My personal and professional purpose is to become a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Thus, I want to enroll in a one-year Certificate Program to become certified as an FNP. I have been a nurse for 17 years, earning my BSN from XXXX and then my MSN at Western Governors University. My nursing experience has enabled me to gain extensive, specialized knowledge and skills by working closely with various healthcare professionals. My master’s Degree was focused on Nursing Education, which will always be especially near and dear to my heart.
I advocate for lifelong education for nurses; I see my master’s degree as more of a beginning than any conclusion. I look forward to gaining more experience as an FNP and teaching nursing at some point. I am already off to a perfect start as a nursing instructor because I currently serve as an Adjunct Clinical Nursing Instructor, since June 2014, at XXXX University.
As a charge nurse for the past five years, the center of my world is now XXXX Hospital in XXXX, CA, where I have been giving my all as a Registered Nurse since November 2012. I may never leave this hospital because I love it, the people, and the constant flow of sick children and their families. I want to continue studying nursing and to advance professionally, gradually assuming excellent levels of responsibility after becoming certified as an FNP.
I enjoy the administrative duties - scheduling and coordinating outpatient and inpatient pediatric procedures - as much as I do the opportunities for direct, hands-on care of children. However, the most fulfilling aspect of my work is counseling and supporting families, particularly distraught parents but siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc., of the sick child. From setting up the room, ordering supplies, helping to prepare the patient, patient education and follow-up, and even billing: there is not a single aspect of my work that does not bring me joy because of my awareness of the interconnected nature of all of these aspects of nursing care and the absolute necessity of each one of them to make the nursing experience a holistic success and contribute everything that we can to successful patient outcomes.
I have been an LVN since 1996 and an RN in pediatric nurse units since 1999. A gregarious woman who feeds on human contact, having a share in daily multidisciplinary rounds, working collaboratively with pediatric residents, addressing issues as they arise, assuring accurate communication, and resolving conflicts as they occur fills my day, alongside patient education/counseling and direct patient care. I have also served as a member of many hospital committees, helping me better get to know many of my colleagues and appreciate our numerous challenges. Increasingly, I enjoy direct participation in educating new nurses and RN residents and pairing staff with advanced education resources.
I have the most beautiful, golden memories of service over many years now. At the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, I cared for delicate pediatric patients after heart surgery, including those with pacemakers and chest tubes. In addition to working with pediatric cardiac, there were renal, GI, and rheumatology patients; for some, I performed peritoneal dialysis. I even had the unforgettable experience of caring for pediatric patients after solid organ transplants, including heart, kidney, liver, and lung. My extensive experience will enable me to excel as an FNP, performing initial diagnosis and referral if called for and directly providing the needed treatment. I see myself spending the next several decades in a hospital, clinic, or doctor's office in my community. I intend to work with a strong work ethic until I drop out.
I seek a lifetime of advanced education in nursing, advanced practice, and the constant development of my clinical leadership skills; I intend to earn the DNP Degree after attaining several more years of experience as an FNP.
The area of the literature I know best is everything concerning pediatric nursing, especially the literature dealing with ‘Family-Centered, Pediatric Nursing Care.’ Most nights, I fall asleep reading about the role of the family in the care process; I wake up thinking about it the following day while making breakfast.
Thank you for considering my application to your distinguished FNP Certificate Program at XXXX University.