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AABP STUDENT EXTERNSHIP GRANT PROGRAM


The AABP Foundation will provide grants of up to $1000 to support veterinary students who complete an externship in bovine practice. Externships Grant Funds are for private clinical practice experience. The funds are intended to help defray travel and associated expenses incurred on the externship. Students can apply for multiple externships, however the maximum number of externships awarded per application cycle is two per student. The AABP Foundation commits up to $25,000 for spring applications and $15,000 for fall applications.

 

The student must be a student AABP member before applying for the externship. Please note that it can take up to three business days to process your membership dues. At least one veterinarian in the practice must be an AABP member. The student should submit:


  1. Complete the online Externship Application Form. It is strongly suggested to complete your application in a Word document and copy/paste the information into the application. Applications can be reviewed/edited until the deadline.

  2. A letter from the practice describing the practice, describing what the student will be doing and stating what the housing arrangements will be for the student. The practice letter should also state which veterinarian(s) in the practice are AABP members.

  3. A faculty member (who is also an AABP member) at the student's veterinary college must complete the online questionnaire with an assessment of the student's demonstrated interest in food animal practice.

 

Incomplete applications will not be considered or returned. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure letters from the practice and faculty member assessment are submitted by the deadline. If letters are not submitted, the application is incomplete and will not be evaluated. It is strongly recommended that students check the status of their application by going to the student menu of the AABP website and select scholarship/grant portal. Late submissions will not be accepted.


Applicants must be full time veterinary students at a US, Canadian, or Caribbean veterinary college.


Funds will be disbursed in two installments, the first 50% upon approval of the grant, and the balance upon successful completion of the externship and submission of an externship report within 30 days of completion of the externship.


The student extern must sign a release electronically within the application, releasing AABP from liability associated with the externship activities, prior to commencing any activities connected with the externship, including travel.


Insurance and liability information:

Professional liability: If the student's supervising veterinarians are insured for professional liability through the AVMA PLIT, preceptor coverage can be purchased for $10. This is an endorsement to the veterinarian's policy and basically duplicates the policy limits for the student. The student in question must be a SCAMVA member and be attending an accredited veterinary college. Veterinarians with Canadian VMA or other professional liability coverage should check with their insurance carrier. It is strongly recommended that students have professional liability coverage in place.

 

AABP suggests that all practices and students contact their insurance carrier or workers compensation insurance carrier to decrease liability to the practice if a student is injured while working for the practice. The AVMA PLIT and some state VMA's provide resources to decrease your risk and your client's risk of liability. These can include a liability waiver for all students, appropriate oversight of students, discussion and training on safety when working with animals, and obtaining insurance through your insurance carrier.


Some veterinary colleges extend their insurance coverage for work-related injuries to students on externships. Students should verify coverage with their college administration.


APPLICATION DEADLINES:
September 30 for externships commencing between November 1 and April 30 of each year

March 31 for externships commencing between May 1 and October 31 of each year.

 

Applications will be scored by volunteers from the AABP Student Activities Committee. The scoring rubric will be as follows:

 

Score the quality of prior food animal experience (1-5)
Score the career goals and interest in bovine medicine (1-5)
Score the quality of the planned experience (1-5)
Score the justification for choosing this experience and the student’s submitted budget (1-5)
Score the faculty assessment (1-5)
Total maximum points = 25