Dr. Nicholson began volunteering at an animal shelter when she was 20 years old, and it wasn’t long before her volunteer work turned into a paying job. Next, she enrolled in Hinds Junior College’s veterinary technology program, graduating with her degree in applied science and passing her state certification to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician. After working that summer as a Tech, she returned to junior college in the fall to finish her prerequisite coursework for veterinary school.
Dr. Nicholson attended Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, earning her doctoral degree in 1991 and practicing in mixed-animal care in the northeastern part of the state for two years. She then relocated to Homestead, Florida for a year before returning to Mississippi again—Dr. Nicholson would spend the next several years traveling back and forth between Florida and Mississippi, using her dual licenses to provide relief services to veterinarians in both states. In 1995, she joined a feline-only practice in Fort Myers, Florida. Over the years, she’s worked in exotic clinics, animal shelters, spay-and-neuter clinics, and even at a Greyhound racing track! Dr. Nicholson also launched her own house-call practice in 2006 while still performing relief veterinary work.
Having filled in for Dr. DuPre for a number of years, Dr. Nicholson was happy to recently join the Small Animal Hospital team as an Associate Veterinarian. She has special interests in behavioral medicine and client education, and she especially loves learning new things within the constantly evolving field of veterinary medicine. She’s attended the North American Veterinary Conference for nearly 20 years in a row, and holds special certifications in applied clinical behavioral medicine, advanced clinical behavioral medicine, feline medicine, and exotic companion mammal medicine and surgery!
In her time away from work, Dr. Nicholson enjoys working in her yard, observing wildlife, reading, visiting the Smoky Mountains whenever the opportunity presents itself, and spending time with her own animal friends at home. She has a multitude of cats, two pet rabbits who go by Buckley and Jenny, and a rescued mixed-breed dog named Oliver.
