Veterinary Extern - General Practice
Veterinary Student Externship
West Milwaukee Veterinary Care | Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Get More Than a Shadowing Experience
Looking for an externship where you can learn, participate and build confidence as a future veterinarian?
Come experience veterinary medicine in a brand-new hospital where modern facilities, hands-on learning and supportive mentorship come together.
West Milwaukee Veterinary Care opened its new facility in June 2026 and offers both primary care and same-day urgent care, giving veterinary students the opportunity to experience a diverse small-animal caseload in a modern clinical environment.
Why West Milwaukee?
🏥 Brand-New Facility
Learn in a modern hospital designed with veterinary teams, patients and clients in mind.
🚨 General Practice + Same-Day Urgent Care
Experience everything from wellness and preventive medicine to sick-patient and urgent-care cases.
? Hands-On Clinical Experience
We want you involved in patient care—not simply standing in the corner watching.
👩⚕️ Mentorship
Work alongside experienced veterinarians who are committed to helping students develop their clinical skills and confidence.
🔬 Modern Diagnostics
Gain exposure to digital radiography, digital dental radiography, ultrasound and an in-house IDEXX laboratory.
? Surgery & Dentistry
Our hospital features dedicated surgery and dental suites, providing opportunities to see a variety of procedures and cases.
What You May Experience
Your externship will be tailored to your level of training, school requirements and areas of interest. Depending on your experience and applicable supervision requirements, you may have opportunities to:
- Gather patient histories and perform physical examinations
- Develop differential diagnoses
- Discuss diagnostic and treatment plans
- Participate in medical case workups
- Review laboratory results and diagnostic imaging
- Participate in same-day urgent-care cases
- Assist with surgical procedures
- Scrub into surgery when appropriate
- Learn about anesthesia and patient monitoring
- Participate in dentistry
- Practice clinical procedures under appropriate supervision
- Communicate with clients about patient care
- Work alongside experienced veterinary technicians and support staff
- Discuss cases and medical decision-making with our veterinarians
We want you to leave your externship with more confidence, more experience and a better understanding of the kind of veterinarian you want to become.
Mentorship That Meets You Where You Are
Whether you're an early veterinary student getting your first clinical exposure or a fourth-year student preparing to enter practice, we'll help make your experience meaningful.
Our veterinarians are available to answer questions, discuss cases, demonstrate procedures and share what they've learned throughout their careers.
We want you to feel comfortable asking questions, getting involved and learning from every case.
A Modern Hospital Built for Modern Veterinary Medicine
Our new hospital includes:
- 10 exam rooms
- Separate dog and cat waiting areas
- Separate dog and cat exam rooms
- Spacious treatment area
- Dual surgery suites
- Dual dental suites
- Dedicated ultrasound room
- Digital radiography
- Digital dental radiography
- Surgical laser
- In-house IDEXX laboratory
- Access to external clinical and pathology laboratories
- Paper-lite medical records
$2000 Travel & Living Support for clinical-year students
Eligible veterinary students may qualify for a travel/living expense stipend during their externship.
Could West Milwaukee Be Your First Practice?
An externship is also a chance to get to know the people and culture behind a veterinary practice. If you're considering Milwaukee for your career after graduation, we'd love for you to experience our hospital, meet our team and see what practicing with us could look like.
Externship Details
- Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Practice: West Milwaukee Veterinary Care
- Practice Type: Small Animal General Practice + Same-Day Urgent Care
- Externship Length: Flexible based on student and hospital schedules
- Students: Veterinary students of all class years encouraged to apply
- Hands-On Experience: Yes, based on student experience, supervision and applicable requirements
- Mentorship: Yes
- Modern Facility: Opened June 2026
Ready to Get Hands-On?
If you're curious, motivated and excited to learn, we'd love to have you at West Milwaukee Veterinary Care.
Apply today and tell us what you'd like to learn during your externship.
Externship opportunities and hands-on activities are subject to student experience, veterinary supervision, hospital needs, school requirements and applicable laws and regulations.
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: