Archer Veterinary Clinic logo
Archer Veterinary Clinic
Lemont, Illinois

DVM Student Externship/Preceptorship Program — Archer Veterinary Clinic (Sees Exotics)

VeterinarianIncludes callIncludes weekendsContract

Listed compensation

$250 per week

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, nights and shift pattern, benefits and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

We're making an investment in the next generation of veterinary doctors!

As part of the professional veterinary curriculum, colleges encourage off-campus educational experiences in practices outside of the teaching hospital. Practical experience in a well-run and contemporary practice can be a valuable component of your veterinary education, preparing you to deliver better care after graduation. Our program is dedicated to contributing to your practice-readiness and to help you hit the ground running after graduation.

Our Program Structure

Our externships are flexible—they can range from two to eight weeks during the year, according to your college curriculum – but are typically two or three weeks in length. Your schedule will include days, evenings and weekends.

Our externship rotations are designed to allow students, under veterinary supervision, to practice the problem-solving, technical and communication skills that they have acquired during their clinical preparation. Externs are given the opportunity to work alongside our veterinary team and are encouraged to participate in all aspects of patient care. A stipend of $250 per week will be provided.

What You'll Be Doing

Externs experience the typical caseload of a small animal practice. Under the supervision of your mentor doctor you will gather histories, perform physical examinations, develop diagnostic and therapeutic plans, scrub in to surgery, assist in the management of medical cases, provide wellness care, develop your client communication skills, polish your technical skills and produce appropriate medical records (SOAPs) within the time limits of daily practice.

Who We're Looking For

Extern students are expected to be enthusiastic and effective participants in our patient care activities, upholding the professional and ethical standards of our practice.

Students participating in the externship program are suggested to review the Veterinary Practice Act in regard to the scope of duties that may be performed, and to be familiar with the type and degree of veterinary supervision that is required. These should be followed carefully in order to protect both yourself and our practice.

As a veterinary student extern, we expect you to dress and behave in a professional manner and to meet the expectations that we have of all team members as outlined in our employee handbook.

Requirements

  • Be enrolled in an accredited DVM program.
  • You are authorized to work in the United States.
  • You must carry professional liability insurance. AVMA PLIT liability insurance is free for all student members of the AVMA. You may apply for this coverage on their website. Please check to make sure your coverage is current and submit a certificate of coverage with your application.

About Us

As sponsors of the Veterinary Externship Program, we see ourselves to be part of your educational team, providing instruction, mentoring and evaluation of the students who participate. You will be assigned a mentor and work on the learning objectives as defined by your college program or to meet your specific goals. At the end of the externship your mentor will provide a written evaluation of your performance as required by your college program.

We look forward to working with you!

Key Responsibilities

Externs will experience the typical caseload of a small animal practice, working under the supervision of a mentor doctor. They will gather histories, perform physical examinations, develop diagnostic and therapeutic plans, and assist in various aspects of patient care.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Veterinary Medicine Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Veterinary Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 92% have no call, 76% require no weekends.

What does the Veterinary Medicine market look like in Illinois?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedVeterinary Medicine median $150k (middle half $120k–$292k)215 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingIllinois index 100.0US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Veterinary Medicine listings in Illinois157 active3,101 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 92% no call · 76% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedIllinois healthcare professional listings: 38% state a sign-on bonus (median $50k) · 14% offer loan repayment209 active listings, Nov 2026
New Veterinary Medicine listings962 in the last 30 days517 the 30 days before (+86%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Veterinary Medicine pay trend+1.9% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top contract/1099 Veterinarian Jobs

30 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

6 jobs
2
<$145k
0
$145k-170k
2
$180k
1
$200k
1
$220k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution

30 jobs · 7 employers
0
1-2
0
3-4
0
5-6
3
7-8
27
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Senior Veterinarian

Alliance Animal Health · Rochester, Minnesota

$120k-$220k
#2

Associate Veterinarian- GP/ Urgent Care- Lombard Veterinary Hospital

Dvm Launch · Lombard, Illinois

$140k-$200k
#3

Veterinarian

$160k-$180k
#4

Veterinarian

$160k-$180k
+ 28 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Veterinary Medicine listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,072 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends
Archer Veterinary Clinic logo

About Archer Veterinary Clinic

Veterinary Services
Lemont, Illinois
11-50 employees

Living in Lemont

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$480k
Typical market rent
$2,231/mo
Residents’ average commute
35 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.