In this month’s episode of the Vet Nurse Skills Podcast, Amelia is joined by veterinary nurse, educator and creator of The Veterinary Nerd, Tawny Kershaw, to explore the varied career journey that has taken her from first-opinion practice to referral nursing, wildlife conservation and veterinary education.

Tawny shares how work experience first introduced her to veterinary nursing, despite being told at school that she was not academic enough to work in veterinary practice. She discusses her determination to continue learning, from completing a veterinary nursing degree and master’s in endangered species recovery and conservation to pursuing further qualifications in anaesthesia and exotic species nursing.

The conversation explores Tawny’s experiences working with an extraordinary range of patients in the UK and overseas, including sea turtles in the Maldives, wildlife in Costa Rica and South Africa, and giraffes during her master’s research. She also explains how her “vet nursing gap year” as a locum helped her discover her interests in referral nursing, anaesthesia, exotics and education.

Tawny also shares how The Veterinary Nerd grew from a simple idea to exchange useful clinical knowledge into a thriving educational platform, now helping thousands of veterinary professionals access practical, evidence-based resources and CPD.