Veterinary Internship & Externships
Start practicing right after graduation, with a furnished apartment included.
Our post-graduate internship is built for the months between earning your DVM and getting your Missouri license. You’ll practice real medicine in our brand-new Ozark hospital, learn side by side with our veterinarians, and come home to a private, furnished apartment 15 minutes away.
Still in school? We host 2- to 4-week externships year-round for veterinary students from any AVMA-accredited program.
- Paid position
- No weekends, ever
- No on-call or after hours
- Path to a permanent role
Housing included
Private one-bedroom apartment. Utilities and internet covered. Pets welcome.
Internship length, timed to your licensing exams
Veterinarians on staff to mentor you
From your furnished apartment to the clinic
On-call or after-hours shifts
Two ways to train with us
Whether you’ve just earned your DVM or you’re still in school, you’ll get real, hands-on time in a hospital built for modern veterinary medicine.
Post-Graduate Veterinary Internship
A paid bridge from graduation to licensure, with a clear path to a permanent associate role.
- Start any time after graduation
- 6 to 9 months, timed to when you plan to pass your state board and licensing exams
- Private furnished apartment with utilities and internet covered
- No on-call and no after-hours shifts
- Designed to lead to a permanent job as an associate veterinarian
Veterinary Externship
See how a busy, full-service general practice really runs, with doctors who want to teach.
- 2- to 4-week blocks, scheduled year-round
- No blackout dates, including holidays
- Open to students from every AVMA-accredited program
- Affiliation agreement already in place with the University of Missouri
- Housing included while you are here, and you can bring your pets (externships are unpaid)
A furnished apartment, ready when you are
Moving for your first job usually means signing a lease, paying a deposit, setting up utilities and furnishing an empty apartment. Our intern skips all of that.
The clinic owns a private one-bedroom apartment just 8 miles from the hospital, and it’s set up so you can move in with a suitcase and get to work.
Move-in is usually immediate. If an extern is finishing a rotation, we’ll line up your dates with you.
Private one-bedroom
Your own place. No roommates and no sharing.
Fully furnished
Furniture, dishes, towels and everything in between.
Utilities & internet
Covered. No accounts to open and no monthly bills.
Pets welcome
Your dog or cat is part of the move. Of course they are.
15-minute commute
About 8 miles from the clinic, an easy drive in.
No lease, no deposit
The clinic owns the property, so there’s no landlord to deal with.
Real medicine in a brand-new hospital
Because we’re a full-service practice, no two days look the same. You’ll be part of wellness visits, sick patients, surgery, dentistry, diagnostics and house calls, all in a new, fully equipped building.
Surgery suite
Spays, neuters and general surgery in a dedicated surgical suite.
Dentistry
Cleanings, oral exams and dental procedures at a dedicated dental station.
Diagnostic imaging
X-ray, ultrasound and echocardiograms, worked up alongside a mentor.
In-clinic lab
Bloodwork and lab results in-house, so you follow cases from test to treatment.
Supervised the right way
Until you’re licensed, you’ll practice under the level of veterinarian supervision Missouri requires for license candidates. That applies to everything, including surgery, dentistry and mobile visits. You’ll be doing the work, and you’ll never be sent out on your own.
Learn from Dr. Meda Bacon
Dr. Bacon grew up in southwest Missouri, earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University and completed her clinical year at Colorado State University. She spent several years as an associate in mixed animal practice before founding McClure Veterinary Clinic in Ozark.
With two veterinarians on staff, you won’t be one of a dozen interns competing for cases. You’ll know the doctors you learn from, and they’ll know you, your goals and how you learn best.
The internship details, up front
The questions every new graduate should ask, answered before you have to ask them.
Who it’s for
New DVM graduatesNo Missouri license needed to start.
Pay
Paid positionWe’ll go over compensation when we talk.
Start date
Any time after graduationYou pick the start date that works for you.
Length
6 to 9 monthsBased on when you plan to pass your state board and licensing exams.
Openings
Up to two interns at a timeOne position includes the furnished apartment.
Weekends, after hours and on-call
None. Ever.No weekend shifts, no after-hours emergencies and no on-call rotation. When your day ends, it ends.
Benefits
Start when you’re licensedHealth insurance and associate benefits begin once you’re licensed and hired as an employee veterinarian.
After the internship
We hope you’ll stayA permanent associate position is very likely, and we encourage it.
Deadline
Rolling admissionWe review applications until positions are filled.
From graduate to associate
Step 1Apply
Send your CV and a few details through the form below.
Step 2Meet us
Tour the hospital, see the apartment and meet the team.
