Tenth anniversary brings 'large' change to veterinary nurse intern program
The current veterinary nurse interns at the Veterinary Health Center are Jenny Hansen, Letha Shults, Dennys Calvillo, Anna Berblinger and Hope French.
Ten years ago, Lisa Clauss was motivated to begin a new program to help recruit veterinary nurses to work at the Veterinary Health Center at Kansas State University. Since the hospital already has longstanding programs for hiring veterinarians as interns and residents, it made sense to implement an internship program for veterinary nurses who have an instrumental role in providing services for patients, clinicians and veterinary students.
The program has been very successful. Over the 10 years, 28 veterinary nurses have been accepted into the internship program.
Madeline White used her veterinary nurse internship to springboard into a position as a veterinary nurse in the ICU in the Veterinary Health Center.
“For the first nine years, we have focused on training veterinary nurse interns in small animal medicine,” said Clauss, who is the director of the small animal veterinary nurse intern program. “In 2023, we added a large animal tract option for veterinary nurses, supervised by Ashley VanMeter.”
“My decision to be the first large animal nurse intern was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” said Anna Berblinger. “Throughout my internship I have learned more than I could have ever imagined and built on my confidence and hands on experience tremendously!”
Anna Berblinger, the VHC's first large animal veterinary nurse intern, helps veterinary nurses Emily Conner and Ashley VanMeter work with an equine patient.
Typically, new interns start their programs in January or June, although Clauss said an intern can start in any month.
“We give our interns options to train within different sections of the hospital, such as the ICU, dentistry, dermatology, oncology and other services,” Clauss said. “We do require the intern candidates to be graduates from AVMA-accredited veterinary nursing school. The also must have completed the Veterinary Technician National Examination within six months of beginning the internship program”
Several former interns have gone on to secure permanent positions at the VHC.
“The Veterinary Nurse Internship at the VHC was one of the most beneficial things I could have done for myself,” said Maddie White, who is now a veterinary nurse in the ICU. “The internship allowed me to fully immerse myself in almost every aspect of nursing. It allowed me to see that there are other options besides general practice, and in that I found that I love emergency and critical care. Through this internship, I was able to find an area of practice that I enjoy and am satisfied in.”
“The internship helped me with my confidence in myself and my technical skills,” said Bethany Grabast, veterinary nurse in oncology who completed her internship in June. "Through this experience, I also have realized I like working with a big team of other veterinary professionals. I’m so glad I participated in the internship since it opened my eyes to things I didn’t even know I wanted in my career.”
Bethany Grabast completed her veterinary nurse internship in June. She is now a veterinary nurse in the oncology section of the Veterinary Health Center.
The Veterinary Nurse Internship Program is a one-year, postgraduate, rotating small animal internship designed to give new graduates experience in an academic environment, training with experienced Registered Veterinary Nurses and boarded veterinary specialists. Positions are full-time paid positions and include a benefits package.
For anyone interested in applying for this program, information is available at the Veterinary Health Center website.