The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s (Penn Vet) New Bolton Center is recruiting volunteers for the 2016 foaling season to assist veterinarians and staff in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Registration to be a volunteer “foal sitter” takes place in December, with an orientation to follow in January. Foal-sitting volunteer shifts start in February and go through June. For more information and to register, email foalsitters@nicuvet.com.

A tradition for 30 years, the New Bolton Center enlists more than 100 foal sitters each spring, about half of them returning volunteers. Foal sitters include local horse owners and enthusiasts, university and high school students, and even registered nurses. Foal sitters must be at least 16 years old. Second-year Penn Vet students foal-sit for five shifts of six hours each as part of an elective course

“The foal sitters are essential,” said Jon Palmer, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, chief of New Bolton Center’s NICU and director of perinatal and neonatal programs. “For us to deliver the level of intensive care that we do, we need help around the clock