Externship Opportunities

Stephanie Betts (2011) - Both Dr. Lacroix and Ms. Bell were strong mentors and were devoted to ensuring I had a quality learning experience. They talked with me about my future goals and encouraged me and advised me on how to pursue them. They were genuinely interested in helping me grow which meant the world for me and I’ll always be thankful for their impact on my life.

Shannon Cabelli (2011) - I really enjoyed my externship at Veterianry Business Advisors, Inc.  I felt the staff took good measures to ensure I received the most from this externship by not only educating me on the business aspect of veterianry practices, but by also personalizing this experience to meet my expectations.  I spent time with Dr. Lacroix and her clients on numerous conference calls.  Every call was different and permitted me to hear about a variety of legal and business scenarios veterinarians around the coutnry came across on a daily basis.  Plus, I learned the importance of investing in a well-constructed employee manual and the benefits in can bring to a veterinary practice.  The unique feature of this externship is students give back to the veterinary community.  I enjoyed researching a topic of importance to our profession, writing proceedings, and presenting my finding to the staff.  Dr. Lacroix believes in these topics and works to have her externs' papers featured in her VBA newsletter and other suitable written and online publications, which helps educate other veterianrians and is a great resume builder.  This was an invaluable exerperience and I was happy to spread the word about this externship to my classmates.  I will continue to speak highly of VBA's externship program, staff, and business to my collegues in the future.  Additionally, I feel more prepared to deal with handling veterinary contracts as I navigate my way through hunting for jobs.  Dr. Lacroix is great at her job and I easily see myself seeking her legal advice on my first associate veterinarian contract as well as in the future when I decide to own my first veterinary hospital.

Amy Wong (2012) - My three weeks at VBA were among the most valuable of my life.  I had a chance to see first-hand the legal and business challenges faced by the veterinary profession.  I also learned practical strategies to meet these challenges.  I would highly recommend the externship to any third or fourth-year veterinary student who wants to be prepared for life after graduation.

 

Nicola Painter (2013) - My externship at Veterinary Business Advisors was a wonderful and rewarding experience.  I was able to observe and participate in client matters and learned a tremendous amount from everyone at the office.  Dr. Lacroix, Kellie Olah and Jean Paich fostered a collaborative work environment where my involvement was encouraged and valued.  I would highly recommend the experience to all my veterinary students, especially for the knowledge gained in veterinary business trends, employment issues, and partnership agreements.  As part of the externship, I also had the opportunity to spend some time with Dr. Hunton and her wonderful staff at South Branch Veterinary Hospital.  All in all, the VBA externship was a fantastic experience.  A big thank you to everyone at VBA for this wonderful opportunity!

 

Lukas Kawalilak (2013) - My month-long externship to VBA was one of the most positive experiences of my entire fourth year of veterinary school.  Dr. Lacroix immeres externs in the veterinary business and legal world from day one.  Just as in a teaching hospital, much of the learning in the externship comes from dealing with actual cases from actual clients across North America.  Dr. Lacroix's fair and balanced approach allowed me to evaluate a wide range of business decisions from both the employer/owner side and the associate/employee side.  Kellie Olah's experience in the HR field provided insight into the numerous challenges encountered while running a veterinary practice.  Perhaps the most valuable skill I gained in this externship is the ability to approach a problem from a cost/benefit analysis and pragmatic point rather than strictly legal or 'prescriptive' view.  I highly recommend this externship to all veterinary students, whether they are interested in the business aspect of veterinary medicine or not.  The skills and knowledge I gained here will continue to serve me throughout the rest of my career.