veterinary volunteer

Calling All Cat Lovers & Feline Practitioners

We have an upcoming field service project that is the perfect volunteer opportunity for cat lovers and feline practitioners. We will be operating a free high volume sterilization campaign in Shkodër, Albania from August 1- 8, 2019, and 70% of animal patients are expected to be cats!

Volunteer opportunities are still available for veterinarians, technicians (both licensed and non-licensed), as well as students and for general assistants (individuals with no previous veterinary experience). Find out more!

Booking a direct flight to Albania might be expensive from North America. As such, we suggest prospective volunteers look into booking a round trip flight to a major hub in Europe (i.e. Amsterdam, Bucharest, Rome) and from that location book a separate flight to Albania. We also recommend that volunteers search for flight options on kayak.com, and then book directly through the airline offering the best deal/itinerary.

Join World Vets in Europe this Summer! Moldova & Albania

World Vets will be running two small animal projects in Europe this summer! One is a pilot project to Chisinau, Moldova (May 18 – 25, 2019) and another is scheduled for Shkodër, Albania  (August 1 – 8, 2019). Both will provide free sterilization services for local animals as well as street dogs.

Volunteer opportunities are open to vets, techs (both licensed and non-licensed), students and for general assistants (individuals with no previous vet experience.

Booking a direct flight to Albania and/or Moldova might be expensive from North America. As such, we suggest prospective volunteers look into booking a round trip flight to a major hub in Europe, such as Amsterdam, and from that location book a separate flight to Albania and/or Moldova. We also recommend that volunteers search for flight options on kayak.com, and then book directly through the airline offering the best deal/itinerary.

Help Animals Abroad on your Spring Break!

Volunteer opportunities are still available for students on World Vets small animal veterinary field service projects scheduled in March 2019!

Current project locations and date offerings:
Otavalo, Ecuador: March 9 – 16, 2019
Otavalo, Ecuador: March 16 – 23, 2019

Antigua, Guatemala: March 16 – 23, 2019

As a veterinary student, pre-veterinary student and/or veterinary technician student, you may be involved in any of the following activities as part of these projects:

  • Pre med/Induction (All students): Assisting with prepping patients for surgery
  • Surgery (Veterinary students): Assisting a veterinarian in surgery, observing surgery and/or performing surgery under the direct supervision and instruction of a veterinarian.
  • Recovery (All students): Monitoring patients after surgery, administering appropriate post-op medications per protocol chart and grooming.
When registering, select the “Tech/Student” volunteer category and further classify your position on the registration form to reflect the student type that you are filling.

Now Recruiting! Civil – Military Humanitarian Aid Missions 2018

World Vets is the veterinary non-governmental organization (NGO) currently represented on two U.S. Navy led humanitarian aid missions: Pacific Partnership and Continuing Promise. These missions provide medical, dental and veterinary coverage to regions in South East Asia and the Pacific as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. The goal of these missions is to strengthen alliances, improve upon the capacity to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and finally, to improve security cooperation among partner nations.

World Vets contributes veterinary manpower and skills to accomplish these mission`s VET requirements by organizing volunteer opportunities for veterinary professionals. As such, our teams work alongside and in collaboration with US Army vets and technicians as well as animal health care professionals and local veterinarians in host nations.

*Information regarding the 2018 Continuing Promise mission can be found here

*NGO veterinary volunteers will not be needed for the 2018 Pacific Partnership mission. As such, World Vets will not be recruiting a team for this engagement in 2018


Who can volunteer on World Vets team?

Volunteer positions on World Vets veterinary team are open to:

  • World Vets members who have previously volunteered with our organization
  • Qualified Veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are licensed to practice within the USA and/or Canada*
  • Those who can commit to at least 2-3 consecutive weeks

*Qualified veterinarians and/or veterinary nurses from the UK, Australia and/or New Zealand are also eligible, however may only be considered if they have previously volunteered with World Vets

An ideal candidate has education in addition to experience relating to both large and small animals, public health, animal husbandry, zoonotic diseases, production and nutrition as well as sterilization surgery (companion animals). The focus of these missions is capacity building and contributing to sustainable projects. As such , team members should also be capable of speaking/giving presentations and/or hands on instruction to host nation partners on specific veterinary related topics and/or activities.


A few special notes:
  • Humanitarian aid missions will not take place on board a hospital and/or Navy ship. As such, prospective volunteers may be part of an expeditionary force based “on the ground” for the duration of the veterinary engagement.
  • Prospective volunteers may be responsible for providing their own lodging/meals for the duration of their participation.
  • Learn more about general health and documentation requirements here
  • Learn more about volunteer responsibilities here

 

Help Working Horses! Volunteer on our Equine Welfare Project

In Nicaragua, especially in low income households, horses are heavily relied upon for transportation, whether it be transporting people or raw materials. As a result, horses bear the brunt of much hard labor resulting in wounds, lacerations as well as poor health and malnutrition. To alleviate the hardships they face, World Vets has been providing free veterinary services for the working horse population in Nicaragua for many years.

Our equine welfare project is based in Granada and targets both carriage and cart horses as well as those owned by low income households who cannot afford veterinary care for their horses. Since its inception, we have expanded our reach and now operate mobile clinics in both urban and rural areas as well as other localities within the department of Granada.

