Nutritionist, Personal Statement Example

As I review my career and my education thus far, I am able to see a path and a trajectory that gratifies me.  From the beginning, I have sought to devote my energies to healthcare and nursing, and I am very much still on the same course, even as I have narrowed my focus to nutrition. What I have discovered, however, and what most strikes me as I examine what I have already accomplished, is that I am restless to achieve more, as I desire to learn more.  This is, ultimately, what prompts my desire to further my nursing education.

From my first experiences as a nursing assistant in 2003, I began to perceive the enormity of the opportunities the field affords.  I saw as well how my education and skills needed to match the demands of whatever course I pursued.  More exactly, I saw from the start that the vast importance of the nursing profession provided opportunities, but required both dedication and knowledge. Interestingly for me, my original duties at this time exposed me to the very foundations of nursing care, in ways no school could impart.  I changed linens and stocked medical supplies, understanding as I did how vitally necessary these tasks were;  I assisted physical therapists and enjoyed the educational advantages of being assistant and student simultaneously; and, most valuable to me, I served as an interpreter for non-English speaking patients and their physicians.  This facet of my work alone conveyed to me the essentially personal and deeply influential role of nursing and patient care.

On a somewhat less humanistic level, I then took on the role of cashier away from the health care industry.  I do not undervalue this experience today, as I believe I appreciated the additional insight into the profession it afforded me even then.  In handling customers’ bills and payments,  in effectively addressing customer complaints and issues, and in training others to do the work, I gained enormous experience in the very sensitive arena of how people react in any financially-fueled circumstances.   The reality is, as has been confirmed by my later experiences in the field, that a truly excellent health care practitioner cannot ignore how important financial considerations are to all people, and this seemingly “unrelated” work experience has actually been helpful to me as a nutritionist.

Similarly, working as receptionist in a medical center furthered both my insights and general skill level in interacting with patients, and physicians and nurses. I felt I was, in a very real sense, at the heart of the facility’s operations; dealing with everything from transfers of diagnostic results to assisting with complex procedures, such as electrocardiograms and pulmonary function tests, gave me experience in many of the aspects of such an organization. Nor do I discount the basic receptionist skills I honed at this time. In any field at all, communication is paramount, and I feel I learned how particularly crucial it is when the health of people is the object.

For the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to do the work very interesting to me, that of incorporating nutritional information and education in my dealings with patients and the public at large. The work is complex, yet enormously gratifying, in that I tailor my approaches to both individual and group needs, and assess each as thoroughly and expertly as my training and experience allows me.  Of equal value is my role regarding determining WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) eligibility of patients, and the ancillary responsibility of educating in breast-feeding.

With this background, and with the skills I am learning and employing daily as a nutritionist, I believe I am poised to truly take advantage of nursing school. While, as noted, I very much appreciate the opportunities given me as a nutritionist in a community setting,  I feel that nursing school can give me the complete grounding I need to advance in the field of healthcare. There are, as I have described, many facets to nursing I have already explored and enjoyed, but I can only make the most of this profession I feel so strongly about by applying myself to the best nursing education available.