Statement of Purpose in Applying for Doctor of Nursing Practice

Nursing education has come a long way since my aunt was a practitioner. A Registered Nurse, my aunt worked in geriatric care for twenty years, and in psychiatric care for five years before that. I took my cue from her, developing my skills in a systematic way during my undergraduate education before embarking on a serious investigation of my career options as a nurse. The Doctor of Nursing Practice was not an option until relatively recently; and it is only within the past year that I determined it to be the best degree program for my skills, needs, philosophies, and my personal vision. My skills as a practitioner are both clinical in nature and caring in tone, as I combine evidence-based approaches to health care with the artful mastery of caring for the whole person. This means that I have a family systems approach to health and healing. I view the patient as a part of a family, community, and culture. I need to study in a program that wisely promotes multiculturalism and family systems into its curricula, which is why I have selected this specific degree tract. Most of all, I appreciate the opportunity to be a primary care provider. The nursing profession has advanced tremendously, entrusting nurses with greater responsibilities as members of the health care team. Because I am engaged with patients, while also firmly believing in evidence-based practice, I am uniquely suited for a career as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

I understand that the Doctor of Nursing Practice is a new terminal degree program, and not one without controversy. The nursing profession has been at a crossroads for several years, establishing legitimacy as a distinct health care field from any other while also developing a core body of research, knowledge, and praxis. Not all nurses will want to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice, as the degree does entail a less theoretical and more clinical approach. I appreciate the more rigorous academic foundation that the Doctor of Nursing Practice provides. During my course of study, I intend to familiarize myself with two areas of research that interest me the most: anesthesia and midwifery. I do not currently intend to specialize, but may later choose to do so if I feel my skills would be developed best by focusing in one of these core areas of research.

There are several important issues in contemporary nursing that affect all nurse practitioners, and ultimately all patients. The issue that has weighed most heavily on my mind lately is the relatively slow process of transitioning towards electronic medical records. I understand this is largely a regulatory and administrative issue, but as a nurse practitioner, I will also be impacted by the choices made my institution. In the future, I expect that there will be more uniformity in the use of electronic medical records. Right now, I fear that electronic medical records are not being used to their fullest potential to prevent patient error and facilitate our practice as nurses.