I understand the passion and yearning of the first, second, and third year students to jump in and get experience in the clinic.  I also understand the frustration a student may feel coming from a LVT background where they went from doing so many procedures to doing none. However, after many years of working in a veterinary environment and seeing & hearing about many, many strange and puzzling cases, my biggest concern is the communications aspect of this proposal. Animal owners often bring their pets in for very scary diagnostic tests and procedures. They come in stressed out and frightened. The doctor- client relationship becomes the lifeline for these owners. While I certainly respect the educational excellence and dedication these young men and women bring to the college, I do not think they have the experience and/or wisdom to communicate effectively yet. Yes, I think perhaps there could be more routine hands-on experiences in the Community Practice side, but I really would have an issue with an even younger student than a 4th year coming to talk to me when I have a sick pet.

I recently had a pet in for a very minor ailment and was somewhat surprised that my animal did not even rate a look by the attending vet, and was seen by an intern who did not bother to let me know they were an intern. Minor stuff, but it really counts in the overall client experience.