International Nursing: Thomas’ Story

Thomas Tinashe is a Trainee Practice Nurse in one of our GP Practices. Arriving from Zimbabwe in 2021 to complete his international nursing training with us, we are proud of Thomas’ achievements in the last couple of years.

Thomas tells us that he is very much enjoying his new role as a Trainee Practice Nurse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and that he has much bigger ambitions for his career. We are very pleased that we are able to support fantastic and talented people like Thomas to provide unique opportunities and achieve their professional goals.

Meet Thomas

What do you love about being a Nurse?

“Nursing is a great profession, it allows me to influence and touch lives. Another reason I enjoy my job is because of the continual training that I get – these trainings will help me progress in my career and make me a better nurse.”

Is there anything you like about working at Humber specifically?

“I enjoy working for Humber because I’m able to progress in my career with the trainings that they offer. The staff at my workplace are all friendly and my seniors are always willing to help and offer support.”

What are your ambitions?

“I was once a practice manager back in Namibia and it was a rewarding post, therefore, I aspire to become a Bank 8 Nurse in the future.

From previous experience, I know that being a leader boosts confidence. I’m also able to build good relationships with both the people I will be leading and others in management. I know I will make a difference because I am able to incorporate what I know and have learnt before, into my new leadership role.”

Why is career progression important to you?

“For me, career progression is important because it will bring personal fulfilment.

Currently, I am taking this role as a Trainee Practice Nurse so I can be a Practice Nurse and, after that, that won’t be my end goal. I’m seeing myself progressing to advanced practitioner or a prescriber and that won’t end there. I’m seeing myself in the management, so something I would want to progress. So, in the NHS there are opportunities and there are always these platforms where you can progress your career.”

What is one thing you have learned when working with us so far?

“When I first relocated to England, I was supposed to work in a hospital which was going to be something new to me, since I was used to working in a GP Practice for over a decade.

I wasn’t afraid to share my goals and ambitions with the recruitment team and, to my surprise, I was offered a position at a GP Practice to support those goals. I learned that one should not be afraid or intimidated to have goals that seem somewhat impossible and I also learned that being confident and ambitious pays off.”

You can read more about the impact NHS opportunities have had on Thomas’ career progression and his experience so far in his audio interview here: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/we-are-the-nhs/nursing-careers/international-retention/thomas-tinashe