Personal Experience: Pre-Nursing And Physician Assistant Club

I came to America from Vietnam when I was just three years old. I spent a majority of my life with my grandma, who has always taught me the importance of helping others. She always told me to have; you must give, and if you have nothing to give, you can always give your time. This phase has been a huge guide in my life, and it has truly shaped me into who I am. At a young age, I always felt that my purpose in life was to help people. After attending many doctor visits with my grandma for her health check-ups, I was confident my future occupation would be in the medical field. During these frequent doctor visits, I had the chance to watch the interactions and cooperation among different healthcare professionals in different settings. Being in this inspiring environment, I hoped one day I could mirror them and make a difference in people’s lives and the community. Although I have always wanted to help those in need, I was uncertain of what specific career role would allow me to fulfill my passion for helping others.

My drive to help others stems from my time volunteering with the service organization, Rotary, and their leadership program, Camp RYLA. When I attended this camp as a high schooler, I learned invaluable lessons of self-confidence and connecting with others, traits seldom found in a high school environment. My experience at this program inspired me to return as a counselor, where I have been helping foster the growth of today’s youth for the past four years.

Being born to Nigerian parents who came to the USA about 20 years ago, the motto that was always preached was integrity. "No matter what you do pursue it to excellency," my father said. Instilled from an early age, I used this mentality to excel in high school, earn a full-tuition scholarship to The Ohio State University and now enter into to Johns Hopkins University to pursue nursing and subsequently become a nurse practitioner, I will use it to provide quality care. I also realize the opportunity to that has been granted to me. I was not born into an environment filled with war, poverty, and/or disease or an environment with little opportunity. That is why I am so passionate about the Nurse Corps mission in serving underserved communities. After experiencing the conditions back home on trips to Nigeria contrasting with my solid upbringing in America, I feel a moral responsibility to give back to those who are less fortunate than me. Those in underserved communities often face the greatest barriers to quality healthcare including not knowing where to go for health care and in communities with undocumented individuals the fear of deportation prevents people from getting care. Add these factors with the burden caused by other environmental stressors the likelihood of poor health outcomes in these communities increases. After seeing the suffering and hearing stories of family friends from

This past year, my co-site-leader and I planned and lead eighteen other students on a week-long, service-learning trip to Indianapolis focusing on the issue of public health. Our group served the community for forty hours through seven different organizations in the community ranging from Gleaners Food Bank to the Julian Center, a center for victims of domestic violence. Through reflection and service, the interconnected network of social injustices soon became apparent in our discussion of public health as a major social justice focus. Through our discussions, we realized that we are capable of extending ourselves into the local community and making a significant difference. For me, leadership is not solely measured by the immediate outcome or a visible change; leadership should help others realize the untapped potentials within themselves. This goal was achieved in our lengthy service reflections in

The Certified Nursing Assistant program started this year with a new instructor, Karla Garrison RN BSN. Karla was previously one of the state board of nursing examiners and tested our students last year. After being impressed with our students and our program as well as the opportunity to make a difference Karla joined our team. Under her leadership we have transferred to a new curriculum and new text books that are more focused on meeting the Arizona state board exam requirements.

Two years ago, I volunteered at YMCA and found myself an acting vice president. My country was known as the 5-11 Club which was a part of the greater YMCA continent. The country was in constant turmoil, but before I could address these problems I first had to cross the cultural barrier

There are several nursing organizations, both locally and nationally that provide opportunities for professional development. Nurses can join a general, state, or specialty nursing organization. After doing some research I think joining the American Nurses Association (ANA) will provide me with the opportunities and education I've been looking for. The organization has a lot to provide such as an online continuing education library, access to state and national meetings/conferences, programs that enhance and extend leadership skills, professional opportunities, access to various professional tools, and much more. The ANA help develop national standards, represent nurses on important matters, and participates in state associations. In my

My talents and experiences have prepared me to support the Metropolitan State University School of Nursing mission and prepared me for graduate education. I currently work in healthcare as a certified pharmacy technician and work with diverse and underserved population daily. Unfortunately, I can see how communication barriers, access to health care, physical barriers, and monetary barriers can prevent individuals from living up to their full health potential. I have had patients call our pharmacy to tell us they are unable to pick up their medications due to a lack of transportation access and an inability to pay for their medications. I have also had patients who are unable to take their medications regularly also due finances and an inability to read or understand the directions of their medications.

