Stranding Internship

Program Description

The IMMS Stranding internship is designed as a way for students and recent graduates interested in a career in marine sciences to gain valuable experience in a real world setting.  As an intern you will be trained in field response to stranded live and dead sea turtles and dolphins.  You will have the opportunity to assist with necropsies of dolphins and sea turtles both in the field and in our lab.  As an intern you will additionally have the opportunity to gain experience in husbandry and medical treatments for live rescued sea turtles and dolphins. Interns may additionally have the opportunity to assist veterinary staff with medical procedures on resident animals and participate and assist staff in other departments at IMMS to include Animal Care, Education, and Research.

Requirements

Interns must be:

• 18 years or older.
• A recent college graduate or actively pursuing a college degree in the sciences.
• Willing to accept the internship as an unpaid position.
• Able to commit to a minimum of at least 12 weeks, 40 hours a week.
• Available to work weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
• Able to lift 50lbs.
• Able to work long hours on your feet and work outside in all weather conditions.
• Able to maintain a positive attitude, good work ethic, sense of responsibility, and a strong willingness to learn.
• Able to handle the sight of blood and acrid smells.
• Financially stable enough to obtain housing and transportation, though IMMS staff will do their best to assist you in making arrangements.
• Able to comply with IMMS protocols, rules, and regulations.

 Principle Duties

The IMMS stranding staff works in cooperation with state and government agencies to respond, document, and report sea turtle and dolphin strandings in the State of Mississippi.  Interns are directly involved in this process working with the stranding staff and veterinary staff to collect data and samples, perform necropsies, and fill out the appropriate stranding paperwork.  Interns will be trained on how to collect morphometric data as well as appropriate tissue samples in the field.  They will have the opportunity to work with the veterinarians on staff while performing full necropsies in our lab and will gain valuable experience in identifying anatomy and medical abnormalities in sea turtles and dolphins.  Interns will perform daily tasks including cleaning, running our stranding hotline, feeding and basic husbandry of our rehabilitation animals, and water quality procedures.  Interns will additionally participate in beach surveys on UTV to locate strandings and possible sea turtle nesting activity. Every year is different in the stranding department depending on the type and number of cases we receive.  As such, interns one year may not have the same experiences or opportunities as interns from another year.  If possible, interns may have the opportunity to assist veterinary staff with medical procedures both on rehabilitated and resident animals.  This will include processing bloodwork and other diagnostic tests and restraining for exams, blood draws, ultrasounds, radiographs, and other procedures.  Interns may also participate in the release of our rehabilitated animals that are ready to be returned to the wild.

Additional Information

Stranding internships are unpaid positions. IMMS provides a $30 reimbursement per week for groceries. Interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Once accepted, IMMS staff will try and assist interns in finding rooms available to rent.