Alpine Veterinary Hospital now offers an externship program!
About our Practice
- We are a fully mixed, 2 location (11 miles apart), 7 doctor, very rural practice
- Our caseload is approximately
- 55% small animal and exotics surgery, medicine, and preventive care,
- 20% equine medicine, lameness, and reproduction,
- 20% beef cow calf medicine, surgery, herd work and
- 5% small ruminant, NWC, poultry, and swine
- Season caseload varies greatly for large animal! If your interest is more specific, please see below for best opportunities for learning:
- Livestock obstetrics: Jan-May
- Cow/Calf herd work: Bull testing/ Bangs vaccinating: Dec-May; Pregnancy detection: Oct-Dec
- Equine Reproduction- A/I: May-July
- Equine Lameness/ Performance: April-Sep
- Small animal: year round
- 4H Animals: June-Aug
- Please see the Services tab for all that we offer! Here are some highlights:
- Small animal orthopedic surgeries including TTA’s and plate fracture repairs
- Acupuncture and chiropractic
- Joint injections and orthobiologics (Pro-stride and PRP) for both canine and equine patients
- Laparoscopic AI in small ruminants, and AI in mares
Logistics
Travel to and from: It is best to have a vehicle, as travel between clinics gives you the best options for cases. The closest large airports with good rental car options are in Denver (DEN- 4 hour drive), Colorado Springs (COS- 3 hour drive), or Albuquerque (ABQ- 4 hour drive). There is a small airport in Alamosa (ALS), but no great rental car options from there.
Housing: We offer an extern apartment attached to the Alamosa hospital. It has a bathroom and kitchenette with microwave, fridge, toaster oven, and two-burner stove top (all dishes, pots, bedding, towels, etc. included). There are clinic cats (Binx and Toast) that share the same living space, but can be kept out of the bedroom!
Dress code: Close-toed shoes or boots (something that can be worn in clinic and barn or farm calls), scrub tops or button ups/ polos/ blouses (solid-colored t-shirts or sweatshirts might be OK)
About the Area - Recreation and Fun:
The San Luis Valley is a beautiful and fascinating place. Surrounded by the San Juan mountain range on the west and the Sangre De Cristo mountains on the east, the Valley is the size of Rhode Island. There are wonderful trails to hike in Penitente Canyon and at the Sand Dunes National Park (and many more). We have 14ers in the Sangres, such as Mt. Blanca, to ascend. There are natural hot springs, like the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool, to soak in. For the history buffs, we have the mining town of Creede not far away, and the award-winning Fort Garland museum. The wildlife refuges are beautiful for bird watching, particularly the Sandhill Cranes during their spring and fall migrations. Summers are filled with pro-rodeos, 4th of July parades, and the 4H Fair. Winter has pond hockey tournaments, ice cutting, and skiing and snowboarding can be found at Wolf Creek or Monarch ski resorts. Fall has beautiful leaf peeping and possible rides in the Rocky Mountains with staff members to gather cattle.
Learn More:
- https://www.alamosa.org/
- https://www.montevistachamber.org
- https://www.creede.com/
- https://www.southfork.org/
Contact:
Reach out to Dr. Henderson for more information at 719-852-2561, or email the front desk This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. She will be the contact for university rotation sign-offs, reviews, etc.
