Summer Internships

[cliffordhj]

I'm currently searching and applying for summer internships, many of which are at zoos, aquariums and wildlife centers. Although a few of them designate veterinary/pre-vet internships, most are just "animal care", where you may work with vets at some point, but most of the time you won't be.

My question is whether these internships are worth applying for, or taking, if the designated veterinary internships cannot be obtained? I would be working with animals I have previously had little experience with, maybe doing research with them, but not with a vet.

TIA!

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[SSeventTT]

cliffordHJ, I'm currently in the same boat as you. Most internships are non-paid and animal based rather than veterinary-based. Most veterinary internships are actually externships designed for veterinary students, not pre-veterinary. Yet they want you to have thousands of hours under vets...

I believe that most forms of animal experience would definitely strengthen your resume and broaden your horizons, so to speak. Most vets are particular about who they let shadow them, and they are generally unpaid volunteer positions. I am currently working for a vet now, being paid, after spending about 50 hours volunteering. Internships are also an option but they are super competitive and require lots of references and paperwork. I am applying a select few research based, animal internships as to strength my experience but any veterinary internships I found for pre-vet closed January 1st (we missed that boat!).

Best of luck!

 

[cliffordhj]

SSeventTT, thats what I've kind of assumed. Obviously my first choice would be to spend time interning/volunteering/working for a vet this summer, but if not I figure gaining experience with animals and research can't hurt.

Here's what I'm talking about:

Vet technician internship: http://www.statenislandzoo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=185

Animal Care internship:http://www.statenislandzoo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=178

Same zoo, 2 different programs. Obviously the 1st one wold look better, but I don't think the 2nd one could hurt.


As for the application dates, keep looking! I've found so many that are due in February and March, so don't give up.

 

[SSeventTT]

Thanks cliffordHJ, I've certainly found plenty of internships that are due in the next month or two, there are just less veterinary specific ones! Now the problem is narrowing down my selection....

And I agree with you about the internships, the first one would most likely look better, but they both look like awesome opportunities! I think that if you can apply for both you definitely should. I am doing that for an aquarium where you can apply for up to three positions so if you dont get your first choice, at least you are still considered.

Also, since neither of those jobs are full time you could do the vet shadowing and the zoo internship. I'm planning on working at least two places this summer, so I have at least one paying, but honestly the more hours the better so if you're good on money, they just work your butt off. Vet schools really acknowledge hard work and commitment like that, particularly if its all volunteer.

 

[kaydubs]

I did an internship last year at the Philadelphia Zoo (not animal care, but a different one). I'm not sure where you're looking for internships but AZA.org (http://www.aza.org/JobListings) is a great place to look. I'm currently considering applying for another but I did see a pre-vet one (if you're interested in exotics). I believe it's yearly (paid & housing is provided!- Rochester, NY). If you'd want more information, let me know. Deadlines vary, but many are up and coming in the next month or so.

If you have a place to stay, unpaid internships aren't bad. After managing to score one for a summer, I'm working full-time this year & shadowing with a vet unless I get that paid internship. If you manage to get one, I'd recommend the experience but, if you're a bit low on money (like most students...or anyone really in this economy), gaining more experience shadowing may be a better route (in my opinion)

 

[drwildlife]

Almost all of my experience is purely animal based. The way I see it, as I'm sure most vet schools do too, the profession requires more than just an understanding of medicine. You have to know how to recognize normal behavior in an animal in order to tell when something is seriously wrong with it. Especially when it comes to practicing at a zoological institution.

I have been doing an "internship" for the past two years at a zoo and the longer I've been there, the greater number of doors have opened for me. I worked with just birds for half a year before being allowed the awesome opportunity of working with the African Elephants. From that department, I gained veterinary experience as well as normal animal experience due to the Artificial Insemination projects they do.

In the end, any animal internships certainly won't hurt you. It will most likely open more doors for you. If you have a zoo close to you, I suggest volunteering there for starters as much as possible.

 

[Bigcatlover]

Yes, definitely do the non-vet specific internships!! They want someone with variety, not necessarily just vet-related. Besides, I think research under someone with a PhD counts as vet experience.

I did zoo internships and you get plenty of chances to see the vets working. Anytime something is done with an animal in your area you'll get to observe, and maybe even help in restraint, it tends to be a pretty big team effort especially with the larger animals.

And even if you aren't working specifically under the vets or hospital and the zoo, there are probably plenty of opportunities to try and observe those things on your "time off". For instance, the zoo I worked at allowed anyone who wanted to view any necropsies that took place

 

[Moonstruckmuse]

I'm doing an unpaid internship right now at the New England Wildlife Center, but they have really cheap housing, and it's a GREAT internship, imho. Granted, I'm doing winter, so I've got it easy (a LOT less busy, a lot more work with surgery, etc), but you get tons of hands-on work, you work the job of a vet tech (vet tech just has to be supervising you), and you get to work with tons of species doing lots of diff medical procedures, etc. It's awesome.

So yeah, just another option, and a plug for a great place.

 

[drwildlife]

Yes, definitely do the non-vet specific internships!! They want someone with variety, not necessarily just vet-related. Besides, I think research under someone with a PhD counts as vet experience.

say whaaa? is this true? I have plenty of veterinary experience but, it would always be awesome to have more - especially since I do research with a PhD professor.

 

[Bigcatlover]

say whaaa? is this true? I have plenty of veterinary experience but, it would always be awesome to have more - especially since I do research with a PhD professor.

I'm pretty sure, I thought I saw someone say the same thing. And looking at VMCAS, it is a little unclear, but says basically animal experience with veterinarians, health scientists, or other health professionals. I put my research experience under veterinary experience anyway.

 

[twelvetigers]

Yes, research work under a PhD or MD/DO can also count as veterinary experience, as long as it's not physics research or something like that.

 

[2short4life]

I think internships are definitely great experiences. I was an intern over the summer at an aquarium and it was definitely worth it. It was more animal-based but I was able to shadow the vet a few times. My internship was over in the summer but I was allowed to stay as a husbandry volunteer.

 

[Kem9987221]

Another idea, if u go to a large research university try contacting the vets for the research animals. I emailed the divison of laboratory animal resources ay my school and did an internship with them last summer. It was amazing, I had all of the responsibility of a tech and was able to do all sorts of vet experience. Just an idea to look into

 

[Kem9987221]

P.s I don't know where the thumbs down came from, sorry