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International Opportunities for 1st to 3rd Year Students

study abroad student photos

Eligibility

Students must be in good academic standing at the time of application for any of the international opportunities. Refer to the Academic Standards document in VetZone for definition.

Opportunities

Students are not restricted to participate in the programs listed below. If students find their own international experience, discuss with International Programs Coordinator Xiaoshuang Wei (xswei@iastate.edu). ISU credits and the college study abroad scholarships are available to students pursuing independent experiences.

College Organized Programs

ARCAS – Wildlife Rescue – Guatemala

This program is pre-approved for ISU credits. Students will receive 2 credits of VDPAM 7496 upon successful completion of this program and the course requirements.

More about Guatemala and ARCAS. Submit your application for the program here.

  • Total hands-on experience on the program: 100+ hours
  • Average number of cases seen per day: 6
  • Species: primates, psittacines (birds), and reptiles
  • Typical daily activities: patient monitoring, husbandry, capture, physical therapy, phyxial examination, case presentations, treatments, surgeries, and necropsies

One Health Service Learning in Uganda

This program is pre-approved for ISU credits. Students will receive 3 credits of VMPM 7496 upon successful completion of this program and the course requirements.

Program director: Dr. Radford Davis (rgdavis@iastate.edu)

An experiential study abroad program of approximately two weeks for veterinary students of any year focusing on human health, animal health, and the environment in the Kamuli District, Uganda.

Other Opportunities

Here is a list of programs ISU students have gone on in the past. ISU does not endorse or vet these experiences. Please contact International Programs Coordinator Xiaoshuang Wei (xswei@iastate.edu) for advising appointments or if you want to discuss any program in detail.

How to Apply

Students will apply for these opportunities directly with the organizer. Students also need to apply with ISU to receive credits for the experience. Note: only students who receive ISU credits for their program are eligible for the CVM scholarships.

To start your credit approval application, follow the steps listed on the International Preceptorship Canvas page. Study abroad credits count towards DVM degree elective requirements: VM1-VM3 students are required to have 4 credits of electives. Please note that students can only take up to 9 credit hours of 7490-level courses. Discuss other credit options with the faculty approver if you reach this credit limit.

Sukulu’s Wildlife Capture Experience

Dates: June 22-July 2; July 6-16; August 3-13, 2025
Cost: $3,000 excluding flights
Eligibility: 1-4th year veterinary students
Program Description: This 10-day program offers students a comprehensive view of wildlife veterinary work and conservation practices. With a focus on chemical immobilization (darting) and various wildlife capture techniques, students will have hands-on opportunities to work alongside wildlife veterinarians and conservationists, including the immobilization of endangered white rhinos. Key topics covered include applied pharmacology of immobilizing drugs, species-specific immobilization techniques, monitoring vitals during anesthesia, darting principles, and safety procedures, one Health and African wildlife zoonotic diseases, preventing stress- and capture-related mortalities, among others

Galápagos Animal Doctors

Dates: June 7-July 4; July 5-18; July 19-August 1 etc. a full list of available dates can be found on the program website
Cost: $1,500 excluding flights
Eligibility: 3rd & 4th year veterinary students
Program Description: The Galapagos Animal Doctors (GAD) project works with a clinic on the Galápagos Island of Santa Cruz providing services to the islands’ community, by strengthening its engagement and promoting animal health, welfare, sterilization, and responsible ownership. The clinic is not a high-volume spay-neuter clinic, but embraces all aspects of veterinary skills and training, including consultations, outreach and surgery. Alongside this crucial work, there will be time to explore the Islands of the Galápagos, with unique plants and animals found nowhere else. There will be opportunities for you to visit the beautiful beaches and see the unique and diverse wildlife of these islands.

Worldwide Veterinary Service Surgical Training in Thailand

Dates: June 8-19; June 22-July 2; August 3-14; September 14-25 etc. a full list of available dates can be found on the program website.
Cost: around $2,000 excluding flights
Eligibility: 4th year veterinary students
Program Description: This 12-day program is located in the Hang Dong area, outside of Chiang Mai. The location is a short journey away from the international airport in a semi-rural location. Participants can enjoy the culture of this fascinating area of Thailand with its temples and various points of interest, while improving soft tissue surgery skills and helping animals in need. Eighty percent of training time will be spent performing surgery, and 20% in lectures and discussion groups.

Worldwide Veterinary Service Surgical Training in India

Location: Assagao, India
Dates: May 25-June 5; August 3-14 etc. a full list of available dates can be found on the program website.
Cost: around $2,000 excluding flights
Eligibility: 4th year veterinary students
Program Description: The focus of the course is best practice techniques that are relevant for the high-volume animal birth control clinics and programs in developing countries, where huge stray dog populations are a problem. Course participants will learn about the importance of surgical dog population control and gain practical skills in performing spay and neuter procedures. The two-week syllabus will be split between the Hicks International Training Centre and the Northern Goa field clinic. Opportunities to go out with the animal catching and vaccination teams with WVS’s sister charity Mission Rabies will be available for one day of the week. The weekend break can be used to experience a diving safari, a trip to old Goa as well as offering some chill out time on the famous Goan beaches at participants’ own cost.

Costa Rica Wildlife Experience

Dates: May 25-June 7; June 8-21; June 22- July 5; July 6-July19 etc. a full list of available dates can be found on the program website.
Cost: around $1,000 excluding flights
Eligibility: 1-4th year veterinary students

Program description: Students will volunteer at the wildlife rescue center that is dedicated to the treatment and protection of exotic animals indigenous to Costa Rica. Working alongside a wildlife veterinarian, volunteers help to rescue, rehabilitate, and release these animals back to their natural habitat whenever possible. Volunteers are responsible for basic medical and day-to-day care of the resident animals, including optional nightly rotations for juvenile and nocturnal critters.

Wildlife conservation
Sanctuary-based vet work, animal husbandry (cleaning, sanitation, feeding and enrichment), orphan care, vet clinic support, observations, integrations and reintroductions
Vaccinations, spay and neuter