It was not until Andrew Milburn lost his construction job 15 years ago at the start of a financial recession that he ever thought about a career in healthcare.
Finding a temporary job as admin support at his local GP practice, Andrew got his first chance to experience the positive impact he could have on people’s health.
After a journey in healthcare that has spanned a decade and a half, Andrew has finally achieved his dream of qualifying as a registered nurse – celebrating with colleagues, family and friends at a ceremony at Teesside University last week.
Andrew, who works in the emergency care department at the University Hospital of North Tees, said: “When I was laid off and then started my job at the GP practice, it all snowballed from there.
“It’s when I realised I wanted to help people. The job satisfaction I get from it is like nothing else.”
Andrew then retrained as a healthcare assistant, working in this role in a GP practice before applying to work in the urgent care service at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in 2018.
He said: “When I joined the Trust my confidence just grew from there.
“I was initially intimidated by the environment, somewhere where serious things are happening to people.
“But the team were nothing but supportive, nothing was too much trouble, I felt confident to learn and ask questions.”
Andrew, who is 37 and lives in Thornaby with his wife Sarah and six-year-old twins Jake and Ellie, had the support from the service to complete a funded course to be an assistant practitioner.
After moving into the emergency care department at North Tees, he was then given further support to enrol on a further course to allow him to qualify as a registered nurse, something he had aspired to do since 2010.
He said: “I have been so, so lucky to have the managers I have – they have given me every opportunity and their door has always been open.
“With current circumstances like having a young family, mortgage, rising bills and so on I would have never been able to enrol on the adult nursing degree and pay student fees.
“However, with faith and support from the emergency department management, education department and the trust as a whole, I have been fortunate to progress and fulfil my potential through trust support, and am now well on the way to my long term career goal
“There’s so many people I want to thank – from the other students on my course who were like a little family, to the adult nursing colleagues, supervisors, mentors and assessors for their guidance and sharing their vast knowledge to mould us into the resilient , patient centred nurses we are.
“I also couldn’t have done it without the understanding of my partner and my mother Catherine who has been so supportive.”