Since 1983, The Foundation has offered undergraduate veterinary students in Canada, Europe and the United States, an opportunity to work with graduate veterinarians in a diagnostic laboratory, laboratory animal care facility or pathology service of a zoo , during a free period in their undergraduate curriculum. Externships are available, through The Foundation, at:
The Veterinary Student Externship Program of The Foundation is administered by a Committee:
Since 1983, each year, 2 or 3 undergraduate students from veterinary schools [Canada, England, The Netherlands, Romania, and the United States of America] have spent 1 to 3 months at one of the training sites. A few positions are available each year for undergraduate students during the academic interim between their 2nd and 3rd year in veterinary school. Such undergraduate students get the most out of the externship if they have already had their basic pathology courses in school, and if they can serve as an extern for at least one month. The students are treated like professionals and participate in the necropsies with the graduate veterinarians. Time is allowed in their schedule to review study sets of histopathology slides and participate in weekly slide conferences. Interested 2nd-3rd year students should contact Dr. Britt at the address shown above.
The externships for 4th year veterinary students [all countries] are governed by the memorandum of agreement between The Foundation and the VMRCVM, which appears below. Preferably, the minimum length of an externship is three weeks, which coincides with the length of fourth year rotations in most veterinary schools; however (according to the cited memorandum of agreement), each organization has the right to establish a longer minimum duration. The Foundation's minimum is 4 weeks. The maximum length is 12 weeks.
Students participating in the 4th year externships, typically locate their own housing when participating in the program. However, assistance will be given by The Foundation's preceptors to identify appropriate, economical, safe housing for each student. Students, likewise, are responsible for their own transportation to and from externship sites. If a field-type excursion is planned by the preceptor, appropriate transportation will be made available by The Foundation.
Purpose: Define the interrelationship between Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) for the acceptance, appointment, and assignment of veterinary students, regardless of school affili ation, to educational training clerkships [***externships***] at Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation.
1. The VMRCVM has established a Center of Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine to serve as a national resource for veterinary students and graduate veterinarians. Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine has been defined as those opportunities in veterinary medicine that comprise all areas other than private practice, which includes all aspects of veterinary pathology.
2. Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation is involved in every aspect of veterinary pathology. The quality of the programs is unsurpassed. Opportunities for veterinary students to work with the staffs in the array of activities would provide educational experiences available nowhere else
3. Objectives of individual clerkships:
a. Students would work within Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation to obtain
hands-on experience of ongoing day-to-day operations.
b. Students would observe the functions, structure, and goals of the organization,
with particular emphasis on the input of the veterinary profession to achievement
of the goals.
4. Features of the clerkships:
a. Clerkships will be designed to require active participation on the part
of the student in ongoing activities. It is expected that the student will
work a minimum of 40 hours per week, and will work with the staff after
normal hours should the need arise. The premise is to provide a valid,
real-life experience.
b. Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation [*** Chairperson of The Foundation's
Externship Committee***] will determine the number of students that can
adequately be accommodated during each iteration, as well as annually.
c. Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation [***Chairperson of The Foundation's
Externship Committee***] will define the minimum and maximum length of
the clerkship.
d. Evaluation process:
1) The preceptor of Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation will be asked to
complete a one-page evaluation form on each student completing a clerkship
under their direction. Evaluation forms will be forwarded to the Director
of the Center of Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine (Enclosure).
Copies of the evaluations subsequently will be sent to the academic dean
of the parent veterinary college, and will be used in determining the grade
to be assigned for the educational program.
2) Each student will be required to complete an evaluation of their clerkship
experience immediately after completion of the rotation. The completed
evaluation will be forwarded to the Director of the Center via the academic
dean of the appropriate college. Copies of the evaluations will be provided
to Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation for consideration.
5. Selection of students:
a. One of the prime goals of both Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation and
the VMRCVM is to identify veterinary students interested in veterinary
pathology programs, irrespective of school affiliation, to participate
in the available clerkships. The two organizations, therefore, have developed
a working arrangement to achieve this goal.
b. The Center of Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine will receive
all applications for clerkships [*** 4th year students***] at Charles Louis
Davis DVM Foundation. Initial screening of the applications to identify
the best qualified individuals will be performed by the Director of the
Center and appropriate faculty of the College. Determination of potential
selectees will be based on the professional goals of the student, the background
experiences the student pursued in preparation for a career in veterinary
medicine, and the information provided by the parent school and other references.
