This reflective essay outlines a nursing student's career aspirations in community health development, explaining why community nursing is preferred over surgical nursing. The paper draws on firsthand volunteer experiences in Atotonilco, Mexico (2007–2008) and St. Kitts and Nevis (2009), where the author provided basic health screenings, patient education on diabetes and heart disease, and conducted home visits to amputee patients. The essay argues that personal fulfillment, passion, and direct engagement with underserved communities are essential motivators for sustained career success in nursing, particularly in resource-limited settings where healthcare access remains critically inadequate.
In pursuing my chosen career in nursing, I have always envisioned myself either as a surgical nurse in a hospital or as a community nurse serving marginalized communities. However, I am more inclined to pursue a career in community development — particularly community health development — because of both the tangible and intangible benefits and rewards available in this field. As a community nurse, I consider working directly with people who lack the resources or means to access quality healthcare an inherently rewarding experience, and one that would serve as a lasting source of inspiration and motivation to improve my nursing skills and knowledge.
Community health nursing is a rewarding area of expertise because community nurses encounter patient cases that are challenging precisely due to a lack of resources — medical facilities, supplies, and trained personnel. Community nursing also addresses one of the central problems in the health sector today: the weak or even non-existent provision of healthcare to underserved, poor communities. The on-the-ground, firsthand experience of those healthcare needs, combined with a high-level understanding of critical community health issues, are among the invaluable benefits I hope to receive by pursuing the community nursing path under the Nursing Scholarship Program.
Underserved communities exist not only in the poorest nations, but in the wealthiest ones as well. For me, underserved communities are groups that do not receive proper healthcare because they are not accessible or directly targeted as beneficiaries in the many health development programs implemented across both rich and poor countries. One of the most formative experiences I had working with such communities came between 2007 and 2008, when I was fortunate enough to volunteer in missionary work in Atotonilco, Mexico. As a community nurse for the mission, I was responsible for monitoring glucose levels and vital signs, and for educating the general public about diabetes and heart disease.
I found my work in Mexico so rewarding that I decided to volunteer again in 2009, this time locally in St. Kitts and Nevis, fulfilling the same core responsibilities. What made the second experience particularly challenging was conducting home visits to patients with diabetes — individuals who could not walk due to leg amputations resulting from the disease, and who therefore could not seek care on their own. The feeling of fulfillment and purpose that comes from working with underserved communities far outweighs the difficulties and challenges encountered along the way.
"Fulfillment and motivation as career success factors"
You’re 72% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 1 section.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.