Child Nurse Personal Statement

I am a Family Nurse Practitioner Student (FNP) at Frontier Nursing University (FNU). My passion to care for people was evident when I was growing up and I knew I wanted to become a nurse and care for the sick when I cared for my grandmother who was not feeling well. After high school, I started my career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CAN) and worked with the elderly population which I really enjoyed. I worked as a CNA as I enrolled to school and earned my Associate degree in nursing in 2011. As an RN, I continued to work in a nursing home and rehab facility with the elderly as I decided to pursue my BSN. Upon completion of my BSN I found a job at a hospital in cardiac telemetry heart failure unit where I enjoy working as I care for people.

As I begin my fifth year of working as a nurse practitioner in a leading children’s hospital, I am certain the pediatric acute care setting is where I will continue my career of service to children and their families. Although I hold a masters degree in nursing and have been a primary care certified pediatric nurse practitioner for many years, I wish to expand my knowledge of pediatric nursing to encompass the unique and challenging aspects of pediatric acute care.

I qualified as a paediatric nurse in 2006 and have over 10 years experience working in a variety of roles mostly acute services as outlined above.

“Definition of a nurse: To go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet only for a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs”-Anonymous. For the past year and a half, I have volunteered at Blaire E. Batson Children’s Hospital. It has been an amazing experience! My passion for the medical field and career of nursing has been magnified. I know without a doubt that nursing is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I long for the opportunity to care for my future patients and their families. I want to touch other people’s lives just as I have witnessed nurses do throughout my time volunteering. God has given me a passion for nursing. With my passion and compassion for others, I know I will be successful if admitted into the BSN program.

I have worked in every area of the hospital and nursing homes in my nineteen years of clinical practice as a nurse. I have excelled and enjoyed the care that I have provided over the years. I have been a charge nurse wherever I have worked and enjoyed brainstorming and critically thinking through what needed to be done for a patient when they were not doing well. I have prevented many code blues and have been a preceptor to many excellent nurses.

I have always wanted to help others. Making a notable difference in individuals lives is extremely rewarding and something that resonates with me. It was not until a school trip- “Hand up For Health” which was provided by the NHS, that I gained an insight of nursing and seeing the practical element of nursing while using health & Biology as well and seeing how rewarding the job is. After doing further research and gaining work experience, I realised that child nursing is the profession I want to pursue.

My mother has worked at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for over thirty-five years. Through her experience, I have learned that nursing requires strong people with dedication and compassion for others. I have also learned that nursing can be fulfilling because of the opportunities to help and to heal people. I hope to live intentionally and desire my career to be interesting and purposeful.

My reasons for wanting to pursue a career in the health field include helping others and becoming a better person for it. I have begun to take health based classes such as Health Science I and II, hoping to partake in Nursing Fundamentals as a senior next year. I have begun to research colleges that award the degrees I would need to become a pediatric nurse. Through the classes that I have taken, I have learned lessons ranging from skills to working as a team in the health field. Last year I received an award for Health Science I for academic excellence. There are many more reasons leading me up to the decision of becoming the person I want to be that works in the health field.

Nursing is an extremely demanding but rewarding career within the medical sector. Child nursing is a unique position to make a difference to the lives of children and their families. Through experiences in life I learnt that I can make a difference in the lives of other people. As a healthcare professional, I will be able to communicate effectively with each individual in such a close and intimate way, that no other career can offer. I am passionate about healthcare and I am looking to pursue a career helping young children with illnesses. Nursing will open the gate to my aspirations. It is a career for dedicated, responsible, reliable people who are able to develop relationships with patients quickly. I have these skills and I am passionate

Ever since I was a little girl I had imagined myself working in the medical field. However, back then I did not have any personal drive towards this type of career path. In 2014, that all changed. On March 27, 2014, I was diagnosed with Lymphoma. After five months of rigorous chemotherapy, falling behind in classes, and struggling to keep myself mentally stable, I was finally cancer-free. Those five months proved to be the most brutal, but also the most memorable. Having to be in the hospital for long periods of time had a great influence on the way I thought about nurses, and the work they do to ensure their patients’ needs were being met. This is how I found myself drawn towards a career in nursing. My personal fundamental values as an individual are kindheartedness, sincerity, family, and continuous learning. I plan on integrating these personal core values with what I believe to be the core values of nursing which are compassion, knowledge, and honesty. Patients who are shown compassion by nurses are seen to be much more relaxed in times of sickness and pain. Knowledge is important because improving knowledge is an essential to avoid mistakes and errors, delivering higher quality care for patients. Lastly, it is extremely important to comprehend the necessity of maintaining honesty and integrity in one’s practice so that the patient’s sense of self is not compromised. While I believe these to be the core values of nursing, I believe that the focus of nursing is on the

Although I have experience working with children in a health-related environment I am still relatively new to the role of a nurse and would require more practice and learning regarding paediatric nursing. I hope that the knowledge and skills that I have now, aid in my growth and development as I transfer them from other areas of my life into my work experiences.

It is more than just a career change or a merely opportunity for a better job. Obtaining a position as a nurse will allow me to do what I love the most, assist people. It will also give me the opportunity to influence and touch lives through human interaction. I am aware that this career can be physically and mentally challenging. It is a complex field where leadership skills are needed and a wide range of responsibilities fall under a nurse’s shoulders.

It was then that I realised I wanted to undertake this profession, to care and support sick children, giving them a positive experience. As a reliable individual, I am trusted with many tasks by my teachers, showing trustworthiness, honesty, impeccable time management and good team-work skills, features which I know will hold me in good regard in Paediatric Nursing. I am mature and ready to take on the responsibility of learning and gaining the necessary

Nursing requires not only strength in knowledge but strength in spirit and emotion and that’s what made me have the passion for this career. Through my experience in participating in the Carlow University program, Prepare to Care, during my sophomore year in high school, I saw how nurses are so dedicated and genuinely enjoy helping and supporting patients. Visiting different hospitals and seeing the joys of the health professionals in the environment convinced me that I have some of the qualities needed to be a nurse. I was always fascinated with the sciences and became very interested in the health professions. At first, I thought of going into pre-med and becoming a doctor, but the profession of nursing made me curious. Nursing involves that atmosphere of having quality time with patients that suits my personality more than the profession of a doctor which doesn't experience this part of the job. I want a career that involves meeting new people every day, developing a personal relationship with them, and being able to make a difference in their lives. In a healthcare setting, collaboration is important to get the job done and I love being on a team and working with

During previous employment I have learnt much. I thrive on working as part of a team, amply demonstrated in both a childcare setting and as part of the group assignments on nursing roles that we have recently presented to our cohort. I am also acutely aware of the necessity to be able to work independently as a midwife. Working as a special needs assistant in an infant school, I supported children who were struggling academically, nurturing and guiding them through complex emotions and personal situations, always maintaining their confidentiality and referring situations to the person with safeguarding responsibility where necessary. I really enjoyed the responsibility that came with working on my own, as well as the trust emplaced in me by the teachers and outside agencies to implement the plans and procedures they set out.