Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Internship

If you are considering a career in Marine biology, specifically Sea Turtle Rehabilitation, our internship program is an excellent way to start. You will receive valuable experience that will assist you in achieving your future goals. Our volunteer-based internship program is designed for college students and recent graduates who are serious about pursuing a career working with sea turtles and/or animal management, as well as pre-vet students. The Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center rehabilitates sea turtles from the Gulf of Mexico, which include, Kemp’s Ridley, Green, and Loggerhead Sea turtles. Interns will prepare diets, maintain cleanliness of all areas, receive hands-on experience administering treatments, record animal behavior, and learn to complete Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) and accompanying forms and deliver formal educational presentations. Please note that all Gulfarium internships are non-compensatory, and housing is not provided. Because stranding work is unpredictable internship experiences may vary by season.

Duties

• Learn and execute proper food preparation procedures
• Complete daily habitat cleaning and maintenance
• Practice effective communication between all staff and fellow interns
• Participate in weekly lectures series with accompanying quizzes
• Monitor animal areas and provide exemplary guest service
• Assist with veterinary procedures to include administering oral and injectable medications, wound care, blood draws, surgical procedures, and necropsies
• Assist with new patient arrivals, to include, collecting vital signs (heart rate, respiration rate, temperature), morphometrics, and wound care.
• Maintaining laboratory inventory of medical supplies
• Assist with daily and weekly reporting
• Learn and practice public speaking techniques by conducting weekly formal education presentations to the public about the current rehab patients. These presentations should be entertaining, accurate, and inspire conservation action.
• Complete other tasks as assigned by the Gulfarium C.A.R.E staff

Internship Learning Objectives:

• Develop hand-on stranding response and rehabilitation skills:
  • Assist with post-mortem examinations on sea turtles
  • Perform basic health assessments of rehabilitation patients (i.e., vital collections, administering medications, blood processing, and wound treatment)
  • Complete Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) as well as supplementary forms