The Zoo Medicine Route (Am I crazy for wanting to do this??)

[MississppiGal]

Hey!! I am a 2nd year vet student and I am seriously considering specializing in zoo medicine. I know this field is pretty much impossible to get into. so I would appreciate any advice anyone has especially regarding internship/externship choices. I have always struggled with my GPA (around 3.2) but I have really great research experience and just spent the summer doing research at a zoo and have a few connections to zoo researchers (not vets) across the country. I know networking is a big part of the success rate with getting into this field, but I hope combined with my research experience it will be enough to overcome my lack of a perfect GPA and get a good externship (or internship after I graduate).

I haven't been able to talk with many zoo vets themselves or other students but from the previous posts on this forum it seems taking a year to pursue the small animal route is beneficial. Is there any truth in that? If so should I consider some small animal/ER externship opportunities instead of only zoo/exotic??

I also really want to find a way to combine more theriogenology with zoo medicine, but I know that is pretty much an impossible feat. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I still have two more years of school left so I have some time, but I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can to start off right before graduation.

Thanks!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WildZoo]

Hey!! I am a 2nd year vet student and I am seriously considering specializing in zoo medicine. I know this field is pretty much impossible to get into. so I would appreciate any advice anyone has especially regarding internship/externship choices. I have always struggled with my GPA (around 3.2) but I have really great research experience and just spent the summer doing research at a zoo and have a few connections to zoo researchers (not vets) across the country. I know networking is a big part of the success rate with getting into this field, but I hope combined with my research experience it will be enough to overcome my lack of a perfect GPA and get a good externship (or internship after I graduate).

I haven't been able to talk with many zoo vets themselves or other students but from the previous posts on this forum it seems taking a year to pursue the small animal route is beneficial. Is there any truth in that? If so should I consider some small animal/ER externship opportunities instead of only zoo/exotic??

I also really want to find a way to combine more theriogenology with zoo medicine, but I know that is pretty much an impossible feat. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I still have two more years of school left so I have some time, but I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can to start off right before graduation.

Thanks!!

Are you me? Haha.

The thing about the zoo med route is that there are many different ways to go about it. Are you interesting in becoming boarded in zoo medicine, so the full residency and boards route? Or are you looking to become a zoo vet without that step?

I don't know that you necessarily need to pursue small animal or ER externship opportunities - I would use that time to get experience in the fields you really want to end up in - zoo, therio, whatever. The reason a year of small animal is "beneficial" is because if you want to go the residency route, most require 1-2 years of experience (if not more). I guess what you could call the "traditional" path would be rotating internship (small or large animal) > specialty (zoo/wildlife/exotics) internship > zoo residency. You can also do several years in practice instead of the internships to follow that same path. Look into the path that other boarded zoo vets, or non-boarded zoo vets even, took. And attend conferences so you get a chance to network with them!

 

[WildZoo]

Oh, and as for combining therio with zoo med...I feel like that actually happens pretty naturally!

 

[MississppiGal]

Thank so much for your response! I am looking more towards the boarded route since many zoos are leaning towards that requirement. I'm more nervous about not having a high enough GPA to even be considered for an externship let alone an internship/residency. I'm not really good at following a set "traditional" path, so knowing there are many different ways to get into zoo medicine is very appealing.
Thanks!

 

[WildZoo]

Thank so much for your response! I am looking more towards the boarded route since many zoos are leaning towards that requirement. I'm more nervous about not having a high enough GPA to even be considered for an externship let alone an internship/residency. I'm not really good at following a set "traditional" path, so knowing there are many different ways to get into zoo medicine is very appealing.
Thanks!

You certainly don't have to follow that path in order to become boarded, it is just a more structured way to go about it and to ensure that you are hitting the requirements to sit for boards. If you don't do a residency, for example, you have to have 6 years of experience working as a zoo vet to sit for boards. There are still smaller zoos out there that hire non-boarded vets, I imagine those jobs themselves are also very competitive. And either way you have to have 5 peer reviewed publications - a residency is going to set you up to get those, but you can certainly do it without that structure.

I can tell you that I am applying for zoo/wildlife externships right now and of the 5 that are currently on my list, only 1 requires transcripts. That leads me to think that for externships at least, GPA is not going to be a huge consideration. Beyond that I don't really know how much a lower GPA is going to hinder you - I do know that networking certainly helps a lot. All the zoo people know each other.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Thank so much for your response! I am looking more towards the boarded route since many zoos are leaning towards that requirement. I'm more nervous about not having a high enough GPA to even be considered for an externship let alone an internship/residency. I'm not really good at following a set "traditional" path, so knowing there are many different ways to get into zoo medicine is very appealing.
Thanks!

Don't worry about externships. My GPA blows and I got every externship I applied for. Very few even require a transcript, let alone enforce a minimum GPA. a 3.2 isn't bad at all tbh, most competitive residents-to-bet have a 3.3+ so you're not too far off.

+1 on the networking, it's a huge friggin deal. You have to go to conference, I can't emphasize that enough. It's basically not optional for someone trying to break into the field. Spend your remaining summers doing things like externships that accept underclassmen, Marvet/Aquavet, etc. etc. If you want zoo med, you have to go at it intensely and be 110% dedicated. It'd be really good if you can get your research published, if not present it at any relevant conference.

 

[WildZoo]

I can't even contain my excitement about ExoticsCon being combined with the zoo conference next year. Will be in clinics, will still do whatever I have to in order to get to that conference.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I can't even contain my excitement about ExoticsCon being combined with the zoo conference next year. Will be in clinics, will still do whatever I have to in order to get to that conference.

I'm hoping to be able to get a few days to go as well! It was fun the last time all the major exotics groups got together, although it was difficult to choose which talks to go to.

 

[WildZoo]

I'm hoping to be able to get a few days to go as well! It was fun the last time all the major exotics groups got together, although it was difficult to choose which talks to go to.

I just wish they would do them in the summer more often! I was just at ExoticsCon in Atlanta this past weekend but could only stay through Monday, and even then I missed 8 lectures...

Got to go to the entire WDA conference last month though since it was before classes started. That was awesome. I also wish AAZV wasn't in Prague this year because there's is just...no way lol

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I just wish they would do them in the summer more often! I was just at ExoticsCon in Atlanta this past weekend but could only stay through Monday, and even then I missed 8 lectures...

Got to go to the entire WDA conference last month though since it was before classes started. That was awesome. I also wish AAZV wasn't in Prague this year because there's is just...no way lol

Yeah I was bummed about Prague too! I have a few friends going and I don't know how they're doing it. It would have been nice to go to Europe Maybe one day when we land jobs that will pay for us to go to conference...no matter where it is