Equine Placements

Compassion • Respect • Professionalism • Teamwork

The Ballarat Veterinary Practice is committed to providing quality educational placement opportunities to students studying in the Veterinary Industry.

The Experience

Participants in the Externship Program are part of a well-designed training program and will experience the typical caseload of one of the largest and most experienced equine hospitals in the Southern Hemisphere.

We are renowned for our expertise in equine surgery and advanced diagnostic imaging and offer both primary and referral consultations, as well as a full range of racetrack and on-farm services.
Our fully equipped hospital and our team of highly-experienced specialist surgeons, veterinarians, nursing, and stable staff ensure that your equine rotation will be a fulfilling learning experience.

The nature of the externship enables students to integrate with our team and gain in-depth experience in both hospital-based and ambulatory equine veterinary work. We encourage sharing of thoughts and questions about cases and appreciate the fresh perspective that you will bring.

We operate as a surgical referral facility for Melbourne and a wide area of Western Victoria, so depending on caseload, there will be the opportunity to closely observe both standing routine procedures and those under GA, and possibly major emergency surgery. Our goal is to expose externs to practical techniques and provide them with the opportunity to experience equine veterinary care.

Experiences under the supervision of a senior veterinarian and in accordance with the AVA guidelines (as well as the guidelines of your academic institution), may include:

• Ride-along on ambulatory calls
• Observing/participating in treatments
• Assist with lameness examinations and medical-work ups
• Performing TPR exams
• Obtaining diagnostic samples
• Assisting with on-site pathology
• Collecting and interpreting radiographs
• Observing advanced diagnostic imaging including MRI and scintigraphy
• Assisting interns with preparation for surgery and anaesthesia induction
• Observing surgeries
• Participation in morning rounds

We also hope that you will see this as an opportunity to:

• Develop your client communication skills
• Cultivate situational awareness
• Understand the emotional and economic context of a consultation
• Polish your clinical/technical skills
• Learn and practice clinical note taking and updating histories
• Observe and learn basic horsemanship skills from our experienced team
• Gather information for required case studies and research projects

Program Guidelines

• The duration of BVP externships varies according to the student’s program but are most often two weeks.
• Students will be provided with accommodation at our expense where required.
• The schedule is usually 7:30am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday.
• Students are also invited to shadow vets during out-of-hours calls to gain experience in emergency medicine.
• Students are required to be professionally presented, punctual and maintain a professional demeanour at all times.
• Availability of places within the program may be limited based on the number of students, staffing and space restrictions, so some flexibility around timing may be required.
• Externs will be required to complete BVP’s Occupational Health and Safety Assessment prior to commencing the program and are required to follow BVP clinic policies and procedures.
• Any information that visiting students are privy to, such as client and patient information, must be treated with strict confidentiality.
• Visiting students are covered by the insurance of their academic institution and must make themselves familiar with the details of their insurance cover.
• Externs are encouraged to inform the HR department of any serious medical conditions (e.g. anaphylaxis or epilepsy) and any medication or treatment which may be necessary.

Interested in applying for a student Equine placement? Get in touch!