Welcome, Animal Care & Vet Assist students!
This page will provide specific details and resources for Animal Care & Vet Assist externships.
Please feel free to contact lheredia@euhsd.org with questions regarding the Animal Care & Vet Assist externship process.
Update 5/13/24: Please be advised externship placement services will be on hold during the EAS school scheduled summer break from June 14th-July 26th. Students are responsible for completing all placement procedures and scheduling prior to June 14th. We will not be answering emails, taking appointments, or servicing phone calls regarding externships during the summer break.
Animal Care & Vet Assisting Externships will be available soon. Please contact lheredia@euhsd.org for questions regarding the required steps below.
*Please read all sections below to understand essential externship procedures and standards of practice specific to animal care specialties and veterinary assisting technology externships.*
If you have not read ALL of the requirements listed on the EAS Externship website "Home" page, GO BACK and read the Home page FIRST before continuing.
Animal Care student externships are 60 hrs. Please see requirements below.
Veterinary Assisting Technologies on-site externships are 120hr. under the supervision of an experienced DVM, RVT, or TA . Please see pre-requisite and requirements below.
There are FIVE steps students need to complete to satisfy externship requirements. Please see each step detailed below.
*Please understand a Veterinary Assisting Technologies externship is NOT required for employment in the Animal Care or Veterinary industries. Therefore, if after completing your coursework you would like to directly apply for employment with a facility of your choice, we highly ENCOURAGE you to do so.
An externship is only a "nice to have" and helps students be a more marketable candidate. We do not want students waiting to apply for or refusing a job offer because they have not started an externship. Getting a job should be all students' TOP PRIORITY once they complete their coursework, NOT securing an externship.*
Please note students are NOT eligible for an externship or to begin the externship process unless:
All Vet Assist students MUST complete a 60hr Animal Care Specialties work/volunteer OR have current, verifiable industry work experience BEFORE they are eligible for a Vet Assist externship.
Eligible animal industry work experience includes verifiable volunteer or employment positions with an animal care-related facility or employer such as an Animal Shelter, Veterinary Clinic/Hospital, Animal Rescue organization, Grooming facility, or Pet Store. Dogsitting, or having pets of your own does not qualify as work or volunteer experience.
A supervisor or coordinator letter verifying your work/volunteer experience is required to waive your 60 hr required animal care externship.
The student has paid their tuition in full
The student has completed the minimum attendance hours required for their program
It has been less than a year since the student completed their coursework.
You have filled out the Externship Request Form
The student has submitted an appropriate resume in their Externship Request Form. See the EAS Employment Skills Course available through CANVAS.
Students must have reasonable availability. Most of our business partners require externs to be available for shifts anytime Monday-Friday (sometimes Saturdays) and anytime between their business hours; typically 8am-5pm with the exception of some sites that have earlier or later hours. Schedules vary based on individual supervisor and location needs. If you have limited availability, please specify in the EAS Externship Request Form and depending on your availability you may have to seek out your own externship placement. See the "Home" page for details on how to set up your own externship placement.
All externships must be started and completed in one continuous block of time. Students cannot begin an externship, take time off (for any reason) and then restart an externship. If a student misses an externship shift three times (for any reason) you will be removed from the externship and we will not place you in any additional externship. Our business partners may have their own policies and may request you be removed if you miss any of the shifts you are assigned. Please plan accordingly.
EAS has the right to refuse externship placement services to any student that does not comply with EAS Externship protocols, does not demonstrate professional behavior, or does not meet acceptable health & medical industry working standards.
Contact the Externship Coordinator to verify requirements have been met before pursuing an externship placement. It is the responsibility of your instructor to digitally record your attendance hours.
You may not begin your externship until the Externship Coordinator has verified your placement.
If you are scheduled to begin an externship you must complete the "Current Externship Form".
Once students secure an approved externship placement they will need to:
Download and read thoroughly, all the required externship documents provided.
Make sure you are using the CORRECT documents for your specific externship.
Ask for clarification or any questions regarding requirements detailed in the externship documents provided.
Properly complete and attain all signatures each document requires in order to receive externship certification.
Fill out each document digitally or using a pen. All signatures required must be hand-signed.
All documents requiring a signature must be returned to the Externship Coordinator for verification and processing of certification.
The Veterinary Assisting Technologies Externship Packet & Animal Care Specialties Externship Packet each contain all the documents you need conveniently combined for easy printing and reference. Below are links to each specific document for quick reference or if you need to print individual extra pages.
The Veterinary Assisting Technologies Externship Packet & Animal Care Specialties Externship Packet contain:
Students and supervisors are expected to:
Use the occupational competencies document as a guide for hands-on practice of the knowledge, skills, protocols, and procedures a working employee would be expected to perform or understand on the job.
Ask their supervisor to provide when appropriate, hands-on training or experience for each competency listed.
Review the occupational competencies listed.
Develop a schedule and plan to discuss or practice each competency during their scheduled shifts over the course of the 60(Animal Care) or 120(Vet Assist) hours externship.
You are NOT expected to complete all of the occupational competencies listed. Only those that apply to your specific externship environment should be experienced.
The Animal Care & Vet Assist Training Plan is required for students to use to:
Document when a student experiences each competency and whoever provides the student their training.
Although a student might have one supervisor for their externship, different medical facility employees can provide students training to meet the expectations for the competencies listed in the training plan.
Log each competency experience with:
The trainer's full name
The date when the experience occurred
The supervisor's initials for each competency listed.
Sign and date the training plan document
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
The Animal Care & Vet Assist Training Evaluation is required for the externship supervisor to use to:
Evaluate a student's externship performance.
Preview each of the evaluation criteria with the student before they begin their externship.
Keep an open dialogue regarding the evaluation expectations.
Students should:
Ask your supervisor to communicate any concerns they have regarding your performance as they occur. This will give you the opportunity to adjust or improve your performance before your externship ends.
Ask your supervisor throughout your externship if you can do anything to improve your performance.
Be open to constructive criticism.
If you have any concerns regarding your experience during your externship, please contact your Externship Coordinator immediately. This will give us the opportunity to assist you with any issues that may arise.
Students are required to:
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
The Animal Care & Vet Assist Training Time Sheet is for the student to:
Log the scheduled shifts throughout the 120 hours of the externship term.
Students should:
Discuss their weekly availability as well as the availability of hours they can schedule monthly with their supervisor prior to beginning their externship term.
Although not required, students should try to work out a schedule with their facility that allows them to complete their externship in 10 weeks. This would allow students a minimum of 15-20 hours a week and provide a steady schedule to meet the goals of the 120-hour externship.
When a schedule is agreed upon, students are required to:
Complete the externship time sheet weekly with the required signatures for their supervisor.
Make sure to use the "Time Sheet Instructions" document to correctly fill in the hours worked.
You may make as many copies of this document as necessary to log all of the hours and weeks you complete throughout your externship.
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
Students are responsible for completing all of the steps outlined in the externship process.
Once all hours are completed, competencies are met, all documents are filled out appropriately, and all signatures required attained; students will need to:
Send their completed documents to lheredia@euhsd.org via email
OR, students can drop them off at our Escondido Crest campus in a sealed manilla envelope with their full name and program name clearly labeled on the front.
Please fill out the Post Student Externship Survey and provide us with your valuable feedback.
Once all documents are received and verified you will be eligible to request an Animal Care or Veterinary Assisting Technologies Externship Certificate here: Health and Medical Certificate Request Form
Please allow 7-10 business days to process your externship certificate request.