Dr. Nickell received his BS in biochemistry and his DVM from the University of Missouri, after which he moved to Gainesville, Florida, and completed a small animal rotating internship at the University of Florida. He then completed a 3-year residency at the University of California – Davis. After finishing his residency, Dr. Nickell accepted a one-year, Post-Doctoral fellowship in anesthesiology at Colorado State University. He then moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was a clinical instructor at North Carolina State University for one year. The next four years included another one-year stay at Colorado State University as a staff anesthesiologist, a faculty position as a clinical assistant professor at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona, and as the anesthesiologist at Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego, California.

He moved to Washington State in November 2020 and has been working at Summit Veterinary Referral Center in Tacoma since then. He and his wife have two cats, Munch and Pickett, and two dogs, Poppy Seed (American Bully) and Peanut Butter (French Bulldog). When not a work, Dr. Nickell enjoys being on the water in any way possible as well as hiking. He also is an avid fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.