Wildlife Rehabilitation Internship?

[PoggySue]

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Hello all!

I have been poking around SDN for awhile now, but I have just made an account and plan on participating a lot more now 🙂 I decided I wanted to pursue veterinary medicine in the spring (I was previously thinking of becoming a zoologist or wildlife biologist), so I'm very lacking in my animal/veterinary experience hours.

I'm looking into internships for summer 2012, and a wildlife rehabilitation internship seems to be my best option. I've already gotten denied to two strictly veterinary internships for my lack of experience (which seems odd to me, how can I get experience when they deny me for no experience?)

Does a wildlife rehabilitation internship look good on a veterinary school application? Would it be considered animal experience, or would it be veterinary experience if a veterinarian is also working there? OR should I expand my search for a large or small animal veterinary internship?

Any help would be appreciated! I'm afraid not having thousands of hours of experience is going to be my downfall, when it's not due to lack of effort 🙁

 

[Trematode]

Since it appears that you have no veterinary or animal experience, apply for the wildlife internship. You really have nothing to lose. If you have no vet/animal experience, it is a start.

If by veterinary "internship", you ment that you are trying to obtain a competitive position that takes place over a certain period of time, start off with asking vet clinics if you can shadow or volunteer. You will have a much better chance at getting a shadowing/volunteer position then obtaining an internship. The experience you get while shadowing/volunteering will help you qualify for internships in the future.

If by "internship", you really ment shadowing/volunteering, be persistent at the places you have applied to. Check out other places: shelters, low cost spay/neuter clinics, zoos, labs at your university, farms, stables, etc. Getting a volunteer position at a place that counts towards animal experience may open the doors to opportunities to gain veterinary experience.

 

[chickenlittle]

Also, remember that most vets start off in rather unglamorous areas of a vet clinic for their initial experiece!

My pre-veterinary experience at the time I applied to vet school consisted of:
- 3 months FT kennel person at a vet clinic
- 4 months receptionist/assistant at a mixed practice
- 4 months volunteer work at a barn that rented horses for trail rides (rather sketchy and I spent most of my time cleaning stalls, but did pick up some basic info on horse care)
- 6 months volunteer work with the veterinary department of a zoo (mostly spent cleaning cages & mopping floors, but usually got to see 1-2 cool things per week)
- 6 months volunteer work with a wildlife rehab facility (got to do all kinds of cool stuff, but no vet there)

My point is that you probably won't get to do anything vet-related right away. The first thing that veterinary clinics want to see is that you're interested/commited... ie. you're willing to clean cages and do other un-fun stuff. If you're having trouble finding volunteer work, I'd consider also applying for paid positions at Banfield (often hiring.... and they have their pros/cons, but it's a good way to get your foot in the door) as well as boarding kennels (turnover is usually high so they often need dog-walkers).

Also, as someone who was initially interested in wildlife/zoology and now is bored out of my mind in small animal medicine, I'd advise you to pay close attention during your vet clinic time to make sure this is really what you want to do. Zoo/wildlife work is insanely competitive so most likely you'll end up in private practice... make sure it's really something you can see doing for the rest of your life BEFORE shelling out $100-200k for the degree!!

Hope that helps!

 

[Lissarae06]

I did a summer internship at a wildlife rehab center when I was in undergrad. Hands-down, one of the best experiences of my life. We didn't have a full-time vet, but that doesn't mean I didn't learn a lot about vet med. The rehabber was allowed to do a lot of "procedures" on her own, like wrap wings, give shots, etc. I learned a lot about nutrition and husbandry for the wildlife. I think the admin at Ok-State had me list it as animal experience on my app, just fyi.

 

[spoondiggity]

I volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary in Australia during summer 2010 - BEST experience of my life! (It was Australia - how could it not be, right?)

I would say go for it - especially if wildlife is what you are interested, volunteering will let you know if you are on the right track. Also, having that experience will broaden your resume when you try to apply for future veterinary internships!

 

[squirrelsrule]

Great to see another wildlife lover 👍. I also decided recently to pursue veterinary medicine (about a year and a half ago). I too was interested in wildlife rehabilitation- so much so that I have my own permits and started my own non-profit. Wildlife rehab is amazing and something I won't ever give up, but in the end it isn't really something I see myself making a living at.

Your best bet is to call around and ask about shadowing. That will get your foot in the door, then keep an eye out for entry level assistant or kennel jobs that pay. You'll probably have to work your way up from cleaning and walking dogs to actually working with the vet possibly monitoring anesthesia and getting supplies and stuff, but it's worth it and great experience.

Good luck to you! When are you planning on applying? How many of the pre-requisites have you completed? If you have 2 or more years, I'd say the wildlife rehab internship would be a great way to get started with animal experience and might help you get a vet assistant job next year. I'd also try shadowing at the same time too, though, if you have the time.

