The Hampton Roads Vet Hospice Clinical Rotation Program

A Strategic Investment in Yourself

This elective rotation provides immersive exposure to veterinary hospice and palliative medicine in a home setting, emphasizing quality-of-life assessment, pain management, caregiver communication, interdisciplinary care coordination, and humane end-of-life support. Interns, residents, and student externs gain practical experience delivering medical care within the context of the human–animal bond, caregiver capacity, and ethical decision-making.

Interested in a clinical rotation with Hampton Roads Vet Hospice or Caring Pathways?

Please fill out this interest form, and someone will be in touch with you soon.

Eligibility

Final-year veterinary students (with institutional approval)
Veterinary interns (rotating or specialty internships)
Veterinary residents (all disciplines)
A valid veterinary license in the state of practice is required for any primary case responsibility

Clinical Experience

Students and House Officers will participate in supervised:

In-home hospice and palliative care consultations
Pain and symptom management visits
Quality-of-life assessments and care planning
In-home euthanasia appointments (observation with graduated participation if skills and rotation duration allow)

Clinical responsibility for house officers increases progressively based on learner experience and preceptor assessment.

Educational Components

Curated asynchronous CE modules covering hospice principles, pain management, quality-of-life tools, ethics, and caregiver support
Case-based discussions with CHPV and CHPT preceptors
Exposure to interdisciplinary hospice team roles and systems-based practice considerations

Learning Objectives

By the end of the rotation, participants will be able to:

Assess quality-of-life and symptom burden in patients with advanced or chronic disease
Contribute to individualized, comfort-focused treatment plans
Communicate effectively with caregivers facing complex end-of-life decisions
Apply ethical frameworks to hospice care and euthanasia decision-making
Integrate hospice and palliative care principles into general or specialty practice

Evaluation

Learners receive formative feedback throughout the rotation, addressing:

Medical knowledge and clinical reasoning
Communication and professionalism
Ethical decision-making and engagement

Written evaluations or letters of completion are available for home institutions.

DVM 360 Article:

Why should I consider a clinical rotation in end-of-life care as a primary care, emergency, or specialty veterinarian?

Read the Article Here

Here’s what Past Externs had to Say About Their Caring Pathways Experience

Ethan Y. Ontario Veterinary College of Medicine c/o 2024

“During the one short week I spent with Caring Pathways I had the luck to shadow 5 different doctors. It was very valuable to see the different approaches to the anesthetic/euthanasia protocols, as well as excellent communication and client care to help ease the owners’ grief.”

Alex H. Colorado State University c/o 2023

“I absolutely LOVED my Caring Pathways experience. I gained SO MUCH valuable experience with CP. I chose to do this because I don’t feel that we get enough euthanasia experience as a student, and I was so glad I chose to do this to gain more of that. I truly feel that the shadowing that I did during this externship will help me immensely as a doctor. Not only the communication skills that I observed, but the dosage/medication protocols and body care afterwards were so invaluable.”

Genevieve C. Cornell University c/o 2023

“I loved finally getting to see end-of-life care appointments in person, especially in the homes of clients. There are not many practices that will allow a veterinary student to travel with them to shadow these appointments so I was grateful for the opportunity to do so with Caring Pathways.”