AVMA Headquarters Externship Program

AVMA Headquarters Externship Program Not every veterinary student envisions clinical practice as the goal of attending a veterinary college. Some students hope to teach, some to do research and some to work for a large corporation. Still others see themselves serving their fellow veterinarians in some leadership capacity. The American Veterinary Medical Association has developed the Headquarters externship for students who would like to explore those opportunities. This externship is open to all students who are current members of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA). The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will fund ten stipends of at least $1,500 - $2,000 for externships lasting between 3-4 weeks (approximately $500 per week). With three of those stipends dedicated specifically for students interested in working directly with the AVMA Economics Division. The student can spend the whole externship in one division or his/her experience may be spread among divisions depending on, choice, time, and availability. Upon completion of the externship, the student is required to provide an exit essay to the AVMA and an oral presentation about his/her externship experience to the student body of their veterinary school/college. During their externship, students will spend time with relevant staff within their assigned division(s). Externs will work on many different projects, but will participate in at least one whole project from concept to completion that will give the student an idea of the process an AVMA staff member follows (e.g., in Scientific Activities, each student will possibly work on one federal advocacy issue with the staff person who covers that area). The AVMA will work with the student and attempt to accommodate student preferences; however the division/project will be based on divisional needs. The work an extern could expect at AVMA Headquarters is varied and differs from division to division. Excellent written and verbal communication skills will be a major asset for the student extern. This work may include assisting in document and/or letter writing, developing content for the AVMA Web site, participation in council/committee meetings held at AVMA Headquarters or possibly elsewhere, providing information to AVMA members, performing background research and collecting data on current veterinary issues. Please note: the students chosen for the AVMA Headquarters externships will be responsible for their own housing and transportation arrangements. The stipend is meant to assist in reducing the extern s expenses, but may not necessarily cover all expenditures. *Stipend amounts are subject to taxes. Please consider discussing these tax implications with a tax professional before applying for the externship.

An application and information regarding supporting materials are available on the following page. Please take the time to read through the Division descriptions included in this packet and select which division(s) you would be most interested in working with. The AVMA will do its best to place externs in the division(s) they request. Applicants must submit all materials to be received in the AVMA office by January 19, 2018 for possible externships occurring between February 2018 and December 31, 2018 (note: blackout dates: July 2-July 23, 2018 for the 2018 AVMA Annual Convention Blackout dates do not apply to the Convention Division Externs). The applications will be reviewed by the AVMA and the top five applicants will be notified via email no later than February 16 th, 2018. All materials must be submitted at the same time in one application packet either through EMAIL or MAIL to: Jross@avma.org OR AVMA Membership and Field Services Division Attn: Jackie Ross, HQ Externship 1931 Meacham Road, Suite 100 Schaumburg, IL 60173

Headquarters Externship Stipend Application Complete each field within the application. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Once completed, print out and submit a printed copy with the required application materials or save the file and send as an attachment to jross@avma.org. Name: SAVMA Membership # Phone: Email: Complete Mailing Address: Veterinary College: Preferred Externship Date Range: Expected graduation date: Secondary Date Range: Veterinary School Track (if applicable): Areas/topics of Interest: AVMA Headquarters Divisions Please rank only your TOP four choices in order (1, 2, 3 and 4) of the division(s) you would like to work with and please explain these choices in your Statement of Interest. (See the Division Descriptions pages within this packet for the activities of each division.) Please rank only the top divisions you are interested in working with. Animal Welfare MarCom (Marketing and Communications) Education & Research Membership & Field Services Convention & Meeting Planning Division of Animal & Public Health Veterinary Economics AVMF (American Veterinary Medical Foundation)

