Becoming a Nurse Has Been My Life-Long Dream, Personal Statement Example

Becoming a nurse has been my life-long dream. My mother is a nurse and I grew up hearing her stories of fulfillment, challenges, tears and joy. I believe each of us has a unique skill set within our core and nursing is mine; just as it was also my mother’s. I have never thought of any other career choice.  As I have gone through high school and college it has become fundamentally evident that my true calling is the role of caregiver, mentor and healer to patients afflicted with medical and mental illness and deficiencies. I have spent my educational years building the foundation for nursing school.

An important aspect of my educational experience has been the fact that I have been a part-time student since the winter of 2003. My father decided to open his own business. He had a difficult beginning and my family’s assets were absorbed into his investment. I knew that I wanted to enter the health care field and apply my interests, but I needed to help my family. I compromised by changing my full-time status to part-time in order to assist my family; working 25-40 hours over seven years while attending school. Beginning as a secretary, then office manager, I developed leadership and managerial skills. The decision I made compromised my ability to participate in extracurricular activities and research as an undergraduate; but it was the right decision in helping my family secure their future. Through it all, the desire to pursue my dreams remained with me. I persevered and continued school while I was working. It was the greatest challenge of my life, but I never gave up.

During the last three years of college, I discovered my interest in tutoring after I began helping fellow classmates at my professor’s request. Tutoring approximately five hours a week was my respite from everything. My experience has helped me develop skills that will make me a better nurse. Previous to tutoring, I had a lot to learn about others. I was quick to judge and short in patience. Through my tutoring career, I have worked hand-in-hand with students from all walks of life: adults from all racial backgrounds most who are financially disadvantaged, some with learning disabilities, and others who are just struggling through their subjects. As I became a better tutor, I acquired the art of assessing people for their strengths and weaknesses. As a nurse, effective communication skills will be invaluable to me in a world where efficient communication is of utmost importance. Through my time working with students, I learned to connect with them on a cultural and personal level.

Along with academics, I became a volunteer to further develop my skills. At Ranchos Los Amigos, I assisted nurses in caring for disabled patients undergoing physical therapy. I also had the privilege of volunteering at UCLA working with surgical patients. I came to know the relationships nurses built with doctors, patients, and fellow nurses; how important they were to the successful recovery of a patient.  I also gained a deeper understanding of my patient’s illness as I applied the theoretical knowledge gained through my academic studies. As I worked with my patients, a fire within me was kindled. The satisfaction I gained from making a patient smile was uplifting. The sense of fulfillment I experienced from knowing I helped a patient through their illness was unparalleled; fostering my desire to be a nurse.

My career goals are to become a charge nurse in the surgical unit of the UCLA Ronald Reagan Center. My role as office manager at Ridamite has prepared me for this role. My interest in becoming a surgical nurse has been fostered both by my experience volunteering for a surgeon at UCLA and by my double major.  Through conversations with the surgeon, I learned more about what my role would be. Being a charge nurse is something I believe will kindle the passion I felt as a volunteer. It is also a field that falls in line with my studies at UCLA and is therefore something I know I will be able to maintain an intellectual interest in throughout my career.

I have the utmost confidence in my potential to enter and succeed in a nursing program. I am competent and have an intellectual curiosity which sustains my drive to learn and excel.

My successful tutoring has demonstrated my skill set in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and math; courses essential to nursing. In addition to being able and curious, I am also dedicated and can juggle many responsibilities successfully. I persevered for nine years while attending school and working in my father’s business, never giving up. I have participated in the honors program at both LAVC and UCLA, and will continue to strive for excellence within UCLAs MECN program. I am confident in my ability to succeed.

UCLA’s mission and vision echoes my heartfelt desire to serve the medical needs of vulnerable populations. My father and his family suffered from inadequate healthcare in Vietnam. As a first generation child, I lived through poverty and know the desperation of not being able to afford care and medication when it’s needed most. Working as a tutor with financially disadvantaged students, I understand struggles are experienced by many. My personal history and connections have created an ardent desire within me to close the gap of healthcare inequalities so that we may all have an equal chance of living a fulfilling life. Clinical practice is just one component of nursing; research is the other side of nursing which is vital to its advancement. UCLA is focused on advancing healthcare through research. Through my studies at UCLA, I have developed a fascination for process and promise of research.

My family’s business is now stable and successful. As of December 2010, I will resign and commit myself full time to my education and dream of becoming a nurse. I believe each student has a distinctive set of experiences and skills to complement the university; I long to reciprocate with fellow UCLA students and faculty. I look forward to the possibility of learning as much as possible to further develop my knowledge and skill set at UCLA.