Veterinary Extern - General Practice

Hands-on Veterinary Student Externship

Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital | Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Learn from an Experienced Team. Build Your Clinical Confidence. Discover Your Future.

Looking for an externship where you can ask questions, explore your clinical interests, and learn alongside a team that genuinely enjoys working together? We’d love to welcome you to Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital!

Our established practice offers veterinary students the opportunity to experience life in a collaborative small animal hospital where high-quality medicine, compassionate patient care, and teamwork go hand in hand.

Whether you’re looking to strengthen your clinical knowledge, see how an experienced veterinary team approaches cases, or explore what you want in your future practice, we’re excited to help you make the most of your externship experience.

Why Choose Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital?

Learn from a Collaborative Team

Spend time with our team of seven veterinarians who enjoy sharing knowledge, discussing cases, and supporting one another. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from different doctors, observe their approaches to patient care, and gain insight into the many ways to build a rewarding veterinary career.

Explore a Variety of Clinical Interests

Small animal medicine offers endless opportunities to learn! During your externship, you’ll have the chance to gain exposure to a varied caseload and see how our team approaches diagnosis, treatment, and client communication.

Depending on the cases and procedures scheduled during your visit, you may have opportunities to observe or participate in learning experiences involving:

• Preventive care and wellness visits
• Internal medicine and diagnostic workups
• Diagnostic imaging, including digital radiography and ultrasound
• Dentistry and dental radiography
• Soft-tissue surgery
• Orthopedic surgery
• Laboratory diagnostics and treatment planning
• Client education and communication

Learn in a Well-Equipped Hospital

Our facility provides a great environment for exploring modern veterinary medicine. You'll see how our team uses its equipment and resources to support patient care, including:

• Seven exam rooms
• Digital radiography and digital dental radiography
• Ultrasound
• In-house laboratory diagnostics
• Dental wet lab
• Surgical suite
• Cold laser and surgical laser technology

A Team That Wants You to Succeed

We know veterinary school is about more than learning the science. It's also about developing clinical judgment, communication skills, confidence, and an understanding of what makes a veterinary team successful.

Our collaborative culture creates opportunities to ask questions, discuss cases, learn from different perspectives, and gain a better understanding of the day-to-day responsibilities of a practicing veterinarian.

Explore Your Future in Veterinary Medicine

An externship is a great opportunity to discover what matters most to you in your future practice. Experience our team culture, learn about different approaches to medicine, and get a feel for what it’s like to work in a multi-doctor hospital that values professional development and work-life balance.

A Great Place to Learn—and Live

Located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, approximately 30 miles west of Chicago, our hospital offers access to the best of suburban living with the excitement of the city nearby. Explore local restaurants, parks, and charming downtown amenities, with Chicago’s dining, entertainment, and cultural attractions within reach.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome veterinary students who are curious, compassionate, eager to learn, and interested in small animal general practice.

Whether you’re early in your clinical training or approaching graduation, we’d love to learn about your interests and help you explore opportunities to gain valuable experience with our team.

Ready to Spend Time with Our Team?

Your veterinary journey is full of important decisions. Come see what life in a collaborative, supportive, multi-doctor practice can look like!

Apply for an externship at Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital and take the next step in your veterinary journey. We look forward to meeting you!

National Veterinary Associates (NVA) is a leading North American pet health care company with nearly 1,300 locations spanning general practice veterinary hospitals, Ethos emergency and specialty hospitals, and pet resorts and equine veterinary care. With approximately 40,000 team members, we care for pets and support pet families in communities across the United States and Canada.  Our purpose is to give pets and the people who love them more quality years together, and our mission is to make care more personal, easy and accessible while advancing medicine and care across every stage of life. Across NVA, we support our teams with the resources, expertise and opportunities they need to deliver exceptional care and help shape the future of veterinary and pet care.

Purpose: Give pets and the people who love them more quality years together

Mission: Transform the pet family experience to be personal, easy and accessible, while advancing medicine and care across every stage of life. 

Values: Care Deeply, Do What’s Right, One Team, Own It, Shape What’s Next 

One NVA: Bringing General Practice & Ethos Together

NVA is built to make care personal, easy and accessible, while advancing medicine across every stage of a pet’s life. 

At National Veterinary Associates, we want to make sure your experience connecting with us is seamless and straightforward. Here’s what to expect when interacting with us: