Veterinary Extern - General Practice

Hands-on Veterinary Student Externship – Willow Springs Veterinary Clinic

Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

Get Hands-On. Build Confidence. Discover What’s Possible!

Are you a veterinary student ready to take your learning beyond the classroom? At Willow Springs Veterinary Clinic, we invite you to experience the rewarding world of small animal practice, develop your clinical skills, and learn alongside a team dedicated to helping pets live healthier, happier lives.

Whether you're exploring your future in general practice or preparing to transition into your first DVM role, this externship is an opportunity to ask questions, build confidence, and see what practicing veterinary medicine looks like day to day.

What You'll Experience

• Real-World Clinical Learning: Connect your classroom knowledge to everyday veterinary cases and patient care.
• Patient Exams and Preventive Medicine: Learn about wellness visits, physical examinations, vaccinations, parasite prevention, and client education.
• Diagnostics and Treatment Planning: Explore how veterinary teams use patient histories, diagnostic testing, and clinical findings to guide medical decisions.
• Surgical and Dental Exposure: Gain insight into surgical and dental procedures, including patient preparation, anesthesia considerations, and recovery, as available.
• Clinical Reasoning: Participate in case discussions and learn how veterinarians evaluate symptoms, develop differentials, and determine appropriate treatment plans.
• Client Communication: Strengthen your understanding of how to communicate medical recommendations and build lasting relationships with pet owners.
• Team-Based Medicine: See how veterinarians, technicians, assistants, and client service professionals work together to deliver compassionate care.
• Professional Development: Ask questions, learn from experienced team members, and explore the skills needed to become a confident, successful veterinarian.

Hands-on participation will be tailored to your experience, academic requirements, patient needs, and hospital protocols.

Why Choose Willow Springs Veterinary Clinic?

Your externship should be more than a line on your résumé. It's an opportunity to discover the type of veterinarian you want to become, explore your clinical interests, and learn what makes a veterinary team successful.

At Willow Springs Veterinary Clinic, you'll have the opportunity to experience the everyday rewards of small animal medicine while developing an appreciation for compassionate patient care, teamwork, and the human-animal bond.

Make the Most of Your Time in Pleasant Prairie!

Located in southeastern Wisconsin, Pleasant Prairie offers easy access to the Lake Michigan shoreline, parks, local restaurants, and nearby Kenosha attractions. It's a great setting to gain valuable veterinary experience while enjoying everything the area has to offer.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome veterinary students who are:

• Motivated, curious, and excited to learn.
• Interested in small animal general practice.
• Eager to strengthen their clinical reasoning and communication skills.
• Committed to compassionate care and collaboration.
• Ready to make the most of an opportunity to learn from a veterinary team.

Ready to Take the Next Step? Your veterinary career is built one experience at a time!

Join Willow Springs Veterinary Clinic for an externship that helps you connect your education with real-world practice, explore your professional interests, and build the confidence to take the next step toward becoming a veterinarian.

We look forward to meeting you and supporting your journey into veterinary medicine!

Location: Willow Springs Veterinary Clinic | Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

Externship details: Scheduling, duration, and learning opportunities can be discussed based on your academic requirements and hospital availability.

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: