The Animal Hospital is a privately-owned, eight-doctor, small animal practice with two locations. Our Statesville location is AAHA-certified, and we are on the fast track to get our new South Main location certified. We have a busy and wide ranging caseload as a general practice also open for daytime emergencies. We strive to offer referral quality care for our clients, including preventative care, in-house laboratory, digital radiography (and dental radiography), ultrasonography, echocardiology, endoscopy, theriogenology, and advanced surgical and dental procedures. Our practice has provided quality care with compassion for almost 50 years to pet owners of the Statesville area and is one of the most progressive veterinary hospitals in the Statesville/Iredell County area.
Animal Hospital of Statesville wants to be part of making our profession the best it can be to care for clients and their pets, who are our passion. Helping to develop the next generation of skilled, compassionate, devoted veterinary professionals will help ensure a great future for veterinary medicine. As such, we offer veterinary externships for:
Veterinary (DVM) Students
Veterinary Technician (RVT) Students
Veterinary Assistant (CVA) Students
We have worked hard to provide a supportive, inclusive culture that will be a great place for you to learn and prepare for your career as a veterinarian! Extern students are expected to be engaged with our patients, clients, and veterinary team and to uphold the professional and ethical standards of our practice. Our veterinarians, RVTs and Veterinary Patient Care team guide students through our daily operations, instructing on the various responsibilities, skills and client communication and education that we emphasize in our practice. We work together to provide the superior patient care and service that our clients have come to expect over our 50 years of operation in Statesville.
Veterinary Externships
Our veterinary externship is built to allow students to practice problem-solving, communication, and technical skills they have acquired during school. The fast-paced, collaborative environment and wide breath of service we provide our clients ensures our externs have endless opportunities to learn and grow! We encourage you to work through cases, develop diagnostic and treatment plans, scrub into surgery, assist in management of ongoing cases, practice communication skills, and work as a team in a real-world busy practice. Schedules can be flexible to build ~40 hours/week as we understand that having a good work/life balance is important. We can also accommodate some shorter, informal externships for those in their first three years of veterinary school.
Externs must carry professional liability insurance, which is free to all students through AVMA PLIT. Additionally, the North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Board (NCVMB) requires all externs in the state to obtain a Veterinary Student Intern Permit.
Veterinary Technician (RVT) Externships
Registered Veterinary Technicians are a valuable asset at the Animal Hospital, and they play an integral role in the daily operations of our hospital between serving our clients and caring for our furry patients. For those students already in an accredited Veterinary Technology program, we provide the opportunity to complete the requirement for externships to earn their Associate of Science degree in Veterinary Technology. Some externs in Gaston College's Veterinary Technology program have gone on to be employed as RVTs at Animal Hospital of Statesville after passing their national board exams.
Veterinary Assistant (CVA) Externships
High school externs can be involved in a career-focused externship program, starting with the local high school CTE or Career & Technical Education program, where they would work with our staff to learn the technical aspects of veterinary medicine. Many earn their Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVA) certificates through this CTE program. Whether they aspire to be a Veterinarian, a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), or a Veterinary Assistant, they will gain real-life experience from our Veterinarians, Registered Veterinary Technicians and our Veterinary Patient Care Team that will help them make the decision whether to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and what direction their education should take.
Some of our CTE students follow their high school education with the NC Apprenticeship Program. Through this program, they gain work experience while attending college courses in Veterinary Technology, preparing them to sit for the State and National Boards to become Registered Veterinary Technicians.