Students will gain clinical experience with veterinary aspects of maintaining captive and free-ranging wildlife in a zoological setting. Emphasis will be placed on preventative health programs, quarantine, clinical pathology, pathology, nutrition, behavioral enrichment, husbandry, and management of a variety of species, including mega-vertebrates, hoofstock, large carnivores, non-human primates, small mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. All students must complete a project during their externship. Projects may be related to ongoing clinical research or a clinical topic, based on current cases and needs. Rotations of 6-8 weeks are preferred; exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Hospital staffing includes 3 clinical veterinarians, 4 registered veterinary technicians, and 3 hospital keepers. Collaborating institutions include Johns Hopkins Department of Comparative Pathology, National Aquarium in Baltimore, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Library accessible for students including numerous books and journals.
Students will participate in all facets of zoological medicine, including medical and surgical treatment, preventative medicine, quarantine procedures, animal restraint, pathology, clinical pathology, and daily case rounds. Students are expected to review medical records, develop anesthetic protocols, monitor anesthesia, complete physical examinations, collect and interpret diagnostics, and develop treatment plans for each case in which they participate. Students will assist the veterinarians and veterinary technicians with all medical procedures during their rotation. Students may be responsible for routine medications of certain hospitalized animals. Students will also be expected to define and complete their project, as well as other assignments as assigned, in a timely fashion.Transportation is the student's responsibility; free parking available. It is recommended that students have their own vehicle if possible, but limited public transportation is available. Students are required to have a negative TB test within 12 months prior to starting rotation, current vaccination for rabies, MMR, polio, tetanus, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Influenza vaccination is recommended, especially in the autumn and winter months.
To Apply, please submit a letter of intent, CV, 3 letters of recommendation, veterinary college transcript, and available dates to Dr. Andrea Aplasca at andrea.aplasca@marylandzoo.org
Limited assistance and recommendations may be available to help arrange temporary housing.