Suburbs to Rural Iowa
Every summer, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Rural Veterinary Internship Program (RVIP) embeds second- and third-year veterinary students in mixed animal clinics throughout rural Iowa.
Stuart, Iowa, is a long way from third-year student Lily Brandes Chicago suburb hometown.
But Stuart is where Brandes spent the past summer as a RVIP intern, working at the Stuart Veterinary Clinic. This is the second summer in a row that Brandes worked at this clinic.
Brandes, who plans to track food animal medicine in her clinical fourth year at Iowa State, knew she wanted to return to Stuart after spending the summer of 2025 at the clinic.
“My mentor there does a great job at keeping things light-hearted while also being able to teach,” Brandes said. “He is not only efficient but can multi-task and help me learn something as well.”
RVIP is designed to give students like Brandes a feel for what life after graduation would be like in a rural veterinary clinic and the clients and community it serves. Brandes was one of four CVM students to participate in the long-time program this past summer.
Typically the students do a little bit of everything in their internship to get a feel of what practicing veterinary medicine in a rural community would be like.
“I assisted with small animals but did a lot of large animal work as well,” Brandes said. “Some days I acted as a vet assistant but other days I was more hands-on with the vets who were really fantastic about teaching and letting me do things.
“I especially appreciated when I got to be hands-on with the medicine because it helped me feel more comfortable with my clinical skills.”
After graduating from Iowa State with her DVM, Brandes plans to practice large animal medicine, including working with equine. The two summers she has spent in Stuart has helped prepare her for that transition.
“Being in a mixed animal practice lets me get a taste of a little bit of everything,” she said. “I like that every day is different, and I never knew what I was going to see.”
September 2026