For veterinary students interested in pursuing long-term missions service, CVM’s Missions Apprenticeship Program offers a unique opportunity for one-on-one mentoring and hands-on training. Missions-minded students in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year of veterinary school can serve with a current CVM field worker as they consider how God is leading them to use their profession to share the gospel across cultures and around the world. 

All current students preparing to enter their 3rd or 4th year who are missions-focused are invited to apply. 

  • Current Student – Participants must be currently enrolled in an accredited veterinary school in the U.S. or Canada. 

  • 3rd or 4th Year – Participants must be a 3rd or 4th year student or a recent graduate (within 3 months after graduation) at the time of the apprenticeship. Note: 2nd year students are welcome to apply, though the apprenticeship will be completed during 3rd or 4th year. 

  • Missions-Focused– Participants must be a veterinary student who aspires to serve through long-term/career missions in the future. 

Students accepted into the Apprenticeship program are eligible to receive matching funding from private scholarship donors, up to the amount of $2,000, as determined by the CVM approval committee. 

Program Requirements 

  • Time Commitment – The apprenticeship is a commitment to a minimum of 4 weeks on the field. 

  • Deadline – Application and references must be received by CVM no later than November 1, 2024 for the current academic year.  

  • Trip Deposit – A trip deposit of $250 will be due upon acceptance into the Apprenticeship program. This deposit confirms your place on a trip as well as helps to provide accounting and receipting of funds raised and expenses incurred, medical evacuation insurance, and other administrative costs. 

  • Fundraising – An approved Apprentice must engage in fundraising for a portion of their trip costs. All of CVM’s short and long-term mission candidates are responsible for raising support for their work through their church, family, friends, and other contacts.  

  • Reporting – Complete a post-trip report to share the apprentice’s experience and how they saw God at work. 

  • Thank You Letters – To fully appreciate our scholarship donors & apprenticeship mentors, apprentices are asked to write a ‘thank you’ letter to both the in-country host and the Missions Apprenticeship scholarship donor at the conclusion of the apprenticeship. These letters can be submitted to CVM, and we will forward them to the host and the scholarship donor. 

CVM’s Missions Apprenticeship Program is for students who are exploring long-term missions in their future and is not intended to be a clinical externship program. The participating student will be placed with a veterinarian field worker host and engaged in missions activities that may not meet the clinical requirements of their university. It is the participant's responsibility to determine in advance if the program can qualify as an externship with their school if they choose to do so.

If you are considering participation in our Missions Apprenticeship Program, please share your questions with [email protected]. 

Application Process 

  1. Short-Term Missions Volunteer Application 
    If you are not yet an approved Short-Term Missions volunteer, please complete the Short-Term Volunteer Application process. If you are already in the CVM Short-Term Missions volunteer pool, you may skip this step. 

  1. Apprenticeship Application 
    Applicants must complete the Missions Interest Assessment Form. Please send your completed form to [email protected]. 

  1. References 
    Please send the following forms to three references to complete on your behalf:     the Personal Reference Form, Professional Reference Form, and Pastoral Reference Form (3 references total). References can submit forms directly to [email protected]. 

Please note that family members and spouses may not serve as references. If you have already been admitted to the Short-Term Missions volunteer pool, we ask that you still complete these three additional references. 


Selection 

After all applications and references have been submitted, the selection committee will review applications and up to 5 students each year may be selected for an Apprenticeship. Notification of approval will include the amount of matching funds made available to each apprentice. Students selected to participate in the Apprenticeship Program will be contacted for a phone interview to discuss details and placement. 

Important Information 

The placement of apprentices will take into account the student’s experience, interest, and long-term goals, but will also depend on host availability and other scheduling limitations.  Placement in particular locations/countries cannot be guaranteed but decisions will be made in consultation with each apprentice.   

To help you prepare and plan for your trip as well as process your experience on the field and when you return home, we ask that you also commit to: 

  • Learn – Enroll in CVM’s eLearning system. You will be assigned courses that will prepare you for your trip. CVM aims to support short-term missions with long-term impact, and we want to help you serve well. We ask that you take the time to complete these courses before your trip.

  • Pray – Sign up for your host’s prayer letter. Be in prayer for them as you learn about their ministry and how you might support them as a Missions Apprentice.