As a future alumna, I will advance the mission of Mercy College by delivering health care services as a PA to under-served urban populations with compassion and sensitivity. Being raised in an under-served community and being a premed student in Harlem, NY, I understand the challenges of being a healthcare professional in the United States. In addition, being in a diverse environment have augmented my studies in public health, and have provided me with concrete examples of how individuals can benefit from caring, sensitive providers, and how communities suffer when adequate health care services are not available or affordable. I believe as a future student at Mercy College, I will be fortunate enough to learn about the social responsibility

My professional background includes AguaClara as mentioned before, as well as an internship with the New York City Council, being an Associate Cornell Ambassador, and being a student manager with the Cornell Big Red Managers. AguaClara has allowed me to develop significant research skills while apply them to serving others. As I research rapid sand filtration, I am able to help AguaClara provide clean drinking water to communities in Honduras. I will also be travelling with AguaClara to Honduras this winter to understand the significance of the team’s research on communities in Honduras. At Cornell I am also a Cornell Ambassador. As an ambassador, I talk to curious perspective students and their families about Cornell. It is important that I do not share false information about Cornell with them, instead I am to apply a realistic view of my experiences at Cornell. For many of these families, what I say to them will have a huge impact on if they decide to come to Cornell, and for that reason, I must remain truthful to them. I believe that being truthful is also very important when working with underserved populations. Another necessary skill is the ability to communicate effectively. My former internship with the New York City Council allowed me to develop the ability to not only speak to others, but also listen to their concerns. When working with underserved populations, it is very important to listen to their concerns and see what they are having issues with. Taking the time out to listen to concerns allows a person to come up with the best solutions for those

Nursing is a career that is rapidly changing. This makes it vital for nurses to stay updated on current research as well as engage in what is known as lifelong learning or professional development. The American Nurses Association has defined the concept as "learning activities designed to augment the knowledge skill and attitudes of nurses and therefore enrich the nurses' contributions to quality healthcare.” The benefits of continued education is so the nurse can provide safer care and increase patient outcomes. It also helps nurses promote their critical thinking skills, increase their knowledge and it contributes to their professional growth. I will most definitely take advantage of all the continuous learning opportunities that come along

I found in this brief encounter the great service I could provide for not only this family, but for multiple families across the country. My conviction to grow as a leader for change has granted me the confidence to set new goals; the young girl I once was remains in the past. I actively seek outside opportunities to incorporate and exercise my Spanish; to simultaneously grow my second language and myself. My grandparents and family’s well-intentioned critiques and resolution to speak Spanish correctly or not at all motivate me to achieve my aspirations. My encounter with the Cuban elderly couple at the hospital helped revive my roots; as well as amplifying how important it is to embrace any room for improvement. Life will be filled with hardships and adversity, feelings of not being good enough; but it is what you make of those moments that define the person you will become, the college student I will

I am currently a senior at Lemoore High School and my goal is to attend West Hills and get into their Pre-Nursing Program to later become an RN.

four years ago, in the hope that my father’s health would improve, I encountered many obstacles that have motivated me to help my community. My family and I have felt the sting of discrimination because of our skin color, culture, and Mexican accent. However, this has only emboldened me to reach for my dreams and aspirations and work towards a higher-level education to help and support those who also face difficult obstacles in order to reach their goals. When I began to volunteer with different organizations and discovered the tremendous need of healthcare, education, food, and hygiene supplies that exists, I learned that one must help their own community for all to succeed and obtain what they deserve. I observed that there is not just crucial need for better health care and nutrition in our state, but a tremendous need for homeless shelters and food banks that can support low-income families. Even though I was not born in this city, Albuquerque has become my community and my home and I have become attached to the people who day by day work exceedingly hard to give the best to their families. Since little, my dream has always consisted of attending college to become a health care provider to help those people who are struggling with health issues, such as my father. I want to motivate other students to believe in their potential and reach their goals despite the economic and social barriers one may face. For me this is the power of a higher-lever education: improve our quality of life and the one of those around

I am needing to seek your guidance and assistance. Next spring is my last semester here at CofO I am looking to shadow/intern with a child life specialist for class credit.