Posted 17 November 2016 - 10:51
Posted 17 November 2016 - 10:51
News
Former fisherman set for new nursing role on offshore rigs
Nurse Norman Todd’s years of studying and training have led to role as health and safety advisor for oil and gas company
A former deep sea fisherman is setting sail for a new nursing role ensuring offshore oil and gas workers stay safe.
Norman Todd began working as a fisherman off the north coast of Scotland after leaving school 28 years ago.
In 1999, with the fishing industry in decline, he made the move into nursing.
Offshore career
Mr Todd was accepted to study nursing at Queen Margaret University (QMU) in Edinburgh following an access to higher education course, and worked in acute medical admissions, rehabilitation and urology at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh after graduating.
He returned to QMU to study MSc nursing and joined energy company Centrica in 2010 to work as an offshore medic in the east Irish Sea.
His ambition and drive has led his employer to move him to a new position as its offshore health, safety and environmental advisor.
Mr Todd said: ‘It’s been a fantastic experience for me and I’m fortunate to work for a company that has recognised my academic ambition and given me the training and development to have a new role.’
He aims to complete a BSc degree in occupational health at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen next year.
Recruiting
As Nursing Standard reported last month, the university has been targeting people from the region’s struggling oil and gas industry as recruits for its nursing degree course.
Mr Todd wants to gain another Master’s degree in safety and risk management at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, and eventually undertake a PhD examining the relationship between workplace culture and process safety.
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