Training Vets in New York

Red Tailed Hawk Procedure Photo

WCS veterinarian Paul Calle aids a veterinary resident during a procedure on a red-tailed hawk.

Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS

WCS offers two veterinary residency programs in conjunction with Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The Wildlife Medicine Residency and the Pathology Residency are three years in duration, with the time divided between Cornell in Ithaca, New York and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s zoos and aquariums in New York City.

Wildlife Medicine Residency

The first year of the three-year residency in Zoological Medicine and Surgery is based at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and the second two years take place at WCS’s Bronx Zoo. During the year at Cornell the resident completes specialized rotations in zoological and wildlife medicine as well as domestic animal veterinary rotations. During the second and third years the resident will be involved in the veterinary care programs of the Central Park, Queens, and Prospect Park zoos, and the New York Aquarium, as well as the Bronx Zoo. The resident participates in preventive medicine program development and implementation and the daily medical and surgical care of WCS’s wild animal collections. This residency meets the criteria of the American College of Zoological Medicine for an approved training program. Program mentors at WCS include four veterinarians who are board certified in Zoological Medicine and one who is board certified in Avian Medicine. Applicants must be graduate veterinarians with at least one year of clinical experience, preferably in a structured program. Residents are required to live in an apartment on zoo grounds and to be available for night emergencies and night treatments. Please submit your application through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program.

Pathology Residency

WCS’s Pathology and Disease Investigation department and Cornell’s Department of Biomedical Sciences offer a combined residency training program in Anatomic Pathology, with a special emphasis in Zoo Animal and Wildlife pathology. This three-year residency program prepares candidates for a career in veterinary pathology and certification by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Moreover, the residency provides specialized training in the diagnosis of diseases in exotic and wild animal species. Training comprises two years of general anatomic pathology at Cornell University and a year at WCS’s Bronx Zoo. The residency exposes the trainee to extensive case material available through the necropsy and surgical pathology services at both institutions. This training is supplemented by slide seminars, lectures, and rotations through specialty laboratories. Opportunities exist to progress to graduate research training in a variety of research laboratories affiliated either with Cornell or WCS. A DVM or VMD degree, or equivalent, and good academic record are required.