Please submit this application along with all of the following materials, except the Exit Essay and W-9, at the same time in one packet to be received at the AVMA Office by January 19, 2018. If emailing materials, have sender of Letter of Recommendation or Approval submit directly to JRoss@avma.org with your name and Letter of Approval or Approval, as appropriate, in the subject. Current Curriculum Vitae Statement of Interest In a brief essay, describe why you are interested in this externship, the qualities you would bring to this position, and its relevance to your intended professional goals. Also include a preference of divisions if you indicated interest in more than one division and what skills you can bring to the division Letter of Approval A letter from the Office of Academic Affairs of the Veterinary College the student attends acknowledging approval of the student s externship plan. Letters can be emailed directly to JRoss@avma.org with the students name and Letter of Approval in the subject. Letter of Recommendation A letter of recommendation from an AVMA member familiar with the student s academic record. Please note that only one letter of recommendation will be included in your packet, even if multiple letters are received. Letters of recommendation must be submitted in an envelope signed and sealed by the recommender and included in the application sent in by the student or can be emailed directly to JRoss@avma.org with the students name and Letter of Recommendation in the subject. Oral Presentation After returning to school, we request the student give an oral presentation to the schools SAVMA members. This presentation should detail what your learned from your externship experience and show to others how they can apply. Exit Essay At the completion of the externship and oral presentation, the student extern must submit a brief essay describing what they gained from the experience, including details of their oral presentation (who was in attendance, how many people, etc.) W-9 A completed W-9 will be needed in order to issue a stipend check. Stipend amounts are subject to taxes. Please consider discussing these tax implications with a tax professional before applying for the externship. The stipend will be awarded to the selected students upon acceptance of the exit essay by the AVMA and completion of the oral presentation to the student body.

Division Descriptions Animal Welfare: If you have a special interest in animal welfare and/or the human-animal bond, like working with a variety of individuals and organizations having a range of views and experiences, and want to merge your passion for ensuring animal welfare with a careful scientific examination of issues to arrive at practical solutions to challenging problems, then you will enjoy an extern experience in the Animal Welfare Division (AWD). Activities in which AWD staff are engaged include environmental scanning and issue identification; authoritative source development (e.g., compiling comprehensive literature reviews, review and development of guideline and standards documents, etc.); service on various advisory bodies; review of public policy proposals (both legislative and regulatory) at the international, federal, state, and local levels; providing presentations and workshops for a range of audiences; development and coordination of animal welfare education materials (model curricula, Animal Welfare Judging/Assessment Contest, etc.); lending technical support to other Divisions on issues related to human-animal interactions; and manuscript review for field-specific journals. Members of the AWD staff provide scientific and administrative support for the Animal Welfare Committee, Steering Committee on the Human-Animal Bond, Panel on Euthanasia, Panel on Humane Slaughter, and the Panel on Depopulation. MarCom: The MarCom Division consists of 5 departments: Marketing, Media Relations, Electronic Communications, State Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, and Professional and Public Affairs. In addition, the MarCom Division works closely with the Government Relations Division (GRD) to oversee federal advocacy communications efforts. The division conducts marketing research; produces outreach products such as brochures, animal disease backgrounders, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents, and educational materials; develops and produces marketing products for external publications; represents the AVMA at trade and professional show exhibit halls; develops and maintains contact with online, print, radio and television media; develops podcasts; maintains the AVMA press and photographic libraries; provides communication media (speeches, PowerPoint presentations) for AVMA leadership and other divisions within the AVMA; monitors state legislation relevant to veterinary medicine, and interacts with state veterinary medical associations (VMAs) to provide information and guidance; provides assistance to state VMAs when requested regarding legal issues pertaining to veterinary medicine; produces and maintains AVMA s YouTube and School Tube channels, Web-based outlets with video content related to veterinary medicine; produces and distributes electronic newsletters; oversees electronic communications and website content for seven websites; performs environmental scanning of issues relevant to the AVMA and veterinary medicine; and addresses many of the questions directed to AVMA from both veterinarians and the public. Staff members of this division also serve as staff support for the AVMA/ASVMAE Joint Committee, and State Advocacy Committee. There are a plethora of fun, interesting and educational projects awaiting any extern that wants to learn more about communications and state advocacy. If you have writing skills, new media skills, and analytical skills or have worked in any grassroots efforts on a state or local level, MarCom might be right for you. Let us help you take those skills to a new level.

