your thoughts?

[Lanesmama]

I am working on getting into nursing school. One of the requirements is that we write a personal statement and we have to answer the following questions:

1. What are ideal attributes of a nurse?

2. What would be your contribution to nursing?

SO- I am NOT asking anyone to write my statement... but being that you are already nurses, I want to know what attributes you really value in nurses and any other information that you can give me that might help me to proficiently answer the questions. Of course, I know that a nurse has to be willing to deal with quick changes, work with all types of ppl (pts and coworkers), like to help people but I guess I'm looking for more to set myself apart from the other candidates... not only that but I think more information can only help me in my future as a nurse, too!

Thanks in advance!

[NCRNMDM, ASN, RN]

When I was writing my statement, I tried to bring some personal touches into it. I talked about the qualities I thought an effective nurse should possess, such as a caring attitude, the ability to deal with stress, emotional stability, a true desire to help others, the ability to adapt to new situations, the ability to deal with irate, upset, and confused patients and family members, a thick skin and the knowledge that everything isn't a personal attack, and so on. After I talked about each quality, I tried to include a short statement about how I had developed that quality or how I was developing it as time passed. For the part about my contribution, I wrote that I had experienced both of my grandfather's battles with cancer, and had seen my grandmother die in a cardiac ICU, and said that I would bring the same caring attitudes, the same desire to help patients and families, and the same drive to do the most good for my patients as I possibly could, just as the nurses who took care of my family members did. Of course, I said this in a much more eloquent way, in fact I rewrote my paper four times, but, in the end, I got in. Good luck!

[Lanesmama]

thanks! you are the only person who wasn't rude to me when I asked this question. Unfortunately our paper has to be double spaced and only 1 page long so I had to be really brief... I rewrote that thing about 4 or 5 times but I am satisfied with what I have now! Our apps are due this week, so wish me luck!!!! :) I scored really high on the TEAS V test and I think I have a pretty good chance. This school rates applicants on a points system and I believe I will get 12 pts out of the possible 14... :)