AVMA Externship Stipend Program

The American Veterinary Medical Association offers assistance to students seeking to broaden their education through experiences in Public Practice, Corporate Veterinary Medicine and Food Supply Veterinary Practice.  This program will provide fifteen $1000 stipends in 2008.  Ten stipends will be awarded to students who complete externships in Public Practice and Corporate Veterinary Medicine (examples of these externship locations would be, but are not limited to, CDC, USDA, APHIS, research labs, wildlife and pharmaceutical companies).  Five stipends will be awarded to students who complete externships in food supply veterinary practice settings. Applicants secure their own externship and present the plan as part of the stipend application process. 

These experiences add breadth to students’ perspectives and make them better advocates for their patients and their profession.  To be eligible for the program, a student must be at least a second year veterinary student, a member in good standing of the Student AVMA, and must have secured an externship in a location that is in Public Practice, Corporate Veterinary Medicine, or food supply veterinary practice.  Applications will be reviewed and stipends granted based on suitability of the externship site and the student’s interest and opportunity for knowledge expansion.  

The application and information on all required documents can be found on the following page. Applicants must submit their complete application package by January 15, 2008.  Applications will be accepted for externships completed within the calendar year preceding the application deadline and those scheduled for the calendar year of the deadline (365 days prior to or after the deadline for application).    

The applications will be reviewed by the Member Services Committee of the AVMA.  The top fifteen applicants will be notified by letter that they will be awarded a stipend upon completion of the requirements of the program.

Application Requirements

I.               Profile Data
                 a.              Name
                 b.              Complete Mailing Address
                 c.              Telephone number
                 d.              Email address
                 e.              Veterinary College
                 f.               Expected graduation date
                 g.              Location of Externship
                 h.              Dates of Externship
                 i.               Externship Sponsor’s Name and contact information
                 j.              Social Security Number

II.             Current Curriculum Vitae

III.           Statement of Interest or exit essay (if externship has already been completed) – In a brief essay, indicate why you want to participate or have already participated in your chosen externship program, what you gained or hope to gain from the experience and its relevance to your intended professional goals.

IV.            Description of Externship Duties/Responsibilities – Describe, in detail, duties and responsibilities associated with the externship.

V.              Letter of Intent – A letter of invitation from the externship sponsor.

VI.            Letter of Approval – A letter from the Office of Academic Affairs of the Veterinary College the student attends acknowledging approval of the student’s externship plan.

VII.          One letter of recommendation from an AVMA member familiar with the student’s academic record. Please note that only one letter of recommendation will be included in your packet, even if multiple letters are received.  Letters of recommendation must be submitted in an envelope signed and sealed by the recommender.

At the completion of the externship, the student extern must submit a brief essay describing what the student gained from the experience (exit essay).  The externship sponsor must submit a letter describing the student extern’s performance (exit letter).

The stipend will be awarded to the selected students upon acceptance of the exit essay and exit letter by the AVMA.

PLEASE NOTE: All application materials must be submitted at the same time in a single package. 

The application package, the exit essay and exit letter should be mailed to:
American Veterinary Medical Association
Kevin J. Dajka, DVM
Assistant Director
Membership and Field Services Division
AVMA Externship Stipend Program
1931 Meacham Road, Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360

Questions about this program should be directed to:
Kevin J. Dajka, DVM
Assistant Director
Membership and Field Services Division
(847) 925 -8070, ext. 6681

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.