The veterinary services that we facilitate at no cost include hoof and dental work, vaccinations, castrations, de-worming and wound treatments. Our main focus has been to improve the comfort and quality of life of working horses, and so we often distribute donated halters, leads and padding to horse owners as well.

If you have been looking for a way to help horses abroad, we have volunteer opportunities available as part of our equine welfare project in Nicaragua. Our next set of mobile outreach clinics are scheduled in December and volunteer positions are still available! Learn more

 

Organizing a volunteer trip for your group just got easier! 

If you are a student group, veterinary corporation and/or veterinary practice looking to volunteer abroad or provide an international volunteer opportunity for your colleagues, look no further. World Vets is able to provide a custom trip for groups in Nicaragua!

Aside from communicating your interests and objectives, there would be minimal requirements of you in organizing the experience for your group. World Vets will handle in-country logistics, pre-trip planning and all veterinary-related coordination. We will also facilitate all the veterinary supplies and medicines that would be needed.

Here are some examples of recent and/or upcoming custom trips;

World Vets recently welcomed a student group from Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) of Saskatchewan, Canada. We organized a two week program for them that combined clinic with activities out in the field. They received hands on experience in carrying out tasks related to patient prep and monitoring as well as performing sterilizations under the instruction and guidance of World Vets veterinary staff. They even tended to medical consultations during community outreach visits where they worked with both small animals and livestock, and made a visit to a wildlife sanctuary. What’s more, they helped to collect baseline data that will aid World Vets in monitoring and measuring animal health and wellbeing in the Laguna de Apoyo area.

In the coming months we will host a veterinary cooperate group for a one week small animal field project. As part of this trip they will have 3-4 days dedicated to providing veterinary services and 2-3 days for leisure and sightseeing. Veterinary services will be provided in a field setting and incorporate a rabies vaccination campaign in celebration of World Rabies Day (Sept 28). Read more about this trip

To inquire about a custom trip to Nicaragua for your group, please write to trips@worldvets.org

A few special notes:
  • Our custom trip opportunity is currently only offered for/in Nicaragua
  • Scheduling and dates are subject to availability
  • To be eligible for a custom trip, student groups must have a minimum number of 8 -10 people. Veterinary groups must be able to fill up to 15 positions, where at least 5 of which are DVM and 2 are LVT/RVT.

 

A Record Breaking Success: Cusco, Peru

World Vets has been working in the Cusco region of Peru for almost six years.  During this time have we partnered, and actively collaborate, with locally practicing veterinarians, a well respected animal welfare organization in addition to municipal authorities. Though even despite the duration of our involvement, and the efforts of local partners, spay/neuter continues to be in high demand and much needed.

Our recent campaign was a great testament of this as our veterinary team worked tirelessly with local partners to provide hundreds of free sterilizations, among other surgeries, for local animals in need. In just three days time, over 350 surgical procedures were performed! This is an unbelievable accomplishment that surpasses the total number of sterilizations ever performed on a World Vets small animal project. This outstanding feat not only speaks to the continual demand and need for sterilization services in the area. It also highlights the dedication and passion of our volunteers, and local partners, to help as many animals as possible during a limited amount of time.

However, even though we specialize in providing high volume spay/neuter campaigns, we never lose sight of how critically important it is to provide a profound level of kindness and excellent care to each individual animal. We value patient safety and quality patient care and are proud to be able to facilitate skilled veterinary care for countless animal populations around the world.

See more pictures

Limited Time “Deposit Option” Available on Veterinary Field Projects

Volunteering on a World Vets veterinary field project just got easier! We are now offering a limited time “deposit option” on volunteer positions for select upcoming projects. At the time of registration, only half of the project fee will be due and the remaining half will be owed at a later date.

We are currently offering this opportunity on the following veterinary field projects;

Otavalo, Ecuador: August 8 – 15, 2017
Eligible for “tech/student” and “LVT/RVT” positions

St.Vincent & The Grenadines: August 16 – 23, 2017
Eligible for “LVT/RVT” positions

Our “tech/student” position may be filled by a licensed vet tech, non-licensed vet tech, vet student, pre-vet student, vet tech student and/or veterinary assistant. Read more about this volunteer position here

Our “LVT/RVT” position may be filled by a licensed, certified and/or registered veterinary technician and/or veterinary nurse. Read more about this volunteer position here

 

Thank you Team Cabarete! Success in the Dominican Republic

A World Vets team has just returned from a very successful spay/neuter campaign in the Dominican Republic! We not only provided 276 sterilizations, but also tended to many other surgical cases that were needed. All of which acted to greatly improve the overall health and wellbeing of each animal patient. We’d like to thank our dedicated volunteers as well as local partners Dogs and Cats of the Dominican Republic (DCDR) for an outstanding effort! See pictures

One special patient our team treated was a puppy named Bobby (pictured below). Bobby was hit by a motorbike and his front leg got run over. He received much needed TLC from our volunteers and after spending the night with them, was able to go home all patched up and good as new to his owner.

 

Volunteer this Summer! Veterinary Field Project Opportunities

World Vets operates countless veterinary field projects to help thousands of animals receive quality veterinary care each year. What’s more, all veterinary services on such projects are provided free of charge for local pet owners and the community.

We have two small animal veterinary field projects scheduled this summer in the following locations:

Why don’t you join us!

Volunteer opportunities on veterinary field projects exist for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students and assistants (those who do not have any previous veterinary or animal experience). Learn more about volunteer descriptions here

1 2 3  Scroll to top