This news item is about: To many newly graduated DVMs, the first surgery performed on their own can be daunting. Cornell’s veterinary program has a long history of providing students with highly supervised opportunities to practice their skills, gain speed, and improve their techniques while they are still students. One opportunity, for example, has roots in a nearly decade-old partnership with Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester. Students from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine are able to participate in an externship at the shelter, building upon their knowledge of shelter medicine and giving them the opportunity to hone their surgical skills—before they graduate.