Veterinary Internship in Wildlife and Conservation Medicine

The Wildlife Center of Virginia (WCV) will be offering a year-long veterinary internship commencing June 2nd, 2008. The Wildlife Center is a non-profit conservation organization with a professionally staffed, fully equipped, 5,700 square foot hospital, research, and environmental education center located in Waynesboro, Virginia, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.

WCV is presented with approximately 3,000 patients annually representing over 200 different species. Sixty percent of the patients are birds and approximately half of these are raptors.

The intern will be supervised by two full-time veterinarians, two licensed veterinary technicians, animal care staff, and numerous volunteers. The intern will be involved in all aspects of wildlife medicine including physical examination, diagnostic sample collection, radiography, anesthesia, surgery, medical treatment, necropsy, husbandry, record maintenance, telephone consultations, and presentations at rounds. The intern will also supervise senior veterinary students from various schools. Conference presentation and writing for publication are encouraged. Opportunities exist to be involved in ongoing conservation medicine research projects as well as interaction with local or allied institutions (National Zoo, University of Virginia, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Virginia Marine Science Museum, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine).

Candidates must have a strong interest in wildlife medicine, and must have well-developed interpersonal and communication skills. Experience in wildlife medicine is desirable, but not required. Preference will be given to applicants with clinical experience. A Virginia veterinary license will be required.

Application will be through the AAVC Matching Program, and the deadline for applications is the 3rd of December, 2007. Questions regarding the program should be directed to Director of Veterinary Services, The Wildlife Center of Virginia, P.O. Box 1557 , Waynesboro , VA 22980.

Senior Veterinary Student Wildlife Medicine Externship

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is a non-profit hospital for native wildlife, located in Waynesboro, Virginia. The goal of the veterinary department is to advance the mission of the Wildlife Center of Virginia by providing professional medical care to injured, sick and orphaned wild animals in order to return them to their natural environment; training veterinarians and professional veterinary students in wildlife medicine; conducting health studies on the diseases of free-living wildlife; and disseminating information on health issues of wildlife to the public and policymakers. The majority of these animals are injured due to human intervention, and the veterinary department emphasizes measures to prevent human related causes of morbidity and mortality.

The 5700 sq. ft. state of the art facility is fully equipped with gas anesthesia, surgery, radiographic equipment, laboratory facilities, inside and outside holding areas, and flight cages. At any time there may be from 80 to 250 animals on the premises.

The animal care staff includes experienced wildlife veterinarians, a licensed veterinary technician, a veterinary intern, several wildlife rehabilitators, and scores of volunteers. In addition, the Wildlife Center has a strong environmental education department that presents programs across the state.

Our veterinary externship program is designed to provide senior veterinary students a hands-on experience in all aspects of wild animal handling, maintenance, and treatment. Throughout the extern's two-to-six week rotation he or she is taught anatomy, physical restraint, anesthesia, radiography, laboratory analysis, emergency triage, first aid, orthopedics, necropsy procedures, medications and dosages. In addition, animal housing requirements, husbandry, and the legal aspects associated with wildlife medicine are learned.

Since 1986 over 200 externs from thirty-five different veterinary schools have studied at The Wildlife Center. If requested, the Center will provide housing. The student who resides in the on-site apartment will be responsible for after-hours emergency admissions and occasional evening treatments. Externs are selected on a first come first serve basis. 

Interested students should apply in writing to:

The Wildlife Center of Virginia
P.O. Box 1557
Waynesboro, VA 22980

Please include a résumé along with a letter explaining career goals and the time period desired.

Goals
The extern is expected to achieve the following goals:

1. Be able to identify the common wildlife species of Virginia and have some understanding of their natural history.
2. Know the techniques used to restrain wild animals, and perform physical restraint of wild reptiles, birds and mammals.
3. Perform physical examinations, basic clinical techniques (such as venipuncture), and treatment of wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
4. Be able to perform and interpret basic diagnostic procedures such as hematology and radiography of reptiles, birds and mammals.
5. Perform both inhalation, and if appropriate, injectable anesthesia on wild reptiles, birds and mammals.
6. Perform surgical procedures such as wound repair on appropriate cases.
7. Know the humane methods of euthanasia used in wildlife species.
8. Perform gross necropsies on wild reptiles, birds, and mammals.
9. Have a basic knowledge of the important diseases of North American wildlife, especially wildlife zoonoses.
10. Understand the medical and ethical issues regarding the treatment, rehabilitation and conservation of wildlife.
11. Understand the concept of conservation medicine, and the role the Wildlife Center can play in wildlife disease monitoring, ecosystem health, conservation and public education.
12. Develop communication skills by presenting a seminar on a case report, or topic of interest to the staff of the Wildlife Center.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Actively participate in rounds.
2. Be present at the center from 8 AM to 5 PM (or later). The after hours emergency duty is shared between the intern and the students. Students will have one weekday off per week worked.
3. Students are welcome to use reference materials from the library and veterinary office. They may also be borrowed overnight with permission from the veterinarian.
4. Follow the instructions of staff members. Please approach the veterinary director, Dr. Jonathan Sleeman with any questions or problems that you may have.
5. Students are expected to shut all windows, lock all doors, and arm the alarm system if they are the last to leave and if in the building after hours.
6. Be familiar with the policies of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
7. Minimize patient stress. The patients at the Wildlife Center of Virginia are wild animals, and therefore should be treated as such. The risk of imprinting the patient and stress should be minimized by not handling the patients excessively, covering the patients’ eyes when possible, and talking quietly and not directly to the animal, especially when it is eating. This is very important in orphaned animals where the risk of imprinting is very high.
8. The attire is informal at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Externs should feel free to wear scrubs, t-shirts, jeans and shorts as long as they are clean and presentable. Closed-toed shoes are required. Students should come prepared with surgery scrubs, radiology dosimeters, stethoscope, raingear, and some type of protective clothing such as a lab coat or coveralls.
9. Students are responsible for keeping records for the active cases. This includes writing a short SOAP for each patient every day.

Required reading

Davidson, W. and Nettles, V. 1997. Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases in the Southeastern United States. Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Diseases Study. (Excellent overview of the wildlife diseases of this region.)

Suggested reading

Proceedings of the 1995 AAZV/WDA/AAWV Joint Annual Conference, East Lansing, Michigan. (Has many good examples of using wildlife as indicators of ecosystem health.)

Altman, R. Clubb S. et al (eds). 1997. Avian Medicine and Surgery. W. B. Saunders.

Campbell, T. 1998. Avian Hematology and Cytology. Iowa State University Press.

Fudge, A. 2000. Laboratory Medicine Avian and Exotic Pets. W.B. Saunders.

Fowler, M. (ed). 1986, 1993, 1999. Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine, volumes 2, 3 and 4. W. B. Saunders.

Mader D. (ed). 1996. Reptile Medicine and Surgery. W. B. Saunders.

These books are more for reference on the medicine and surgery of the various species seen at the Wildlife Center.