Banfield externship

[kmha333]

Has anyone externed for Banfield as a student? Did you like it, was it valuable, and does it pay decently? Trying to decide how best to spend my break!

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[Teepster87]

I did my primary care rotation with Banfield because they paid. I don't remember what that pay rate was, as it's been a few years, but it was better than doing it for free at the vet school.

The hospital I worked in was pretty chill. Didn't force me to do anything I didn't want to, and the staff all got along well. You may want to do some recon at the locations to see if you'd be willing to work there.

There's also some program where if you work for Banfield as a student they'd pay you more as an associate or something. But again, my memory on that is very fuzzy as it's been a few years and I didn't go into GP after school.

 

[Enzo07]

4th year student here - I spent my summer between first and second year at a Banfield as a paid Student Job Program participant. My position was on Long Island and was about $18 an hour I think. I can't remember my exact schedule but it was 40 hours and I followed the most senior doctor there's schedule.

For the time I was at in my career, sure it was helpful. They let me do whatever I was comfortable with and didn't force me to do anything I wasn't. They quizzed me on things knowing I may not always have the answer. I got to see a LOT of preventative care and routine dentals. Lots of puppy and kitten care. And yes as @Teepster87 said, there is some sort of extra payment you can receive per student job program you participate in. For me, it was an extra $2500 student loan payment when you sign on with them. However, I'm not signing on with them so can't say how the follow through is.

That being said, Banfield is just not the company or practice-style for me, but I wouldn't know that had I not tried it out. I got to make money and gain some more early vet school experience so if that's what you're looking for, go for it!

 

[Bonfuturedvm]

Just jumping in to see others experiences! I applied to the sjp the day the application opened and have a phone interview next week! I’m hoping to get picked at a place close to my parents (5+ locations within 20 minutes) since there are more options. I would appreciate any and all opinions about the program! My school does have an ambassador but I would love to get an unbiased opinion first! Also how long did it take from your interview to hear back from them? I just want to make sure it’s something I’ll enjoy and that I will have plenty of time to find a back up for the summer if things fall through!

 

[puppydogtor]

Just jumping in to see others experiences! I applied to the sjp the day the application opened and have a phone interview next week! I’m hoping to get picked at a place close to my parents (5+ locations within 20 minutes) since there are more options. I would appreciate any and all opinions about the program! My school does have an ambassador but I would love to get an unbiased opinion first! Also how long did it take from your interview to hear back from them? I just want to make sure it’s something I’ll enjoy and that I will have plenty of time to find a back up for the summer if things fall through!

I interviewed with Banfield a few weeks ago for the SJP. As someone with not a ton of clinical experience it sounds awesome - I was told they will really encourage you and teach you, and if your mentor isn't doing a great job you can reach out to the program director and they can try to place you somewhere else. Like most things, it sounds very dependent on how much the vet & techs are willing to teach. I met a few vets from there so for my interview when they asked where I wanted to go I requested to work with those doctors. For AZ at least they told me the pay is $15/hr (not sure if it varies in other states) and that I get free veterinary care for my pets for a year. Idk just how much "free" care it is (like if it's limited to specific services), but my dog will need a dental sometime in the next year or so and they said "great, it'll be covered and we'll let you do it with us"
I did the phone interview and they said I should hear back in 4-5 weeks

 

[Bonfuturedvm]

I interviewed with Banfield a few weeks ago for the SJP. As someone with not a ton of clinical experience it sounds awesome - I was told they will really encourage you and teach you, and if your mentor isn't doing a great job you can reach out to the program director and they can try to place you somewhere else. Like most things, it sounds very dependent on how much the vet & techs are willing to teach. I met a few vets from there so for my interview when they asked where I wanted to go I requested to work with those doctors. For AZ at least they told me the pay is $15/hr (not sure if it varies in other states) and that I get free veterinary care for my pets for a year. Idk just how much "free" care it is (like if it's limited to specific services), but my dog will need a dental sometime in the next year or so and they said "great, it'll be covered and we'll let you do it with us"
I did the phone interview and they said I should hear back in 4-5 weeks

Thank you so much! This is making me really excited! I hope you get your top choice!

 

[stressy.depressy]

Just finished up my SJP interview. Pretty standard, they asked my top three location choices and preferred start date/duration. For Portland area 1st time participants pay is $17.31/hr. Just asked a few situational/behavioral questions (i.e. "tell me about a time when" questions) and sent me on my way.

 

[dogtorschmogtor]

I interviewed with Banfield a few weeks ago for the SJP. As someone with not a ton of clinical experience it sounds awesome - I was told they will really encourage you and teach you, and if your mentor isn't doing a great job you can reach out to the program director and they can try to place you somewhere else. Like most things, it sounds very dependent on how much the vet & techs are willing to teach. I met a few vets from there so for my interview when they asked where I wanted to go I requested to work with those doctors. For AZ at least they told me the pay is $15/hr (not sure if it varies in other states) and that I get free veterinary care for my pets for a year. Idk just how much "free" care it is (like if it's limited to specific services), but my dog will need a dental sometime in the next year or so and they said "great, it'll be covered and we'll let you do it with us"
I did the phone interview and they said I should hear back in 4-5 weeks

You get a free Wellness Plan, so all vaccines due that year, 2 fecals, 2 sets of dewormer, a cbc/chem + 4DX, dental cleaning that includes another set of blood work, two urinalyses, one set of 3 view rads, tonometry, unlimited office visits, and prob something else I'm forgetting. Plus a discount on anything outside of that (if additional labs are needed, food, medications, etc).

The SJP is a really good program for vet students that don't have a lot of technical skills (venipuncture, radiograph positioning, surgery prep and anesthesia monitoring, etc), experience in GP, or are just interesting in seeing if Banfield is a good fit for future employment. Pay in MN was around $19/hr. As with anything, experiences are location dependent but the doctors typically request to have a student to mentor for the summer so they typically enjoy teaching!

 

[Brittnicole]

I did their SJP and an externship. One of my summers I wanted to focus on surgery practice and they allowed me. Did a lot of spays and neuters alone, with monitoring. The doctor would let me know or try to get in fun surgeries (splenectomy, c-section, pyometra, cystotomy) to teach me. Did lots of extractions. Also was able to diagnose a patent urechus on a dog I was spaying and most doctors I’ve spoken to and shown pictures to have never seen one before so I was pretty happy that I was able to diagnose and knew how to repair 👍🏼 But if you do it, I’d recommend having a convo about goals you want to achieve while doing it because once I did that, the doctors made an active effort to make sure I got those opportunities

 

[puppydogtor]

Update: I just heard back about the SJP- it was good news Took them a bit longer to get back to me and I actually reached out to them for an update. So if you don't hear back don't hesitate to email them.