At 60, former engineer begins nursing apprenticeship after online work lost appeal
6 reported
Nick Dowling, 60, is pursuing a nursing associate apprenticeship after decades in engineering, manufacturing, and consultancy, according to a report by The Guardian. Dowling’s shift began when his consultancy work moved online during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, leading him to lose interest in the role. He previously worked as a nurse’s aide in a dementia ward in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, at age 21, but left for a “proper job” in quality management. After volunteering with the ambulance service in West Sussex, his daughter, a cardiac physiologist, directed him to the NHS jobs website. Dowling now works 12-hour shifts at £14 an hour, less than his previous earnings, and hopes to qualify as a registered nursing associate this autumn. He cites a desire for learning and change as motivations, referencing T.S. Eliot’s line about arriving where you started and knowing the place for the first time.
What’s reported
Nick Dowling is 60 years old and undertaking an apprenticeship to qualify as a registered nursing associate this autumn.
He previously worked in engineering, manufacturing, and consultancy, including projects on Crossrail, Medupi power station, and civilianisation of the police force in Northern Ireland.
His consultancy work went online during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which he said made him “bored quickly.”
He volunteered as a first responder with the ambulance service in West Sussex before his daughter pointed him to the NHS jobs website.
Dowling works 12-hour shifts at £14 an hour, less than his previous earnings.
He first worked as a nurse’s aide in a dementia ward in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, at age 21.
Key figures
Nick Dowling: nursing associate apprentice, former engineer and consultant.
Dowling’s daughter: a cardiac physiologist (not named in the article).
T.S. Eliot: poet quoted by Dowling (not a figure in the story).
Sources: The Guardian
