Pursuing a nursing career takes a lot of courage and determination. Not to mention that the admissions process into your dream school is a tough one. To help you land that spot in your dream school, here are some tips on what to discuss in your admissions essay.
Tell them why you want to be a nurse through “about myself” stories
The topic that cannot be eliminated from a nursing “essay about myself” is why you wanted to be a nurse. Some find it hard to express their desire to pursue nursing education since decisions especially about careers are not mainly based on mere reasons. There are a lot of things that are involved when deciding to pursue a nursing career. The best way to express this is to narrate in your “essay on myself” the related experiences and views about how you came up with the decision. Avoid writing general statements on your “essay about myself.” Instead, focus on tying up your values and motivation with your personal experiences. You can discuss about the most influential people in your life including the values that you learned from them.(1)
Discuss your passion and interest in the health care field
Admissions panel members are looking for applicants who are passionate to pursue a nursing career. They do not want applicants who do not have a thorough understanding of where they are heading to. It is vital to show the admissions panel that your decision to be a nurse is a mature decision. Show them proofs such as narrating your past volunteer jobs with feeding programs and medical missions, or your compassion about a sick neighbour. Through such stories, you will be able to effectively convey your deep interest in the field.(2)
Explain why you think you’ll be successful as a nurse
It will also be a good point to discuss about why you think you will be successful as a nurse. Discuss about your strengths that you think will be essential for the pursuit of this career. Entering into a nursing school is a tough competition. Thus, it is essential to prove to the application committee that you deserve one of the most coveted slots in their school by submitting a well-written application essay.(3)
(1) http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/application.html
(2) http://www.careerowlresources.ca/articles/nursing.htm
(3) http://www.atsu.edu/kcom/admissions/preparing_DO_admission/personal_statement_tips.htm
The nursing school “essay about myself” is a vital requirement for you to be accepted to your dream nursing school. This puts too much pressure for the prospective student to create an essay that really stands out.
Express why you want to be a nurse.
This is the main question that you need to answer through your “essay about myself.” It may be a lot difficult to express since most of us decide on our chosen career not just on mere reasons. Tell them about your views about the nursing profession and your motivation to pursue it. Explain to them that you have made a thorough self-analysis before finalizing your decision. It is not enough to make them feel that you want it, but let them know that you want it very much more than anybody else.(1)
Show your personal side in your “about myself essay.”
Emphasizing the personal aspect of your experiences in the nursing school “essay on myself” requirement is essential for you as a prospective student. Basically, your work entails serving and caring for the patient while attending to their medical needs. It will be effective if you can write a story about your volunteer works to show your commitment and passion. You can also narrate about a person, who is either a relative, a friend, or someone who influenced your decision of becoming a nurse.(2)
Make your essay unique.
In writing your essay, ideas should be concise and not vague. Avoid writing general sentences that everybody can also write. This is to ensure your uniqueness and will give the reader the impression that your essay is not just any ordinary admission letter. Clichés are not advisable. Write concrete experiences that reflect your desire and passion for caring for other people and other relevant characteristics of a nurse. It is important to note that there should be a touch of distinctiveness in the manner of expressing your ideas.(3)
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/nyregion/new-jersey/12Rgen.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=medical%20school%20admissions%20essay&st=cse&scp=1
(2) http://www.latimes.com/ny-liessay1210,0,2363181.story
(3) http://hms.harvard.edu/admissions/default.asp?page=admissions
Let’s face it, the doctors almost always take the credit. When somebody is treated in a hospital or a clinic, it’s always because of the good doctor. But it is also a fact that there are other people who have helped a lot in the process—particularly the nurses. As independent, allied medical health professionals, nurses are not a doctor’s assistants; they have an entirely different and important function in patient care. After all, it’s the nurses who are almost always at the patients’ side. Nursing schools have the noble and difficult task to mold students to be the professionals who are truly fit for a nursing career.(1) Want to know if you’re meant for this career? If you can deal with the following issues aside from having the passion to help patients, then a nursing career may be perfect for you.
Dealing With bodily parts and secretions
The nurse is the first to assess the physical and emotional condition of the patient at his or her bed before the doctor comes. The nurse also sometimes assists by helping the patient clean himself or herself or his or her wounds. It is therefore inevitable that a nurse would be exposed to bodily parts which are often times, well, not on their perfect conditions. The nurse will have to endure blood, pus, urine, stool, and other bodily fluids and secretions on the job.(2)
Working on graveyard shifts
Taking care of a patient requires a 24-hour watch. After all, emergencies do not select a particular time of the day when they occur. Medical facilities have interns and more junior residents to fill in for the attending physicians at night, but nurses have to rotate among themselves. The nursing career entails sacrifices, especially in terms of working schedules.
Stubborn patients
As mentioned before, it’s the nurses who first face the patient at his or her bedside to assess his or her conditions before the doctor starts the rounds. Furthermore, it is also the nurses who implement the doctor’s treatment plan to the patient, such as the giving of medications. So as a nurse, you should be prepared with patients who will not cooperate during the physical assessment or who will not take their medicine. Just remember that however stubborn they are, they are still your patients and it’s your job to enforce the treatment plan on them.(3)
Aside from preparing yourself to face these challenges, you can start preparing for your admissions essay or “essay about myself.” The “essay about myself” is your tool to land that spot in your dream school. When writing your essay “about my self,” you can read an online sample essay about myself to get an idea on how to begin yours.
(1) http://www.nursingsociety.org/Education/SchoolsOfNursing/Pages/schools.aspx
(2) http://stats.bls.gov/OCO/OCOS083.HTM
(3) http://www.marylandhealthcareers.org/html/student/nursing.html
