Virtual mentorship and selecting an externship

Abstract

Mentorship is increasingly important due to changing demands on young veterinarians, particularly those in mixed or cattle practice. Many young practitioners rely on a mentor within their practice to help guide them through many day-today challenges. With multiple ways to communicate on social media or other technology platforms, virtual mentorship is a way to supplement other mentorship a young practitioner may receive from colleagues at their practice. Performing externships while in veterinary school are critical to immediate success in large animal practice. Externships serve a valuable purpose by allowing students to gain clinical skills and non-traditional service knowledge, and to expand their general knowledge base. Students are able to utilize multiple funding sources and methods of networking with practices to gain the best experiences.