I have learned how the FNP’s role emerged in the 1960s from a shortage of medical provision, especially in rural areas of the country. I admire how a family nurse practitioner seeks to meet the healthcare needs of all age ranges within the family by providing health-related assessments, diagnoses, direct care and guidance, teaching or counseling where appropriate, and permanently emphasizing family self-care. I also appreciate how much of the FNP’s work is carried out autonomously but always in cooperation with the family’s primary care physician(s) and other healthcare professionals involved in patient care. FNPs work in the usual health provider settings of offices, clinics, or care centers, but they may also serve in schools, homes, workplaces, or hospitals as clients’ needs dictate.
Eventually, I hope to be involved in improving healthcare and education in my home country Kenya.
I seek the relative independence and autonomy allowed by the FNP. I realize that not every nurse can work independently, and I know the additional responsibility involved in the FNP role. A single mother brought me up in Kenya, who was usually absent from home, working to support myself and my siblings. I learned to be independent and self-reliant by organizing household chores and fitting these in with homework and caring for my siblings. My mother died when I was young, and her death was due to a lack of equipment at the local hospital. My mother was only one, though the most important, of several relatives and friends whose deaths were preventable. I hope to improve healthcare provision in Kenya by helping with training and health education; I come from an African culture where the elderly are revered and cared for their wisdom and experience. As the aging of the population continues, more nursing time will be spent on this age group, especially in teaching them how to extend and enjoy independent lives. I look forward to being involved in this work. I have consistently recognized that it is possible to be a perfectly efficient healthcare provider in caring for patients while failing to let them know that you also care about them and that patients intuitively know the difference. My patients know that I care about them. I have also learned the value of being sensitive to non-verbal signals from patients and responding to them.
I seek the relative independence and autonomy allowed by the FNP. I realize that not every nurse can work independently, and I know the additional responsibility involved in the FNP role. A single mother brought me up in Kenya, who was usually absent from home, working to support myself and my siblings. I learned to be independent and self-reliant early by organizing household chores and fitting these in with homework and caring for my siblings. My mother died when I was young, and her death was due to a lack of equipment at the local hospital. My mother was only one, though the most important, of several relatives and friends whose deaths were preventable. I hope to improve healthcare provision in Kenya by helping with training and health education I am aware of the responsibility involved in the FNP role.
I have carefully observed FNPs at work and am convinced that I have the personal characteristics of independence, self-reliance, an analytical approach, empathy with patients of all types and ages, and an ability to work calmly under pressure. I have also undertaken an occasional leadership role during my career, such as supervising nurses’ aides or mentoring junior staff; I have done so successfully and have enjoyed these experiences.
I am a highly experienced nurse with various patient types and conditions. I possess the professional background, knowledge, skills, and personal traits that will enable me to profit from the program and become a highly effective FNP.