Master's Personal Statement Review

[MrPICU]

Hello,

I'm looking to apply for NP school and would like some feedback on what I have thus far in my personal statement. I did my best to give it a captivating opening and to keep it from being wordy, but I'm no English major. It is still in its draft form. Any criticism would be greatly appreciated, preferably anyone with experience in statement reviews or just a good writer in general. Thanks!

What needs to be addressed is as follows:

"Purpose and goals statement, including a narrative discussion of professional experience, future scholarly endeavors, and career trajectory"

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"DING! DING! DING!" The code bell rang out from a distance and put everyone on high alert. An attending, fellow, and several residents hustled down the hallway to save a life and left the nurse practitioner to cover the rest of the unit. Not even ten minutes later the worst case scenario became a reality; I looked up at the monitor of my 18 month old patient to suddenly see a fatal heart rhythm. As the adrenaline rushed through my body, it felt as though time stood still. My patient was crashing and left me no choice but to call for help. Orders for blood gases, epinephrine, and other emergency medications were rambled off in sync without hesitation from the nurse practitioner. Simultaneous codes are an ICU's worst nightmare, but thanks to a well composed nurse practitioner who took the lead, we managed to stabilize the patient until further intervention could take place.

After a reflection of the night's events I took some time to analyze what made the event successful, and specifically, what qualities of the nurse practitioner aided in the event. I began to note the same qualities in myself; confidence in our abilities and actions, a love for the knowledge that drives our patient care, and a passion to making a positive difference in people's lives. This solidified my beliefs that becoming a nurse practitioner was the true direction of my career path.

I've had several opportunities to broaden my basis of experience. As an elective clinical rotation, I spent a semester in Miami, Fl, at Miami Children's Hospital. This provided both a cultural change as well as an early opportunity to accustom myself with the critical care setting. Living and working in such a diverse population, I learned to deal with the challenges of language barriers and cultural differences that effected patient care. Being able to appreciate the different values and family structures contributed to my ability to adequately communicate with patients and advocate for their particular needs.

I began my career in a field that challenged my education from four years of nursing. My time in an ICU step down unit forced me to learn new skills on the fly, adapt quickly to an unfamiliar unit where no two patients were alike, and acquire the intuition to recognize signs of crisis with the ability to troubleshoot those issues. Dedicated to providing the best care to my patients and always eager to know not only how but why, I often found myself reviewing the literature for best practice.

Still, I found myself wanting more from my career and wanting to push myself to become a well rounded nurse. My days off from one hospital became days on in the Emergency Department of another. I took the initiative to provide myself with new learning opportunities. My goal was to familiarize myself with diagnoses I wouldn't typically see on the Unit and to challenge myself to perform at a high level in a more stressful, fast paced environment.

My passion for being a part of emergent situations and love for the critical care setting has brought me to the PICU. It is apparent to me now that my previous experiences have prepared me to provide excellent care to my patients and to confront each new challenge to the best of my ability. Identifying and troubleshooting potentially emergent situations on the unit has evolved to treating these situations as part of a critical care team. Pushing myself to work at a high level and at a fast pace in the ED has shown its value as well, allowing me to act faster, smarter, and more efficiently. Still, I find myself wanting a more from my career.

With past experiences and future endeavors in mind, I have found that becoming a nurse practitioner is the ultimate goal of my career path. Wanting to expand my medical knowledge to provide my patients with the best practice available paired with my desire to be at the forefront of healthcare breakthroughs, I plan to pursue my Doctorate degree by 2015. As I follow my passion of making a difference in the lives of others, I've also continued to seek a more significant role in patient care. My career thus far has brought out the best in me and allowed me to see the type of person I have become; a man with a kind heart, curious mind, and a leader's hand.

[reeya]

I am not an English major either I scanned your post quickly. I think your discussion of past and present professional career is good with examples of flexibility, adaptability and eager to learn more. About future goals, may be clarify a little bit about "what" you want to do with DNP. You've stated you want to finish DNP by 2015. Maybe explore further about what is it that draws your interest in doctorate degree (scholarly activities-->research, academics, writing etc) or (NP practice->leadship, administration, practicing NP seeking more knowledge, healthcare business etc).

[mtsteelhorse]

I respect and admire your experience in the field. You are well equipped for the advanced practice role. There are a few typos and grammatical areas to address but I think your statement clearly reveals your passion and dedication to the profession. As reeya stated, give a clear indication of what you plan to do with the DNP education. Obviously this may change but demonstrate you have a clear plan upon graduation. For example, work in the PICU, ED, private practice, etc. Best of luck to you. I am just beginning the process of applying to NP school and I envy your clinical experience!