For four years mechanic Stephen Hill spent his days covered in oil, tinkering beneath the bonnets of cars - but on Monday he starts work as a doctor at Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford.

Stephen left school at 16 with seven O-levels and took a job as an apprentice mechanic, but after years of repairing engines he decided enough was enough.

"I realised there was more to life for me than changing brake pads and oil filters," he said.

At the age of 20 he downed tools, hung up his overalls and decided he wanted to be a doctor.

The will to study medicine was so strong Stephen - without an A-level to his name - was happy to go back to basics.

With his parents' support he went back to school - sitting in a class of 16-year-olds - and worked towards A-levels in biology, chemistry and physics.

Then it was on to the Royal London Hospital for years more hard graft as he studied for his degree and then postgraduate training.

The Chelmsford hospital, run by Mid-Essex Hospitals NHS Trust, has now taken Dr Hill on as a junior house officer and he will take up a surgical post on Monday.

Despite the extreme career change, the 28-year-old claims the work of a doctor isn't too far removed from that of a mechanic.

"There are similarities in the two jobs. In both cases you're confronted with a car or person that isn't working. You have to take a history and run a range of tests to reach a diagnosis."

He added: "It's a similar logical process although I think human beings are going to be a bigger challenge."

Stephen's proud parents John and Shirley, from Sawston, in Cambridgeshire, were more than a little surprised when Stephen announced that he fancied a career change.

"It was a great shock and completely out of the blue," said Shirley.

"No-one in our family has done anything like it before and we are extremely proud of what he's achieved."

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