including accessioning, cytology, immunostaining, histology, grossing, necropsy, tissue disposal and archiving.
• Externs will learn the flow of patient samples from arrival to the lab through the various stages of processing, with particular focus on proper care and handling of different sample types, laboratory submission form history and lesion description, preparation of cytopathology samples, general microscopy skills, and blood smear evaluation.
• As part of their externship, students will complete the first section of our Veterinary On-Demand Laboratory Training course: Introduction to Laboratory Medicine - Principles of Pathology. This is a course consisting of 6 video classes, exercises, and a final assessment. The course is approved for 6 RACE CE credits.
• Mandatory:  have fun!

Skills externs will learn or practice:

• Communicating with laboratory staff and pathologists
• Communicating with staff and doctors at veterinary hospitals
• Preparing slides from fluid samples
• Preparing blood smears
• Preparing bone marrow slides
• Performing manual and automated staining of cytology slides
• Understanding the difference between aqueous and methanolic Romanowsky stains
• Performing manual blood film differential and evaluation
• Reviewing cytology slides with a clinical pathologist
• Selecting correct methods for preservation of samples including fluids, cytology preps, and surgical biopsy samples (formalin-preserved and fresh)
• Using a LIMS (laboratory information management system)
• Performing simple special stains such as ALP staining
• Knowing the proper PPE for handling various samples
• Using correct anatomical and descriptive terms when describing lesions and samples
• Understanding of the histology process
• Performing a complete manual urinalysis including gross exam, chemistry, and sediment
• Performing hemocytometer cell counts on fluid samples (effusion, cerebrospinal fluid)
• Developing a basic understanding of quality assurance and quality control concepts

To apply, please submit a letter of interest, a resume including professional references, and dates of availability.

Direct inquiries and applications to:

Laura Black, DVM, DACVP (Clinical)
Co-Laboratory Director
SpecialtyVETPATH
info@specialtyvetpath.com

Externship Description and Skills Checklist

Veterinary Technician candidate

SpecialtyVETPATH is a veterinary diagnostic laboratory which provides services to veterinary hospitals, clinics, and specialty hospitals locally, regionally, and internationally. Externships are supported through the educational side of SVP, The Alliance. 

Activities

• Tour of SVP encompassing safety orientation and introduction to the physical areas of the laboratory including accessioning, cytology, immunostaining, histology, grossing, necropsy, tissue disposal and archiving.

• Externs will learn the flow of patient samples from arrival to the lab through the various stages of processing, with particular focus on proper care and handling of different sample types, laboratory submission form history and lesion description, preparation of cytopathology samples, general microscopy skills, and blood smear evaluation.

• As part of their externship, students will complete the first section of our Veterinary On-Demand Laboratory Training course: Introduction to Laboratory Medicine - Principles of Pathology. This is an on-demand video course consisting of 6 video classes and a final assessment. The course is approved for 6 RACE CE credits.

• Optional:  attend our weekly onsite yoga class

• Mandatory:  have fun!

Skills externs will learn or practice:

• Knowledge of veterinary medical terminology

• Communicating with laboratory staff and pathologists

• Communicating with staff and doctors at veterinary hospitals

• Preparing slides from fluid samples (including blood smears)

• Selecting correct methods for preservation of samples including fluids, cytology preps, and surgical biopsy samples (formalin-preserved and fresh)

• Preparing bone marrow slides

• Preparing blood smears

• Performing manual blood film differential and evaluation

• Using a LIMS (laboratory information management system)

• Performing simple special stains such as ALP staining

• Knowing the proper PPE for handling various samples

• Using correct anatomical and descriptive terms when describing lesions and samples

• Manual staining of cytology slides

• Understanding the difference between aqueous and methanolic Romanowsky stains

• Understanding of the histology process

• Performing a complete manual urinalysis including gross exam, chemistry, and sediment

• Performing hemocytometer cell counts on fluid samples (effusion, cerebrospinal fluid)

• Basic understanding of quality assurance and quality control concepts

• Establishing a strong foundation in pathology to guide your knowledge of medicine