Convention and Meeting Planning Division: The Convention and Meeting Planning Division (CMP) works with the Convention Education Program Committee (CEPC) to plan the educational content of the AVMA Annual Convention. The division oversees the convention from site selection; educational session and events logistics; marketing and promotion; attendee registration and housing; social events; and exhibit hall management/booth sales. CMP works with various divisions throughout the AVMA, but works closely with the Marketing/Communications and Publication divisions to promote the convention. Ideally a student extern would be available to work for three weeks at the AVMA headquarters immediately prior to convention, and onsite during the convention (the AVMA would provide transportation to and housing at convention). The student extern would assist the continuing education staff with the interactive laboratories held onsite at convention. Duties include assisting with interactive lab supplies, reviewing IACUC protocols, coordinating speaker notes, and other duties as assigned. The Annual Convention is the only face-to-face contact most AVMA members, students, technicians and veterinary support staff have with the AVMA. If you are a people person, the Convention Division offers the perfect opportunity to interact with future colleagues and professionals from all facets of veterinary medicine while you gain a great overview of the work of AVMA. Education & Research: The Education and Research Division provides staff support for the Accreditation & Certification activities of the AVMA through the activities of the Council on Education (COE), Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), Educational Commission on Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG), and American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS). Through the COE Selection Committee the division supports the selection of eight members of the COE. It also supports policy development in the areas of animal health research through the Council on Research (COR), veterinary and veterinary technology education and veterinary specialties. Maintenance and enhancement of communications with other organizations is supported through the AVMA/AAVMC Joint Committee, AVMA/NAVTA Board Liaison Committee, the International Accreditor s Working Group, and the International Veterinary Specialties Working Group. The division also supports the Animal Health Studies Database. Staff provide technical support to other AVMA Divisions, various external stakeholder groups, and the public on related issues. Membership & Field Services: The Membership and Field Services (MFS) Division has several core areas of emphasis that include: membership recruitment and retention for over 88,000 members, career development services, student support and recent graduate initiatives. The MFS Division provides direct support to the veterinary community and is often the first point of contact for our members providing assistance with a variety of questions that affect the individual and veterinary profession. The division also works with the Student Initiatives team who are in charge of assisting the 37 Student Chapters, the national student association (SAVMA) and 15,000+ student members. A student extern would be able to work on numerous projects throughout the division. Examples of how a student extern could make an impact in the MFS Division include: assisting with student affairs by developing communication for the AVMA, the Student AVMA, and SAVMA Chapters, work on recent graduates initiatives to identify and implement programs that would benefit members early in their career, and even support the continuing development of the Veterinary Career Center to make it an improved asset for students as they graduate and enter the work force. A successful student extern will overall help improve how the AVMA serves its members.

Division of Animal and Public Health: The Division of Animal and Public Health supports several AVMA entities focused on advancing the art and science of veterinary medicine in a broad range of arenas, including public health and food safety, regulatory veterinary medicine, emergency preparedness and response, One Health, veterinary environmental matters, animal agriculture, aquatic veterinary medicine, and animal biologics and therapeutics. Working with these entities, the division identifies and analyzes issues, assists in developing resources, and facilitates approval and implementation of policy recommendations that are often focused upon federal regulatory agencies and international standardsetting bodies. In addition, the division provides scientific content support to other divisions of AVMA. Veterinary Economics: The Veterinary Economics Division assists the AVMA to strengthen the economics of the veterinary medical profession and provides staff support to the Veterinary Economics Strategy Committee (VESC), the group that advises the Executive Board on the broad scope of economics issues affecting veterinary medicine. The Veterinary Economics Division staff implements programs, services, and activities that monitor economic developments in the veterinary profession, ensures accurate data collection to advance the economic goals of the AVMA, and identifies networking opportunities for stakeholders and entities with common goals. The student extern may assist with projects to identify and implement strategies to increase the demand for veterinarians and veterinary services; perform research to see how demand for veterinary services is related to the overall US economy, consumers disposable income, and the price of veterinary services; perform research to determine whether initiatives could be developed to enhance capacity utilization in practices with substantial excess capacity; prepare for the VESC a problem/solution White Paper outlining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the veterinary profession related to economics; prepare materials that offer veterinary students information on financial guidance, educational programs, and career development; and interact with other AVMA divisions, such as working with the Governmental Relations Division to estimate the economic impacts of federal and state policies that affect the veterinarian or veterinary services industry. AVMF: The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) was founded more than 50 years ago as the charitable arm of the AVMA. Our strategic initiatives include Education and Public Awareness, Research Support, Student Enhancement, and Humane Outreach and Animal Welfare. Donations support veterinary students through scholarships and AVMA student externships. In addition, philanthropic contributions support Our Oath in Action programs where veterinary students have taken lead roles in coordinating animal-related volunteer projects in local communities. The SAVMA Presidentelect serves as a member of the AVMF Board of Directors and an advocate for tomorrow s veterinarians. We encourage all veterinary students to connect with the AVMF now and build a relationship that lasts a lifetime.