Ireland
Professor Thomas Kearns is the Executive Director of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at the RCSI, University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin Ireland. He was appointed to this post in April 2014; he is responsible for leading and delivering on the strategic intent and operational activity of the Faculty.
His career in nursing started in 1980, since 1993 Thomas has worked in Professional Regulation, Nursing and health Policy at a national, EU and global level and in Higher Education. He is both a registered/licensed general and psychiatric nurse. He has a primary degree in Nursing, a Research based Master’s Degree in Education, a taught MA in Education and a Fellowship from the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery RCSI; Thomas’ doctorate is in the area of continuing professional development and the maintenance of professional competence. From August 2017 to September 2018 Thomas worked as interim CEO of the International Council of Nurses in Geneva. Thomas is a non-executive director of Axia Digital Ireland, a learning and development software company which is based at the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. He is a member of the Rotunda Hospital (Maternity hospital) Audit and Risk committee and is a member of the RCSI hospital Group Directors executive. Thomas is a member of the Board of the International Network of Health Workforce Education. The Faculty of Nursing though an MoU is the Academic Partner for the European Council of Nurse Regulators (ENC), a relationship that supports evidence and research based regulation and professional standards and guidance in Europe.
Thomas has developed a Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Advancement across the RCSI Hospital Group. He developed and is founding director of a European Centre of Research Excellence (CPD) a Centre with 22 European Partners which has an MoU the Coalition of Certification Research. Thomas joined the Board of “Dublin Simon” in April 2020 (a charity providing care to homeless people) and he is Chair of the Charity’s Clinical Governance Committee.
In April 2021 Thomas was appointed Trustee of the Florence Nightingale International Museum. He led the RCSI application for the University to be incorporated into the Irish Chapter of Sigma the Omega Episolon at Large Chapter, he is a Board member of the Sigma Foundation. In 2021 he was co-opted on to the Board of the Irish Chapter representing the RCSI. Thomas was recently appointed to the WHO Europe Steering Committee to establish a roadmap for Nursing in Europe. He is also a member of the Pan European Coalition for Mental Health of the WHO Europe Office