Internship program helps address shortage of veterinary technicians

Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is shaping future veterinarians while tackling a nationwide shortage of licensed veterinary technicians (LVTs). 

An internship program gives veterinary technician students hands-on experience in nearly every aspect of patient care, training alongside Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students and rotating through specialties at the Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital and the JT Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital. 

Internship Program Manager Stephanie Mitchell said the approach mirrors the ideal dynamic in veterinary hospitals, where LVTs serve as nursing professionals in animal care. Auburn’s program, she noted, is more critical than ever amid what she calls a “severe deficit” of LVTs nationwide. 

“There are veterinary hospitals in this state and all over the U.S. that don’t have an LVT in their practice,” she said, noting that the ideal LVT-to-DVM ratio in most fields of veterinary medicine is 3:1. 

Mitchell is doing her part to address the challenge by creating new partnerships with colleges. She said she recently added Coastal Alabama Community College and Pensacola State College, growing the number of partner institutions to seven in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. 

She said she also guides interns from recruitment through preparation for the Veterinary Technician National Examination, and even after the graduate and seek advice. 

“We want all of our students to be successful, whether they stay at Auburn or not,” Mitchell said. “It’s about building the vet tech community.” 

Auburn’s internship program began more than a decade ago with the University of Tennessee at Martin. Mitchell said Dr. Danny Walker, an Auburn alumnus and UT Martin’s program director, was looking for opportunities for his students to gain hands-on experience in advanced medicine and specialty services.  

Mitchell said Auburn is an ideal partner as clinical rotations in Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital and Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital provide students with a range of experience, from small animal surgery to equine ophthalmology and food animal medicine.  

The hospitals and the Auburn University Raptor Center annually serve more than 30,000 clients, from pets and farm animals to wildlife, and handle up to 70,000 staff interactions. Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital alone has seen patient visits rise by 42% over the past five years, underscoring the need for skilled animal care professionals.  

Auburn played a significant role in Tennessee native Kellye Berkley’s career in animal care. She attended UT Martin to become a veterinarian, but after some classes overlapped with the vet tech program, she said it was “more my route” than a DVM.  

Berkley came to Auburn for a six-week internship and never left. Today, she is head soft tissue surgery technician at Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital.  

“Auburn exceeded my expectations of what kind of medicine I wanted to practice,” she said. “That’s what made me stay. I landed in surgery because of the subject matter. It’s high paced, but I can still provide compassion, even for a huge life event in that pet and client's life.” 

Chloe Cook, a UT Martin alumna who works alongside Berkley, said she only planned to be a vet tech in her hometown in Tennessee, but after interning on the Plains, she realized, “I liked working here, so I stayed.” 

Both agreed they remained at Auburn because of the hospital’s fast-paced, compassionate environment. 

Auburn’s program is designed to be flexible, according to Mitchell, accommodating students at different stages of their education, such as finishing bachelor’s degrees in veterinary technology or completing associate degree programs. 

Whether an internship lasts six weeks or a year, she said it has a proven impact. Every Auburn intern has passed the licensure exam, with graduates advancing to veterinary school or seeking job opportunities across the country or at Auburn. 

“The internship essentially functions as an extended interview process for us,” Mitchell said. “We gain valuable insight into each student’s capabilities and work ethic before making any hiring decisions.” 

For those who work elsewhere, she said they are equipped with the experience and knowledge to make a positive impact in their communities.  

“At the end of the day, it’s about more than filling positions,” Mitchell said. “We’re shaping professionals who will raise the standard of care wherever they go. That’s what makes this program so important.”