The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“ASPCA”) is offering an unpaid externship in veterinary forensic sciences. The ASPCA Veterinary Forensic Sciences Program at the University of Florida is the nation’s first such curriculum within an educational institution. It promotes the application of forensic sciences to veterinary medicine to aid in the understanding, prevention and prosecution of animal cruelty. It is dedicated to meeting the veterinary forensic science needs of individuals and agencies worldwide, including education, research and applied casework.
The purpose of the ASPCA Forensic Veterinary Medicine Externship Program is to provide third and fourth year veterinary students and veterinary residency candidates with an opportunity to learn critical skills and to observe veterinary forensic medicine and the veterinary role in the management of animal cruelty cases.
This unpaid externship is managed by the ASPCA’s Veterinary Forensic Sciences Team.
Externs are expected to be present for a regular 40-hour week, Monday through Friday, during the term of the externship, which is generally 2-3 weeks long.
During this time the externs will be exposed to all of the basic concepts of forensic veterinary medicine. They will participate in the intake of all new cases submitted by law enforcement. They will assist with forensic necropsies as well as spend time with the local medical examiner learning applicable applications of human forensic pathology.
Several learning modules, journal articles and other materials specifically focused on forensic veterinary medicine and animal crime scene investigation will be made available to the veterinary student externs.
If the opportunity presents itself the students may participate in any deployments that arise with the ASPCA’s FIR (Field Investigation and Response) Team, involving the evaluation of live victims of animal cruelty, a crime scene investigation, and/or attendance at a criminal trial.