Ambassador Profile – Dr Nicole Hartman, Arizona, USA.
Hi, I’m Nicole – I am a graduate of RVC, London and I have been a part of The Expedition Project Ambassador team since 2021.
I have been working with The Expedition Project since 2021, helping with live streams and developing online courses with the help of Wildlife Vets like Dr Peter Rogers, and fellow ambassadors from around the world.
WHEN DID I FIRST REALISE I WANTED TO BE A VET?
I have always wanted to be a vet. My mom always jokes around about her cradling me in her arms and whispering to me that I was going to grow up and be a vet so that I could take care of all our pets. Growing up I had a wide range of pets, everything from a lizard to a dog and guinea pigs to an actual pig. Additionally, all our animals were rescues and required extra love and attention. As I got older my passion became more realized and I knew one day I would work with animals.
WHAT IS MY MOTIVATION TO BECOME A VET?
I enjoy the idea of being able to take the extra step in helping an animal in need. Whether that is somebody’s pet or wildlife that needs help. The veterinary degree in itself is a diverse degree to have and it opens so many doors. Through those doors is an endless number of individuals working towards making the world a better place for animals of all kinds. This is my motivation, blending veterinary medicine and conservation so the world maintains its beauty and diversity.
MY BIGGEST TIP IF YOU WANT TO STUDY TO BECOME A VET IS…
Working towards becoming a vet will take time and energy. It is completely worth it in the end. To accomplish this, it is important to get as much experience working with animals as possible whether that is dog walking, volunteering at a vet clinic, volunteering at an animal shelter, helping with vaccine clinics, or working on a farm. Additionally, gaining experience with as many different species as possible to see the different ways you can handle and work with animals. This will prepare you for vet school and help you become more confident even when working with a species you have never seen before.
THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A VET IS…
The hardest thing about being a vet is learning about so many different animals. Luckily, once you learn a few of the basics all you need to do is remember the differences. So many animals overlap in their anatomy and how they function. The information you learn for one animal can then be used across multiple species and the only extras you need to remember are the minor differences.
WHAT IS MY FAVOURITE ANIMAL?
My favorite animal would have to be a tiger. They are stunningly beautiful and strong creatures.
MY FAVOURITE ANIMAL RELATED STORY IS…
Perhaps, one of my most thrilling animal experiences occurred during a game drive in South Africa on my pre-vet I interned at a zoo during my first undergraduate degree. This was such an amazing experience because I got to work with the zoo keepers and learn about all the different animals there. Some of which I would never have seen or know about had I not worked there. The zoo keeper that I worked with floated around working in different sections of the park each day. Additionally, she had me researching the animals beforehand so that I could interact with the public while completely some of our daily tasks and answer any questions they may have. This was really amazing because a lot of our visitors were the same as me, they had never seen some of these animals before and wanted to learn as much as they could. One day I was asked to read up on Tapirs. One of the tapirs at the zoo had recently given birth and the baby was finally old enough to be introduced to his exhibit. So, my job was to lifeguard for the baby tapir while he explored his new home, just in case he fell into the stream in his exhibit and mom couldn’t get to him. Luckily this never happened because his mom was very good at guiding him away from the water before he got too close. While watching him in all his excitement, some of the visitors also came to watch and they had a lot of questions about what I was doing and how he was liking his new exhibit. They also wanted to know all about the species and why he was spotted and colored differently from the adult tapirs. Fortunately, I had all the answers and was able to educate some people about the risks they face out in the wild and demonstrate the importance of this little guy’s birth.
MY FAVOURITE ANIMAL PHOTO I HAVE TAKEN IS…
