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When pursuing a career in veterinary medicine, you’ll probably encounter veterinary internships and veterinary externships. Many aspiring veterinarians complete either an internship or externship. They still complete a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. After doing so, however, they spend additional time What’s the difference between a veterinary internship and a veterinary externship exactly?

What Is a Veterinary Internship?

A veterinary internship is a form of extended education that involves hands-on experience at a veterinary college or private practice. It’s usually performed immediately after the completion of a DVM program. Once you’ve completed a DVM program at an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)-accredited college, you can enroll in a veterinary internship. Internships are offered by many of the same AVMA-accredited colleges that offer DVM programs, and they are offered by private practices.

A veterinary internship is essentially a mentorship program. During a veterinary internship, you’ll follow veterinarians while observing their work. At the same time, you’ll also perform various tasks yourself. You aren’t required to complete a veterinary internship to become a licensed veterinarian. Nonetheless, many veterinarians are willing to spend an extra year as an intern so that they can advance their skills and knowledge of veterinary medicine.

What Is a Veterinary Externship?

A veterinary externship is similar to an internship. They are both forms of extended education, and they are both completed at AVMA-accredited colleges and private practices. Veterinary internships and externships are also completed immediately after a DVM program. Even with these similarities, though, they are distinguished in a few key ways.

For starters, veterinary externships are usually shorter than internships. While veterinary internships consist of a one-year program, veterinary externships are typically either two- or four-week programs.

Veterinary externships also involve less hands-on experience. During a veterinary externship, you’ll spend most of your time shadowing other veterinarians. You’ll observe how they work and how they complete various tasks. Veterinary internships, conversely, consist of both shadowing and hands-on experience.

Benefits of Completing a Veterinary Internship

While not a prerequisite for becoming a licensed veterinarian, completing a veterinary internship offers several benefits. You’ll gain additional education during your time as an intern. The AVMA even says that the purpose of completing a veterinary internship is to provide mentored and clinical training for veterinarians. It’s not a substitution for a DVM program. If you’re looking to become a licensed veterinarian, you’ll need to complete a DVM program as well. The completion of a DVM program is necessary before you can even enroll in an internship program.

Contrary to popular belief, most veterinary interns do, in fact, get paid. You won’t get paid as much as a licensed veterinarian, but you’ll still get paid an intern. Nearly all veterinary internships are paid programs. During a one-year veterinary internship, you’ll make money while advancing your skills and knowledge of veterinary medicine.

You may end up with a higher-paying job if you complete a veterinary internship. According to the AVMA, veterinarians who complete an internship earn a “considerably” higher salary than those who don’t complete an internship. How can an internship lead to a higher salary? After completing a veterinary internship, you can include it on your resume when applying for jobs as a veterinarian. As a result, you’ll stand out from other job applicants while encouraging prospective employers to pay you a higher salary.

To become a board-certified veterinary specialist, you’ll need to complete a veterinary internship. Traditional veterinarians don’t need to complete a veterinary internship, but it’s a different story for board-certified specialists. There are over a dozen board-certified specialties in veterinary medicine, all of which require the completion of an internship.

Benefits of Completing a Veterinary Externship

A veterinary externship can prove beneficial to your veterinary career as well. As previously mentioned, veterinary externships are shorter than their internship counterparts. Not all aspiring veterinarians can dedicate an entire year to a veterinary internship. With a veterinary externship, you’ll only have to invest an additional two to four weeks of your time. And because they are shorter, veterinary externships are usually easier to complete.

Like with a veterinary internship, you’ll advance your skills and knowledge of veterinary medicine during an externship. You won’t get the same hands-on training during an externship, but you’ll still learn advance your education in a real-world environment.

There are many different veterinary externships from which to choose. Regardless of which career you’re pursuing in veterinary medicine, there’s probably an externship available for it. To learn more about the different veterinary externships, check out the AVMA’s website here.

In Conclusion

Veterinary internships and veterinary externships are programs that are designed to extend your education in the field of veterinary medicine. An internship is simply a longer and more thorough program, whereas an externship is a shorter program that focuses more on shadowing.