Offsite Electives

Develop surgery skills including laser surgery and dentistry.  Workup routine appointments and sick patients.  Gain additional experience in large animal medicine and surgery.

Student can choose from our many specialty departments to complete their elective blocks, and may stay for as long as they'd like.

Externs will assist the veterinarians and veterinary technicians in the daily clinical practice at the Fort Worth Zoo. Minimum skills to be learned and practiced by students include examination, blood collection techniques, basic laboratory techniques, and chemical immobilization and anesthesia of zoo animal species. Students will complete and present a project by the end of the externship.

Highlights: 

• Three- to eight-week externships for veterinary students in their clinical years
• Fully-equipped veterinary hospital (rigid/flexible endoscopy, ultrasound, blood gases analyzer, digital radiography, OR, ICU room, necropsy room) with a full-service in-house laboratory as well as a fully-equipped and staffed nutrition department
• Fully-staffed veterinary hospital with access to 4 full-time veterinarians including current and actively studying to become ACZM diplomates
• Potential for publications dependent on length of externship, dedication level, and interest
• This is a volunteer program; no monetary compensation, housing, transportation, or insurance will be provided

All students with a strong interest in zoo medicine are encouraged to apply. Self-motivated, self-starting students will have the greatest success in this externship. Application materials include:

• Cover letter, curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation
• Include 3 preferred time slots ranked in order of preference
• Submit application materials and prioritized time slots via email to veterinaryexternship@fortworthzoo.org

Externs must have a negative TB test within 6 months of start date, be up-to-date with tetanus vaccine (within the last 10 years), and have a current rabies vaccine or titer within the past 2 years

Students will spend their time here functioning as a resident would (with guidance, of course). Students will attend any scheduled rounds, read journal articles, and practice writing biopsy/ necropsy reports. Also spending mornings focusing on biopsies and afternoons participating in necropsies with our 3rd year clinical rotation students. We anticipate that students will take a necropsy case in the first week that will get presented to the group in the second week on Thursday over lunch.

You will be assigned a resident mentor per week to guide you. Additionally, you will have a chance to meet with individual pathologists to chat about careers in pathology and have any questions answered you may have.

Students selected to participate in WSU’s externship will be introduced to the anatomic pathology residency and graduate training program offered within the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL), the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology (VMP), and the School for Global Animal Health. Students will interact with 10 to 12 resident pathologists, nine ACVP boarded pathologists, and other faculty members while participating in diagnostic necropsies, evaluating histopathology from necropsies and surgical biopsies, and interpreting immunohistochemical and electron microscopic studies.  Externs will follow a subset of cases to their conclusion through ancillary laboratories (bacteriology, virology, serology, parasitology, toxicology, aquatic health, and molecular diagnostics).  Our caseload includes domestic small animals, food animals, horses, camelids, exotics, fish, and birds submitted from WSU’s veterinary teaching hospital, regional practitioners, and local clientele as well as wild mammals and birds submitted by wildlife biologists.  In addition, externs will meet with residents in the combined training program and selected faculty to discuss current research projects in order to understand the ongoing research in immunology and infectious diseases within VMP and the School for Global Animal Health. 

Externs will be responsible for their own travel expenses and housing, though faculty members, residents, and veterinary students may be able to provide assistance in establishing temporary housing.  A stipend of up to $500 may be provided by the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology to a limited number of interested externs.

Two to four week externships are available year-round with flexible start dates for students in good standing in their third or fourth year of veterinary training. No more than 2 externs will be accepted for the same period of time.  Applications will be accepted year round and should include CV, letter of intent, and unofficial transcripts.

AEH is a small, local emergency practice. We see a variety of emergencies from the surrounding areas including both medical and surgical emergencies. Experience will involve triaging incoming patients, initiating emergent stabilization measures, formulating treatment and diagnostic plans for patients and well as in-patient medical case management. 

Participate in all aspect of zoological medicine and husbandry.
 Learn husbandry of hospitalized animals while at the veterinary hospital or in quarantine.
 Assist with the treatment and medical care of hospitalized animals.
 Participate in the diagnosis and treatment of ongoing clinical cases under the veterinarian’s supervision.
 Learn clinical pathology techniques from veterinary technicians and veterinarians
 Acquire knowledge and skills in post-mortem examination techniques and differential diagnosis lists for deceased animals.
 Learn surgical techniques aimed at non-domestic animals.
 Become familiar with preventative medicine programs in zoo settings and their implementation.
 Understand how quarantine programs are designed and executed in a zoo setting
 Gain experience in the interpretation of radiographs and other imaging techniques in a zoological collection.
 Expand his/her knowledge on chemical and physical immobilization techniques in zoo animals.
 Practice and improve medical record-writing skills.
 Review up to date literature related to ongoing clinical cases and discuss findings with veterinary staff.
 Enhance his/her knowledge in zoonotic diseases and biosecurity in zoo settings
 Optional: Prepare a case report from one of the active cases at the zoo.
 Optional: With guidance from the veterinarians, write a case report/what is your diagnosis or clinical challenge during the preceptorship with the aim of having it published in a peer-reviewed journal.
 Interact with Animal Collections staff to obtain experience in husbandry practices in the different species at the zoo.

Student will participate in wellness appointments, sick appointments and a variety of cases. Opportunities for observation and assistance in routine surgeries as well as mass removals, dental procedures, occasional enucleations, laceration repairs, hematoma repairs, etc. are available. We do not do orthopedic work.

The extern will be immersed in all aspects of equine theriogenology and breeding farm operations.   The extern will shadow the veterinarian and participate in veterinary procedures including foaling, foal checks, foal and mare treatment and medications, mare breeding and pregnancy checks, embryo transfer, lab diagnostics, stallion collection and semen processing.  The breeding farm component includes care, feeding, catching, leading, watering and stall cleaning for horses.  The extern will also be exposed to general farm maintenance including feed and shaving management along with basic machinery / equipment usage and operation. 

This specialized externship is designed to provide valuable hands-on experience in the care of specific animals and habitats at an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited, world-class facility.

Students will work with veterinary staff to gain clinical experience working within the diverse collection of species in The Florida Aquarium’s managed- care collection, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, teleosts, elasmobranchs and marine invertebrates – and an ever-growing sea turtle rescue/rehabilitation program. Depending on seasonality, significant emphasis may be placed on rescue and rehabilitation of stranded sea turtles.

Expectations and Responsibilities:

Under the direction of the veterinary staff, students will: 

• Participate in all aspects of zoological medicine, including medical and surgical treatment, preventative medicine, quarantine protocols, pathology and daily case rounds.
• Review medical records and anesthetic protocols, monitor anesthesia, complete physical examinations, collect and interpret diagnostics, and develop treatment plans for cases in which they participate.
• Assist the veterinarians and veterinary technicians with all medical procedures during their rotation.
• Complete a project in alignment with ongoing clinical research or explore a clinical topic during the course of the program. A 20–30-minute presentation will be given by the student at the conclusion of the program. 

Qualifications:

• Must be either a third- or fourth-year veterinary student
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information
• Ability to work well independently and with a team
• Ability to communicate openly and professionally
• Ability to lift objects of up to 40 pounds as well as bend, crouch, squat and carry equipment
• Must provide proof of medical insurance
• Must provide proof of rabies vaccine/titer, tetanus vaccine and a recent TB test prior to starting the program

Time Commitment:

• Externships are a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of eight weeks.  
• Work days are primarily Monday-Friday, with possibility of after-hours and weekend on-call shifts for potential emergencies or rescue and recovery of stranded sea turtles.