I see my main strength as my complete dedication to the nursing profession. I love my job, and those I work with always appreciate that I make my maximum effort and give my all every day. As an undergraduate, I graduated with leadership distinction in community service and received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for volunteering over 250 hours within 12 months. Sharing that time and working with others in a service leadership role has taught me how important it is for the community to have a voice. I translated these skills to nursing and becoming a patient advocate. I will advocate for my patients and the nurses that work with me, knowing how important it is for my patients that don’t have a voice and that their voices are heard. In addition to being a hard worker, I am compassionate and take pride in my sense of ethical and professional integrity. I believe that you cannot be a nurse without compassion. It drives us to do our best for our patients because they deserve the best.
I have identified three weaknesses and am working hard to improve in all three areas. Sometimes I tend to be a little stubborn. I am comfortable working alone, and I enjoy the capacity of the introvert to be alone, at least in one’s thoughts. Nevertheless, I am always a team player, especially when team members are present, and I am learning to feel more comfortable asking for help. I’ve learned that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but necessary in our profession.
Born in China, I came to America at the age of three. Thus, I speak Mandarin Chinese and see this as an excellent asset for nursing education in multicultural America. Furthermore, I have put heroic effort into learning Spanish and am approaching an intermediate level in this language. Improving my Spanish is an incredibly high priority for me. I have identified this as particularly important to my goal of doing all that I can to assist the underserved.
During my undergraduate studies, an essential life experience was completing an externship with the Pediatric ICU in the Children’s Hospital. I realized I wanted to develop a particular focus on children. My principal mentor, who I met as part of my externship, had been a nurse for over two decades, and I seek to model her profound love and exhilaration for nursing. She made me want to be the best nurse I could become, and I also very much share her special love for children and Pediatric Nursing.
Another extremely momentous experience that contributed to the development of my identity as a nursing professional was the opportunity to assist one of my professors with research at an HIV clinic and to receive a scholarship for doing so. Growing up in a small town in South Carolina just off the interstate, our area is impoverished and is referred to as the “corridor of shame.” I got to know many women struggling with HIV - all of them underserved - which helped me mature significantly in my thinking, developing a more sophisticated understanding of these women's complex challenges. Thus, assisting my professor with his research was a sheer joy.
I have also volunteered for a cooking camp that teaches kids to prepare and enjoy healthy meals while they learn and practice the importance of staying active. As an undergraduate student, I spent a lot of time volunteering in the Neonatal ICU, helping feed the neonates, comforting them, and sharing these moments with them when their parents couldn’t.
Becoming a Certified Teacher for Les Mills Body Pump, an hour-long weight-lifting class for people of all ages, has helped me grow stronger. Staying fit with weightlifting is something that I see as an essential and integral aspect of my nursing career since staying fit helps me make my maximum contribution to nursing. As a nurse, we must practice what we preach. We cannot teach our patients to lead healthier lives when we do not.
Being a part of the Shared Governance Committee for my unit, we meet once a month to plan different events and sometimes make decisions about our unit that affect our patients. For example, when we have a patient in the news, we decide if they should have visitors and to whom their personal information should be limited. We host different events where all the employees in our unit can get together, especially during special holidays. We also celebrate our nurses who are accepted to graduate school or have another milestone to recognize.
Thus far, my experience with highly diverse patient populations has helped me cultivate empathy and understanding as a nurse. I have worked primarily in a stroke/trauma ICU but also enjoyed floating to all other ICUs. After two years of full-time nursing, I passed my CCRN. After three years in various ICUs, I am confident I have enough experience to excel as a graduate student.
I now know that I want to contribute to children, educate them about healthy lifestyle choices, and manage their illnesses if sick. I see children as our future and want to ensure they have the tools to succeed and live healthy lives. I have volunteered at Surfers’ Healing for the past few summers, taking kids with autism surfing. Many children with autism struggle with sensory overload, but the ocean can offer a therapeutic experience for them. For me, seeing the happiness on the children’s faces is priceless.
Thank you for considering my application.
MSN Nursing Education Chinese Personal Statement
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