Internships/Summer Studys

[vegetablesoup]

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Hey everybody,

So I was wondeing if any of you have done internships during your undergrad years, especially to gain zoo/wildlife veterinary animal experience.

I'm currently doing an internship at a local zoo, and its really great! Its mostly with the zookeepers, but I'm able to sneak a peak at the veterinary aspect when I get the chance and the veterinarian 'doesn't mind' that I observe, but she really doesn't work with pre-vet students. That seems to be a common saying among zoo vets being that they don't work with pre-vet students - only vet students (I've tried to apply for internships at Zoos in order to work at the vet, but the admistrative staff mentioned that the vet ONLY works with vet students). I think I'll have about ~450 hours in zoo medicine once the semester is over.

I'm hoping that I WILL be a vet student next year since I gained 2 interviews and just waiting for the results. (That may help me get to work directly with the vets when I apply for an internship.)

But still, I'm wondeing if you guys have any advice on YOUR experiences gaining more zoo/wild animal experiences. I've heard of the Seneca Park Fellowship, but I recently got rejected because I don't have a 4.0, basically.

I also know of a nature center near by that takes rehabilitation volunteers, too. But I don't think they have a staff vet.

Thanks!

 

[destiny1325]

I did an internship at a wildlife clinic. The vet would only come in Thursday nights when he was done working his small animal clinic, so I didn't do much work directly under the veterinarian, but it was still one of my best experiences. I loved working with the other volunteers and the public, and I got the most hands on experience there since the volunteers usually do most of the treatments. It also left me with a great feeling of "making a difference" even if it was a small one. If you are concerned about not being able to work with a veterinarian maybe you could still look into volunteering there once a week?

 

[NoleDevil]

I currently volunteer at an aquarium and I absolutely love it! I mainly deal with sea turtles and stingrays. I'm involved in feeding, medicating, and restraining them. We have a vet that comes by often - I usually help him restrain turtles or just observe when he's doing an exam on an animal (there are also river otters and dolphins at the aquarium). I'm just a typical "animal care volunteer," not an intern, so I don't always get a chance to assist/watch the vet because I've got other duties to tend to (plus, the staff at the aquarium usually help him out instead)! It's a really awesome experience!