Career Center

Inclusive Dates of Program: September 1st, 2023 – Dec 31, 2024
Stipend: $3,000/ 4-weeks or $1,500/ 2-weeks
Duration: Each Externship is 4 weeks or 2 weeks, 37.5 hours per week

Other Personnel of Note
• Extern’s time is split between Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter learning shelter
medicine/population management and Vets in Vans learning community medicine and
surgical techniques
• Clinicians and Staff in direct support of the program include the staff veterinarians and
veterinarian assistants (professional staff and volunteers), program managers and
operations directors.

SHELTER MEDICINE/COMMUNITY MEDICINE/HQHVSN EXTERNSHIP SUMMARY:

The extern will gain experience in shelter protocols, population management, disease management, and
individual patient care. Students may scrub into and learn high volume high quality surgical
techniques and other ancillary surgeries or dental procedures depending on the student’s prior
experience. Externs can scrub into surgeries and perform surgeries with a veterinarian scrubbed
in, and students from accredited California schools can perform surgeries without a
veterinarian scrubbed in. Students will have experience working with and assisting community
members at risk of shelter surrenders due to inability to access veterinary care. Both FAAS and
Vets in Vans strive to keep animals out of the shelters through shelter intake prevention and
accessible veterinary medicine.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Support the organization’s goals of excellent patient care and community outreach
- A strong interest in shelter medicine and accessible veterinary medicine, and knowledge
and experience working with a wide variety of animal breeds and species
- Being mindful of working with low income or vulnerable community members and not
judging them for their financial or housing status
- Assure the highest quality medical care of animals in accordance with FAAS and VIV
policies
- Responsible for assisting with medical examinations, medical care and monitoring of the
health and welfare of animals in the care FAAS and VIV, animals from contract agencies,
and privately owned animals participating in our community programs
- Assist with performing physical examinations and diagnostics to determine and evaluate
health condition of animals at the time of admission, prior to adoption, presentation for
surgery, or for community appointments
- If from a California veterinary school, students can assist in spay and neuter surgeries,
additional soft tissue and orthopedic surgery
- Assist with anesthesia monitoring
- Assist with shelter rounds
- Monitor animals including those that may be isolated or quarantined for signs of illness
or unusual behavior
- Communicate effectively and professionally with staff, management, volunteers and the
public at all times
- Able to maintain a professional, calm demeanor, and exercise sound judgment during
times of high workload, rapid pace of work, emotional situations, and during all
interactions with the public, staff, volunteers, and partners
- Awareness of the potential of exposure to parasites and infectious diseases that can be
carried and transmitted by animals
- Wear appropriate attire at all times
- Experience with computers and software programs including Microsoft Office.
Familiarity with - or willingness to learn - Chameleon shelter database software

EDUCATION, SKILL, EXPERIENCE: Must be a clinical 4th/5th year veterinary medicine student in
an accredited DVM/VMD program. Students with strong interest in shelter medicine, high
quality high volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN), community outreach, and/or accessible veterinary
medicine are encouraged to apply. Excellent oral and written communications skills are
required. Fluency in more than one language is highly desired. Ability to receive constructive
feedback and work independently is also required. Ability to establish and maintain cooperative
and effective relations with those contacted while working is also required. Must be able to
bring and use personal laptop to clinics.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Individual will have extended periods of 4 to 6+ hours of standing,
stretching and bending. Must be able to stand, walk, sit, talk and hear, stoop, bend, squat,
kneel, grasp grip, put fingers together firmly and reach above and below shoulder level and lift,
push or pull 50 pounds for situations of restraining or moving animals and lifting supplies,
materials and equipment, repetitively use hands to operate computers and medical equipment;
flex the neck upward and downward; twist the neck and the waist. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Externs must be able to work efficiently and effectively in a small space.
Standard office, animal care, public, and surgical environment, with exposure to hazardous
chemicals, anesthetics, sharp objects, excessive noise, animal waste, and dead animals, and
sewage and zoonotic diseases can occur; requires travel between Vets in Vans mobile clinics
and Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter. Workweek may include weekends, holidays and special
events, including but not limited to Saturday spay/neuter clinic(s) and one monthly free
vaccination clinic on Sunday, as required.

VACCINE MANDATE POLICY: FAAS and Vets in Vans strives for a work environment with the
highest level of safety. Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 is a condition of externship. FAAS
and Vets in Vans will make reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants.