Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
Ever since I could say the word “veterinarian,” it has been my dream job. As a kid, I would poke my pets with stethoscopes and wrap their legs in bandages in preparation for my future career. This week, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Ben Nevitt, an Associate Veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo, who on a daily basis does a little more than I did to my patient childhood pets.
From the time he was very young, Dr. Nevitt knew he wanted to be a vet. His passion for animals motivated him to push through an intense 15 years of veterinary school, internships, and residency. Dr. Nevitt attended Washington University for his undergraduate schooling and completed his doctorate of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida. After 8 years of schooling, he completed two internships at Colorado State University and Illinois State University and a three-year residency where he learned from 8 different veterinarians. He worked at a few different zoos before getting hired at the San Diego Zoo about two and a half years ago.
As the interns toured the immense veterinary hospital, Dr. Nevitt let us in on a little secret about his job: it’s almost totally unpredictable. There are some routine procedures like exams and rechecks on animals throughout the Zoo, and additionally, Dr. Nevitt performs preventative medicine exams every three to five years, which include x-rays, blood work, and dental work. However, he never knows what surprises he will face when he shows up to work or if he will be called in for an emergency procedure.
Dr. Nevitt is stationed at a different position each day. He might be the grounds vet where he drives through the Zoo and typically make 20-30 check-ups on his rounds. He could also be a hospital vet with about 5-6 exams a day. Dr. Nevitt and the other veterinarians working for the Zoo are usually on call one night a week for any emergencies.
Dr. Nevitt not only uses his 15 years of schooling and training to guide him, but he implements a lot of creativity and problem solving skills in his career. With new cases, Dr. Nevitt must look back on journals documenting the Zoo’s veterinary medicine history dating back to the 1970’s! He also uses the internet to gain access to veterinary journals from all around the world. If there is little information available about a species, Dr. Nevitt and his team base their exotic medicine ventures off of known domestic animal techniques. There are not any rulebooks holding the exact dosages and medications for exotic animals so Dr. Nevitt must improvise and experiment to find the perfect solution.
Dr. Nevitt admits that his job can be emotionally draining when a difficult problem arises or an animal has major health issues. Additionally, it can be challenging to ensure everyone’s safety and still perform a successful procedure. However, he boasts that when things go well his job is extremely rewarding. While working at the Brookfield Zoo, Dr. Nevitt found himself feeding a newborn dolphin every hour around the clock because its mother couldn’t care for it. The baby, named Magic, grew up to be healthy and happy. Dr. Nevitt told us it’s times like those that show him how much he loves what he does.
In total envy of his career, I asked Dr. Nevitt what I and those who share my dream could do to follow in his footsteps. He explained that experience is key. Throughout high school, Dr. Nevitt worked at a vet clinic and shadowed an equine vet to gain volunteer hours. If you want to be a veterinarian, get out there and do what you love most: work with animals! It may be a long road to success, but Dr. Nevitt can proudly say that he wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
Jillian, Career Team
Winter Session, 2017
