Nave Group Externship

My name is Junior Saint Preux, the current SAVMA President at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. I am just beginning my 5^th semester (3^rd year student) here and I have attended my share of externships up to this point, but this most recent experience has had the greatest impact by far. I say this because my eyes were opened to a new culture and side of Veterinary Medicine that I have never before witnessed. From December 16^th, 2019 to January 3^rd, 2020 I had the honor and privilege of receiving mentorship at its finest, gain more hands-on experience than expected, and explored a city many individuals from my hometown dream of. This externship was called the “Nave Group Externship.”

The individual responsible for bringing this program to life is known as Dr. James E. Nave. Dr. Nave is a graduate of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing Vet School, Dr. Nave joined the military and served as a Captain in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star for his military Service. He was discharged in 1971, and shortly after settled in Las Vegas, NV. A fact about Dr. Nave that I found very interesting was that in the 1990’s Dr. Nave was a member and chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission and the only commissioner to vote against Mike Tysons reinstatement into the world of boxing.

During his time in Nevada he became the President of the American Veterinary Association as well as the President of the Nevada Veterinary Association. Throughout his growth in Las Vegas he not only dedicated his life to the betterment of veterinary medicine but also mastering the art of mentorship, assisting veterinarians from all over the world.

When I was presented the opportunity to take part in this externship, I felt that it was too good to be true. A colleague mentioned to me that the Nave Group owns 16 Veterinary hospitals in Las Vegas, pays $400.00 a week, takes the externs to dinner twice a week, transports their externs to and from the hospital each day, provides room and board, and that I would be allowed time between shifts and on weekends to explore Las Vegas. I immediately accepted the offer without hesitation and was pleased to find that each hospital was welcoming and unique in its own way. I worked with numerous doctors who were very knowledgeable and eager to teach. I was pleased and pleasantly surprised to learn that many of them were also fellow Ross Alumni. As each doctor completed their tasks, they would explain what they were doing and why. They made sure I had a full understanding before leaving their hospital. I used this opportunity to refresh my knowledge from previous classroom lecture and was also able to gain new knowledge to supplement my education in upcoming courses such as anesthesia and diagnostic imaging.

I thought going into this externship I would just be a fly on the wall, observing doctors’ daily lives and interpreting the goings-on to the best of my ability. As soon as I began my first day, I was stunned and pleasantly surprised to find this was not going to be my experience for the next three weeks. I was immediately given the opportunity to stand-in and record a doctor perform a C-section, while he explained the process to me. The following day I also recorded a doctor perform a neuter. They both allowed me to keep the videos as a new resource for my studies and I reviewed them each night before bed. I began my third day at a new hospital and was immediately ushered into a gown and gloves, then into the surgery room with a phenomenal doctor named Dr. Jones from Tuskegee University. I was under the impression I would only be observing, but Dr. Jones had other intentions. He looked at me, handed me the blade, and asked “do you feel comfortable performing this neuter?” I looked down at the patient laying on the table and my mind screamed “NO!”, yet found myself grabbing the scalpel from his hand. With Dr. Jones’ guidance and despite my nerves, I successfully performed my first surgery without any prior training or courses beyond fourth semester curriculum. With this newfound confidence and skill, I became comfortable enough to perform many more surgeries throughout the externship.

At the end of each day I would return to my room and practice my suture patterns, read the notes I had taken that day, and watch videos of each surgery I either observed or performed. Once my review was completed, the rest of the day was mine. I would get together with the other externs and we would go out and see what Las Vegas truly had to offer. We saw all of the casinos and lights, dined at some of the fanciest restaurants like The Bellagio, attended Cirque Du Soleil, and was still able to get back to our hotel rooms at a decent hour to rest for our next early morning and day full of adventure.

The overall experience and knowledge I gained from this externship was beyond anything I could have hoped for. I created friendships that will last a lifetime and gained knowledge that can only be taught outside of the classroom. I appreciated being given the opportunity to not only piece together what I have learned in school up to this point, but the preparation for what is yet to come.