Sections
Program Goals
Program Description
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
 Year 4 Clinics
Focus Areas
Extramural Studies
Clinical Competencies
Veterinarian's Oath

Focus Area for Zoological Medicine

Focus Area Leader

Dr. Michael Stoskopf

Description of the Focus Area

Zoological Medicine (ZM) is the broad term used to encompass the practice of medicine and surgery in nontraditional species. It includes a number of different areas, including exotic animal private practice, aquatic animal medicine, wildlife medicine, and zoo practice. Zoological Medicine (ZM) combines many elements of veterinary medicine, including preventative medicine, clinical medicine and surgery, pathology, clinical ecology, regulatory compliance, facilities and personnel management, and research.

Zoological Medicine veterinarians find work in private practice, government agencies, non-government organizations (NGO’s), academia, and even industry, and have responsibilities for a wide variety of species. ZM veterinarians can enter the field through several routes. Veterinarians offering clinical management of privately owned zoological species or for smaller zoological institutions may enter practice directly after DVM training. Specialists seeking to serve major zoological institutions, government agencies, large NGO’s or academia typically receive post-DVM education, either in an internship/residency format and/or research training in MS or PhD programs.

Board Certification is available in Zoological Medicine through the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM). For individuals preparing for private practice options that emphasize avian medicine, Board Certification is also available through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in avian medicine. Residency training positions can be very competitive and, therefore, good planning and preparation is important during the vet school years.

Zoological Medicine is a sufficiently broad career path that veterinary students should be careful to avoid too much specialization; it is arguably the ultimate mixed animal practice. Animal handling of a variety of species, clinical skills, and pathology are all important. Research, both basic and clinical, is an important component of Zoological Medicine.

Advisors

Your advisor should be chosen with the following areas of sub-focus within the Zoological Medicine Focus in mind.

General Zoo Medicine

General: Zoo Veterinarians generally implement institutional health management for animal collections owned or managed by government agencies, nonprofit organizations or corporations. They usually work with a wide variety of species and therefore must be aware of the health needs of all types of animals. They must be able to balance the need to provide very high quality individualized health care and at the same time to work at the level of population medicine or higher to provide preventative health care for their collection(s).

Potential mentors: Dr. Michael Loomis, Dr. Ryan DeVoe, Dr. Michael Stoskopf, Dr. Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf, and others.

Curriculum Recommendations: Zoological Medicine courses involving population medicine approaches, Epidemiology courses, and clinical research experiences are beneficial for students interested in pursuing this career option. A strong background in basic clinical veterinary medicine and surgery is also important. It is common for zoo medicine specialists to pursue advanced residency training and board certification. Students should prepare their choices to allow for these future opportunities. Thesis option recommended, but not required.

Aquatic Animal Medicine

General: Aquatic Veterinarians find employment in all sectors. Those seeking roles in display aquarium practice or endangered species health management are generally employed by government agencies, large nonprofit organizations or consulting firms or in academia. Those interested in pursuing food production careers are most commonly employed by corporations to manage health issues for large numbers of animals. They may work with a wide variety of species or be focused to specialized in one or a few related taxa. They must work at the level of population medicine or higher to be effective and must be well grounded in the principles of herd health management.

Potential mentors: Dr. Ed Noga, Dr. Greg Lewbart, Dr. Craig Harms, Dr. Jay Levine, Dr. Michael Stoskopf, Dr. Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf, and others.

Curriculum Recommendations: Zoological Medicine courses involving population medicine approaches, Epidemiology courses, and clinical research experiences are beneficial for students interested in pursuing this career option. It is common for aquatic medicine specialists to pursue advanced research training in one of a variety of disciplines related to fisheries and wildlife sciences and/or to pursue residency training and board certification. Students should prepare their choices to allow for these future opportunities. Thesis option recommended, but not required.

Wildlife Medicine

General: Wildlife Veterinarians are usually employed by government agencies, large nonprofit organizations or consulting firms or in academia. They may work with a wide variety of species or be focused to specialized in one or a few related taxa. They must work at the level of population medicine or higher to be effective and must be well grounded in the principles of clinical ecology.

Potential mentors: Dr. Michael Stoskopf, Dr. Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf, Dr. Laurel Degernes, and others.

