Self letter to Nursing School

roser13, ASN, RN · Aug 21, 2014

Ok, here are the thoughts I have ... will have more later on ...
1. I like to help people when they need >> is it too boring to say "help" ?
2. I want to save people's lives in anyway I can
3. I want to help my husband because he's sick and he'll need a nurse by his side 24/7
4. I want to travel to different places where there're victims of disasters to help them
5. I want to go back to my homeland to help the sick people who can't afford to pay for healthcare >> once or twice a year would be fine
....... what do you think of those thoughts?

My honest thoughts from an employer's perspective:

If your husband needs 24/7 care, when will you work?

How much time off will you need to tend to your husband? (Which is none of their business unless and until you bring it up.)

How far away is your homeland and how much time off will you be requesting once or twice a yeat?

abbnurse · Aug 21, 2014

Ok, here are the thoughts I have ... will have more later on ...
1. I like to help people when they need >> is it too boring to say "help" ?
2. I want to save people's lives in anyway I can
3. I want to help my husband because he's sick and he'll need a nurse by his side 24/7
4. I want to travel to different places where there're victims of disasters to help them
5. I want to go back to my homeland to help the sick people who can't afford to pay for healthcare >> once or twice a year would be fine
....... what do you think of those thoughts?

I think....

I think you sound like a very caring person. Your fellow human beings matter to you, and you want a career where you can connect with others and make a difference in their lives. (No, it's not boring to say "help".)

You already have a lot of great experience, and it's ok to say that you weren't challenged enough by your Pharmacy Tech job. :yes:

Good luck to you in the future!

Scroll89 · Aug 22, 2014

Hi Scroll89,
You're right. I don't think they want to hear that nurses make a lot of money and that's why I want to be a nurse lol From your first question, I have little direct patient care when I was in the Navy working in the Naval hospital. I wasn't a nurse at that time but the Navy trained me to do direct patient care to help the RN. However, when I got out of the Navy, I went into Pharmacy Technician instead of RN because I was scared of all of the deaths and pains of patients that I handled in the Naval hospital. But now, I want to go back to that experience because I finally realize it really means a lot to me. Pharmacy Technician is too easy for me and I know I can do more than just counting pills and mixing drugs. Well, I don't think I can say that in the letter because you're not supposed to degrade a profession over the other. Right?
To answer your second question, I think that most great nurses have patience, good sense of humor, and organizational skills. By the way, the admin people at the university told me not to use the word "medical" in the letter. What do you think of that?

Okay now that you have answered my questions think about how you can incorporate those into your letter. You have patient experience as "patient care in Navy as a ...... doing ...... with patients". How and why was that a good experience for you? Why did you enjoy that work? Give one example that shows you made a difference in someones life and why it is important to you.

As for the second question about qualities that a nurse has, identify those qualities in yourself and outline them with experiences! Don't be afraid to brag a little bit, be proud of yourself and show them why those qualities would make you an exceptional nurse.

I would avoid saying anything about pharm tech stuff, it doesn't relate to bedside at all. It shows you have working knowledge about pharm stuff but its insignificant considering you have an entire semester to realize you know nothing about pharm! (Its a tough semester!)

I'm not entirely certain why they don't want you to use the term medical in your letter. We as nurses practice nursing, not medicine. Perhaps that's part of it?

Quick edit: I would also avoid going into much detail about what you plan to do with your RN (Such as going home to help people). I realize this sounds silly but they want to know why they should let you BECOME a nurse, not what you want to do with it. Save information such as that for your interview where you can really drive home your points.