Peterborough husband and wife enjoy double celebration after completing nursing Masters

A Peterborough husband and wife have enjoyed a double celebration by graduating together with Masters degrees in nursing from Anglia Ruskin University.
Louise and Richard NashLouise and Richard Nash
Louise and Richard Nash

Richard and Louise Nash were both awarded their MSc in advanced nursing practice in a ceremony which took place at the Cambridge Corn Exchange after finishing off the course’s final modules together earlier this summer.

Richard and Louise, who met in 2003, came to nursing through completely different routes. While Louise started out as an A&E nurse, Richard began his career as an ambulance technician whilst training to become a paramedic.

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Unfortunately, Richard’s dreams of becoming a paramedic were cut short just after he completed his training in 2006 when he was diagnosed with late onset Type 1 diabetes, putting restrictions on his driving licence.

However, not to be deterred from pursuing a career in healthcare, he decided to retrain as a nurse, achieving his BSc at Anglia Ruskin University’s Peterborough campus in 2014.

The couple have both had varied roles throughout their nursing careers, with Louise moving to minor injuries after her time in A&E and Richard working in the prison environment, followed by primary care.

Richard and Louise share a mutual passion for continuously expanding their nursing knowledge and decided to enrol on the Masters course individually on a part-time basis. They completed the final two modules together earlier this summer, resulting in their joint graduation this month.

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Louise said: “We are both absolutely chuffed to have got through this together! While it has definitely had its challenges, going through it as a couple made it so much easier to understand the difficulties the other was facing.

Richard said: “Nursing is our passion and we’re both so pleased that our hard work and dedication has paid off. While it certainly wasn’t easy, the benefits and rewards associated with achieving this qualification are significant, allowing us to move even further forward with our nursing careers.”

Tony Calvey, acting head of school for nursing and midwifery at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “I’d like to congratulate Richard, Louise and all our students who have recently celebrated their graduation. Our ceremonies are an incredible highlight as we can watch our students, dressed in ARU’s traditional blue and yellow gowns, celebrate their hard work come to fruition, in front of their loved ones.

“Here at ARU we are passionate about providing the very best in nursing education and offer the largest number of health and social care courses in the East Anglia region.

“All our courses are designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to work at the high levels of clinical practice, as well as access to multiple future.

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