A Roadmap for Developing Internship Programming at Animal Shelters

November 5, 2025

1:40 pm - 2:40 pm |

Internships are few and far between at animal shelters despite the immense value they provide. Interns assist with critical day-to-day operations and projects, and at a time when shelters are having difficulty with medical staffing, we have seen a high retention rate with veterinary interns who are eager to assist with medical care and surgery.

Internship programs can not only help you further your mission of advocacy and education, but also produce students who energize the workplace, champion the shelter after the internship is over, and even transition into staff members who come pre-trained in your shelter’s protocols and plugged into your animal welfare philosophy.

Alisa will share the experience of building an internship program from the ground-up and the positive impact it had on the organization and its students. As with all programming, internships are not a one-size-fits-all endeavor and establishing a program does not come without its challenges. After attending this presentation, attendees will learn the basics of creating a professional and sustainable internship program, including:

• Evaluating whether or not interns are right for your shelter
• Attracting qualified and diverse candidates
• Overcoming pitfalls along the way
• Embracing elements that make for a successful program that is mutually beneficial to the shelter and to students