Curriculum Recommendations: Zoological Medicine courses involving population medicine approaches, Epidemiology courses, and clinical research experiences are beneficial for students interested in pursuing this career option. It is common for wildlife medicine specialists to pursue advanced research training in one of a variety of disciplines related to fisheries and wildlife sciences at the MS or PhD level, and/or more rarely to pursue residency training and board certification. Students should prepare their choices to allow for these future opportunities. Thesis option highly recommended.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Medicine

General: Wildlife Rehabilitation Veterinarians are generally employed by nonprofit organizations. They usually work with a wide variety of species but can be specialized in one or a few related taxa. They deliver individual health care, usually in an emergency and/or critical care environment, but must also work at the level of population medicine or higher to be effective in making triage and resource decisions. Strong diagnostic and surgical skills are beneficial. Wildlife rehabilitation practitioners are also on the forefront of outbreak identification and public health issues. They must be well grounded in the best approaches to zoonotic and food animal diseases in wildlife.

Potential mentors: Dr. Laurel Degernes, Dr. Ryan DeVoe, Dr. Greg Lewbart, Dr. Michael Stoskopf, and others.

Curriculum Recommendations: A strong broad clinical diagnostic and therapeutic base is needed. Students should seek to take as many of the specialty small animal medicine and surgery courses as they can in addition to Zoological Medicine courses and epidemiology courses.

Mixed Small Animal /Exotic Animal Practice

General: Veterinarians in exotic animal practice usually see privately owned animals. A variety of species can be encountered, but companion birds, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, mice, rats, reptiles and fish are currently most common. Specialty practices that see only exotic species exist, but the majority of veterinary care for these species is provided by small animal practitioners, who have developed special expertise with these animals.

Potential mentors: Dr. Laurel Degernes, Dr. Keven Flammer , Dr. Greg Lewbart, Dr. Ryan DeVoe, and others.

Curriculum Recommendations: Will be similar to the mixed tract. Zoological Medicine courses involving companion birds, rabbits, ferrets and reptiles should be emphasized. Additional courses in rats, mice, fish, and wildlife are helpful. A senior year externship in exotic animal practice is required.

Steps to pursue a focus in zoological medicine

Year 1-3 Requirements

ZM Electives: Complete at least 3 electives (6 credits). Check current listings for any course changes.

There are no prerequisites for these courses. Multiple years of registration are allowed for CBS 817, CBS 818, and VMC 921.

Course #

Instructor

Course Title

Semester

Year

CBS 782

Stoskopf

Marine Mammal Medicine

Spring

Even

CBS 817

Kennedy-Stoskopf

Advanced Topics in Zoological Medicine I

Fall

All

CBS 818

Kennedy-Stoskopf

Advanced Topics in Zoological Medicine II

Spring

All

VMC 921

Degernes

Special Topics in Zoological Medicine

F, S, SS I,II

All

VMC 926

Degernes

Advanced Topics in Wild Avian Medicine

Spring

All

VMC 928

Lewbart

Wild Reptile Medicine

Spring

All

ZM Selectives: Complete at least 5 credits.  Check current listings. All selectives are 1 credit per week.

Course #

Instructor

Course Name

Week Offered

Semester

Classes

Year

VMC 991B

Harms

Advanced Ferret Medicine

1st

Fall

1,2,3

odd

VMC 991W

Arasu

International Veterinary Medicine

1st

Fall

1,2,3

all

VMB 991

Swanson

Fish Physiology

1st

Fall

1,2,3

all

VMC 991R

Stoskopf

Advanced Herptile Medicine

1st

Fall

1,2,3

even

VMP 991K

Cullen

Exotic Animal Pathology

1st and 2nd

Fall

2,3

all

VMC 991Q

Lewbart

Advanced Fish Medicine

2nd

Fall

1,2,3

all

VMC 991T

Degernes

Raptor Medicine and Rehabilitation

2nd

Fall

1,2,3

all

VMC 991M

Stoskopf

Health/Safety in the Third World

2nd

Fall

1,2,3

even

VMC 991F

Stoskopf

Advanced Carnivore Medicine

1st

Spring

1,2,3

odd

VMC 991V

Kennedy-Stoskopf

Environmental Medicine & Policy

1st

Spring

1,2,3

all

VMP 991Q

Lewbart

Aquaculture Meeting

1st

Spring

1,2,3

all

VMC 991U

Stoskopf

Advanced Primate Medicine

2nd

Spring

1,2,3

even

VMB 991G

Smallwood

Avian Anatomy & Physiology

2 nd (variable)

