An ECZM Residency is a postgraduate training Programme designed to provide in-depth education in the science and state of art of zoological medicine. ECZM is composed of five different specialty (small mammal, herpetology, avian, zoo health management and wildlife). The training is based on a mentor and trainee relationship.
If you would like to apply to follow a Residency Programme several requirements need to be fulfilled to be eligible. Please consult the ECZM P&P for detailed information on requirements and processes.
Standard and Alternative Residency Programmes can be distinguished.
- Standard Residency Programme is set-up by a specific institution and is approved independent of a Residency Applicant. If you fulfil the requirements and would like to follow a specific Standard Residency Programme, please get in contact with the respective Programme Director of Approved Residency Training Programs and negotiate your attendance to the training programme. For application to a Standard Programme the following documents needs to be completed and submitted :
- The respective Application Form
- A CV of the applicant
- A cover letter from the supervisor
- A copy of the veterinary diploma and internship
- If you are eligible to apply for a Residency Programme, but your circumstances do not permit enrolment in a Standard Programme, you may apply to follow an Alternative Residency Programme. You may contact a (certified) Diplomate in your country, preferably affiliated with an approved Residency Programme, to request information about possibilities and conditions. You may also contact the Education Committee of the ECZM for information and support. The Alternative Programme needs to be specifically outlined and submitted for the Resident Applicant in question and must be approved before it starts. For application to an Alternate Programme the following documents needs to be completed and submitted :
- The respective Application Form
- A CV of the applicant
- A CV of the supervisor
- A cover letter from the applicant (especially explaining why a standard residency is not applicable)
- A copy of the veterinary diploma and internship
- Outline of the specific Alternative Residency Programme
If you have negotiated your attendance to a Standard or Alternative Residency Programme with the respective Programme Director and once you have a confirmation email from the ECZM Education Commitee, please register as a Resident within the ECZM as follows:
- Create an SSO account to access the profile area
- Access your profile area and click on the link "become Resident"
- Fill out the webform
- Open the respective Application form, complete manually and sign (please note that the complete document should be signed by the Programme Director)
- Convert the Application form to PDF file and rename it with your surname only
- Upload the PDF file in the profile area
Should you encounter any technical difficulties please contact
If you would like to set-up a Standard Residency Programme for your institution several requirements need to be fulfilled for the involved institution(s) and the programme content to be eligible for approval. Please consult the ECZM P&P for detailed information on requirements and processes. You may also contact the Education and Residency Committee’s co-chair in charge of residencies (anja.reckendorf@gmx.de) for information and support.
There shall be no restriction on training institutions / approved practices as long as they meet the requirements for approval by the Education and Residency Committee.
In brief, to offer a Residency Programme the institution needs to be recognised as a n ECZM Training Institution and the specific training programme has to be approved.
The following documents needs to be submitted to the ECZM education and residency commitee :
- Full CV of the supervisor as well as proof of their up to date specialist status
- Program Structure description : this should include a description of the duties and responsibilities of the resident, study time, allocation, research possibilities, opportunities for external rotations and specialty training.
- Training site description : description of the training site including details about available facilities, equipment, caseload, staff (name and qualifications) and cooperation with other institutions and specialists (name and qualifications)
- Residency site self inspection form
- In case of re-approval please include a cover letter explaining how the residency site and program have evolved, how many residents were trained and credentialed for the exam over the past 5 years.
Following completion of their training program, Applicants have up to eight years to pass the examination. Potential Applicants must notify the ECZM Examination Committee Chair of their intent to apply for the qualifying examination before October 1st of the year prior of their anticipated examination, following which they will receive all pertinent, up-to-date information required for the application process and the examination. Approximate dates and location of the examination will be posted on the website at least four months in advance, while further details regarding the date, location, and procedure will be provided to applicants nearer the time of the examination, but no later than February 1st of the year of the examination.
Eligible Applicants must submit their Credentials to the Secretary and the Credentials Committee on or before November 1st of the year preceding the year of the anticipated Examination. Following review of the submitted credentials by the Credentials Committee, applicants will be notified of the outcome by the ECZM Secretary on or before December 1st of the year prior to the examination. Please consult the (general and specialty-specific) ECZM Policies and Procedures Manual for further details regarding the mandatory documentation to be included in the Credentials. Alternatively, you may contact the Credentials Committee of the ECZM for further information and support regarding the credentialing process.
Successful Applicants must notify the Secretary and Examination Committee of their decision to sit the examination by January 1st of the year of the anticipated examination. To complete their application, Applicants must submit the Examination Application Form online, and pay the examination fee through the website before the application deadline. Please note that repeated examination attempts (even if just one part) will require an additional payment of the full examination fee, on each occasion, and that fees are non-refundable. Applicants may contact the Examination Committee of the ECZM for further information and support regarding the examination. In case further assistance with making payment is needed, Applicants may contact the Treasurer of the ECZM.
Late or incomplete applications at any stage of this process will not be considered.
Payment will not be accepted if credentials have not been submitted and accepted.
For further information regarding the examination procedure, please consult the ECZM Guidelines for Exam candidates. In addition, Applicants are referred to the Reading List of their designated specialty for the preparation of the Exam