Veterinary Student Externship - Marine Mammal Care Center

Marine Mammal Care Center’s veterinary externship program provides veterinary students in their clinical years of veterinary school the opportunity to gain exposure to marine mammal medicine and rehabilitation. Students will participate in animal husbandry, stranded animal response and triage, biological sampling, diagnostic imaging (which may include radiography, ultrasound, and endoscopy depending on patient needs), clinical procedures, anesthesia, and necropsies. Students will work closely with MMCC’s veterinary, hospital, and response staff as well as animal care volunteers.

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IAAAM is happy to share opportunities relevant to the aquatic animal medicine community. Please note that we are not the hiring institution and cannot provide additional information regarding the position. For questions about the role, salary, qualifications, or application process, please contact the organization directly.

Veterinary Technician Student Externship - Texas State Aquarium

The Texas State Aquarium provides an exciting opportunity for veterinary technician students to work in our Animal Health Department. Veterinary tech externs will work closely with the Texas State Aquarium’s veterinary staff, which includes a Director of Animal Health, an Associate Veterinarian, and two licensed veterinary technicians. The Texas State Aquarium, located on the Corpus Christi waterfront, is an AZA-accredited facility that focuses on species found in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. The animal collection consists largely of aquatic species but also includes terrestrial birds, reptiles, amphibians, and a few terrestrial mammals. The Wildlife Rescue Center operated by the aquarium serves to rehabilitate mostly sea turtles and on occasion marine mammals.

Program Description: The technician externship program at Texas State Aquarium is designed to introduce veterinary technician students to all aspects of aquatic animal medicine. Externships are offered from January to May of each year. Students should plan to spend 3-6 weeks at the Texas State Aquarium. The number of available positions will depend on the externship length for each student that year. Externship applications are accepted on a rolling basis for each year until slots are filled, and qualified applicants are scheduled based on the extern’s schedule as well as staff availability. The extern’s schedule will generally be Monday through Friday, 8a-5p, but there may be times when procedures will be scheduled outside of these hours. Students spending 4+ weeks will be allowed to shadow other husbandry departments and be required to give a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation on the topic of their choice.

The veterinary technician externship program is open to students that are currently enrolled in an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician/technology program at the time of their stay at the Texas State Aquarium. Preference will be given to those with previous experience in exotic, zoo, aquatic, or wildlife rehabilitation medicine, and/or those who are interested in pursuing a related field post-graduation.

There is currently no stipend available for this position. All candidates are expected to find their own accommodation and transportation. Parking at the aquarium is provided.

Positions are available from January to May 2027. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

How to apply:

Applicants are required to submit the following:

• • Curriculum vitae/resume

• • Letter of intent reflecting the applicant’s externship goals, future career goals and any prior zoo/aquatic/exotic experience

• • 1 reference

• • 3 sets of available dates in order of preference during the period between Jan-May 2027

For additional questions or inquiries, please e-mail to vet@txstateaq.org

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IAAAM is happy to share opportunities relevant to the aquatic animal medicine community. Please note that we are not the hiring institution and cannot provide additional information regarding the position. For questions about the role, salary, qualifications, or application process, please contact the organization directly.

Veterinary Student Externship - Texas State Aquarium

The Texas State Aquarium (TSA) provides an exciting opportunity for veterinary students to gain experience in clinical medicine and rescue/rehabilitation medicine of aquatic species. The Texas State Aquarium, located on the Corpus Christi waterfront, is an AZA-accredited facility that focuses on species found in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. The animal collection consists largely of aquatic species but also includes terrestrial birds, reptiles, amphibians, and a few terrestrial mammals. The Wildlife Rescue Center operated by the aquarium serves to rehabilitate mostly sea turtles and on occasion marine mammals.

Veterinary externs will work closely with the TSA’s veterinary staff, which includes two full-time veterinarians and two licensed veterinary technicians, in the medical management of a large captive display collection, as well as stranded animals presenting to the wildlife rescue center. The extern’s schedule will generally be Monday through Friday, 8a-5p, but there may be times when procedures will be scheduled outside of these hours depending on the medical needs of the collection or rescue program. Students should be flexible if asked to help on the weekend.

The veterinary student externship program is open to students that will be in their 3rd, or more preferably, 4th year of veterinary school at the time of their stay at TSA. Each position is a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 4 weeks depending on the student's availability. The number of available positions will depend on the externship length for each student that year. Preference will be given to those with previous experience in aquatic animal medicine and/or those interested in pursuing a related field post-graduation. There is currently no stipend available for this position. All candidates are expected to find their own accommodation and transportation. Parking at the aquarium is provided.

Positions are available from January to May 2028. Externship blackout dates include the IAAAM conference week in May. The application period is from September 1 – December 1, 2025. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by December 31, 2026.

