Leanne Pink
Despite setting up her own beauty therapy business, Leanne Pink, 27, didn’t feel fulfilled in her career. She wanted to become a nurse but lacked the qualifications to go via the traditional route, so she enrolled on the Generic Cadet Scheme, and followed this with a Nursing Diploma at Teeside University.
Leanne has had to overcome a number of obstacles to achieve her goal of becoming a nurse, not least her health. She missed out on a lot of education at school as she spent most of her childhood in and out of hospital.
She says, “I have learnt that even though I have struggled, I can overcome many challenges and obstacles regardless of illness and poor education. I know I am capable of achieving anything now if I truly want it.” “The cadetship consisted of theory and practical hands-on experience within many different areas. This gave me the fundamental basic skills which are needed to provide high-quality care to patients.”
Now a qualified nurse, Leanne promotes the work-based learning route into higher education through the NHS Trust and Aim Higher, and hopes to become a student mentor. She is considering specialising in cancer services, and would like to incorporate her skills in holistic therapy – from her training in beauty therapy – in her nursing practices.
“By working hard, you can achieve many goals and dreams. It has been the best thing I have ever done in my life.”
