From Jan Ramer's Careers in Primatology piece, "Careers in Veterinary Medicine":
What should you do if you are interested in pursuing a career as a primate veterinarian? Work hard! During undergraduate studies, while doing the prerequisites for veterinary school, students should try to get as much experience with primates as possible. You may take ethology, primatology or physical anthropology courses, volunteer at a zoo or primate facility, or try to get experience with free ranging primates. If you've made it to this page you may have noticed that there are job listings. This is a good place to begin looking for volunteer or paid opportunities. Once accepted to the 4-year veterinary program, it is very important to get good broad general veterinary training in medicine and surgery. Some veterinary schools offer courses or clinics in exotic animal medicine, but few offer training in primate medicine. This experience must be obtained by doing extra projects and/or summer jobs with a primate center or zoo, attending conferences, and through externships at primate facilities.
The following list of veterinary schools results from an email solicitation on the Primate-Science email list by Dr. Janette Wallis of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Wallis asked the list for vet schools with programs that had "at least a brief focus on primates" and offered an approach to veterinary medicine suited for an individual pursuing a career in primate medicine. Respondents suggested ten different programs which we have listed here with contact information.
If you are planning a career in primate medicine, do not necessarily limit yourself to the schools listed here. We encourage you to explore veterinary schools in your state or region and ask those institutions if their program could help you pursue a career working with nonhuman primates.
[See "General Comments" from Dr. Wallis's email.]
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Last updated: March 27, 2001.
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