I came to the US as a nurse from India and became a permanent resident in October 2007 at 25, after passing the CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools), IELTS, and NCLEX exams. This opportunity came in response to the shortage of qualified nurses in the US. We were given an employment-based green card after meeting specific requirements concerning evaluating our credentials. Since February 2013, I have been a citizen of the USA. I now have nine years of critical care experience in an intense, fast-paced, Cardiac ICU.
XXXX University is my first choice among Nurse Anesthesia Programs because it is a doctoral rather than a master's program, and, among doctoral postgraduate programs, it is an affordable alternative. Most importantly, XXXX University is accessible from my home, so I don't have to relocate. I will have the full support of family and professional networks to enable and inspire me to excel as a graduate student in Nurse Anesthesia. I have visited your campus, and I feel extremely comfortable there, the way it is secluded, and the people are so friendly. I hope to be accepted to XXXX, and I will attend if accepted because it is my first choice. It would be a special honor to be selected by a program that only admits approximately one dozen students each year. I also admire the low attrition rate at XXXX, which speaks volumes of good things about your program because I know it is the most rigorous. I particularly admire your advanced, innovative clinical practice. My best friend from India was also in the first doctoral class to graduate from XXXX’s CRNA program. We have seen each other at least once a week for years, and she always kept me up to date about her progress in the program, the things she was learning, and how challenging and fascinating it was. Increasingly, I became increasingly eager for a similar experience.
Since October 2009, I have been employed as a nurse by New York’s XXXX Hospital, the university hospital of both Columbia and Cornell, serving first as a registered nurse, then as a charge nurse, and more recently as a Preceptor. I have come to thrive in this highly stressful environment. I am now very proficient in the titration of drips, ventilators, hemodynamic monitoring, and devices like ECMO, Impeller, and IABP, to name just a few. I am an IV insertion champion in my unit. My humble and calm demeanor has helped me to survive many very demanding situations with grace. Despite being a minority nurse from India, I have risen to the cadre of one of the most capable nurses in CCU, from acing the CCRN and CMC exams to leading the quality council in my unit. My diverse background has helped me adapt and think creatively on my feet, empowering me to excel at XXXX. I have paid close attention to the CRNAs in my unit for years, learning as much as possible by observation. I have also shadowed a CRNA for more than 40 hours in my hospital.
After earning my master's degree in Nurse Anesthesia, I hope to gain as much diverse experience as possible by working in general, OB, pediatric, and regional areas before deciding which specialty I want to pursue. At some point, I hope to graduate into an educational role, teaching in a CRNA program and mentoring SRNAs in a hospital setting. As I progress in my profession, I would like to broaden my perspectives and contribute to promoting Nurse Anesthesia internationally, especially concerning India, where Nurse Anesthesia is still in its infancy. Pain-free delivery is still a novel concept in rural India. Thus, I am particularly interested in providing safe, accessible, and affordable anesthesia to intra-natal mothers in the rural areas of my state, playing a role in curbing the overall maternal mortality rate. Community Health service has always been my top priority.
I was an active spokesperson for the Anti-Child Labor groups in my hospital in India. I participated in World Polio Immunization campaigns in 2003 and 2004 in Bangalore. As part of the community health internship at my nursing school, I organized street plays and demonstrations to promote early and skilled antenatal services in the villages of Guntur, Mugalur, and Thindlu in rural India. I also participated in an outreach program for the town of Thimmasandra, helping to conduct a morbidity clinic. I have donated blood many times during blood donor drives held in our city and was always an active member of my community church, helping, for example, to raise funds to build a new parish.
I have also earned accreditation in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. I am currently enrolled in an Organic Chemistry course, further strengthening my academic foundation in preparation for your CRNA program. I am also studying for the GRE. I explore subjects in my field that I find most intriguing in my free time, such as Fick’s versus the Thermodilution method of calculating Cardiac Output. My long-term objective is to promote Nurse Anesthesia internationally, working in close collaboration with healthcare legislators to legalize and professionalize nurse administration of pain medication in developing countries so that underserved populations can have access to safe and affordable nurse anesthesia. As an older woman, I see myself as the program director of a CRNA School in India.
Thank you for considering my application to Nurse Anesthesia at XXXX.