Online Veterinary Technician Degree Externship

Through your externships, you’ll have the chance to demonstrate and practice a variety of skills that are essential to the day-to-day work of credentialed veterinary technicians. You’ll cover skills in areas like

• Office and Hospital Procedures, Client Relations, and Communication
• Pharmacy and Pharmacology
• Nursing
• Anesthesia
• Surgical Nursing
• Laboratory Procedures
• Imaging
• Laboratory Animal Procedures
• Avian, Exotic, and Small Mammals Procedures

Each semester will have a specific set of skills that need to be covered that are required by the AVMA. You can view the full list of essential skills on the AVMA website.

Skills are demonstrated through both written responses to prompts and videos of you completing the specific skill. These are submitted to Penn Foster for evaluation.

Both your site supervisor and a member of the Penn Foster externship team will evaluate your skills. You’ll demonstrate skills in either a recording or a written submission and submit them to the Penn Foster externship team for confirmation and evaluation.

The best way to reach out is to call or stop in at the veterinary clinic you’re interested in. You’ll want to speak to the practice manager or veterinarian to see if they accept externs at their location. If you’re unable to reach out in person or by phone, you can send a professional email inquiring about externship opportunities. As part of the process, you may need to treat this as if you’re applying for a job: you’ll fill out an application, interview, etc. If you are new to the veterinary field, it can be helpful to shadow vet techs at clinics near you or volunteer at local rescues to build experience and network – this could turn into a potential externship site when you’re ready!

No, you don’t need to use the same site for both externships. You can have multiple sites! Once each site is approved by Penn Foster, you’re ready to begin your externship there.

Yes! Many Penn Foster students already work at a vet clinic or hospital, so if your employer allows it, you can use your current workplace as an externship site. Your workplace still needs to meet the site requirements and be approved before you can start your externship hours there.

Penn Foster doesn’t dictate whether or not your externship is paid or unpaid. That’s up to the site or, if you are already working at a clinic, your employer.

Many students live in areas without sites that work with large animals nearby. If that’s the case for you, you may want to consider signing up for a Fast Track Lab. Fast Track Labs are weekend-intensive opportunities where students can complete required large and sometimes lab animal skills for their externship. Hosted at select facilities, these sessions provide hands-on experience with species like cattle, horses, and small ruminants in a condensed timeframe. Fast Track Labs are an additional cost, and most students travel to attend. While these optional Fast Track Labs and travel costs are not included in the cost of the program, many learners find the convenience, access to large animal species, and unique experience worth the additional investment.

While costs can vary depending on the site, it can be around $450 plus any travel and accommodation costs. You can find Fast Track Labs as well as standard clinics through our externship site locator tool.