The first cut: Third-year veterinary students reflect on their summer rotations
This article is written by Lauren Maghak, a Class of 2026 DVM/MPH student on the corporate/public track. This is part of a series of articles highlighting the student perspective at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
The click of badging into school, the ping of the first DocHalo page, the beep of the monitors in the ICU heard down the halls -- as the newest third-year veterinary students entered the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for their first rotations this summer, anticipation filled the air like a thick fog on a fall morning.
The last two years had been spent sitting in lecture halls, attempting to embody sponges and soak up every piece of information that they would one day be called on to know by heart. The time to start wringing themselves out and see what they had learned had arrived.
The first day of rotations signaled the start of their true veterinary careers, the first opportunity to showcase their knowledge, work ethic, and people skills in a non-simulated environment. While still under the watchful eye of board-certified veterinarians, students were tasked with taking full ownership of every case they were assigned from intake to either transfer or discharge.
During the rotations, some students found their strengths, while others found their weaknesses. Some found new interests, while others reaffirmed their passions.
The shaping of their ultimate path had begun. What once seemed like an overgrown, unkempt trail called a career began to finally be trimmed back to let the light in.
Each rotation lasts three weeks -- three weeks to demonstrate to the service and veterinarians how much they know and to demonstrate to themselves what they still had left to learn.
At the end of those three weeks, the slate is wiped clean, and a new rotation begins.
For the first time ever, students would only go through four rotations in the summer before starting fall classes, giving them time to rest and reset before setting foot in the classroom for their final year of didactic work-track courses and electives.
Students from each of the five tracks -- small animal, large animal, equine, mixed, and public/corporate -- found themselves assigned to internal rotations at the hospital. Rotations outside the teaching hospital were assigned once internal services were filled and were up to the students to schedule as they deemed fit within their track and personal interests.
Each student is required to complete at least seven required rotations, most of which take place internally, and after that each track has its own requirements to complete.
While students at the teaching hospital completed internal rotations supporting the schools’ veterinary efforts within the local and regional community, students on external rotations found themselves all over the world -- anywhere that a veterinarian was willing to oversee and help train them for three weeks
Taylor Downing, on the small animal track, described her summer rotation experience as “unforgettable, being able to experience different facets of veterinary medicine and getting hands on experience while building relationships with future colleagues.”
Downing found her “passion reenforced for the veterinary field” and loved her neurology rotation so much she hopes to be able to do a second during her fourth year.
Hailey Roman, on the public/corporate track, went to South Africa to pursue her interest in wildlife medicine by working at Johannesburg Wildlife Vet, a hospital and rehabilitation facility. “The best part of this externship was the opportunity to work with incredibly rare and even endangered species,” Roman said.
While in South Africa, Roman assisted with treating the second largest ever recorded male Southern African Python which had been admitted to the hospital for severe head trauma.
Every day for her “was different and filled with various exciting learning experiences,” Roman said which further solidified her passion for wildlife medicine.
Ethan Heiberger, on the small animal track, had the rare experience of an exotic animal presenting to him on an internal rotation at the teaching hospital.
He was part of a team that was able to examine, X-ray, and help surgically reset a fractured tail on a young kangaroo. He described it as “exhilarating and a complete shock to see such a unique animal while on production management medicine”. It was a highlight of his summer rotations and an “incredible learning experience.”
Andrea Connor, on the mixed animal track, completed two external rotations with Veterinary Services within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Inspection Service.
“During the first rotation I had with them, I was able to participate in animal import and export activities, part of which involved a visit to the New York City JFK Airport,” Connor said. “I was able to be on the tarmac with agricultural officers and watch horses offloaded from the plane, as well as participate in their intake exams. During my second rotation with USDA, I was involved in numerous conversations regarding Highly Pathigebuc Avian Influenza and current efforts to mitigate and eliminate the spread within poultry and dairy cattle populations. I also got to travel with field veterinarians to assist with facility sampling for scrapie, livestock market inspections, and inspections the USDA performs for local veterinarians.”
Connor’s “experiences were invaluable,” she said, and allowed her to consider USDA in a new light as a potential employer after seeing multiple aspects of their work.
The first round of rotations for me was much like the first cut made during surgery, scary but exciting.
Despite being on the public/corporate track, all my rotations in the summer were clinical, and I was curious how they would go, knowing that I likely do not want to end up in a clinical career upon graduation.
Small animal internal medicine for me was too repetitive, a problem I find across almost all specialties. It was incredibly challenging at first, but soon I felt like a tape recorder on repeat as animals came through for the same three presenting complaints every time.
I fell in love with surgery during my shelter medicine rotation and for the first time while in veterinary school I felt like I was making a difference and really improving animal lives. My favorite memory was getting to brush two livestock guardians that were badly in need of some grooming while I recovered them from anesthesia. It might not have been in my job description, but I know it made all the difference.
I confirmed my desire to avoid general practice at all costs with an external on my third rotation. The main thing I took away was that the clinic you sign a contract with is at least equally as important as the actual job you are signing for.
I discovered a new interest in emergency medicine during my final rotation of ER/ICU and shocked myself finding a clinical specialty I didn’t dislike. While the ER schedule may not be what I want long term, I may consider working relief for an ER clinic down the line.
Whether students tallied more highs or lows during these rotations the result was the same: Four rotations down, 13 to go fourth year, and one step closer to graduating veterinary school.
