Veterinary Student Clinical Placements

Given the breadth of experience of our vets and the large and varied caseload we treat, Lort Smith provides a great facility for vet students who are seeking clinical experience as part of their undergraduate degree. We are proud to be part of the University of Melbourne Academic Associate Program, which is overseen by Dr Andrew Kapsis.

During their placement, students will be given a timetable and will be rotated through all aspects of the hospital including general consultations, minor procedures, surgery, inpatient management and emergency consults. Attendance is from 8:30am–6:30pm weekdays, but final year students may also be given night service and some weekend shifts.

Vet students wishing to spend extramural experience at Lort Smith are advised to check with their course coordinator or extramural coordinator to see if they are eligible to book their placement.

There is a high demand for veterinary students wanting placements, particularly over the busy summer months and over university holidays, and these can be booked up 12–18 months in advance. It is therefore recommended that students plan well ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

We take students for a maximum of two weeks at a time. However, for students undertaking their final year placements we can allocate two to three weeks depending on their preference.

Due to the high demand for placements, we only accept veterinary students already enrolled in a BVSc or DVM course from universities in Australia and New Zealand. If places are available, we may consider overseas universities. We regret we are unable to accept students who are enrolled in courses such as veterinary biosciences or other para-veterinary courses.