CVM’s International Mission Apprenticeship Program is a unique opportunity available to mission-minded veterinary students in their 2nd, 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.

PLEASE NOTE: CVM’s Apprenticeship program is for students who are exploring long-term missions as a possible step for their future and is not intended to be an externship program. The participating student will be placed with a veterinarian fieldworker host and engaged in mission activities that may not meet the clinical requirements of their university. It is the responsibility of the participant to determine ahead of time with their school if the program can qualify as an externship, if they choose to do so.

If you are considering participating in our International Mission Apprenticeship Program, there are several steps in the application process. If you have any questions, please contact shortterm@cvm.org.

Who Can Participate?

  • Called to Missions – Participants must be a veterinary student who feels called to serve through long-term/career missions.
  • 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.
  • Minimum Commitment – A minimum of 4 weeks must be committed to serve on the field during this apprenticeship.
  • Deadline – Application and references must be received by CVM no later than October 15th to be eligible for consideration during the current academic year.

How Do I Apply?

Please complete and submit the Short-Term Volunteer Application online or download the PDF version. If you are already in the Short-Term Missions volunteer pool, you do not need to submit this application.

Application Fee

There is a one-time non-refundable application fee that is standard for all participants applying to volunteer with CVM Short-Term Missions. If you are already in the Short-Term Missions volunteer pool, you do not need to pay this fee again.

References

Please complete all three references forms: one Personal Reference Form, one  Professional Reference Form, and one Pastoral Reference Form (this should equate to 3 references). 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.

Apprenticeship Interest Assessment

Applicants must complete the Apprenticeship Interest Assessment Form. This can be completed via a downloadable PDF version. Please send your completed form to shortterm@cvm.org.

The Selection Process

Final Selection

After all applications and references have been submitted, the final selection of student apprentices will be determined by a ministry committee within CVM. Up to 5 students each year may be selected for an Apprenticeship.

Notification

Students will be notified of their status in late October.

Phone Interview

Students that have been selected to participate in the Apprenticeship Program may be contacted in December for a phone interview to discuss details and placement.

Expectations for Participation

Pre-Trip

In order to be considered as a candidate for the Missions Apprenticeship Program, you will need to have completed and submitted all application requirements to the CVM Short-Term Missions office by October 15th. If you are selected as an apprentice, we will work with you to place you with a CVM field staff or partner for the time of your apprenticeship. 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 participate in the following:

  1. Enroll: Enroll in our Learning Management System (eLearning). 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. 
  2. Pray: Sign up for your hosts’ prayer letter. Be in prayer for them as you learn about their ministry and how you might support them as a Missions Apprentice.

Post-Trip

Once you return home from your apprenticeship, you will have had so many experiences and will have seen God move in your life and the lives around you. Our prayer is that your time as an apprentice will help you to see what life is like as a veterinary missionary and help you to hear God’s call on your life in a clearer way. Perhaps you will feel confirmed in your call to serve long-term, or perhaps you will feel confirmed that you are to participate in God’s missional work by committing to repeated short-term projects. To assist you in processing your experience and allowing CVM to walk with you as you return home, we ask that you commit to participate in the following:

  1. Report: Complete a post-trip report to share with us your experience and how you saw God at work. This report will be reviewed by the CVM Program team to help us better know how to encourage and walk alongside you as you continue to pursue God’s call. This report will also serve as a tool to help us continually improve our Apprenticeship program and help promote this program to future apprentices interested in long-term missions service.
  2. Letters: To fully appreciate our scholarship donors & apprenticeship mentors, you will be asked to write a “thank you” letter to both your in-country host and the Missions Apprenticeship Scholarship donor. These letters can be written and submitted to CVM and we will forward your thanks on to your host for their mentorship and to the scholarship donor who helped to underwrite your trip expenses.

Fundraising and Support

Individual Support

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. Fundraising is an essential part of the Apprenticeship program.

Matching Program

Students accepted into the Apprenticeship program are eligible to receiving matching funding from private scholarship donors, up to the amount of $2,000, as agreed upon by the CVM ministry committee.

Additional Fees

Trip Deposit

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