I hope to be accepted to your distinguished and competitive Nurse Anesthesia DNP, Program at the University of XXXX because I am attracted to the small class size and the high first-time and overall pass rate for the National Certification Examination. I am a strong candidate and a good fit for your program because I am highly skilled in the care of critically ill patients and especially well-trained and experienced in invasive procedures, ventilator management, vasoactive drip administration/titration, and hemodynamic monitoring.
Highly adaptable in dynamic, fast-paced environments, I am a critical thinker who is highly motivated, with broad clinical experience to draw upon, holding both CEN and CCRN certifications. I have had the pleasure of shadowing two CRNAs for 50 hours. I routinely receive surgical patients in the CVICU, and they are always accompanied by the CRNA. As a result, I have been intensely yet informally observing CRNAs since I began in intensive care, and I never cease to admire their excellent knowledge, skill, and poise.
After completing your program and earning my licensure as a CRNA, my short-term goal would be to work in a high-volume, high-acuity facility to hone and broaden my skill set. In the long term, I see myself serving as a CRNA in a rural, underserved area, including offering my services pro bono for those in need of procedures but who cannot pay for them. We are extremely fortunate where I currently live in Austin, Texas, in that we have the privilege of service to a vastly underserved population, most of whom are migrant and undocumented. My fondest moments are spent reflecting on my most significant triumphs in nursing. One patient brings me boundless joy to remember – he was with us for six months after a massive heart attack and transferred to us from a rural, outlying facility. CPR was performed, and he was taken to OR for bypass, after which he came to our unit on a balloon pump (IABP).
The unique thing about this patient was that the physicians didn't give him much chance; nevertheless, we think his outstanding nursing care helped him turn that corner. He had some cognitive disability due to the anoxic brain injury from the heart attack and, as a result, had difficulty with appropriate nutrition intake. This lack of information resulted in his sternum incision taking time to heal. All the while coordinating with occupational, speech, and physical therapists, his nurses, worked with him to get him to a point where he could go home. All the staff in the unit knew him well, and while caring for him could be challenging at times, it was amazing to see how far he had come. I was there the day he went home, and it was moving to see him off after such an extended stay with us.
I look forward in the future to being involved in new medication research. I plan to stay engaged with the academic community and dedicate myself to lifelong education and research. I would love to have the opportunity to teach at some point in my career as a Nurse Anesthesia professional. I admire organizations like Project Helping Hands and look forward to helping non-profits in nursing care for the underserved.
Thank you for considering my application to Nurse Anesthesia at XXXX University.