After completing my pre-med degree in Biology, I took time out to have a family and spend as much time as possible with my kids during their first formative years. It was during this time that I started a home-based service providing birth and postpartum services to clients in the Bay Area. As a doula, I spent hours learning all that I could about childbirth, fetal development, optimal nutrition, and infant care. Through my direct birthing woman exposure, I learned several interpersonal skills, how to nurture and support my clients and empower them to speak up and be active participants in the process. Just as nurses interact with and support their patients, as well as their respective families, I learned how to help new fathers, many of whom were eager to begin their new roles, gain focus. Many nurses, like any other healthcare professional, are members of professional organizations. I too joined a group of doulas, with the aim of giving back to the community, providing free services to socio-economically depressed women and particularly African American teens. Outside of my professional group, I also volunteered as a doula at Kaiser Hospital, increasing my exposure as a doula and in hospital settings.
Through my work as a doula, I have collaborated with many multidisciplinary healthcare teams, particularly nurses. I see nurses as the backbone of the hospital, treating, monitoring, providing emotional support, educating, and keeping patients, their families, and our team members well informed. I am under no illusions about the demanding work nurses undertake as a part of their daily routine. Nurses have a broader scope of practice, administer medications, follow specific guidelines that are in place for patient and staff safety, and in the most practical terms work all shifts, including nights and weekends.
I have had direct midwife experience in home settings and alongside obstetricians in hospital settings. Nurse midwives, unlike obstetricians, cannot provide clinical care, deliver babies, or provide care for medical issues, they can provide emotional care in the traditional midwife role. I chose nurse midwifery because I am committed to helping families to get off to a good start, in keeping with my holistic view of pregnancy as a natural life event that usually requires little intervention, but also adds the safety of obstetrician supervision, experienced personnel, and equipment necessary to remedy foreseen and unforeseen complications.
As a doula, I have assisted many women during childbirth and experienced incredibly satisfying moments after twelve hours of labor and three hours of pushing, to be turned to by the birth mother and told, “I couldn’t have done this without you, thank you”. It was my privilege to witness nature’s greatest miracle and play an intimate role. While I have given my time, energy, and love of service, I have been left wanting to give that much more, and on a greater scale. Becoming a nurse midwife through the master's entry program in nursing at UXXX can help bring my goals, indeed my dreams to reality. To establish a set of clinical skills, and develop a level of autonomy for decision-making based on expertise, evidence, and direct patient exposure will enable me to serve so many more patients, and of equal importance, be a role model for my children, that anything is possible through hard work, dedication and keeping a constant eye on our dreams.
UXXX’s nursing program offers the fantastic opportunity of earning RN certification after just the first year. UXXX is my first choice for academic development for deeply personal reasons. As refugees, we received medical care at UXXX’s General Hospital. It is only fitting that I furthered my education through the same program that showed us such incredible compassion when we needed help the most. Having assisted with two births at UXXX, the knowledgeable and welcoming nurses, midwives, and obstetricians have impressed me. No other program could offer me the same progressive, all-encompassing education possible, in a city that I count among the world’s finest. I grew up here and want to complete my training and serve the people of San Francisco.
My academic, personal, and professional experiences have prepared me for the opportunity and challenge of the graduate nursing program. I bring a solid academic foundation and direct birth mother exposure in the home and support of medical teams in hospital settings. More than this, though, I bring my humility, and ability to work with diverse clients and co-workers. Serving my clients as well as people in my community through volunteerism, I have gained a deep appreciation for the unique needs of at-risk populations, what it means to be without health insurance and one thing resonates throughout, across all cultures, languages, and socioeconomics, and that is the health of our children.
Post-graduation, my goals are simple: to be an outstanding nurse and excellent healthcare provider, developing my exposure for at least a year as an RN after certification. Later, I am intent on becoming an advanced-practice nurse. In the meantime, I am continuing to develop my grasp of the Spanish language, so I can help serve our ever-growing Latino population.
No other field could bring me the same level of personal, professional, and spiritual satisfaction. I am excited and honored to be considered for the UXXX graduate nursing program.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Nursing Personal Statement Examples