Turtle Rescue Team

My involvement with the Turtle Rescue Team (TRT) has been one of the most sustained and formative components of my undergraduate experience. Although TRT is a DVM-led organization, I have served as both a long-term rehabilitator along with my family and a member of the Undergraduate Treatment Team, contributing nearly one thousand hours of wildlife care. Under the guidance of veterinary students and clinicians, I have had the opportunity to assist with radiographs, practiced suturing techniques, calculated and administered medications, and supported treatment plans.

As a rehabilitators, my family and I have cared for land and aquatic turtles, snakes, and other unique exotic species from intake through release, providing daily husbandry, wound management, and medication administration. Completing the Turtle Ally Certification Program further strengthened my skills in triage, supportive care, and exotics medicine while connecting me with wildlife professionals across North Carolina.

TRT has shaped my understanding of veterinary medicine at the individual-animal level. It has taught me that clinical skill is built through repetition and responsibility — especially when caring for animals that cannot advocate for themselves.

We don't just see box turtles at TRT, or even just turtles! There have been so many exotic species, some that I've even been able to work with.