Welcome to the Emergency Service Volunteer Information Page.

The Emergency Service of the Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania is a 24 hour service with 25 doctors, 20 nurses, fourth year vet students, and 24 hour receptions.  It sees cases 24 hours per day everyday of the year and never closes.  It is the largest academic veterinary emergency service in the world with over 12,000 cases per year.  The spectrum of cases that are seen include trauma and surgical and medical emergencies. 

Integral to our service is our volunteer program.  This program has been in place for 20 years and over 500 people have participated in this program.  The background of these people have ranged from C.P.A., graphic artist, military vetarin, to prevet student.  Our volunteers are essential to the functioning of our emergency room and their responsibilities include patient restraint, stocking and cleaning.  We take this program seriously and we depend upon our volunteers who have elected to work with us.  The volunteer shifts are 4 hour blocks from 8am to 12am seven days a week. 

If the above information interests you regarding participating in our volunteer program please click below to access the application and welcome letter. 

If you have any qustions regarding the volunteer program please e-mail Gina Castorino  at vhupvolunteers@hotmail.com.  Thankyou for your interest!

To apply as a volunteer, please click here to download & fill out the application form, then return it to Gina Castorino  at vhupvolunteers@hotmail.com