NC State spotlights Kristen Folk’s Hilltop externship

NC State College of Veterinary Medicine has highlighted veterinary student Kristen Folk’s summer externship at Hilltop Animal Hospital in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, as part of its 2026 “From the Field” series. Folk, a rising third-year student from Kutztown, Pennsylvania, is spending the summer in small animal practice at Hilltop while also conducting a Veterinary Scholars Program research project and working part time with NC State’s Large Animal Hospital. In her dispatch, she said the externship gave her hands-on exposure to small animal medicine and helped her translate a background rooted primarily in equine and large animal work into a companion animal setting. (cvm.ncsu.edu)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the update is a small but useful snapshot of how colleges are preparing students for mixed and evolving career paths. NC State frames summer externships as a way for students to apply classroom learning in real-world settings, and Hilltop positions itself as a full-service companion animal hospital serving the Fuquay-Varina community. That kind of practice-based exposure can help students build confidence across species, sharpen client communication, and test whether small animal general practice fits alongside other interests before clinical year decisions narrow their focus. (cvm.ncsu.edu)

What to watch: Expect more student dispatches from NC State’s 2026 “From the Field” series as the summer progresses, offering a clearer picture of how these externships shape career direction and clinical interests. (cvm.ncsu.edu)