Externship/Internship Application

Veterinary school is designed to teach you the principles of medicine and surgery; however, it isn’t designed to teach you how to implement these skills. Swann Animal Clinic developed Cygnet Veterinary Development to bridge this gap and selectively allows veterinary students from across the country to participate in real-world clinical medicine. Because we are 4.5 hours from the nearest referral center, we see a wider variety of cases and practice at a higher level than most general practices.

There is a distinct dichotomy between how veterinary medicine looks in academia and how it is delivered with excellence in clinical practice. This experience allows you to leave the “Ivory Tower” and see what veterinary life looks like in the real world.

Swann Animal Clinic will provide as much hands-on learning as possible. However, what you get to do will be directly dependent upon two variables: level of engagement and prior level of small animal experience. Your level of engagement will determine what tasks you can perform. Are you asking questions, engaging with the team around you, etc? These qualities tell us if you can handle more.

We understand the contrast between someone having no clinical experience and someone who has spent several years working in a clinic and the gray in between. Our goal is to provide the highest level of active participation on apart of the student based on the comfort level of the supervising clinician.

Hosting each veterinary student takes tremendous time and resources (money) on the part of Swann Animal Clinic. We are happy to fund this invaluable opportunity for your educational benefit, but it is not a paid experience. For students needing housing (i.e. those who do not live in the Amarillo area), we provide hotel accommodations. You are responsible for transportation to and around Amarillo during your stay.

Because of the quality and popularity of this program, we have more students wanting to participate than we can accommodate. This application process is designed to help us identify humble, motivated, and emotionally intelligent students who will get the most from the experience.