Only students preparing to enter their fourth (final) year are considered.
All selections will be made in a totally unbiased manner. When an applicant
has requested a particular location, every attempt will be made to accommodate
the student's desires.
c. A list of highly qualified applicants, and the supporting documentation
for each, will be forwarded to the preceptor {***Chairperson of The Foundation's
Externship Committee***] of Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation. The preceptor
[***Chairperson, The Foundation's Externship Committee***] and his/her
staff [***Members of The Foundation's Externship Committee***] have the
final selection authority.
d. Upon notification of the selections made by Charles Louis Davis DVM
Foundation information letters will be sent to the applicants, through
the appropriate academic dean [***by the Director of the Center***], notifying
each of their status.
6. Housing: Students typically locate their own housing when participating in an external clerk- ship. It is requested that assistance be given by Charles Louis Davis DVM Foundation personnel to identify appropriate, economical housing for each student, as required.
7. Transportation: Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from clerkship sites. If a field-type excursion is planned by the training organization, it would be expected that appropriate transportation be made available.
S/S Peter Eyre, Dean Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
S/S Samuel W. Thompson Chairman , The Advisory Board The Charles Louis Davis, DVM Foundation
S/A Peggy S. Meszaros Provost and Senior Vice President Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
In addition to the undergraduate externships described above, as described elsewhere on this Homepage (see The Zoological Consortium), as part of the ZOO & WILDLIFE PATHOLOGY PROGRAM, as described elsewhere on the Homepage, the Externship Committee o f The Foundation offers externships to graduate veterinarians interested in evaluating the career opportunities in zoo and wildlife pathology. The periods are for 4, 8 or 12 weeks. Interested individuals should communicate with Dr. Britt (see above).
Some of the externs, who have participated in the externship programs of The Foundation, have, after graduation, gone on to graduate school and pursued a career in veterinary, comparative, or zoo and wildlife pathology; or a career as a veterinary labora tory diagnostician, or a career as a laboratory animal clinician. The majority of the externs have pursued a career, after graduation, in veterinary clinical medicine, and find that their externship has enhanced their ability to diagnose the diseases of the animals on which they are called to administer treatment.
A very limited amount of money is available to The Foundation to provide stipends to some externs. However, not all externs accepted by The Foundation should anticipate receiving a stipend. The Foundation does not publish information as to available sti pends, if any, as selection for a Foundation Externship should be driven by career goals instead of money availability. Externships are not summer jobs and externs are treated as students, not part-time help.
As every Member of The Foundation should be aware, The Foundation has no endowment. Therefore, it cannot support its programs and membership services, many of which are described elsewhere in the Homepage, with interest payments received from its saving and investments. It has no savings and investments. All of its programs and membership services are supported entirely by income derived annually from dues paid by Individual Members, Corporate and Institutional Members; registeration fees charged for some of its educational programs and dedicated contributions made by Patrons to the ZOO & WILDLIFE PATHOLOGY PROGRAM, the WORLDWIDE CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM, the SOUTHERN and EASTERN AFRICA INITIATIVE, and the VETERINARY STUDENT EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM. We have no salaried employees. We do not pay any consulting firm to manage the admi nistration and programs of The Foundation. We rely entirely on volunteerism, and have done so very successfully for over two and one-half decades. All of the Preceptors for the Externship Program, listed at the beginning of this page, are volunteers.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DEDICATED CONTRIBUTION (we can only, by
law, use dedicated contributions for the purpose you designate ) TO THE
VETERINARY STUDENT EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING STIPENDS, please make
your check or money order payable to C. L . DAVIS FDN. and in the memo
area indicate EXTERN PROG. Your Foundation also accepts credit cards :AMEX,
NOVUS, DISCOVER, BRAVO, VISA, MASTERCARD. Provide us with your card number,
expiration date, and as you see, your contribution is dedicated:
FOR THE VETERINARY STUDENT EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM:
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