Clinical Rotation Externships
We welcome visiting veterinary students interested in a clinical rotation at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital. For externship information, including availability*, length of stay, housing, and international questions, contact Deb Liptak.
We will start taking requests for the May 2024-May 2025 period starting March 25, 2024.
*Availability may be limited due to class size. For 2024-25, large animal and equine externships are available, and availability of small animal rotations is limited (possibly oncology, urgent care, and exotics, depending on dates). Due to capacity limitations, we do not accept applicants for training opportunities necessary for Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) certification, National Examining Board (NEB) certification, Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE®) certification, or other certification programs for graduates of international, non-accredited veterinary programs.
Anatomic Pathology Externship
The two- to three-week anatomic pathology externship takes place at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories, which conducts approximately 1,600 necropsies and 34,000 surgical biopsies each year. Case material comes from the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, private practitioners and individuals, and the National Park Service. The anatomic pathology groups consists of eight board-certified anatomic pathologists and seven pathology residents.
Informal activities include participation in the post-mortem practicum with senior veterinary students and observation of surgical biopsy diagnosis with pathology faculty and residents. Scheduled activities include weekly histology and clinical pathology slide seminar, journal club, surgical pathology class, gross pathology class, and necropsy rounds.
Externs must be vaccinated against rabies. Externships will be filled on a first-come basis and limited to two at a time. Externs are accepted year round, except during the month of July. The summer months are typically in highest demand, so early application is encouraged. Applications must include a curriculum vitae and letter of intent. Scholarship opportunities are available via the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Submit applications to:
Dr. Chad Frank
320 Diagnostic Medicine Center
300 West Drake Road
Ft. Collins, CO 80526
[email protected]
(970) 297-5129
Clinical Pathology Externship
The one- to two-week clinical pathology externship takes place at the clinical pathology laboratory, which receives cytology, hematology, and biochemical profile submissions from within the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and veterinary practices across the country, and sees a cytology caseload of approximately 7,500 cases per year. The clinical pathology group consists of seven board-certified clinical pathologists and three clinical pathology residents.
Informal activities involve shadowing the clinical pathologists and residents during daily interpretation of cases, as well as a number of self-guided cytology/hematology teaching sets. Scheduled activities include weekly clinical pathology slide seminars, “topics” in clinical pathology, journal club discussion, and clinical pathology and necropsy rounds.
Applications must include a curriculum vitae and letter of intent stating career goals and expectations for the externship experience. Scholarship opportunities are available via the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Submit applications to:
Dr. Christine S. Olver
110 Diagnostic Medicine Center
300 West Drake Road
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1644
[email protected]
(970) 297-5113