Champaign, Ill. (WCIA)
Danielle Money & Fayth Kim, leaders in the Wildlife Medical Clinic join us to talk about all of the prep being done for the incoming academic year, what they do as team leaders (and why they would take on that challenge), and give a clinic status update for this year.
• We’ve cared for 1,393 animals in 2022 as of this morning, 541 of which have been able to be released back to the wild or transferred to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for eventual release
o Over the summer our crew has consisted of a team of undergraduate students, our 2 veterinary student managers, 4 veterinary student interns, and 37 veterinary students who are in their final year of training before graduation. We anticipate ~130 student volunteers joining our ranks later this month
• We have 24 team leaders in the WMC during the academic year, each of whom are veterinary students who help guide their teams of 15-20 students in the care of injured, diseased, or orphaned wildlife
o Team leaders undergo 3 days of training before the academic year starts, monthly training sessions thereafter, weekly case rounds, and weekly lectures to help build their skills and knowledge. In these, we cover a broad range of topics, including matters related to animal care and conservation as well as leadership, communication, team building, and clinic management.
Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine
University of Illinois
1008 W. Hazelwood Dr. M/C 004
Urbana, IL 61802