Advanced Practice Nursing Admission

Advanced Practice Nursing Admission

Summarize your nursing-related educational and professional activities. Explain your rationale for seeking a graduate nursing degree. Articulate the personal challenges and approaches to managing graduate school, work, and outside commitments

As a nurse, I have worked in many capacities over the course of my career. I currently occupy the challenging role of case manager at a hospice. It is a daily privilege to help individuals and families face chronic illnesses and cope with end-of-life care. The dignity and grace that I see is inspiring, and constantly rewards me with the knowledge that I am making a difference through the career of nursing. I have also worked in a leadership capacity as a director and team leader at a home health agency. My team encompassed RNs, LPNs, PTs, OTs, MSWs, and aides. In this role, I was required to coordinate patient care, create a sense of community, and foster a productive dialogue between team members with diverse backgrounds and healthcare perspectives.

I have also worked as a case manager in home health services for geriatric patients and young people. My objective was to ensure that patients received the best of care possible in their home environments, and, whenever possible, to foster patient empowerment and self-efficacy. I began my career as a staff nurse in a hospital ICU, so from the very beginning of my professional career, I have been involved in the treatment of patients dealing with serious health situations. Finally, outside of the field of nursing, I worked in the telecommunication industry, managing technicians in the field and in the office, which increased both my leadership capacity as well as my knowledge of technology.

I wish to pursue a graduate degree to broaden my career prospects as a nurse leader, and to deepen my knowledge of the field of nursing. Nursing is a holistic discipline, requiring the nurse to have a mastery of chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology, and technology. To be a true, complete nurse who treats the patient's social, psychological, and spiritual needs, as well as the patient's physiology, the nurse must have knowledge of psychology, sociology, and cultural studies. I would like more in-depth knowledge of these subjects, and my work in hospice and home healthcare has convinced me of the need for nurses to strive to more fully understand how a patient's mental state can impact their experience of healthcare.

As I work and attend school at the same time, both my academic and real life nursing experiences will feed one another. I realize that balancing work and school will be a considerable challenge, but in all of my professional experiences, I have had to multitask and engage in efficient time management. By going to school while working, I will be able to see what I learn in the classroom reflected in the real life of a nurse.

To be a truly capable medical professional demands a commitment to life-long learning. New medical procedures and medications are constantly being introduced into the standard routines and prescriptions of healthcare institutions. A nurse must be flexible and adaptable. New perspectives and ways of viewing health and illness are also being developed, which I hope will inform my practice of medicine.