The college offers a program for veterinary practitioners who wish to observe services in the College of Veterinary Medicine and its Clinical Programs for a limited period of time. Veterinarians visiting college facilities are observers only; for insurance reasons, they are not allowed to become involved in clinical procedures.

Application Procedures & Requirements

Our Visiting Veterinarian Program provides an opportunity for veterinarians to observe in our clinical services for a short period of time. A fee may be charged for visiting our facilities and clinical services. This fee does not include accommodations or any other travel/personal expenses. The fee is decided and set depending on your current position and will be determined after receiving the documents listed below. DVMs that are in the academic sector have a specific fee, as do DVMs that are in the private practice or that are independent. 

A $200 non-refundable processing and application fee will be charged once your visit is approved by the faculty and service.

Veterinarians visiting our facilities are here as OBSERVERS ONLY. Visitors are not allowed to become involved in clinical procedures due to licensing, immigration (when applicable), and liability restrictions. 

Because we are located in a rabies endemic area, rabies vaccination is required for all individuals in the hospital and diagnostic laboratory. In addition, all visitors must provide proof of a U.S. based health and professional liability insurance to cover the visit.

To apply to the Visiting Veterinarian Program, complete the form here.

Infection Control Guidelines

These procedures are to be performed prior to entering our facility.

1. When traveling from abroad prior to arriving on site, any visitor should launder all clothing worn at farms or while in contact with animals in a foreign country that you will be bringing during your visit. Remove all dirt or debris from shoes, equipment or other articles before packing them and entering the U.S. Clothing MUST BE thoroughly laundered before being worn. Bring more than one pair of coveralls or lab coats.
2. Footwear must be carefully and thoroughly scrubbed clean and disinfected using the following procedure:
   • For rubber over boots, scrub well with a detergent. (Detergent with bleach, mixed at 2 ounce per gallon of water works well for this.)
   • After scrubbing, mix a fresh solution of detergent in hot water and fully immerse the boots for at least 15 minutes. (IF available, a disinfectant can be used in place of detergent.)
   • Rinse boots with water, allow to dry completely.
   • For other footwear, clean and scrub as described above. Use a toothbrush to get into any grooves in the soles. After cleaning, if boots cannot be immersed, allow the soles of the shoes to stand in a shallow container in a solution of 1:32 bleach solution (4 oz. per gallon) for a minimum of 5 minutes. Allow boots to dry completely.
3. DO NOT bring equipment (pocket organizers, thermometers, hoof picks, lead ropes, fanny packs) to our facilities unless they are new.
4. Stethoscopes are the exception. Your stethoscope must be thoroughly cleaned. To clean, first remove any organic matter with a wet sponge. Using a 4x4, wipe with Nolvasan solution, covering all surface areas, allow to dry. Wipe off with water and soft cloth, spray or wipe stethoscope with alcohol and allow to dry. Use Q-tips to clean the small parts and remove the cover on the head of the stethoscope and clean separately following the above procedure.
5. Cornell will no longer require visitors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and/or obtain a medical or religious exemption. New visitors will not need to provide proof of vaccination prior to beginning their visiting training program. We urge everyone to follow CDC guidelines and stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.

If you have any questions, please email cvm-profservices@cornell.edu.