Personal Statement : The Nursing Program

I cannot attribute my desire of becoming a nurse to following the footsteps of a family member, nor caring for a sick family member as I was growing up. I am a first generation high school student, furthermore, a college graduate. I became a mother at the very young age of sixteen. Being so young and growing up without the care of my parents, it was always said I, too, would end up in a rough situation and not be able to care for my child being so young myself. I continued out my days and nights being a high school teen mom. I graduated from high school in three years by attending night school while I was pregnant; allowing me to finish school sooner and obtain a better job that would allow me to take care of my son.

In the corner of the small hospital room stood a shy little girl. “You shouldn't be in here, honey”, my mother said as she nudged me out of the room where my grandfather lay dying. At the time, I couldn't understand the enormity of the situation. Ignorant to what was happening around me, my innocent mind fled with curiosity. The beeping of the machines and the soft quick steps of nurses captivated my attention. I was fascinated with this strange new world. This is the moment that sparked my desire to become someone great; a nurse.

Looking back to the start of the first course in this Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, attempting to re-enter the world of formalized education as a nurse after 15 years was overwhelming to say the least. I have since found that I have the skills in order to write professional nursing papers as well as the dedication involved in improving my nursing practice by applying what I am learning to my job. The concepts I learned in the BSN program helped me to develop a greater level of critical thinking, collaboration, and promoting myself as the kind of nurse that I want to be. As our cohort ends this nearly two year journey together, taking some time to look back and reflect and determine how the behaviors and attributes Olivet set out to teach us will affect our nursing practice and further education is a worthwhile endeavor.

The theory is explained on the idea that the increased comfort of a patient or their family, the more they are ready to accept and react to the treatment plan. The theory can also be applied to the nursing profession in the sense that

My goal is to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Trinity Washington University. After working in government and as a massage therapist, I realized that I have a calling in health care. In order to become a great nurse that provides optimal care, I need to be educated by the best institution. I am dedicated to putting in the time and effort to gain all of the knowledge Trinity Washington University can provide me, as I start my journey to the health care field.

Why do you want to pursue a graduate degree in your chosen field of study and why do you want to pursue a graduate degree at Clemson University?

Do you think being a RN is more than just a job or career goal? To me being a nurse is a calling or a way to help other people! I love being able to help other people and make them smile while doing it. I want to become a nurse because I love helping others, I would really love to make a difference in people's lives, and I really want to make enough money to help my family.

Being young and tied up with high school and college is just one big hurricane waiting to happen. Sometimes I wake up and ask myself why am I doing the things I have done or are going to do but I bite my lip and keep moving forward. Growing up fast is very hard and can put a lot of stress on your back, but I got to keep in mind what my future will be like if I continue going the path I am now. I'm doing this for myself and also to prove a point to my family that no matter what happens or what life throws at you I can manage my way through it. My life is not as easy as I make it out to look from working with my dad, going to Union County Early College and wanting to become a nurse, my life is all over the place.

My successful achievement in life has been realized through dedication and commitment to do what I love.  I would not be in the position of applying to graduate school today, without some of the challenges I have overcome in life. As a young man, I left my family in Nigeria and moved to the United States. With the responsibilities of financially supporting family back in Africa, working full time, starting a family of my own, and being a student, it did not take me long to learn how to balance priorities. I was successful because I was focused, disciplined, and persevered in the middle of life’s many distractions.

There has been many occasions during my life that I have found myself spending numerous hours in hospital with my mother, being by her side and supporting her through all her battles and encouraging her to keep her spirits up. It is during these times that I have found myself admiring the work of the teams supporting her. All the medical staff have made my mother who she is today, but it was the nursing team which I admired the most. They provided an invaluable service not only to my mother, but to society and to be part of that group of professional individuals has been an ambition of mine ever since.

Nursing has not always been my passion; in fact, nursing was not even on my radar until recently. Ever since the age of 5 up until last year, I have been bombarded with the same sermon from varying family members, “You will become a Doctor, and you will make a difference in this world." The negative substandard stigma surrounding nurses in my family was prominent, even though my grandmother had just retired from an ICU position at UCH after serving over 20 years. Needless to say, at the start of 8th grade I was impressionable and the dialog I shared with my parents was critical in my decision to disregard the profession altogether, simply on their opinions alone without any of research on my part.

I have wanted to be a nurse for a while but seeing the way nurses work on the wards, and their love and passion for what they do has inspired me to continue. I decided I wanted to do nursing as I wanted a career that would challenge me and was different on a day to day basis. I want to make a difference to people’s lives and support them in their time of need. I am doing a two-year apprenticeship in Clinical Healthcare. The course has allowed me to be involved in the daily running of a hospital ward, working alongside professionals to deliver a great standard of care.

I am born and raised in Haiti. I came to the United State in 1996 and became a caregiver in 2001. I became a caregiver because I love people and use what I have to help or assist people

The scientific and academic side of nursing is as engaging to me as the caregiving duties of the profession. I particularly enjoyed my Level 3 in Health and Social Care as I particularly enjoy the applied dimensions of the health sciences. Indeed, one of the aspects of studying nursing that appeals to me in particular is the balance between theoretical learning and its practical application in a healthcare setting that it provides. I have sought to further my scientific body of knowledge through taking a university-level course through Child Nursing.

There are plenty of experiences in my life so far that has solidified my drive to become a nurse. Volunteer experiences abroad, experiences with other nurses, and my current professors stories of what it was like to be a part of the rewarding field, all reinforce my choosing of the nursing profession. The most foundational experience that steered me to the nursing profession happened when I was 13 years old. My parents decided that I should learn more about my Nigerian roots and they sent me to a boarding school in the village Ijebu-Ijesha, Nigeria. I knew nothing about the country except the reverence and praise my parents spoke with when telling stories of their beloved country. I knew no one in the country but still wanted to gain the experience and learn more about culture, so I went for an entire year.