Veterinary Nurse Work Experience
The Zoological Society of London will only be offering Veterinary nurse ‘work experience’ placements at ZSL London Zoo – These placements are designed to give RCVS listed and registered (qualified and trainee) veterinary nurses an insight into all aspects of the work nurses perform within the Zoo environment.
Please note: the dead line for applying for placements for the summer of 2013 has now passed, we are currently not accepting any applications for nurse work experience
Unfortunately ZSL is no longer able to offer experience for school leavers. Non Veterinary nurses please click here.
How to apply
Each placement will be for a set two-week period July – September (Mon-Fri) and there will be a total of six successive placements. The placements offer a unique opportunity for veterinary nurses to gain work experience within the Zoo environment, working with wild animals (and some domestic ones too!).
Please note: We will only be accepting applications for the summer of 2014 from 1st - 31st January 2014, any applications sent before or after this date will not be taken into consideration.
If you wish to apply for one of these placements, please check this web site again in January 2014
Unlike most small animal Veterinary practices the clinical work is mostly dictated by the collection animals and work load can be highly variable so applicants should be prepared for this. There are many routine procedures that can occupy our time such as health checks on new arrival animals in quarantine, or checks on export animals, to follow up checks on animals on long term medications such as NSAID’s and sexing and micro-chipping of new juveniles for collection management.
Naturally we do get clinically quieter periods where paperwork and general housekeeping can be caught up on but this is all necessary for the day to day running of the department and it is a positive thing as it generally means our animals are healthy! So whilst zoo work can be very exciting and challenging and we do deal with many different species, it is well worth remembering that whilst some days may be busy with tail to tail emergencies and clinical procedures, it can also be quite unpredictable. As nurses that work for ZSL we feel that this keeps the job interesting but this does mean that we can never guarantee what you will get to see during your placement and you may find it very different from General Practice.
Claire Maher one of ZSL’s Work Experience Veterinary Nurses
'I thoroughly enjoyed my two week work experience placement with the Veterinary Department at ZSL London Zoo. Everyday was varied and exciting giving me the chance to nurse an array of animals many of them rare, some endangered and certainly very few of which I would have the opportunity to see in general practice.
'It was wonderful to have the opportunity to work with the veterinary team at the zoo, all of whom having a vast amount of experience and knowledge and all only too happy to answer any of my questions and help me to learn some new skills in the nursing of wild animals.
'Not only did I gain invaluable experience during the time I spent at ZSL London Zoo but it also showed me the possibilities of where a career in veterinary nursing could lead me in the future.'
