Yes, you'll be responsible for securing your externship sites. We do, however, provide tools and support as you look for one.

You can use the externship locator tool to find sites and continue reaching out to local clinics. Most students are able to find and get approval for a site. If you are having trouble finding a site to take you as an extern, you can reach out to our externship assistants for support as you explore different options. They’re able to send lists of past sites used in your area. It’s important to keep in mind that sites can decide to no longer support externships at any time, so there is no definitive list of places a student can do their externship.

You will be supported by an Externship Assistant through the site's approval process. This team will review all student forms, site forms, and site videos. They communicate with you as the reviews take place. Email updates are sent as the process progresses.

In many cases, yes. Your schedule will depend on your externship site and their availability.

Yes. If your workplace meets program requirements and is approved, you can complete your externship hours at your current place of work, at their discretion. 

This depends on the externship site. Some students are paid, while others complete it as an unpaid experience. It's at the site's discretion whether or not to pay our students for their time.

If this happens, you can consider reaching out to:

• Mixed animal clinics (small + large animal)
• Mobile or ambulatory large animal veterinarians
• Equine practices or barns with veterinary supervision
• Rural clinics that see livestock
• Teaching farms or agricultural programs with veterinary involvement

Some additional strategies that have helped other students include:

• Contacting your state veterinary medical association
• Reaching out to local extension offices
• Networking through local farm bureaus

There are many different factors that could play into this. Some students may find outdated information and aren’t aware that criteria has updated. As requirements, rubrics, or verification standards are refined, submissions may be evaluated more closely to ensure they fully meet current externship criteria. A prior approval does not guarantee future approval if the supporting materials differ.

Life happens! If you find yourself in this situation, you will want to inform your Penn Foster mentor and clinical leader of any changes to your schedule so they can work with you.

In Externship 2, you’ll receive an externship kit that contains some of the equipment you’ll need for many of your laboratory skills. Some equipment can also be purchased by the student or borrowed, or you can work with your site to obtain the equipment or species that are missing. Some students even choose to purchase their own rat or mouse! You may also need to locate additional externship sites that can assist you with any remaining skills and submit those sites for approval. Your externship application must include site(s) that can collectively supply the species and equipment necessary for all externship skills.

Yes! You may have 2 sites for externship 1 and up to 6 sites for externship 2.

Sites must meet the AVMA-CVTEA requirements for a contemporary veterinary facility. If a site does not meet their standards, we cannot approve our students to complete their externships at that location. This is to ensure the safety of both our students and the animals. Some sites have areas that do not meet the requirements, so the site may be listed as unable to assist with certain skills due to the clinic set up. The good news is that any reason(s) for denial of a site will be thoroughly explained in an email from the externship team, so you’ll be able to communicate with your site(s) and make any needed adjustments.