Hello,

I'm so happy to say that I'm finally done with my pre-requisite classes and am on to the next phase of this journey. Th economy, and difficulties new grads are having finding jobs, is definately discouraging but I'm trying to stay true to my goals and not to let it get me down.

Anyways,

I live in northern California, and am applying to Mount St. Mary's AccBSN in Los Angeles for Fall, 2009. I have a lot of experience working as a massage therapist in a local hospital. Additionally, I am very interested in CAM therapies (particularly for Oncology patients) and I tried to reflect both my massage therapy experience and CAM interest in my essays.

I am beginning to wonder if my essay might sound too "alternative." Since I live in Northern California, I take it for granted that people recognize the benefits of massage. But a friend of mine who lives in LA said that some nurses might believe massage has no real benefits for patients and it would really depend on the beliefs of the nurses on the application commitee. Do you think my massage experience could work against me? I'll add, that my hospital massage work is part of an internship that is very specific to working with patient populations. They don't call it "medical massage" but that is essentially what it is.

Do nurses accept massage therapy as an effective complementary therapy for patients?

What do nurses think of other CAM therapies? (I'm most interested in preventive health in that area)

Should I include my massage experience in my essay? ...or stay more focused on nursing proper...

Thanks for any input.

I can't see how it would hurt you. Obviously you wouldn't want to suggest that you think of it as clinical experience, strictly speaking, but it's certainly hands-on (literally!) patient interaction, and I'd expect that it would improve your ability to consider a patient holistically, which was something that my nursing school hammered into us. Just make sure that you tie in your experience to how you think it'll make you a better nurse; otherwise it might look like you'd get stuck between roles.

Why not to include it?

You got to be a people person in order to be a massage therapist. Part of the nursing is public relations...can't do that without the interpersonal skills!