Editor’s Note: In their fourth and final year of veterinary school, students are required to complete a series of two-week clinical rotations in the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center. This article is one in a series that highlights those rotations.
Erica Nelson is a fourth-year veterinary student at Iowa State University.
But for two weeks in January she experienced what life could be like after graduation.
“In other rotations I’ve taken, we have focused on basic skills,” she said. “This rotation allowed me, under clinical supervision, to function in a true doctor role.”
Fellow fourth-year student Kailyn Fittsporter agrees.
“The responsibility and autonomy that we were given from day one truly allowed us to work as doctors from the beginning,” she said. “We were able to think through our cases, prepare for the procedure and finalize paperwork which was truly the best practice for our future careers.”
The clinical rotation that Nelson and Fittsporter took was Equine Dentistry. During the rotation, students were responsible for performing examinations, creating sedation and treatment plans, determining when additional diagnostics were needed, and then communicating their findings and recommendations to clients.
The rotation included a combination of didactic lectures, group projects, and cadaver-based practice procedures in addition to working on live patients. During a surgery wet lab, the students got to practice equine sinus trephination and osteoplastic flaps on real cadavers.
“What made the rotation particularly unique and beneficial was the progression from learning the material in lecture, to practicing procedures in low-stakes cadaver setting, and then, in select cases such as tooth extractions, applying those skills to live horses,” Nelson said.
The didactic lectures are designed to give students a full review of the anatomy of the head and mouth of the horse before working with a live animal.
“We were super prepared with understanding the mechanisms of the mouth including supporting nerves and blood supply before we started working with live patients,” Fittsporter said.
Students were able to use specialized veterinary dental equipment to perform thorough dental examinations on live horses as well as doing routine equine dental procedures such as dental floats and extractions.
“We learned and practiced how to take diagnostic oral radiographic images,” said fourth-year student Emily Bourque. “My group actually used radiographs to diagnose a patient with Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis.”
The hands-on experience Nelson received during the Equine Dentistry clinical rotation will remain with the students long after they graduate.
“I am planning to go into equine general practice, where dentistry will be a major component of my day-to-day work,” she said. “This rotation provided a concentrated period of hands-on instruction and mentorship.
“It was empowering to build both my skills and confidence in this area, and I feel much better prepared to hit the ground running as a new graduate.”
January 2026