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Pioneers in Preceptorships

Our third-year students spent four weeks at veterinary sites all over the country — part of our new DVM curriculum — and put their classroom lessons to work caring for clients and animals.

Check out their experiences

The Forefront of Veterinary Medicine

Along with world-class care and instruction, NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine leads in research and discovery — applying emerging insights to create a healthier world for animals and humans alike.

Dr. Victor Rivas works in a lab on the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine campus.

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NC State College of Veterinary Medicine hit the road to provide veterinary support at Sampson Showdown — a livestock show hosted by Sampson County 4-H and N.C. Cooperative Extension.

N.C. Cooperative Extension is a joint effort among NC State, N.C. A&T, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local governments across the state. At Sampson Showdown, 4-H participants of all ages competed with a variety of livestock animals. Drs. Tomas Gonzalez, Danielle Mzyk and Michael Center made sure the animals were healthy and disease-free before they entered the facility.

NC State has extension offices in all 100 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee, serving as a resource for every corner of the state, both urban and rural, providing:
🔬Research-backed information to industry
🍎 Health and nutrition outreach programs to communities
🍀 4-H youth development for kids and teens
The NC State veterinary class of 2030 includes the first-ever cohort of students in the Equine Scholars Program. 

The highly competitive program selects six undergraduate students and two alternates from partner North Carolina universities who then complete summer internships shadowing equine practitioners. Completing the program’s requirements grants guaranteed admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Less than 4% of veterinary students go into equine medicine, and there is a shortage of equine and large animal practitioners. 

“We are really hopeful that the Equine Scholars Program will help to address the need for equine primary care veterinarians in North Carolina,” says Dr. Katie Sheats, associate dean and director of Professional Education and Admissions.

Members of the second cohort — all college seniors and one recent graduate — completed their internships this summer and are on track to join the class of 2031 next fall. The program, created in 2024, is based on NC State’s Food Animal Scholars initiative, which similarly recruits undergraduates with an interest in food animal medicine.

Meet the scholars at the link in our bio. 

https://go.ncsu.edu/first-equine-class