Most people meet Allocation Assist as an established company. Few saw the years before it: full-time nursing shifts, sixteen or seventeen trips between the UK and Dubai, and a plan that had not yet taken shape. Asked on her podcast what kept her believing through that stretch, Emilie Davies, founder and CEO of Allocation Assist Middle East, traces it back to a difficult pattern at work and a moment of clarity she reads as an answer from God.
Years of Nursing Shifts and Trips to Dubai
Long before the business could support her, Emilie was living two lives at once, funding the vision with the job she was trying to move on from.
“It took about three and a half years, and sixteen or seventeen trips from the UK to Dubai, working full-time as a nurse, before the business had enough traction for me to leave nursing completely.”
A Difficult Colleague in Both Her Jobs
Her NHS work took her through an acute medical unit and then the emergency department. In each role, one person made the job far harder than it needed to be.
“In both of my jobs there was always one individual who made my life really difficult. I started to have so much stress and anxiety. I tried everything I could to get on with them and cooperate, for the sake of the patients.”
Raising it with management changed nothing. She moved to the emergency department, hoping a larger team would absorb the friction, and then the same thing happened again, this time with someone more senior.
Asking God Why the Pattern Kept Repeating
When the situation returned in a second job, Emilie stopped seeing it as bad luck and started seeing it as a message. Faith had been part of her life since childhood, so she took the question to God.
“I’d worked really hard to become a nurse. I got first-class honours, and I loved being a nurse. So I asked, why am I being sent these situations? When a pattern keeps repeating, it is like a message. God is trying to tell you something.”
The Day She Saw Herself as a Businesswoman
The turning point came on a particularly hard day, when she was close to tears and asked the question directly.
“I asked God, why is this happening, what are you trying to tell me? And then I had a flash. I saw an image of myself as a really successful businesswoman. I realised I am not meant to be a nurse my whole life. This was just a stepping stone.”
Finding Peace in the Decision
What convinced her was not an argument but a feeling. The way the realisation settled was, for her, the proof of where it came from.
“As soon as I got that realisation, I had peace in my heart. That is how you know it is a revelation, by how you feel. When you have peace in your heart, God is giving you direction.”
From there, in her words, she was simply onto it, and the long build towards Allocation Assist began.
Thinking About Your Own Move to the Gulf?
The years Emilie spent learning the Dubai market are the reason Allocation Assist exists. As a medical careers consultancy for Western-trained doctors, the company she founded helps doctors at every stage of the move, from DHA license consultancy to hospital placement and relocation across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. If you would like to talk it through, you can book a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emilie Davies?
Emilie Davies is the founder and CEO of Allocation Assist Middle East. She trained and worked as an NHS nurse in the UK before moving into business and building the consultancy.
How long did it take Emilie Davies to move from nursing into business?
About three and a half years. During that time she kept working full time as a nurse and made sixteen or seventeen trips between the UK and Dubai before the business could support her.
Why did Emilie Davies leave nursing?
In two NHS roles she faced a recurring difficulty with one colleague each time, which management could not resolve. Recognising the pattern led her to rethink her path and build a company of her own.
How did faith influence her decision?
Emilie has believed in God since childhood. On a difficult day she had a clear sense of herself as a businesswoman, and the peace she felt afterwards convinced her it was the right direction.
What is the “What Kept You Going?” reflection about?
It is a short reflection in which Emilie Davies looks back on what carried her through a difficult period early in her nursing career, before she founded Allocation Assist. The theme is resilience and faith through a stretch of real uncertainty.
How did Emilie Davies’ nursing career shape Allocation Assist?
Her years as an NHS nurse gave her first-hand insight into the healthcare system and the pressures doctors face. That understanding shaped how she built Allocation Assist and the way it supports internationally trained doctors moving to the Gulf.
