Tien Dung Pham is the Chief Nursing Officer at the National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology in Hanoi, Vietnam. In this leading role, Pham observes and supervises 135 nurses, midwives and medical technicians, and manages the activities of 11 Nurse Unit Managers.

Inspired by watching his mother taking care of others as a nurse, Tien Dung Pham studied nursing in Vietnam, becoming a Registered Nurse in 2006. Later, in 2015 he achieved his Master of Nursing (Coursework) at Flinders University.

‘I chose Flinders University for my Master’s degree because it is a leading institution for nursing research in Australia,’ says Pham.

At Flinders Pham found incredible support and inspiration from his supervisor Dr Yvonne Parry (BA ’99, MHlthServMgmt ‘06, GradCertEd ‘10, PhD ‘12).

‘She was not only a tutor but also a friend to me,’ he says. ‘I still remember the first day I met her when she warmly said hello to me in Vietnamese.’

‘During the course, even after coming home, she has always been concerned with my career progress and urged me to keep going on my academic pathway.’

Returning to Vietnam after completing his Master’s, Pham faced a career set back when he was appointed as the hospital’s outpatient receptionist, rather than a nursing position, at the National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology in Hanoi.

‘It was a really hard time for me however, I did not give up,’ says Pham. ‘I kept working hard, tried my best and enjoyed my duty. I showed my passion to contribute to nursing profession development and after six months I made my first career move.’

Pham was first promoted to Head of Customer Service, before working his way up to become Chief Nursing Officer – just three years after his initial role as receptionist.

Pham hopes to return to Flinders to undertake a PhD so that he can become a lecturer in nursing at a Vietnamese medical school.

‘I believe the only way to develop the nursing system in Vietnam is through education. In that way, I hope my passion can inspire a young nursing generation.’

(Source: Flinder University)