Submitted 2022-07-11
I am writing to you about entering your program for DNP. I’ve researched it. It’s one of the best. As you read my statement, you will see why I believe your program is the next step for me in my career and yes, my dreams. Please give me your full consideration.
Growing up, I remember always wanting to help others. My mother reminded me that even as a little girl of 5, my kindergarten statement said that I wanted to be a nurse and make things out of glitter. I still am driven to do both, more nurse and a little less glitter these days! My interest in health and medicine further developed when I joined the Army as a combat medic at age 17.
As a combat medic I loved working with patients from doing small tasks to hoping they survived the night. Then, I learned so much as an LPN in the Army, (during my deployment to Iraq) working with burn patients, the wounded and sick. I love medicine and the process of making people better, whatever that may mean for each patient. Some patients a kind word, being a good listener, a gentle touch, removing a dressing. Others, assisting in their care before and after surgeries during war time. When I came back home, I decided to return to school to get my Bachelor of Science in nursing and become a registered nurse. I had the privilege of being a valor candidate for the Department of Veterans Affairs and staying up all night holding a terminally ill veteran’s hand so that he didn’t die alone when he had no family. That was a program I participated in at the Brooklyn VA hospital with a team of my colleagues. It was called, “No Soldier Dies Alone”.
As a nurse I learned to listen, to feel empathy for my patients and advocate for them and give them the best care possible. I was just doing my job, but it was so intrinsically rewarding that I thought, “I want more of this.”
Once I graduated, I was able to be a nurse in the civilian sector and work with children. My passion for medicine deepened. I’ve loved learning about kids’ ailments, disease processes and treatment plans. As an RN and clinical supervisor, I’ve also enjoyed the management portion of nursing, and how critical it is to see the whole picture. It allowed me to collaborate with other providers and work to solve complex patient problems. Caring for patients in their homes was an intimate environment which required a special skill set. Nurses put all the pieces together for our patients. We treat the whole problem and we see the bigger picture. Again, I thought, “I want more of that”.
By becoming a DNP, I want to help my patients with their life pictures; I want to educate people and families towards prevention, and give them the best care possible, using all of my experiences in my medical career, while always learning and improving as medical practices change. Eventually, within the next 5-10 years I want to give back to our veterans by working in the VA, because they are the ones who have given so much to this country.
Care with compassion, is the formula for improved healing outcomes, a nurse’s goal. We’ve all had our abrupt nurses, who seem to be in a hurry, have no time, and no compassion for their patients, ultimately sending the message, “I don’t care” to them. I have had patients say, “Okay, I will do one more for you”. Wow. I inspired someone, and they got better. It made me feel like a lottery winner, and here’s that phrase again that has been driving me throughout my entire career, “I want more of that”.
I know I possess the passion, the desire, the foundation and the determination to be one of the best in your DNP Graduate program.I look forward, (with great hope and anticipation) to the moment that I receive your letter granting me the opportunity to continue my path of medicine, a dream that began back in kindergarten. Thank you, for your consideration. It means the world to me.