Opening Doors for More

Zoo Leads the Field in Opportunity

As climate change reshapes our state’s ecology, the need grows for creative perspectives and a broader pool of wildlife veterinary professionals who are prepared to care for injured animals. The Wayne and Gladys Valley Veterinary Hospital at Oakland Zoo has created unique externships that offer experience opportunities to advanced students in zoological veterinary care while also providing a stipend and housing. (Externships are typically short-term, side-by-side learning opportunities without pay. Whereas internships are often paid positions for longer-term work experience.) The lack of financial support in traditional extern programs is often an obstacle that prevents many aspiring veterinarians from applying. To open these specialty learning experiences to the widest pool of applicants, Oakland Zoo offers a dorm-like room at the hospital plus a stipend. The Zoo’s externship program is currently the only one of its kind providing this kind of support.

Externs gain experience with the hospital’s ongoing medical care while contributing to wildlife research across California. Each student designs and conducts a research project during a two-to-four-week residency, while working alongside top veterinary professionals.

The Zoo allocated funding to support externs in order to inspire other institutions to make the same commitment to broaden advanced studies in wildlife veterinary care and support young professionals as they enter this field.