Step 3Train & get licensed
6 to 9 months of supervised, hands-on practice while you finish your exams.
Step 4Join the team
Once you’re licensed, step into a permanent associate role with benefits.
The externship details, up front
Everything a fourth-year should know before sending us dates.
Our externship is the short version of the same thing: two to four weeks inside a busy, full-service general practice, with doctors who actually want to teach. You are not shadowing from the corner. You are in the room for wellness visits and sick patients, scrubbed in for spays, neuters and dentals, reading radiographs and ultrasound alongside a doctor, running bloodwork in our own in-house lab and riding along on mobile house calls. We take students from any AVMA-accredited program, we schedule blocks year-round with no blackout dates, and housing is included while you are here.
Most students use these weeks to work out what kind of practice they actually want. That is exactly what they are for. Ask us anything, about cases, about running a clinic, about what the first year out of school really looks like. Nobody here is too busy for the question.
Who it is for
Current veterinary studentsAny AVMA-accredited program. Most externs come to us in their fourth year.
Length and timing
2 to 4 week blocksScheduled year-round with no blackout dates, holidays included.
Weekends
NoneYou work our regular weekday schedule. Your weekends are yours.
After hours and on-call
None. Ever.No overnight emergencies, no on-call rotation and no getting called back in.
What you will do
Everything we doWellness, sick patients, surgery, dentistry, imaging, in-house lab and mobile house calls.
Housing
IncludedA furnished apartment while you are here, and you can bring your pets. Tell us your dates and we will confirm it with you.
Cost
Unpaid, and no feeExternships are unpaid, and there is nothing to pay us either.
School paperwork
Already handledAn affiliation agreement is in place with the University of Missouri. We will complete the forms for other schools.
How to apply
Same form, your datesUse the application at the bottom of this page and tell us the weeks you have in mind.
Why you’ll love Ozark, Missouri
Ozark is a friendly, growing town in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. You get small-town quiet and a short commute, with Springfield next door and lakes, rivers and trails all around you.
Our team takes full advantage. Outside the clinic, Dr. Bacon is an avid backpacker, kayaker and rock climber.
Questions applicants ask
Do I need my Missouri license before I start?
No. The internship is built for the months between graduation and licensure. Until you’re licensed, you’ll practice under the supervision Missouri requires for license candidates.
Is the internship paid?
Yes. The post-graduate internship is a paid position, and we’ll go over compensation when we talk. Externships for current veterinary students are unpaid.
How long is the internship, and when can I start?
It runs 6 to 9 months, depending on when you plan to take and pass your state board and licensing exams. You can start any time after graduation.
Will I work weekends, be on call or work after hours?
No to all three. We do not schedule interns or externs on weekends, there is no on-call rotation and there are no overnight emergencies. When your day ends, it ends.
What’s included with the apartment?
It’s a private one-bedroom apartment, fully furnished down to the dishes and towels, with utilities and internet covered. The clinic owns the property, so there’s no lease or deposit. It’s about 8 miles from the clinic, roughly a 15-minute drive.
Can I bring my pet?
Yes. Pets are welcome in the apartment.
Is the apartment shared with another intern?
No. It’s private to our intern. We take up to two interns at a time, and one of those positions includes the apartment.
Will I really do surgery, dentistry and house calls?
Yes, with supervision. You’ll take part in surgery, dentistry, in-clinic appointments and mobile visits under the level of supervision Missouri requires for license candidates. You won’t be sent out alone.
Is there a job at the end?
That’s the goal. A permanent associate position is very likely, and we encourage interns to stay on. Health insurance and associate benefits begin once you’re licensed and hired as an employee veterinarian.
Which schools do you take externs from?
Students from any AVMA-accredited program are welcome. We already have an affiliation agreement with the University of Missouri. If your school needs a site agreement before you can earn credit, apply early, since that paperwork can take a few weeks.
When can I schedule an externship, and is housing available?
Blocks run year-round with no blackout dates, holidays included, and housing is included while you are here. Send us the weeks you have in mind and we will confirm the apartment with you. You can bring your pets.
Is there an application deadline?
No. We review applications on a rolling basis until positions are filled, so earlier is better.
Ready to start? Apply today.
Tell us about yourself and upload your CV. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until positions are filled. Applying for an externship? Use the same form and include the dates you have in mind.
- Your CV or résumé (PDF or Word)
- Your veterinary school and graduation date
- Your ideal start date or externship dates
Questions before you apply?
Call or email us. We’re happy to talk through the program, the apartment or your licensing timeline.
(417) 731-4071mcclurevet@gmail.com5261 N 22nd St, Ozark, MO 65721Internship & Externship Application
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