 

[racccjlm]

I was an intern for a summer at a wildlife rehab clinic ---- and did a lot of searching around on the internet at that time ---- here are a few you could check out:

http://www.wildlifeimages.org/rehabilitation/become-an-intern

http://sealrescue.org/internships.html

http://wolfhollowwildlife.org/education/internships/

http://asci.uvm.edu/intern/?Page=wildlife/crow.html&SM=internmenu.html

http://www.northcoastmmc.org/opportunities/internships/

With any internship in wildlife rehab, be prepared for a lot of long hours and hard work. It was certainly a rewarding experience - one that I wouldn't give up - but they sure knew how to work us 😉

 

[LetItSnow]

Would it be considered animal experience, or would it be veterinary experience if a veterinarian is also working there? OR should I expand my search for a large or small animal veterinary internship?

Any help would be appreciated! I'm afraid not having thousands of hours of experience is going to be my downfall, when it's not due to lack of effort 🙁

It would depend on the nature of the internship. Unless they've changed things, very broadly speaking it is vet experience if it is supervised by a veterinarian. I had a few hundred hours at a wildlife rehab place, but I ended up deciding to put it under 'animal experience' (though the same place had internships that were clearly 'veterinary', I just didn't do one).

 

[wildcatj]

Here's where most rehab facilities do their job/internship postings: http://www.nwrawildlife.org/job-search
I started out on the wildlife biologist path as well so I know where you're coming from. I've worked in wildlife rehab for 2 years and it's definitely an experience! Facilities vary greatly place to place as does how much you will get to do. But with few exceptions it should be a great learning experience. Good luck!

 

[PoggySue]

Thanks everyone for all of your replies! This has been very helpful 🙂 It's good to know I can still be on the right track. I'll definitely apply for the rehabilitation positions, it seems like something I'll really enjoy.

Good luck to you! When are you planning on applying? How many of the pre-requisites have you completed? If you have 2 or more years, I'd say the wildlife rehab internship would be a great way to get started with animal experience and might help you get a vet assistant job next year. I'd also try shadowing at the same time too, though, if you have the time.

I'm currently a junior undergraduate student, so I really need to take advantage of this summer and rack up some hours. I did work at a kennel attendant in high school though, and I've been volunteering at the humane society near my school so I do have some small animal experience. All of my pre-reqs are basically complete, right now I'm trying to narrow down where I'm applying so I can decide whether or not I need to take Animal Nutrition somehow (if I decide to apply to MSU or Purdue, I'm basically keeping my school search to the midwest)

 

[TXvet]

I often go to The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Kendalia,Texas with injured wildlife that cannot be released. I know thay have internships-not sure about availability though or what experience you need to apply (if any). It is a beautiful area-not much out there though. It is only about 1 hour from San Antonio and 1.5 hours from Austin.

 

[WildlifeSaver]

All I can say is, competitive. I recently was rejected a seal internship with a really nice resume..Animal experiences from a aquarium, wildlife refuage, shelter and vet clinic. Many years to have the items listed. They told me that I can be considered for future years to come and gave me a voluenteer position. The internship is 12 hours a week for 9 months that is NOT paid at all. Its very depressing.🙁

 

[TehSwizz]

I did a wildlife rehabilitation internship in Florida last summer that I really liked. It was really hard work and really long hours, but I saw and did a lot that I normally would not have. They did have two vets when I was there, but I'm unsure as to whether or not they still have one. It's called the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife and it's located on Sanibel Island, Florida. They even have housing for a one time fee. I would highly recommend something different like this.

http://www.crowclinic.org/

 

[chickenlittle]

My understanding is that CROW tries to maintain one permanent staff veterinarian, then fills their other veterinarian openings through internships. I've heard they're awesome.

Here's an ad for their DVM intern positions, if anyone's curious: http://www.aazv.org/jobdisplayspecific.cfm?jobnbr=970064

Not to be all gloom and doom, but the competition and low pay are worth considering.... There were at least 10-15 of us in my vet school class who entered vet school with the plan of going down the wildlife/zoomed path. Only one of us actually works in that field... and that person has been doing internships (like what you see above) for most of that time. I think it's easy to see why the zoo/wildlife path is a good dream, but one that requires a realistic backup plan or a sugar daddy/mama 😉

 

[rhinocerotidae]

My advice: Get experience in the area that you would want to pursue as a veterinarian. If you want to work with large animals, get experience with large animals. If you want to work with wildlife, get experience with wildlife. If your unsure, try and work with everything to find out!

That being said, I do believe that a variety of vet/animal experience does look good on a resume, it shows your depth and understanding of the profession. If you don't get an internship then see if you can volunteer. Every little bit counts!

You can always look into volunteering abroad too. I worked with wildlife in Africa and it was amazing!!