Ross and St. George's Universities

Special Action of the LSU Board of Supervisors has authorized an exchange program that makes it possible for veterinary students in their final year at other schools of veterinary medicine to attend the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine for short periods of study. Such visiting, non-matriculated students register for 15 semester hours (1-5 weeks) in 5400-level Year IV blocks. Inquiries should be addressed to the Year IV coordinator in the Office of Student and Academic Affairs.

Students from Ross and St. George's Universities arrive in January, May, June, and September. The specific start dates vary each year.

LSU Vet Med holds a two-day orientation for each incoming group of students.

International students must stay in contact with the LSU International Service Office and complete CPT paperwork for all externships at least a month prior to the first day of the externship. International students must provide proof of insurance to the International Services Office or they will be automatically charged for insurance. Each semester, there is a due date provide this information.

LSU INSURANCE INFORMATION

International students also cannot schedule vacation or an out-rotation (externship, special topics, EQ AMB, EQ RTP, EQ BFM, EZHM ZMS, EZHM EAM) as their last rotation.

Ross and SGU students enrolled as non-matriculating students are considered LSU students during their time at LSU Vet Med, and once we set the students up with Tiger Cards, students have access to the LSU UREC (recreational facility) and the LSU Student Health Center, as well as other LSU programs and facilities.

Ross and SGU students do not declare a career track with dictated rotations because the amount of electives the student takes allows him/her to "track" in rotations that he or she thinks would best benefit his/her future career.

  • 2 blocks          5456 CAM; Small Animal Medicine 
  • 1 block            5463 CAS ST; Small Animal Surgery Soft Tissue 
  • 1 block            5463 CAS O; Small Animal Surgery Orthopedic 
  • 1 block            5452 PATH; Diagnostic Pathology 
  • 1 block            5454 RAD; Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging 
  • 1 block            5463 ANES; Clinical Anesthesiology 
  • 1 block            5463 SA EM; Small Animal Emergency 
  • 2 blocks          5458 EQ; Equine Medicine and Surgery 

OR 

  • 1 block            5463 EQ; Equine Medicine and Surgery AND 
  • 1 block            5463 Lg An Em; Large Animal Emergency 
  • 1 block            Large Animal Rotation (please specify which large animal rotation you would like to take on your preference form)
  • 4 blocks          5462 EXTERN; Externship* 

*You can take an additional 1 or 2 blocks in your elective portfolio

There are no alternatives to the required rotations (e.g., you may not take community practice in lieu of small animal surgery).

Each block is usually 2 weeks long. There are three blocks (2C, 7C, & 8A/8C) where this is altered. Blocks 2C and 7C are 3 weeks while either block 8A or 8C is 4 weeks long (depending on where the Christmas holiday falls). This is further broken down where 2A=2 weeks; 2C=3 weeks; 7A=2 weeks; 7C=3 weeks; 8A=2 weeks or 4 weeks; and, 8C=2 weeks or 4 weeks. 

The students are provided with a list of elective preferences and the student is asked to choose 8 to 10 rotations they would like to take while here. The students also rank these rotations in order of preference. From here, a schedule is created based on when those elective rotations are offered; how many students the rotation has to have to function/how many students are too many; and, the students' requested externship and vacation requests are also factored into the equation.

Exams vary for each rotation and could change over time, so the best way to find out if a rotation has a quiz, exam, oral presentation, etc. would be to review the syllabus for the rotation.

Student must complete 4 blocks worth of externship time; this usually equates to approximately 8 weeks but could be more if the student schedules externship time during blocks 2C, 7C, or 8A/8C. 

Students have 4 weeks of vacation. This vacation time cannot be during blocks 2C, 7C, or 8A/8C.

Students may miss up to 6 days during their whole time here. A student cannot miss more than one day block without being asked to remediate in the rotation in which he or she was in when the days were missed. Students are allowed time off to complete the NAVLE; however, they may be asked to return afterwards to give treatments if they have a patient in the hospital.

Working during holidays depends on the rotation you are on during the holiday time. For the Christmas/New Year's holidays (Block 8), students usually get a few days off to celebrate, but whether the days off are during the Christmas or New Year's week will vary. 

LSU Vet Med has a very busy exotics/wildlife rotation (EZHM) that is offered as an elective rotation. There are also several zoos, sanctuaries, etc. in the local area where a student could complete an externship. 

LSU Vet Med has elective rotations in Shelter Medicine; Small Animal Critical Care; Integrative Medicine and Small Animal Rehabilitation; Cardiology; Ophthalmology; Equine Ambulatory and Consulting; Laboratory Animal Medicine; Oncology; Dermatology; Small Animal Community Practice; and, Theriogenology to name a few elective rotations.

The LSU Vet Med Veterinary Teaching Hospital sees approximately 20,000 cases each year. The majority of these are small animal. In addition to patients seen in our hospital, we also see large animal patients as part of our ambulatory service, small animals as part of our shelter medicine service, and exotic animals at zoos as part of our zoological medicine service.