After an intercalated degree in microbiology at Glasgow University, Oliver gained his BVMS in 1997. Eight years in mixed practice in Dorset was followed by a Clinical Pathology residency split between TDDS (Exeter) and Cambridge Vet School, gaining FRCPath in 2008 and DipACVP in 2009. He continued to work in TDDS, which then became Synlab, then (and still) VPG Ltd, reporting on clinical pathology specimens. Increasingly this has focused on cytology, more recently branching into the world of histopathology. He sees the pathologist as part of the clinical team and believes that the best outcomes stem from clear communication.