For Students

Certificate Program:

*Only one of two programs in the country to offer a shelter medicine certificate!

The Shelter Medicine Veterinary Certificate (SMVC) program is offered for current Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students. The goal of the SMVC is to prepare DVM students for long term success in the field of shelter medicine by incorporating skills that include shelter animal care, shelter animal behavior and well-being, high-quality high-volume sterilization surgery and shelter management consultation. Attaining this certificate will provide DVM graduates with a wellrounded foundation for a career in Shelter Medicine.

Electives:

Pre-Clinical

• VCS 891A Shelter Basics: Medicine & Management (1cr)
• VAP 892B Pre-Clinical Mentorship - Shelter Medicine Emphasis (1cr)
• VCS 892G Disaster Response – ICS Deployment Certification (1cr)
• VCS 891 K Topics in IVM – Shelter Systems (3cr) – Online Summer Course in cooperation with University of Florida

Clinical (Fourth year)

• VCS 901 Externship – Shelter Medicine Emphasis (2cr)
• VCS 937 Shelter Medicine Rotation (2wk/2cr) – an average of 95 students take this rotation each year
• VCS 946 Shelter Operations Consultation (1wk/1cr) – an average of 14 students take this rotation each year
• VCS 949 Shelter Medicine Community Outreach (1wk/1cr) – an average of 40 students take this rotation each year

Internship:

Performance Expectations

While there will be an emphasis on surgical and medical experience throughout your internship year, you are encouraged to explore other areas within the shelter medicine discipline.

• Surgical
• Medical
• Medical Record Keeping and Controlled Substances
• Professional Development
• Teaching
• Shelter Management
• Research
• Cruelty/Neglect