General Program Description

• CROW is a nonprofit wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center providing care for native and migratory wildlife on the Gulf Coast of Southwest Florida.
• CROW’s fully equipped wildlife hospital admits over 6,000 patients per year including more than 200 different species of birds, mammals, and reptiles.
• The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to return sick, injured or orphaned wild animals back to the wild.
• The Student Program is designed to augment the educational pursuits of natural science, veterinary, and veterinary technician students.
• Students are supervised and assisted by a full-time, boarded specialist veterinarian, veterinary interns, Certified Veterinary Technicians, wildlife rehabilitators, and other staff and volunteers.
• Emphasis is placed on the student gaining an understanding of the entire rehabilitation process from admittance to release, evidence-based wildlife and conservation medicine, as well as the One World, One Health concept.

Externship for Veterinary Medicine Students (4 to 12 weeks, minimum of 20 working days)

• Veterinary Medicine students participate in daily hospital and rehabilitation center activities with a focus on providing medical treatments and care to patients in critical care.
• Daily activities include giving all the medical treatments to patients, caring for neonatal wildlife (including assisted alimentation), observing surgery, administering anesthesia, learning to do venipuncture in a variety of species, giving parenteral and oral medications and fluids, admitting emergent wildlife patients, and performing physical exams, reading radiographs and cytology slides, learning routine husbandry, rescuing, and releasing wildlife as available.
• They participate in ongoing clinical research and give Education Center presentations to the public. They participate in weekly didactic and case rounds.
• After an initial training period, veterinary students may have the opportunity to assume primary case responsibility under the veterinarian’s supervision and guidance.
• They also help with feeding, cleaning, environmental enrichment, and patient welfare.
• Students will also be scheduled in our baby rooms as needed during the week.  

Duration

• The externship program lasts 4-12 weeks, depending on the student’s needs and program availability.
• Program openings are available throughout the year and applications are considered as they are received.
• On-site housing is available for $75 per week.  

Location

• CROW operates on a 12.5-acre campus on Sanibel Island, Florida. The organization's hospital and visitor education center are located adjacent to J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
• Beaches and local restaurants are a short distance from campus.
• The mainland of Fort Myers past the Sanibel Causeway is 15 minutes away from CROW.

Requirements

• Applicants must be over 18 years of age.
• Applicants must currently be attending an accredited veterinary medical school to be considered.
• A minimum of 1 year animal care experience is REQUIRED.
• All accepted applicants must agree to and sign rules and regulation forms regarding commitment, housing, dress code, code of conduct, photo policies, etc. along with liability waivers.
• Current fees include a $125 program fee and $75 per week housing fee. 
• This is an unpaid position.
• Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination is REQUIRED upon acceptance.
• All accepted applicants must provide proof of current tetanus immunizations and proof of pre-exposure rabies series.

How to Apply

• Visit our website at www.crowclinic.org and download and return completed application materials to students@crowclinic.org or to PO Box 150, Sanibel, FL 33957.
• For questions not answered on the website or in the application packet, please email students@crowclinic.org

THERE IS NO DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS. Applications are accepted year-round and are processed as they are received.