Nurse becomes the UK's first nutrition specialist
Nicola is the only nurse outside of North America to achieve the VTS (Nutr).
Veterinary nurse Nicola Ackerman has become the first in the UK to hold the Veterinary Technician Speciality (VTS) in nutrition.
Nicola, who is senior medical nurse at the Veterinary Hospital Group in Plymouth, is the only veterinary nurse outside of North America to achieve the qualification.
Commenting on her achievement, she said: "I feel really proud that I have achieved the VTS in Nutrition. It is an exceptionally hard qualification to achieve, with both practical and theoretical knowledge being examined.
"I hope that all the knowledge that I have gained really benefits the patients and clients that I see in practice."
Nicola says it is a "real achievement" to get through the exam. Before even being considered for the VTS (Nutr) exam, candidates must submit case logs requiring a large number of nutritional cases.
After being accepted, she had to travel to Tennessee in June this year to sit the exam at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, for which she was sponsored by Royal Canin.
Since graduating from Hartpury College with an Honours Degree in Equine Science - specialising in nutrition - Nicola has gained post-graduate qualifications in emergency critical care and small and exotic animal nutrition.
As well as training student veterinary nurses and helping to run the nurses' clinical team at the Veterinary Hospital Group, Nicola is the author of textbooks for nurses and technicians and sits on the board for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the editorial board for the Veterinary Nursing Journal.
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
