64-Year-Old Nigerian-Born Father of Five Graduates as Nurse in UK After Studying Alongside His Son
FNA NEWS, 25th Of September, 2026
A 64-year-old Nigerian-born father of five has graduated as a registered nurse in the United Kingdom after changing careers from electronics and progressing through NHS apprenticeship programmes.
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John Adesoye completed a BSc (Hons) Nurse Degree Apprenticeship at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and has secured a registered nursing position at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where he began his healthcare career as a healthcare assistant.
His achievement has drawn attention not only because of his age, but also because he studied at the same university as his son while working and completing his professional nursing training.
From electronics to nursing
Adesoye grew up in Nigeria in a farming family and developed an early interest in electronics after becoming fascinated by how his family’s radio worked.
He later lived in Greece, where he worked as an electronics technician servicing electronic equipment, before moving to the UK.
His career took a different direction in 2013 when he decided to enter healthcare.
In 2014, he joined Southmead Hospital as a healthcare assistant, beginning a progression that would eventually lead him to become a registered nurse.
Adesoye has explained that his motivation for changing careers was connected to the satisfaction he found in caring for people.
While repairing electronic equipment had given him satisfaction, he said seeing patients recover brought him a different kind of fulfilment.
“When patients get better it gives me great joy and satisfaction.”
From healthcare assistant to registered nurse
Adesoye’s route into nursing did not happen through a single degree programme.
He first completed a two-year Nursing Associate course through his NHS employer.
He then progressed to a two-year Nurse Degree Apprenticeship, eventually earning a 2:1 and completing the requirements to become a registered nurse.
The pathway allowed him to continue working while undertaking higher education.
According to UWE Bristol, Adesoye spent one day each week studying at its Glenside campus while spending the rest of his working week at Southmead Hospital. His studies included lectures, group work, simulation and practical nursing education.
This model reflects the purpose of degree apprenticeships, which allow employed healthcare workers to undertake professional education while remaining in the workplace.
UWE describes its Registered Nurse apprenticeship as an employer-funded route that combines academic and practice-based learning and is designed to support progression from roles such as Nursing Associate to registered nurse.
He studied at the same university as his son
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One of the most unusual aspects of Adesoye’s journey was that he was not the only member of his family studying at UWE Bristol.
His son, Daniel, was also a student at the university, studying Creative Music Technology.
While his son pursued his own university programme, Adesoye attended UWE as a nursing degree apprentice.
Adesoye said being an older student among younger classmates did not discourage him. Instead, he described the experience as motivating.
He was aware that he was the oldest person in his cohort but said being surrounded by younger students helped keep him going and even made him feel younger.
Training across several areas of nursing
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Adesoye’s professional experience has extended across several clinical areas.
During his time at Southmead Hospital, he worked in:
- Cardiology
- Renal care
- Orthopaedics
- The emergency department
- Intensive care
He was also deployed in community nursing.
This range of experience formed part of his progression from healthcare support work to professional nursing practice.
For Adesoye, the education was not simply about obtaining a qualification. He said the knowledge he gained at university had improved the care he provided to patients and had also influenced his relationships with colleagues and managers.
‘It’s never too late’
Following his graduation, Adesoye urged people who may have abandoned educational or career ambitions because of their age not to assume that the opportunity has passed.
“Don’t listen to people who say you’re too old for university.”
He said he had not expected to attend university but had always maintained a passion for learning.
“It’s never too late.”
His message is particularly relevant to nurses and healthcare workers considering further education or a change in professional direction later in life.
However, his journey also demonstrates that becoming a registered nurse requires more than determination alone. His progression involved employment in healthcare, structured training, academic study, clinical experience and completion of an approved nursing education pathway.
A new chapter at Southmead Hospital
After completing his apprenticeship, Adesoye secured a registered nursing position at Southmead Hospital — the same hospital where he began as a healthcare assistant in 2014.
Professor Steve Hams, Chief Nursing and Improvement Officer at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, described the achievement as an example of how apprenticeships can create opportunities for career progression from healthcare support roles into registered nursing.
UWE’s Nurse Degree Apprenticeship programme leads to a BSc (Hons) Nursing qualification and prepares successful students for registration as professional nurses with the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Adesoye has also indicated that he could pursue a master’s-level healthcare qualification if an appropriate opportunity becomes available.
What Adesoye’s story says about nursing careers
Adesoye’s journey illustrates one increasingly important feature of professional healthcare education: career progression does not necessarily have to follow a traditional straight-line route.
His pathway moved from electronics, to healthcare support work, to Nursing Associate education and finally to registered nursing.
It also demonstrates the potential role of employer-supported education in helping experienced healthcare workers progress professionally without having to leave employment entirely.
UWE says its registered nurse apprenticeship allows eligible employees to undertake professional nurse education while continuing in their existing roles, combining academic education with clinical practice.
For nurses and other healthcare workers considering further education, Adesoye’s story provides a real-world example of a mature learner completing a demanding professional programme while maintaining employment.
At 64, he has now moved from supporting patients as a healthcare assistant to caring for them as a registered nurse.
And for a father who once wondered whether he would ever attend university, the achievement has also become a family milestone — because his son was studying at the same university at the same time.
FNA News Perspective
Adesoye’s achievement is more than a graduation story. It highlights the value of lifelong learning, structured career progression and opportunities for experienced healthcare workers to advance into professional roles.
For the nursing profession, it also provides a reminder that the people entering nursing do not all follow the same path. Some begin directly after secondary education; others arrive after years in another profession or after building experience within healthcare.
Adesoye’s route demonstrates that professional development can happen at different stages of life when appropriate educational and workplace opportunities are available.
His message is simple: age should not, by itself, determine whether someone pursues a new educational or professional goal.
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Fellow Nurses Africa is the independent voice of African nursing, we educate, inform and support nurses across Africa.
Durowoju Abisola is a registered nurse, nurse writer and On-Air Correspondent at Fellow Nurses Africa (FNA), passionate about nursing leadership, health education and advocacy.
Through journalism, storytelling and content creation, she amplifies important conversations around nursing, healthcare and the experiences of nurses in Nigeria. She is committed to using her voice and professional knowledge to educate the public, challenge misconceptions and inspire the next generation of nurses.
