I am writing the following on behalf of my application to study for the MSN Degree at XXXX State University. Your program is by far the most convenient; thus, XSU’s stellar reputation in nursing makes it my first choice for graduate study. I also like the idea of interacting face-to-face with my teachers instead of doing everything online. Finally, I appreciate how many doctors and hospitals will respect your program.
I have been a nurse for over 20 years and have worked in many specialties, including home care, medical-surgical, dialysis, and the ICU, for more than ten years. What has made the single most significant impression on me over this last decade-plus in ICU is how most people die of entirely preventable conditions, such as stroke; for example, if only they had cared better for themselves by giving up destructive habits and sticking to a life-saving regimen of diet and exercise. I hope to excel in your MSN program at XSU primarily based on my enthusiasm for empowering patients to make healthier choices. I particularly look forward to learning as much as possible about preventive care. I am applying to XSU’s MPH Program and your MSN program, and if accepted, I hope to complete both within the next three to four years. I have a long record of accomplishment in medical missions, and I need formal public health and nursing preparation to pursue my rigorous, long-term goals adequately.
In terms of medical specialty, I like to think that I have the potential to become an unofficial expert in diabetes in your program. I am especially concerned about how Type 2 diabetes is reaching pandemic proportions among young people with strokes, kidney diseases, blindness, and other vascular complications occurring increasingly early in those with diabetes.
I was 25 years old when I left my native Haiti 27 years ago. My first mission trip back to Haiti was an especially foundational watershed experience that would guide the course of my professional development from then on. Subsequently, I would go on medical missions to Central America as well. I made a point to learn as much Spanish as possible, focusing on the language most frequently used in medical consultations. As a schoolchild in Haiti, I achieved fluency in Spanish, so I am confident that more will come back to me as I progress. My medical missions to Central America were also very inspiring, and I worked as hard as I did in Haiti, often 22 hours a day for as much as two weeks at a time.
I have been a nurse for over 20 years, earning my BSN in 1994. I now have extensive experience in dialysis, and for more than 11 years, I have been working in an ICU at a teaching Hospital. I am fifty-five and plan on ‘officially’ retiring in about ten years. However, armed with the preparation I will receive at XSU, I want to give my best only after I retire: to work for several decades more. I feel like my career as a nurse provides me with the platform to come full circle and return for the grand finale to the land of my birth, Haiti. My determination and high motivation to do this are reinforced by the fact that I come from the most prominent hemispheric epicenter of the underserved. This was true even before the devastating earthquake a few years ago.
Losing our patients in the IUC to preventable diseases has ignited a great and abiding passion for preventive medicine and education. As an NP with a focus on public health, I will be empowered to tackle issues in epidemiology while I empower through education, raising consciousness to better fight the disease in question, particularly infectious diseases. My ultimate or long-term career goal as an NP/MPH is to operate a mobile primary care clinic in Haiti, collaborating with ONGs and religious institutions. Primary care is almost nonexistent in the Haitian countryside, and I am most excited about how many lives we might be able to save with such an operation.
I grew up watching people travel by bike, mule, car, or on foot for many kilometers to get to a clinic—often hundreds of kilometers to stand in line for hours to see a foreign doctor. Being accepted into your program will enable me to give the rest of my life to doing everything I can to change this, and train and equip more Haitians as caregivers to help their people as nursing professionals. As the oldest of seven children, I learned at an early age the challenging task of caring for young siblings with health issues ranging from minor illnesses to sickle cell disease, which attacked my youngest brother. Learning about the pathophysiology of disease processes and caring for them eventually led me to the nursing profession.
As a nurse, I have been exposed to various diseases and disease processes that have forged my foundation for understanding the most complex and diverse aspects of critical care nursing. My goals and outlook have shifted to new heights as my nursing career moves forward. I seek to increase my nursing and scientific understanding to achieve greater autonomy and responsibility, maximizing my contribution to society as a public health nursing professional.
Thank you for your consideration of my application.
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