Travel and prepare for your future career

Follow your passion for vet medicine while exploring the World and meeting like-minded people.

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The best Pre-med and Pre-vet Summer Program in Italy

The Doctors in Italy Pre-Vet Fellowship Program is a unique experience to appreciate the breadth of opportunities that a degree in Veterinary Medicine can offer while immersed in Italian culture and stunning natural landscapes.

By shadowing veterinary professionals specialised in different disciplines, you will learn about animal welfare and behaviour, basic clinical examination skills, animal nutrition, zoonotic diseases, the importance of the human-animal interactions and many other topics.

Featured: the DoctorsinItaly Pre-vet Fellowship Summer ’22

Learn how to care for animals from 30 species

You’ll spend time with cats, dogs, cows, sheep, horses, boars, rabbits, a spunky lama, and many, many more. From daily care and feeding, to special needs, hand rearing, and veterinary checks ─ be in the midst of the action.

You will assist veterinarians in clinical settings and during field work in animal sanctuaries and wildlife rescue centres. You will be exposed to a variety of species such as equids, large and small ruminants, wild and domestic pigs, rabbits, llamas, wildlife, birds, dogs, cats and exotic animals, learning the different ways to approach and care for them.

Featured: Summer ’22 students feeding a calf at Capra Libera Tutti rescue near Rome

Featured: Vet specialist performing a CT scan on an injured turkey – Pic. by Capra Libera Tutti

Spend time with the vets and expand your knowledge

Prepare for Vet School with ethical shadowing and hands-on training. Build your experience learning from professional veterinarians and animal carers, along with other students sharing your passion. Gain confidence in your skills and further drive towards your future as a vet.

Meet Patty the parrot, Kruzco the llama, Casimiro the bull, and other 300 animals living free

At the animal rescue you’ll get inside knowledge on the lives of animals, spending time with a wide variety of animals, each with their own personality. You’ll learn what it takes for them to live a happy and healthy life, how they interact with each other and with their human carers, what types of diseases they need to be checked for, and how a vet can take care of them, whether they have fur or feathers.

Featured: Patty the parrot, a beloved inhabitant of the rescue

Featured: Scenes from the DoctorsinItaly Fellowship for Pre-med students Summer ’19

Discover the beauty of Italy

Our expert local coordinators will guide you through an immersive experience in Italy. Summer ’23 Programs are available in Rome, Florence, Perugia, and Milan.

Make friends, discover your city and its stunning surroundings, enjoy Italian food, and travel to dream-come-true destinations during the weekend.

This international experience will develop your cultural competence. it will open your mind to different cultures, and help you thrive in a world that is ever more connected.

It’s a chance for you to challenge yourself and your limits and grow to be a better communicator and a leader in your field.

Rome Program:
farm animals, friendly environment, and stunning natural views

Located 40 minutes away from Rome, Italy, the animal rescue you’ll be paired with is immersed in nature, on a hilltop with breath-taking scenery.

You’ll be immersed in nature and will spend most of your time outdoors at the animal rescue and the surrounding hills. You’ll also be able to discover Rome through guided tours and excursions.

Your accommodation will be in Rome’s city center, so you can explore the city on your own. Transport to and from the rescue is provided by the program.

Featured: A group of sheep enjoy the view at dusk at Capra Libera Tutti Rescue near Rome

Featured: Playtime at Ohana Animal Rescue near Florence

Florence Program:
horses, sheep, and other farm animals

About 30 minutes away from Florence, Italy, the two animal rescues we partner with are home to goats, sheep, cows, dogs, cats, chickens, and other farm animals. You’ll also work with a horse rescue specialized in equine health.

While rescues are in a rural area surrounded by nature, your accommodation will be in Florence, so you can explore the city with your new friends and be independent. Transport to and from the rescue is provided by the program.

Milan Program:
pigs, goats, cats, and dogs

The program in Milan partners with two animal rescues, located one hour away from Milan, and a veterinary clinic for cats and dogs.

The two animal rescues provide care to farm animals like pigs, sheep, goats, cows, donkeys, as well as rescued dogs. At the vet clinic, fellows will shadow specialists during clinical hours, surgery, and diagnostic imaging, as well as participate in workshops and presentations.

Accommodation will be in Milan, to allow fellows to explore the city on their own and with their peers, while transport to and from the rescue is provided by the program.

