Advice on looking for last-minute summer experiences?

[OneDayMore]

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Hi all! I am a VM2 and my original plans for this summer have changed. Long story short, I had planned on being busy all summer with another non-vet med related obligation that has suddenly been resolved (and all is well on that front). Now, I have the entire summer free and would like to get some more clinical experience.

Is it too late to reach out to clinics for this summer? I'm not looking for a paid position, my goals are to get some more experience, see how the things we've been learning match up with what is actually applied in practice, and get a better feel for the practices in the area where I'd like to work after school. Ideally I'd like multiple 2-3 week experiences at different clinics rather than one long experience at a single clinic, but I'm open to anything.

I hope it doesn't reflect poorly that I'd be reaching out this close to the end of the semester. Some of the practices I have in mind are places I've been thinking about for 4th year externships or possibly working for after graduation and I'm concerned about making a bad first impression.

 

[JaynaAli]

I don’t think it’s too late, but I also think you’d probably have more success looking for a single summer position…it’s often a tough sell for short experiences because about the time the person gets “up to speed” they leave. So from the clinic’s side, you slow them down significantly and then they leave about the time they get used to the clinic’s procedures. Being okay with an unpaid position may help increase your odds of finding something though.