Nico Schoemaker graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht 1994. This was directly followed by an internship in Companion Animal Medicine at the Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals and a Residency in Avian Medicine and Surgery at the same University. His residency led to certification as an avian specialist in the Netherlands, Europe (Diplomate of the European College of Avian Medicine and Surgery [ECAMS]) and the USA (Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners [ABVP] – certified in Avian Practice). In 2003 he defended his PhD entitled; Hyperadrenocorticism in ferrets. He has never left the university and is still working at the Division of Zoological Medicine. Since April 2009 the ECAMS was incorporated into a broader specialist college named European College of Zoological Medicine (ECZM). Within this college he is a founder diplomate of the small mammal specialty. As it is only possible to hold one specialist title in Europe he has chosen to become a specialist in small mammal medicine.