CVM Student International Missions Preceptorship

2011 Preceptee working on a donkey with a broken jaw, in Haiti.

CVM’s Missions Preceptorship Program is a unique opportunity available to mission-minded veterinary students in their 3rd or 4th year of veterinary school. The focus of this program is to provide students with one-on-one mentoring and hands-on training with CVM fieldworkers as they seek to pursue God’s calling to serve long-term through veterinary missions.

How Does It Work?

Through private donors, CVM is pleased to offer a financial “matching” program for students who are accepted for a Missions Preceptorship.  This will provide preceptorship participants with financial assistance (up to $2000/trip), as agreed upon by the selection committee (details below). 

Who Can Participate?
While there are many opportunities for vet students of all levels to serve through our short-term mission program, the following criteria are required for students interested in applying for a Missions Preceptorship: 

• Must be a veterinary student who feels a call to serve through long-term/career missions.
• Currently enrolled in an accredited veterinary school in the US, or an affiliated private university in the Caribbean (Ross, St. George’s or St. Matthew’s).
• Must be a 3rd or 4th year student, or a recent graduate (within 3 months after graduation) at the time of the externship.
• Minimum of 4 weeks must be committed to serve on the field during this externship.
• Application and references must be received by CVM no later than October 1, 2012 to be eligible for consideration during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Locations:
Student requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and every attempt will be made to match students with their primary area/region of interest. However, safety concerns, fieldworkers’ schedules, or other events may prevent a location from being available during the times requested.  Sites in Asia, Africa, Haiti, and Latin America should be available during the ‘13-‘14 academic year.

2011 Preceptee teaching dog health to animal health workers, in Bolivia.

Application process:
Students interested a Missions Preceptorship must complete and submit the: Short-term Missions Application (click here for Application form), two references (Click here for Christian Commitment Reference Form and Veterinary Professional/Peer Reference Form) and a one-time $50 application fee (standard for all students applying for their first short-term trip with CVM) prior to October 1st, 2012.  Pay fee here.  Additionally, you will need to complete the Long-term Mission Interest Assessment form (click here for form).

Note: By turning in the short-term missions application, you will begin the process toward acceptance into our short-term missions volunteer pool. Once we get your references, we will contact you. The one-time $50 non-refundable application fee covers a portion of the administrative costs associated with the short-term missions program.  This fee helps to cover the cost of application processing, establishing outreach locations, sending e-mail notices about short-term opportunities, development of training materials, etc.

If you are already part of CVM’s Short-term Pool  you do not need to fill out the Short-term missions application again, nor send an application fee; however, you will still need to submit the Long-term Mission Interest Assessment.

Selection Process
Up to 4 students each year may be selected for this externship program. After all applications and references have been submitted, students may be contacted in December for a phone interview. Final selection of student externs will be determined by a ministry committee within CVM.  Students will be notified of their status in early December.

Funding/Support-raising
Raising support is an important part of the externship. All of CVM’s short-term and long-term mission candidates are responsible for raising support for their work through their church, family, friends, and other contacts. However, those students accepted into CVM’s Missions Preceptorship program are eligible to receive matching funding from private donors, up to the amount of $2,000, as agreed upon by the CVM selection committee.  

2011 Preceptee with CVM long-term fieldworker and his son, in Bolivia.

The matching program works as follows:
• Students are responsible for raising 50% or more of their financial support for the preceptorship.
• Depending on travel cost and estimated daily expenses of the externship, students may receive a maximum of $2,000 (not to exceed 50% of total costs) in matching funding toward their trip. These funds will be allocated based on what each student raises. For example:
• If a student raises $1,500 in their short-term account for a trip estimated at $3,000, they can be matched with $1,500 by CVM.
• If a student raises funding beyond what is needed for the externship, less funding will be received from CVM. For example: If a trip is estimated to cost $4,000, and CVM has offered to match $2,000, but the student ends up raising $3,000 in their account, CVM will contribute $1,000. The remaining $1,000 from CVM will be placed back into the International Externship Account to support other student candidates.
• Students will only be “matched” on what is raised in their short-term account with CVM. If you raise support that is not deposited into your short-term CVM account, these donations will not qualify for matching funding.
• All receipts/expenses must be submitted following the preceptorship in order to receive reimbursement.
• The maximum number of students will be determined by the availability of funding and missionary host sites and the quality of the preceptorship applicants.

Additional Fees
Each student who participates in a short-term mission trip through CVM, including Preceptorships, will also be required to submit a trip deposit ($200) three months prior to departure. This deposit confirms your place on a trip. It also helps provide accounting and receipting of funds raised and expenses incurred, medical evacuation insurance, and other administrative costs. Further trip details will be provided for those applicants who are accepted for a preceptorship.  Pay the Trip Services Deposit here.

CVM is a non-profit organization that exists on the donations of people like you.  Your fees and donations to the Short-Term Mission program allow CVM to maintain the support structure that not only allows you to serve, but enables 30 long-term fieldworker families around the world to see lives transformed by the Gospel through veterinary medicine.  Your involvement through short-term missions and through giving, praying for and sending others is a vital part of CVM.  Thank you for serving with us! 

Questions?
If you have further questions about applying for a Missions Preceptorship with CVM, please feel free to contact Brad Frye at bfrye@cvmusa.org