The Lord Christ You Are Serving

Van Gogh once said “your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling”. That is what nursing is to me. A passion that started early in life. During my senior year in high school, I completed the nursing assistant course over a holiday break in order to begin working as a certified nursing assistant at a local hospital and nursing home. I continued serving others, in this capacity, while I pursued higher education earning my Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Clarkson College. After graduation, I began my career as a Registered Nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital. Over the last nine years at Sacred Heart, my experience grew as a staff nurse on a Cardiology Step-down Unit,

Caring for others has always been a passion of mine, and becoming a nurse has always been my dream. While my dream has turned reality, I can say that nursing has blessed me with the opportunity to not only be a servant to those in my community, but it has also allowed me to be of some comfort to patients and their loved ones during their darkest and most vulnerable moments. Nursing offers a variety of opportunities, where the only restrictions are the ones we set for ourselves. As for myself, all things are possible, for if I want it, I strongly believe it’s already mine. The depths that I will go to reach the latitude of success that I so desire is boundless.

I grew up dreaming and admiring the work of Florence Nightingale, Mother Teresa, and my aunt who is a Gynecologist Specialist while providing utmost care and assistance to sick family members who were in pain, especially my grandparents, my three months premature daughter, and my mother-in-law who fought with cancer for 15 years. Throughout my school years, I worked hard towards my dream, however, when in college I met my husband, was married and moved to Kansas. It was not until, after fourteen years of marriage that I started working as a Pharmacy technician and acquiring my CNA certificate that I felt as if God has chosen me for this purpose and I decided to acquire BSN degree. Since CVS was a neighboring store, I met people with various illnesses, started seeing them on a routine basis, and tried my unsurpassed in providing them with comfort, assistance, and support, while using empathy and tolerance in satisfying their needs. Most of all, I started

“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.

My career commitment as a nurse has grown tremendously over the past three years; through my daily experiences as a Medical Assistant. I have devoted my time as a full time student and employee of the health care profession. Both of these occupations have helped shape me into the person I want to be for as long as time allows. Daily I witness these community role models that posses abilities such as problem solving skills, promotion and protection of an individual’s advocacy all tied in with compassion to meet the health care needs of an individual.

When I expressed my interest in working in that field the nurses allowed me the privilege to shadow them to get a real sense of what the day to day job was like for a neonatal nurse. It was the best experience of my life! From that moment, I knew that caring for others was the path I wanted to follow. I have prayed and asked God for guidance on this, and the spirit told me to step out on faith and God will provide. There is a scripture that speaks to me and it is Romans 15:1 “We who are strong have an obligation to bear the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” That scripture reigns deeply in my heart, since losing over 80 lbs. this past year, I am more active and no longer weak. I feel God has blessed me with this strength and discipline to remove the weight that was holding my body hostage. So now it is my duty to be better than I was before. One belief that is close to my heart is that the health of a person begins in the mind. One can only remain sick if he/she thinks that they are

At a very early age I felt called to heal people, and the calling has not changed. That same calling became intensified when I was ten years old, I was brought to Emory Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. Over the course of a week, I was taught how to live a new way of life with my diagnosis. People have the tendency to feel sympathetic or sorry towards a teenage girl living with an incurable autoimmune disease; however, from the moment I was diagnosed I knew God was going to use it to shape my future as a way to glorify him. Over the course of a week, it was inherently noticeable that the professionals spending time with the patients were the nurses on the floor, not the physicians or the physician’s

The medical field of nursing is based on servitude in God’s mission and through the means of compassion. Our missional goals must align with God’s (Wright, 2012). Nursing consists of care and compassion for the disadvantaged, weak, sick, and injured. This is in addition to the pursuit of high standards in professionalism, articulated in the delivery of a valuable service that is based on unique knowledge and experience, performed ethically, and practiced autonomously. The major characteristic of compassion is from God and how it relates to this world of professionalism is seen through nursing. Any job that advances God’s work in the world is a Godly choice (Col. 1:16-20).

