come learn with us
The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center provides learning opportunities for those currently enrolled in veterinary medicine, RVT, vet assistant, or related biological science programs. Please read below for more information.
General volunteering information
(Same across all volunteering pages on this website; student specific information below. Please read everything.)
What do you get for being a part of the WWCC team?
At the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, you get to be part of a diverse group of people who share one core value: the desire to help wildlife. We work with thousands of animals and hundreds of unique species each year, so no two days are ever the same! As a WWCC volunteer, you get to help care for these animals from the the time they come in the door, until the moment they are released.
What do we look for in a volunteer?
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An ideal volunteer at WWCC will have the following traits:
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When can you volunteer at WWCC?
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At this time, WWCC has applications open to volunteer with us on any shift, but some times of the week will need volunteers more than others. In your application, please select all times when you could make a shift. No matter how much availability you indicate, you'd still only be assigned one shift. WWCC has the following orientation classes scheduled. One of these classes, which always run from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, must be attended prior to beginning a volunteer position. If the dates below do not reflect your own availability, please check back in the future!
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What should you know about WWCC before signing up to volunteer?
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It is not a petting zoo or shelter.We care for wildlife that will hopefully be returned to a safe location as soon they are able. The animal’s survival depends upon them not becoming imprinted by/or attached to the humans caring for them. We don't talk to, cuddle with, or pet our animals.
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It is not glamorous.We are a wildlife hospital. Therefore, many of our tasks revolve around the daily care and maintenance of the facility, which can often be dirty, smelly, mucky, and slippery. However dirty you are imagining the center in your head, it's probably worse!
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It is a commitment.Volunteers need to be willing to commit to at least one shift at the same time each week for a minimum of one year. While our requirement is that volunteers only commit for one year, we are more likely to accept your application if you're in it for the long run!
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It is emotional, but rewarding.Despite WWCC's best efforts, there are times when animals don't survive. Throughout the course of your volunteer journey, you will experience many cases where an animal doesn't make it through care, but also many cases when they do! You must be able to recognize that working in wildlife rehab can be an emotional rollercoaster. However, at the end of the day, getting to hold a cage door open for a rehabilitated bird going back to the wild is a special feeling, and that is what we always strive for.
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student specific information
What student placements at WWCC are:
WWCC internships are great opportunities to learn about the rewards and challenges of working in a non-profit animal hospital. Other than DVM candidates (who would work directly with our veterinarian) students at WWCC work primarily with our technician staff.
Students in this role generally split their time between (50%) completing direct, hands on work with patients (drawing up and administering medications, drawing and analyzing blood samples, hand-feeding patients, charting, etc.) and (50%) performing the more general husbandry tasks that other animal care volunteers perform. The goal of this is to give the student a well-rounded idea of what working at a wildlife hospital entails.
It should also be noted that in a wildlife hospital setting, opportunities to handle patients are non-discretionary, meaning that animals are not subjected to the stress of handling solely for learning opportunities. Animals are only handled only when it is necesary for their treatment.
Students in this role generally split their time between (50%) completing direct, hands on work with patients (drawing up and administering medications, drawing and analyzing blood samples, hand-feeding patients, charting, etc.) and (50%) performing the more general husbandry tasks that other animal care volunteers perform. The goal of this is to give the student a well-rounded idea of what working at a wildlife hospital entails.
It should also be noted that in a wildlife hospital setting, opportunities to handle patients are non-discretionary, meaning that animals are not subjected to the stress of handling solely for learning opportunities. Animals are only handled only when it is necesary for their treatment.
What student placements at WWCC are not:
Students at WWCC don't work inside any existing, prearranged framework. Because of this, we expect that students come to WWCC with their own goals in mind (whether those be learning objectives required by the student's school, or the student's personal goals).
Interns at WWCC need to be able to get school credit for their time at WWCC. Therefore, we unfortunately cannot accept students simply looking to gain clinical experience, or to accrue hours working under a veterinarian to apply for vet school. If you are a student who does not have a current school requirement to fulfill, we encourage you to apply for the more general animal care position (information for which can by found on the main volunteer page of this website).
WWCC unfortunately cannot offer paid internships.
Interns at WWCC need to be able to get school credit for their time at WWCC. Therefore, we unfortunately cannot accept students simply looking to gain clinical experience, or to accrue hours working under a veterinarian to apply for vet school. If you are a student who does not have a current school requirement to fulfill, we encourage you to apply for the more general animal care position (information for which can by found on the main volunteer page of this website).
WWCC unfortunately cannot offer paid internships.
Requirements:
- The duration of a student's time with us can be variable (depending on what one's school requires), but for the period that WWCC hosts a student, attendance is required to be consistent and regular (a student is required to show up on the same day(s) and time(s) on a week-to-week basis).
How to apply
Attached below is a list of questions in simple pdf format. To apply for an internship or externship at WWCC, please email a cover letter, a copy of your resume, and your responses to these questions as one document to [email protected].