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career advice

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a bit of advice

I am currently at college studying animal nursing assistance, I have applied to do a degree in "Veterinary nursing with applied animal behavior" but am now thinking this may not be exactly what I want to do. I have done a number of placements and the two I enjoyed most were working at a wildlife conservation park and working at a hedgehog hospital.

So I'm thinking I would like to work with wildlife, but what sort of careers are there working with wildlife and or conservation? and what kind of degree would I need to go for? also is Wildlife veterinary nursing an option? if so would I need to do different degree or would the one I have applied for cover it?

Sorry for the numerous questions, but any advice would be much appreciated.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1

KH94

Original post by Chris.A

Hi, Chris

Search the internet, see what degree you would need to work in wildlife or conservation.

I'm not sure if the degree you have applied for would cover it, you would have to ask the university about that, Chris.

Hope this helps you initially. I will try to find out more. Let me know if there is anything you want me to find out for you.

Reply 2

KH94

Chris,

Wildlife veterinary nursing would be an option, and you could probably do that as a degree.

Good luck, Chris. I will see what else I can found out to help you.

Reply 3

xlizx

You may find this useful, this vet nurse specialises in exotic and wildlife and did this by doing her placements in zoo and wildlife settings and choosing subjects on her degree that reflected her want to work in that area. So rather than having to wait another year you could do the degree that you have applied for and still get to work with wildlife by specialising like she did. I would make sure that the universities that you have applied for will allow you to do all of your placements in wildlife settings, and find out who offer the best course content for this path.
:smile:

http://vetrecordjobs.com/vetrecordjobs/advice/view-article.html?id=303

Reply 4

Tarnia

I am not as sure about nursing, but wildlife veterinary medicine is very competitive. Think about it...how many people DON''T think it would be cool to work with lions and tigers and bears, oh my? Having said that, I believe there could/would be a demand for nursing, as when I did a two week placement with a wildlife vet in South Africa, the vet there definitely relied on his vet assistants/nurses/whatever a lot. (The catch: it is very difficult to get a job there as a 'foreigner'...definitely trying to train their own populace and give them a chance.) Similarly, working in a wildlife rehab the nurses practically/pretty much ran the place. Short of actual surgery, there wasn't too much there from a practical standpoint (admin is different) that the nurse couldn't do. So if it is cheaper to hire a nurse, why not? However pay for nurses doesn't tend to be great for the amount of work you do, and my understanding (though again not an expert) is even less so for those working in wildlife/conservation medicine. I don't mean to be a 'Debbie Downer', just trying to be realistic.

A lot of it, as I understand, at least from the vet side, is getting the experience and breaking into the field. A degree in wildlife conservation (for example) is not enough. You need the practical side and the connections as well.

There is a nurse at the Dick Vet that does a lot of wildlife/conservation work. You could try contacting charitable organizations/conservation groups as well as universities.

Best of luck!

Reply 5

Chris.A

Original post by Tarnia

Thanks for the advice, I have been volunteering at a hedgehog hospital since August and they are on the same site as a Wildlife conservation centre who have said I can volunteer there, so will have some experience. I totally understand about the pay, but I don't know what other options are out there for me

Reply 6

Ballum

Original post by Chris.A

So I'm thinking I would like to work with wildlife, but what sort of careers are there working with wildlife and or conservation? and what kind of degree would I need to go for? also is Wildlife veterinary nursing an option? if so would I need to do different degree or would the one I have applied for cover it?

Hi Chris,

Just to help you in your adventure it may be good to add more definition to the above.

What does 'with wildlife' mean? If you want to have hands on contact with wildlife then you are looking at the best option as being a wildlife researcher which would probably entail a zoology degree + PhD.

However if you want to 'help wildlife' then this opens up options in government, policy, national parks, environmental science...

If you want to work with captive exotic animals, as opposed to wildlife then this is the realm of veterinary nursing. Zoos being a prime example. As mentioned previously there are limited jobs in this domain so be prepared to be in the same job for 10-20yrs+

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 7

Chris.A

Original post by Ballum

Hi Chris,Just to help you in your adventure it may be good to add more definition to the above.What does 'with wildlife' mean? If you want to have hands on contact with wildlife then you are looking at the best option as being a wildlife researcher which would probably entail a zoology degree + PhD. However if you want to 'help wildlife' then this opens up options in government, policy, national parks, environmental science...
If you want to work with captive exotic animals, as opposed to wildlife then this is the realm of veterinary nursing. Zoos being a prime example. As mentioned previously there are limited jobs in this domain so be prepared to be in the same job for 10-20yrs+

Thank you for your response, I'm definatly looking for a hands on career with animals, a zoo veterinary nurse does look like a possibility but I would really like a career with travel and variety and the ability to go abroad and work with wildlife whether that be rehabilitating animals back into the wild or working with animals in their natural habitat.

I have found these degree's that look interesting; Animal Science (Wildlife Conservation), Animal Management (Wildlife Conservation), Zoology, and then there is the vet nursing degree. I just need to figure out which one would suit the career that I want.