Endless <3

[ylrebmik]

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I absolutly love this field. I'm doing research about different internships/ volunteering/ opportunities available in this field... it's incredible. I wish I was 18 so I could actually do some of these things; amazing. What sort of opportunities or internships / jobs and such have all of you had in undergrad?!

 

[pressmom]

Well, I wasn't pre-vet in undergrad, but one of my favorite things I did was volunteer in wildlife rehab. It's not something I would choose to do as a career, but it was amazing to see a variety of different species (snakes, turtles, songbirds, birds of prey, squirrels, rabbits, possums, etc.) and the emergency medicine aspects of it as well. It's also amazing to know you can do so much for so many animals with so few supplies.

Also, if your college has it, I'd recommend taking a food animal care class. Again, not what I want to do as a career, but it was great to feel comfortable with cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. In fact, I'm doing Food Animal Medicine and Surgery next semester as my clinical exposure.

 

[sumstorm]

internships and volunteering are probably possible at any age. I certainly still do a lot of this, and I am a decade past 18. Actually, I have more opportunities now than I did while in college (I worked 40+ hours per week while attending full time.)

I did do a zoo internship, several independent studies, and a physiological honors research project while in undergrad, and completed a TJ Watson fellowship after.

 

[Kylana]

Hey I agree that internships are possible at any age! I interned at a wildlife rehabilitation center in the summer specializing in marine mammals and, while I am still an undergrad, there was an intern who was in her 50's. And another intern who was a vet and had her own clinic, but got tired of small animal medicine and decided to sell her practice and move to a different country for a few months to work with seals.

 

[pupsforseeing]

I second what the above posters have said. I started my first full-time job at a vet clinic right before I turned 16. I also had a summer internship in a physiological science research lab at a large university when I was 17. My situation was a little unique in allowing for those opportunities, but I' just mentioning it to make the point that don't feel like because you're under 18 all these possibilities are closed off to you. That certainly isn't the case! Sometimes it requires a little more creativity and you have to prove yourself as being as mature/trustworthy/capable as the older applicants, but it is definitely a possibility.

Good luck!

 

[ylrebmik]

Well there isn't a clinic within a 25 minute radius that allows me to shadow. Or Volunteer. I've found internships but there 45 minutes away and my mom won't let me travel that far. But it's senior year, I know where I'm going and I've found the most amazing internships up where I'm going to school and this summer I'm doing an education internship at my zoo. But I'm really excited for undergrad.