Before making the decision to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, it is imperative to explore the role of the veterinary physician through shadowing and gaining experience with animals. Most veterinary schools require a minimum number of clinical shadowing hours prior to a student applying for admission to veterinary school. The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine reports that competitive applicants to their school have at least 100 hours of veterinary experience and 100 hours of animal experience. Other veterinary schools might require a higher number of veterinary-shadowing or animal experience hours. Admission requirements vary per school and it is a student’s responsibility to be knowledgeable about the nuances of each veterinary school to which they plan on applying. Please refer to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) website to find general information about preparing for veterinary medical school, as well as the Veterinary Medical School Admissions Requirements website, which provides program and admissions information about each school.
Veterinary schools value experience with a variety of animals. Students can gain experience by volunteering or working at an animal shelter, farm, veterinary clinic, zoo, research lab that uses animal models, etc. Caring for a personal pet can be a fulfilling endeavor, but this experience alone is not suitable preparation for veterinary school. Applicants to vet school should have significant experience working or volunteering under the supervision of a veterinarian, and should request a letter of recommendation from a practicing veterinarian who can write a strong recommendation for the applicant.
How to Document Clinical-related Hours
Documenting shadowing or animal experience hours is informal, and there is no official paperwork to complete or obtain from a veterinarian. For each experience, it is suggested that students log the start and end dates, number of hours spent at the experience, the name of a supervisor or other professional who can attest to the student’s participation in the experience, and the name and contact information of the site of experience. Students are also strongly encouraged to reflect, and keep a record of that reflection, about what they had done or observed, advice given to them by a veterinarian, experiences that had influenced their decision to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, challenges in their work and how they approached those challenges, etc.
The following sites may be helpful to find veterinarians to shadow and/or internship opportunities:
Animal Shelters.org
Retrievers Connect (social networking site for UMBC students and alumni)
UMBC students have gained vet-related experience in the past from the local/regional locations listed below:
Anne Arundel Veterinary Emergency Clinic (Annapolis, MD)
Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (Baltimore, MD) (Note: BARCS is a community partner with The Shriver Center, and volunteers may be eligible to earn a practicum notation on their transcript)
Brenner Animal Hospital (Laurel, MD)
Days End Farm Horse Rescue Internship and Volunteer Program (Woodbine, MD)
Eastern Animal Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
Falls Road Animal Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
Maryland Zoo (Baltimore, MD)
National Aquarium (Baltimore, MD)
Paradise Animal Hospital (Catonsville, MD)
Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary Internship and Volunteer Information (Poolesville, MD)
Route 140 Veterinary Hospital (Finksburg, MD)
Severna Park Veterinary Hospital (Severna Park, MD)
Smithsonian National Zoological Park/National Zoo Internships (Washington, DC)
Towson Veterinary Hospital (Towson, MD)
VCA Columbia Animal Hospital at Hickory Ridge (Columbia, MD)
Veterinary Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group (Annapolis Junction, MD)
In addition, pre-veterinary students may apply to the following national programs:
Association of Zoos and Aquariums Job and Internship Search Site
Chicago Zoological Society Brookfield Zoo Summer Internship Program
Dolphins Plus Internship Program
New England Wildlife Center Summer Internship Program
Pelican Harbor Seabird Station Internship
Southwest National Primate Research Center Summer Internship Program
Tufts University’s Adventures in Veterinary Medicine Program
Summer Opportunities for Pre-Health Students
Summer Enrichment and Pipeline Programs
National Science Foundation
The UMBC PreMedical & PreDental Advising Office does not officially promote, sponsor or recommend any company or organization. Information is gathered for students and made available to them.