Externship Program
Externships are available for the Veterinary Hospital as well as the Reproductive Center. An externship is required for all students interested in applying for an internship at Performance Equine Vets.
Hospital Program Specifics
Performance Equine Vets externships are available for 2-6 weeks blocks. During this time the student will be working under the supervision and guidance of our highly trained equine technicians as well as our staff of Veterinarians. The student will gain skills and knowledge in emergency and critical care medicine, preventative medicine, surgery, reproduction as well as lameness diagnosis and treatment. Students will be involved with initial assessment, diagnostic decisions and techniques and management of the equine patient. The student will be expected to be intimately involved in the initial evaluation of the cases and their continued management while hospitalized. The student will have primary call duty and will be expected to help the primary duty veterinarian and technician with emergencies after hours on a rotational basis.
Performance Equine Vets offers a diversity in the clinicians experience and interests, and this allows varied opinions and approaches to case management.
Reproductive Program Specifics
Performance Equine Vets externships are available for 2-6 weeks blocks. During this time the student will be working under the supervision and guidance of our breeding technicians as well as our staff of Veterinarians. The student will gain skills and knowledge in breeding of the mare, collection of the stallion, processing of semen, management of the pre-partum mare, delivery of the foal, management of the post-partum mare as well as care of the critically ill mare and foal. Students will be involved with initial assessment, diagnostic decisions and techniques and management of the equine patient while hospitalized. The student will be expected to be intimately involved in the initial evaluation of the cases and their continued management. The student will have primary call duty and will be expected to help the staff with emergencies after hours on a rotational basis.
Expectations
Our externship program requires dedicated individuals that are committed to hard work and long hours. Our hospital and staff operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year (including all holidays). Days off will rotate and night shifts will be involved in the schedule as needed. We expect uniformly ethical conduct and excellent communication skills. All students will be expected to complete projects assigned in a timely fashion. Seek assistance from your supervisor or other staff members when needed, we look forward to providing mentoring whenever it is desirable. The ability to work as a team with a positive attitude and good people skills are requirements. We do not provide compensation for externs, housing may be provided depending on availability. Transportation to and from the facility is the responsibility of the extern. The extern will be required to dress professionally at all times. A collared shirt is required with long pants or jeans. Appropriate shoe choice while working with horses should be considered.
About Aiken
In the late 19th century, Aiken gained notoriety as a winter playground for the rich and famous. This “Winter Colony”, often credited to Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. and William C. Whitney, became a seasonal home for many notable people. George H. Bostwick, James B Eustis, Madeline Astor, William K. Vanderbilt, Eugene Grace, Allan Pinkerton, W. Averell Harriman, Seymour H. Knox II, Dorothy Goodyear Rogers heir to the Woolworth fortune, Devereaux Milburn, C. Oliver Iselin and others owned farms in Aiken.
Evidence from those historic days of old can be found in Aiken’s Hitchcock Woods, the largest urban forest in the nation. Once owned by Louise and Thomas Hitchcock, these impressive woods sprawl over 2,000 acres of forestland with more than 70 miles of sandy trails to explore. In 1939, the Hitchcock family committed 1,191 acres into “The Hitchcock Woods Foundation”, a nonprofit organization established to protect these woods for generations to come. In recent decades, the Foundation acquired an additional 900 acres expanding the use of this pristine and natural landscape. More than 100 years of equestrian sports continue in these woods.
Numerous disciplines are represented in Aiken lending to a truly unique equestrian community. Fox Hunting, Eventing, Polo, Combined Driving, Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, Cutting, Barrel Racing, and Thoroughbred Training to name a few. In addition, Aiken’s close proximity to the metropolitan offerings in Columbia, Charleston and Augusta make this area a best-of-both-worlds place to live.
Established in 2005, Performance Equine Vets has grown into one of the largest clinics in the South Eastern United States. A state of the art Surgical Center, Critical Care Hospital and world class Reproduction Facility make Performance Equine Vets the only choice for professional horse owners and trainers seeking total care.
Join us as we grow PEVS into the future. Be a part of our success!
Applications
Click the application link below for your preferred Externship. You will need to attach your Curriculum Vitae, Cover Letter, and Reference to the application.
Veterinary Externships:
Externship Application
Breanne Hall, DVM
breanne@performanceequinevets.com
Reproductive Externships:
Externship Application
contact@equinefertilityinstitute.com
Walking out of my sophomore year and into new experiences, Performance Equine Vets was one of the most pivotal experiences in my undergraduate career development. The first day at the clinic, I was welcomed by the staff with open arms and I even got to live right on site so I was only ever a few steps away from the excitement at the clinic!
I was not eager to enter a reproductive medicine internship but decided to follow that route because of the more flexible hours that would allow me to continue training for my collegiate sport. I was more interested in surgery and clinical medicine (at least that’s what I thought). Working closely with Marcella and Emily, I applied the reproductive equine cycle to real life situations. Marcella and Emily were incredible teachers, helping me to learn when to administer which drugs so that horses would ovulate at the correct time or when to perform treatments on different mares.
During my time at PEVS, I learned how to perform and interpret rectal ultrasounds on the large herd of recipient mares. Palpating my first mare, I still cannot believe how easy Marcella and Emily made it look. When I first started, I would celebrate finding just one ovary before handing the ultrasound off to the real professionals. By the end of my time at PEVS, I gained so much confidence in everything to do with equine reproduction. Not only was I able to ultrasound mares, but I actually understood what I was looking at and what to do for that mare. PEVS gave me more confidence in the equine world than I could have ever imagined during my undergraduate education. Leaving the clinic, I am certain that reproductive medicine is an interest of mine solely because of the incredible experience I had.
I would also like to point out how amazing the staff and veterinarians are at PEVS. I was given the opportunity to learn from board certified veterinarians and ride along with some of them. Because the staff knew I liked the hospital, they would send me up when something “cool” was happening and I was given the opportunity to see lots of NICU foals, colic surgeries, etc because of the extremely accommodating staff. Everyone at PEVS is happy to have students helping for the summer and excited to see students learn. I was blown away by the positive culture at PEVS and hope one day I can work at a clinic with so many talented veterinarians!