Featured: A clinical examination of a cat at the veterinary clinic in Milan

Featured: A fox in the forest, courtesy of WildUmbria rescue

Perugia Program:
wildlife rescue and pristine nature

Located on the top of a hill, Perugia is a small city with a long history and stunning architecture, surrounded by nature. The Pre-vet summer program in Perugia partners with three different rescues and offers the richest experience in terms of animal variety.

At the rescues, you’ll have a chance to shadow wildlife rescue of owls, wolves, foxes, boars, deers, bats, porcupines, and many other species you haven’t even heard of! You’ll also shadow at a family run farm animal rescue, and a dog rescue.

Housing is provided in the center of Perugia, which you can easily explore by walking around with your new friends.

Transport to and from the rescues is provided by the program.

Dates and fees

Rome Program

Group I – May 15 2023 to May 26 2023

Group II – May 29 2023 to June 9 2023

Group III – June 19 2023 to June 30 2023

Custom dates: upon availability

Fees: €4000 (4300$)

The fees include: housing, transportation, medical insurance, daily breakfast and lunch, two group excursions, two dinners, 24/7 on-site support. Part of the fees are used to support the animal rescues.
Airfare is not included.

Florence Program

Group I – May 15 2023 to May 26 2023

Group II – May 29 2023 to June 9 2023

Group III – June 12 2023 to June 23 2023

Fees: €4500 (4700$)

Milan Program

Group I – June 19 2023 to June 30 2023

Group II – July 3 2023 to July 14 2023

Group III – July 17 2023 to July 28 2023

Fees: €4000 (4300$)

Perugia Program

Group I – May 29 2023 to June 9 2023

Group II – June 12 2023 to June 23 2023

Group III – June 26 2023 to July 7 2023

Fees: €4000 (4300$)

What’s included in the program fees

The fees include: housing, transportation, medical insurance, daily breakfast and lunch, two group excursions, two dinners, 24/7 on-site support.
Part of the fees are used to support the animal rescues.
Airfare is not included.

Program structure

This short-term internship-type program runs for 2 weeks and includes 5 hours per day shadowing animal caregivers and vets and learning how to provide care to the animals at the rescue, for a total of 40 hours of learning and service. The purpose is for you to learn about the lives and health of the animals, guided by experts in veterinary medicine, animal nutrition, animal care, as well as animal rescue professionals.
After having breakfast together, students are transported to the rescue where they spend their mornings. Lunch is provided by the program, and the afternoon is dedicated to either vet clinic shadowing, cultural activities, or spare time to explore the city and its surroundings.
Fridays are dedicated to a day-trip to a different city in Italy.
Weekends are free for students to arrange their own travel, or stay in and relax.

Is this program right for me?

The Pre-Vet Fellowship is designed for students who are enrolled in a university course in Animal Science, Biology, Public Health or similar, or who have just completed their degrees and wish to study Veterinary Medicine.

We also welcome vet students, veterinary technicians, and animal care assistants who are looking to expand their knowledge on different species and explore different aspects of the veterinary professions.

To participate, you must be 18 years old and there is no maximum age limit.

I'm ready to apply!

The application is free and admissions are rolling. Start your application, pass the interview, and save your spot into this Summer’s Vet Fellowship Program!

I want to learn more

Have questions? Not sure whether the program is right for you? Check our Help Center for answers to common questions.

Who we are

We believe there is only one health. We have a background in human medicine and a passion for animal welfare.

We offer ethical and responsible shadowing programs to pre-vet and vet students who share our commitment to animal welfare and respect for all living beings.

DoctorsinItaly is a purpose-driven company launched together with our shareholder, Bocconi University, the most prestigious School of Economics in Italy.

We work to internationalize healthcare through technology and education, connecting culturally competent doctors with the community of travelers, digital nomads and remote workers, lowering the language and cultural barriers to accessing healthcare in Italy.

The DoctorsinItaly Fellowship Program was established in 2018, with the purpose of providing a unique growth opportunity to students from all over the world who are on a path to become members of a global community of medical professionals.

Our educational mission is to foster a culture of inclusion and prepare students for the future of medicine (human and veterinary) in a borderless world.

We want to make health professionals of the future used to international settings, aware of differences, and equipped with a worldwide network of contacts that will be so precious in a post-pandemic world.

We abide by the Standards of Good Practice set out by the Forum on Education Abroad ─ the US Standards Development Organization for the field.