UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS VETERINARY STUDENTS
Illinois students are encouraged to expand their horizons. Illinois offers a course in international veterinary medicine, and faculty-organized and -led trips provide intensive experiences in other countries each summer.
Many Illinois students take advantage of veterinary service trips organized through non-governmental organizations or utilize opportunities to study at other veterinary institutions.
Each student contributes to a record of the trip, which is posted online in blog form to benefit others interested in international veterinary medicine.
University of Illinois Resources
Hear from Illinois Students
“It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I learned so much about surgery, shelter med, Greece, Rhodes, and so much more. During our two weeks, we were able to complete about 150 spays and neuters on stray cats and dogs across the island. Catch and release practices are a great way to gain population control. The first week, volunteers trapped cats, brought them to the animal clinic, and we performed the spay/neuter. After their procedure, volunteers came to pick up the cats and release them in their respective areas. The second week, we were at the municipal dog shelter of Rhodes, which housed over 400 dogs!”
– Erica Jackson, Class of 2025
Greece, 2024
“Rhodes was amazing! One of the best experiences I’ve ever had. We had the opportunity to perform so many sterilization procedures on the huge stray cat population as well as shelter dogs. The first week of the trip we focused on spaying and neutering cats that were able to be trapped and released. During this time, we also had the chance to do outpatient appointments for the local residents. The second week, we spent most of our time at the main animal shelter on the island which housed over 400 dogs! We spent the week castrating and spaying as many dogs as we could. We also vaccinated and microchipped all of them.”
– Morgan Garrow, Class of 2024
Greece, 2023
“My trip to Greece was fantastic! I loved it so much. What many people may think was a major disadvantage, I saw as an advantage. We didn’t have all the supplies and materials we would have at school or a standard clinic in the US. We didn’t have the shiny surgical tables or the best lighting. This trip helped me learn that sometimes you won’t have everything you need in shelter medicine. You have to be creative and make different decisions that might not be in your comfort zone. This is how I gained confidence in my medicine and my surgical skills.”
– Michael Greener, Class of 2022
Greece, 2022
For more information, contact Dr. Clarissa Souza at cpsouza@illinois.edu.
Many Illinois veterinary students arrange their own international experiences. To read about some of these, scroll through the Student Blog archives.