alt=”Upclose with a dog at the shelter”> alt=”Upclose with a dog at the shelter”>Veterinary schools often require experience in veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, and research for students to be accepted. For many, volunteering is the best way to earn these hours. In addition, volunteering looks fantastic on vet school applications! Volunteer opportunities for prospective vet school students are everywhere, but you need to know where to look.
Volunteering is an excellent way to give back to the community while getting essential hands-on experience in animal care. Both undergraduate colleges and veterinary schools love to see applicants who have chosen to spend time volunteering.
Most veterinary colleges require a minimum number of hours of animal experience, research, and veterinary medicine. The minimum requirement varies by school, but most accepted veterinary students have at least 1,500 hours of veterinary experience and 700 hours working or volunteering with animals in a non-medical setting. Volunteering is an excellent way to obtain some of these hours while also giving back to animals in need.
Veterinary schools require both animal handling experience as well as experience observing or working in veterinary medicine. These can overlap, but veterinary experience specifically applies to working directly with veterinarians in a medical fashion. There are plenty of volunteer programs that help prospective vet students obtain both animal experience and veterinary experience hours.
Volunteering with animals can take many forms, allowing pre-vet students to get a wide variety of hands-on animal-handling experiences. Students can work with zoo animals, wildlife, exotics, companion animals, farm animals, and shelter pets in various volunteer programs. Vet schools love to see a variety of types of experiences.
It’s difficult to imagine the ins and outs of animal care in different settings without experiencing it yourself. Volunteers can learn more about daily life by working in shelters, zoos, rehab facilities, and veterinary hospitals. This can help prospective vets know what kind of medicine they would like to focus on.
Pre-vet students can find a variety of volunteer opportunities in their communities as well as volunteer programs abroad. To find a program that fits with your schedule, needed experience, and financial constraints, it’s best to reach out to multiple animal volunteer programs.
Many academic programs, like Loop Abroad, provide veterinary experience opportunities for high school and undergraduate students interested in attending vet school. Programs can vary widely in price, focus of study, and quality, so choosing the right program is essential.
Most animal shelters are always accepting volunteers to help with animal kennel care, daily walks, and adoption events. Visiting or calling your local shelter can help you build up hours of animal experience for veterinary school while providing much-needed care to animals in need. Pre-vet students may also have opportunities to volunteer in the animal clinic and learn about shelter medicine.
Many zoos have volunteer programs for teens and adults. In most of these programs, volunteers will be helping to provide information to guests rather than interacting directly with the animals. Some zoos have volunteer opportunities to handle ambassador animals to educate guests. There are academic programs that take place at zoos and allow for you to work with a veterinarian and build experience in zoo medicine. Every program and zoo will be different, so it’s best to contact your local zoo for more information.
Likewise, wildlife centers often need volunteers to keep running smoothly. Many of these centers are underfunded and rely on volunteers to help the animals in their care. Depending on the location, volunteers may be trained in a variety of different areas of wildlife care.
Animal experience, research, and veterinary experience hours are often admission requirements for veterinary colleges. It can be difficult to find paid positions that earn these hours, especially if you have little experience or are in school full-time. Volunteering is a way to get hands-on experience and earn those hours at an entry-level. In addition, volunteering looks great on veterinary school applications because it shows you are committed to animal care and have participated in local outreach.
Students can log their volunteer hours in several ways. Basic tracking on paper or digital spreadsheets has been used for years. Now, there are apps available to help track volunteer and veterinary experience hours. Having a certificate or letter from your place of work with the number of hours you have volunteered is also helpful and reinforces your listed number of hours on your application.
Loop Abroad is an award-winning veterinary volunteer program that works with animals around the world. Pre-vet students can earn dozens of veterinary hours with Asian elephants in Thailand, cheetahs in South Africa, sea turtles in Costa Rica, and many other programs. Loop Abroad will also provide a certificate listing your earned hours and is well-recognized by many veterinary colleges worldwide. This can help boost your vet school application as well as prepare you for work as a future veterinarian.