NHS Scrub Nurse to Welder: How COVID-19 changed the career path of a highly motivated woman

Earlier this year, Callum Williamson delivered a presentation on friction stir welding to students of Tyne Coast College. Callum was informed by the college’s Work Placement Officer that they had a very inspiring individual who changed professions around the time of COVID-19. This individual, who was excelling in their Welding and Fabrication qualification, was Ruth Bolton. Callum had the pleasure to sit down with Ruth to discuss her passions and what led her to change careers.

Thank you, Ruth, for taking the time to talk with me. Could you tell our readers a little more about your previous career as a NHS Scrub Nurse?

“Absolutely! I was previously a Scrub Nurse in the Hepatobiliary Department. Hepatobiliary focuses on disorders of the liver and gallbladder. As part of the department I was working with, the Lower Abdominal Transplantations team, I helped cover and work with organ transplants across the UK.”

Okay, wow! That’s a pretty big jump - going from NHS Scrub Nurse to welding. Can you tell me more about why you looked at a career change?

“Well… COVID-19 happened. During the pandemic I was frontline staff and a key worker. After the pandemic abated somewhat and the infection rate grew low, I felt like I seriously needed to sit down and re-evaluate whether my current values and passions were aligned with what I was doing. Sadly, I understood that my values didn’t align, and I started looking for other opportunities.”

I feel like we all can empathise with what your thought process was there. Can you tell our readers more about what specifically drew you to welding and fabrication?

“I always wanted to do it when I was younger, especially when I was looking to leave school. I know things are very different now but, when I was in education, strangely, engineering was looked down upon, especially for women. I ended up doing Electronics Design and Technology, which, at the time, wasn’t always accepted by universities as a qualification. Which is why I didn’t progress it further.”

Were there any engineers within your family that influenced you?

“Yes, my grandfather! He actually worked for Caterpillar for over 25 years.”

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What job opportunities are you hoping to find?

“That’s actually a difficult question to answer. Since starting this course, I’ve been subject to so many new ways of thinking and so many opportunities. It’s opened up so many new possibilities. I almost feel like a ‘kid in a candy shop’ now. So it’s quite difficult to predict. With being quite early on, on my course, I feel like I’m still looking through a keyhole to this brand new world.”

Do you have any clue as to a sector you would like to specialise in?

“It’s still quite difficult to say. What I do know is, I love learning and investigating new processes. So maybe it would be easier to say I think I would work in ‘process’ driven teams in any sector.”

If you were to go back to pre‑COVID or during COVID, what career advice would you give yourself?

“Ha ha, I’d have quit much sooner. It’s funny really, as I had looked into welding before COVID hit. With being a mature student, the funding rules were a little more strict with regard to paying for the course. So I opted to not proceed, as I couldn’t afford it. There was a course being ran out of Middlesborough that I had looked into. But the cost of being in full-time education, running my own home, transport and essentials… I really couldn’t have afforded it. Looking back, it’s a shame I couldn’t have followed through with it.”

Do you feel like you now have the funding you need to take this course?

“I do! I am really glad that the funding rules changed and that there were more funding options available for me. I looked into doing apprenticeships over 10 years ago now, and I can say they are completely different.”

Is there any advice you would give others, older or younger, who are considering a career change?

“I know it can seem very scary. Looking at my parents, they had one interview, one job and then they retired. With the cost of living now, we aren’t retiring at 55 or even 65. Even at 40, it feels like we’re still going to be working another 40 years. It’s the new reality. But it’s not intimidating any more, to look at changing things. From what I’ve done so far, I’ve developed all of these new skills and I’ve been able to hone others. I know there are employers who would love to have these skills within their teams, both my new ones and my old ones.”

“…It also helps that I think employers secretly love hiring ex-nurses.”

Last question. Why should anyone consider taking education or starting a career in engineering, welding or fabrication?

“I think for welding and fabrication, it opens a lot of doors that you don’t necessarily realise are there. Like when I first started out, I thought that I would be at a bench laying down beads all day… that is such an inaccuracy. That’s the exact opposite of what we do here. It’s such a massive field, especially if you are young and athletic. You can deep-sea dive and get paid to weld, if you’re more computer focused, you can program and/or design machines and teach them how to do difficult welding tasks. The way I see it is; if you are passionate about something, there will be a way to apply it within a welding and fabrication career.”

This interview was very insightful. Making such a large change, just after the pandemic had died down — and thriving in that change — shows just how committed Ruth is to developing the skills necessary to become one of ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers.’

I hope you have all enjoyed the interview and hopefully I can bring more to you.

Callum Williamson
Education, Accreditation and Approvals Officer