Applicants are required to submit the following:

• Curriculum vitae/resume

• Letter of intent reflecting the applicant’s externship goals, future career goals and any prior zoo/aquatic/exotic experience

• Proof of enrollment in a veterinary school through an electronic copy of a veterinary school transcript (unofficial is acceptable)

• 2 letters of reference

• 3 sets of available dates in order of preference during the period between January 1 - May 31, 2028

For additional questions or inquiries, please e-mail to vet@txstateaq.org

_____________________________________________________

IAAAM is happy to share opportunities relevant to the aquatic animal medicine community. Please note that we are not the hiring institution and cannot provide additional information regarding the position. For questions about the role, salary, qualifications, or application process, please contact the organization directly.

Veterinary Externship - South Carolina Aquarium

The veterinary externship at South Carolina Aquarium will provide third and fourth-year veterinary students the opportunity to gain experience in aquatic animal medicine. During the externship, students will assist the Veterinary Department in providing health care to the South Carolina Aquarium's animal collection, including aquatic and terrestrial turtles, snakes, amphibians, teleosts, elasmobranchs, seabirds, raptors, aquatic invertebrates, and mammals. During the externship period, students will have the opportunity to assist or participate in case rounds, physical examinations, history taking, record keeping, diagnostic application, surgery, anesthesia, and necropsy in an aquarium/zoologic setting. Students will also be encouraged to review scientific literature and problem solve while reviewing individual cases. Students will have the opportunity to be on-call with the veterinary staff during the weekends of their externship period. Students may also have the opportunity to assist the veterinary staff and the Sea Turtle Care Center staff in managing the health and husbandry of sea turtle patients admitted to the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center, with a primary focus on Green, Kemp’s Ridley, and Loggerhead sea turtles. Externs will be responsible for completing a brief research project or literature review on a topic of their choosing to share with the veterinary staff.

2026 AAZV 58th Annual Conference: October 18–22, 2026, Oklahoma City

American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) is hosting the 2026 AAZV 58th Annual Conference from October 18–22, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

This conference draws over 400 zoo, aquarium, and wildlife professionals, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students, pathologists, clinical researchers, and leadership.

Pending over 20 hours of American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) credits, the annual event is designed to support the continuing education of veterinary and zoological medicine professionals, promote networking and collaboration, and continue AAZV's mission of advancing the health and welfare of zoo animals and wildlife.

Please visit aazv.org to learn more and register and direct questions to admin@aazv.org.

2027 AQUAVET® I & II Courses - May-June, 2027

The College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University is pleased to announce the 2027 AQUAVET® I, II course offerings. They are aquatic veterinary medicine education programs that currently consist of two courses that will be presented at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI in June 2027.

AQUAVET ® I: An Introduction to Aquatic Veterinary Medicine is a 4-week course (31 May - 27 June 2027) intended primarily for veterinary students.

AQUAVET ® II: Comparative Pathology of Aquatic Animals is a 2-week course (31 May - 13 June 2027) that is oriented toward the pathology of diseases of aquatic invertebrates and fish that are used in biomedical research, encountered in display aquaria and are of importance in commercial aquaculture.

AQUAVET ® Summer Research Fellow (one offered) is an 8 week research program, usually studying fish disease at a lab at Cornell University. There is no tuition and this student will receive a stipend of $3,800 after completing the 8 weeks.

Veterinary students can receive credits for the courses and graduate veterinarians can receive CE credits.

More detailed information and applications for admission (due by January 15, 2027) are available on the web site www.aquavet.org.

PhD Student Position – Université de Montréal- CWHC

The laboratories of Prof. Joanie Van de Walle at the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Prof. Émilie L. Couture at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Université de Montréal in Rimouski (FMV-CQSAS), and Prof. Gesche Winkler at the Institut des Sciences de la Mer (ISMER) are recruiting a PhD student for a research project on the identification of causes of mortality and their population-level implications in St. Lawrence marine mammals.

Fellowship in Aquatic and Zoologic Animal Medicine - National Aquarium in Baltimore

A two-year veterinary fellowship is being offered by the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The collection includes over 16,000 individuals and 700 species of invertebrates, fresh and saltwater fishes, elasmobranchs, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, including bottlenose dolphins. In addition, the Marine Animal Rescue Program intakes on average 2-5 seals and 20-40 sea turtles per year for rehabilitation. This position is primarily clinical in nature, and the fellow will be involved in all aspects of aquatic animal medicine and surgery including daily interaction with husbandry personnel, physical examination and sample collection, routine and emergency medical treatment, radiology, anesthesia, surgery, and clinical pathology throughout their time here.

2026 AAZV 58th Annual Conference - Oklahoma City, October 18th-23rd, 2026

The 2026 AAZV 58th Annual Conference is being hosted by the Oklahoma City Zoo in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA from October 18th-23rd, 2026. Conference registration and the AAZV hotel room block opens June 1, 2026.

Conference will be held at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel. More information is to come and will be announced on this page.

Aquatic Animal Health Fellowship at UC Davis

This is a one-year program designed to train post-graduate veterinarians in the field of aquatic animal health. Specifically, this program will train candidates to integrate expertise in aquatic animal medicine into the broader fields of animal, human, and ecosystem health, through experiences from aquaculture, fisheries, public aquaria, companion animal medicine, academia and research.