For as long as I can remember, or since the first time I met a nurse, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I have always held a great deal of respect for those who care for others in their time of need, and sacrifice their own emotional health to be strong for someone else, when they could not be strong for themselves. For several years my fear of being unsuccessful held me back from pursuing this dream, until I decided to finally take the first step and become a certified nursing assistant, and enroll at Clinton Community College to begin my journey to becoming a registered nurse. In the summer of 2014 I had decided to take control of my life and pursue my dream of working in the field of healthcare.

The career I plan on pursuing will be Nurse Assistant. Some people may wonder why I decided to choose Nursing Assistant so now I want to tell you why. Ever since I was a little girl I loved watching nurses do their job like in hospitals in other places. I never really actually realized how much I really wanted to end up being a Certified Nurse Assistant until I witnessed some death right in front me. I watched that person get hit and just laid there and was just dying and I was just wishing I could’ve done something to help that innocent man. And while I use to sit at the hospital with my mother I had seen how caring and proficient they were to her. All the things I’ve witnessed and being through made me open my eyes and realize the Nursing was for me and I

At St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Community, my church, there is an annual mission trip to Beaumont, Haiti which I am unable to attend due to age requirements. Two years ago, one of the nurses from my church, Amy, returned from the trip with a story that would change my life forever. She had attended a father and daughter that had traveled 50 miles on foot to find the nearest hospital. The daughter was dying of dehydration and malnutrition. The fact the Amy had revived that young girl was heartwarming and fulfilling even for me. Amy is my inspiration and my idol. We have discussed on numerous occasions of the rewarding as well as the challenging aspects of nursing. But one thing she said stuck with me, "If nursing is your truest passion and

I knew I could be a nurse when I watched blood ooze from my brother’s face. His eyes dripping tears, and body shaking from being scared, he did not know what to do. I however, did not flinch once when I wiped the blood off his small face and hands. He was just two and I remember thinking how I had to fix him. I had to make sure his nose, his forehead, and the of side of his face was okay. I did not think twice about touching blood, or how his whole nose was black and blue. In that moment I was selfless. I chose nursing because I am capable of putting others before me. I am selfless enough to understand what it means to be a nurse, and have to be a mother, a daughter, and a whole family in a patient’s time of need. I am independent, and strong enough to deal with challenges and make the right decisions. In my soul I know I am meant to help people and fix their hurting and sadness. I chose being a nurse, because I am

It is said that the environment of our upbringing plays a salient role in determining the ambitions we pursue, the moral values we cherish and ultimately, the lasting contributions we make to society. I firmly believe that my formative experiences laid down the foundation for passion for nursing and constitute one of the salient reasons why I am determined to pursue this profession. For me nursing, is more than a mere vocation, it is a moral commitment, the manifestation of my natural talents and the actualization of the deep-seated aspirations that I have nourished since childhood. My mother was an accomplished nurse and always set a remarkable example for me to follow by displaying virtues of compassion, moral courage and dedication to the public good. My life experiences compelled me to emulate her example by cultivating the virtues of compassion and genuine sensitivity to patients. My formative experiences and core values led me to enter this career in the capacity of a Certified Nursing Assistant where I was distinguished for not only my competence as a nurse assistant, but also for my remarkable sensitivity to the needs of the patients. I intend to continue to actualize my natural talents by pursuing a career in Nursing.

I have always known that I wanted to make a difference in this world, even if it is one person at a time. I have dreamed of becoming a nurse, instead of being just a dream it is now going to become reality. My passion for health is more than a passion it is my lifestyle, a lifestyle I want others to follow. I have started up a small running group within the community to promote a healthy lifestyle. I often donate blood as I know how important it is in the healthcare field. I have worked at the Community Health Center of Branch County for 5 and half years now. I absolutely love my job, I started out as a nursing assistant on the floor, assisting the nursing staff with dressing changes, doing vitals, obtaining different types of specimen

Service is perhaps one of the most misunderstood words in the Christian church. It’s a sad fact that many Bible-believing Christians do not engage in any real service for the Lord. Many will attend worship services and tithe faithfully, but do little else in the way of service to the Lord. Paul told the Ephesians to “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” When I read this verse in the Voice translation, I come away with a clearer understanding. “So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! Make the most of