Spring

1,2,3

odd

VMP 991O

Levine

Experiences in Aquaculture

2nd

Spring

1,2,3

all

VMP 991-Q-13

Lewbart

Invertebrate Medicine

1st

Spring

1,2,3

All

VMC-991-C-015

Flammer

Companion Avian Medicine

2nd

Spring

1.2.3

all

VMC991

Fish

Lab Animal Medicine

 

 

 

 

VMC991

 

Advanced Rabbit Medicine

 

 

 

 

VMC991

 

Adv. Rodent/Small Mammal Med

 

 

 

 

VMF 991W

Barnes

Pathology of Birds I

1 st

Spring

1,2,3

 

VMF 991 X

Barnes

Pathology of Birds II

2nd

Spring

1,2,3

 

VMP991

Brown

Special Topics in Pathology

 

 

 

 

VMP 991-I

Law

Special Topics in Pathology II: Research Pathology

 

 

 

 

Year 1-3 Recommended Courses

Consult with your advisor.

Fourth Year Required Rotations

Course #

Course Title

Take each of the Following

VMB 976

Radiology

VMB 977

Anesthesia

VMP 977

Necropsy

VMP 978

Clinical Pathology

VMC 971

Small Animal Medicine

VMC 973

Small Animal Surgery

Take at least one of the Following

VMC 960

Emergency Medicine – Small Animal

VMC 966

Emergency Medicine – Large Animal

Choose at least one of the Following

VMC 979

Equine Medicine

VMC 975

Equine Surgery

Choose at least two of the Following

VMP 970

Ruminant Health Management

VMP 973

Special Topics Epidemiology

VMP 979

Epidemiology

VMP 980

Theriogenology

VMP 981

Special Topics Theriogenology

VMP 982

Poultry Health Management I

VMP 983

Poultry Health Management II

VMP 984

Swine Medicine I

VMP 985

Swine Medicine II

VMP 987

Ruminant Topics

VMC 995

International Veterinary Clinics – Thailand – Dairy option*

7. ZM DVM Thesis Option

This is an option for students seeking to distinguish themselves and not in any way a requirement for the Zoological Medicine Focus. Students interested in pursuing some types of career in Zoological Medicine can benefit considerably from selecting to do a DVM thesis. This is entirely optional. It provides the opportunity to select a project or topic and to study and investigate the topic in depth throughout the time spent in the veterinary curriculum. Students desiring this option should talk with their faculty mentor as soon as they are aware of their interest in pursuing the option, and no later than the last week of their third year. Theses can be research based or literature based and should deal with some aspect of zoological medicine. Students will be expected to write a comprehensive treatment of the thesis topic demonstrating their familiarity with the published literature pertaining to their thesis topic, and some original analysis of the topic. They will also be asked to present and defend their thesis orally. In some cases the thesis material will be suitable for peer reviewed publication, in which case the student will be encouraged to publish. Students selecting this optional thesis opportunity will select a major professor from the zoological medicine faculty and at least two other faculty at large to serve on the thesis committee. The major professor does not have to be the student’s faculty mentor, nor does the faculty mentor have to sit on the committee, though this is possible if appropriate. The student will outline their intended topic and direction and work with the faculty committee to develop the thesis project.

Other Experiences

Employment opportunities/externships/funding

Funding

Conferences

Students may benefit from attending a zoological medicine conference. Annual meetings to consider include the following. Check websites at end for home pages of these organizations, which have latest information on upcoming meetings.

Extracurricular activities

Other Useful Information

Recommended journals

Recommended memberships

(web sites below)

There are many organizations available to join. It is not important to join them all, but if you are interested in a particular area of zoological medicine it would behoove you to join the main organizations related to your area of interest. It is a good way to know what is going on and often offers opportunities to meet people and make contacts. For example, if you think you want to work with free-ranging wildlife, it would be good to belong to the WDA. If you have an interest in aquatic medicine, it would be good to belong to the IAAAM, etc. Student memberships at very good rates are available from most of these organizations.

Recommended electronic mailing list

Useful Internet Sites