As a man, I am proud to be a nurse. And as a Filipino, I am especially pleased to contribute to the beautiful diversity that characterizes the face of health care in America. I have been working as a Registered Nurse for almost five years since I immigrated to America from the Philippines following my graduation from nursing school. I am employed at XXXX Hospital in XXXX, Connecticut, and I find my work enormously fulfilling. My first nursing experience was in telemetry, then intermediate care from 2006 to 2008; for the last two years, I have served in the Intensive Care Unit in preparation for entering a master's program in Nurse Anesthesia.
Here in the ICU, I have realized that I want to pursue certification as a CRNA; I have come to see this as the highest and noblest of callings. My greatest strength as a nurse is my intense sense of responsibility as an advocate for my patients. Patients in critical conditions are always vulnerable, and I find the highest sense of joy and professional satisfaction in caring for them as if they were my own family. I have worked hard to develop excellent communication and interpersonal skills, especially in keeping my patients and their families updated about their conditions to have complete information to make critically important healthcare decisions.
I always work extremely hard to develop a rapport with every patient. Watching patients progress until discharged leaves me with a smile and a happy heart. It is the most genuinely gratifying experience that I can imagine. I feel strongly that I have the necessary experience to excel in your esteemed program. XXU is my first choice for graduate school because of your program's innovative nature and convenient location for my family. I especially respect and look forward to your emphasis on the importance of simulation training provided in the operating room, particularly with the Siman simulator.
My interest in nursing dates to my childhood and the profound influence of my grandfather, who was a surgeon. When I was only 12, he invited me to accompany him to surgery. I held the surgical instruments in my hands, and he also handed me the diseased organs he had removed from patients´ bodies. He was surprised that I did not feel disgusted and invited me to return with him to the operating room on several subsequent occasions. Soon, he let me pass him the medications needed for surgery, most importantly, anesthesia. I now trace the genesis of my life´s calling to this initial period. I was astonished to witness the effect of the anesthesia, rendering the body free of pain as my grandfather penetrated the skin with his scalpel. As time passed, I even served as his assistant when his partner was unavailable. He taught me to calm down and reassure his patients that everything would be fine. At 13 and 14 years old, I was already learning how to become an efficient OR nurse, familiar with medicine in rural areas of the Philippines. Later, I would choose to pursue a career in nursing rather than attend medical school because of my profound attraction to the hands-on, holistic care of the nurse and their intimate engagement with the patient´s well-being.
I have already learned so much about the art of nursing, and I live to continue to learn, devoting myself to lifelong learning, especially about the science of nursing. Because of my passion for caring for people, I volunteered to do community health service projects with doctors, nurses, and classmates in nursing school.
Thank you for considering my application.