Certified Nurse Midwifery Direct Entry Personal Statement

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Hello! I am applying to the direct entry certified nurse midwifery program in Seattle University and I was hoping to get some constructive criticism regarding my personal statement. I know its long so I would appreciate any help!

Every two years I visit Amman, Jordan to visit family however during my trip in 2013 I decided to dedicate my trip to help Syrian refugees escaping the brutal civil war in their home country. My uncle is a doctor who volunteers countless hours to provide free healthcare and with his help I assisted a team of doctors and nurses from all over the world. My four weeks at the Zaatari refugee camp was filled with emotional, traumatic and heartening days, however the day that stands out the most is July 7^th, 2013. The sun was unforgiving that day and the makeshift housing structures felt like a furnace. I was assisting a midwife from the U.K who helped pregnant women who suffered from Vitamin D deficiency, had reproductive tract infections or who delivered and came in for checkups. As I was listening to what a widowed, pregnant woman endured on her way to safety with her two children, a girl came in yelling that her mother was giving birth and that she needed help immediately. During the postpartum recovery, I listened to the conversation between the midwife and the mother and how loving and attentive the midwife was treating the mother. The mother was so moved and grateful for the midwife's assistance that she named her newborn Sarah after the midwife. Being able to witness and assist by holding on to the mothers hand as she was giving birth was the most pivotal moment of my life. Sarah, the midwife, embodied everything I want to achieve in life, to help the marginalized and the vulnerable. By becoming a certified nurse midwife, this will allow me to assist women in one of the most miraculous but difficult moments of their lives and that would be a privilege and an honor.

My roots in Seattle are deep. I was born and raised here but the hard reality is that there are many Seattleites and Washingtonians struggling and I will not ignore them. I will also not ignore the millions suffering worldwide. Pregnancy, maternal health and birth is a universal experience and issue that over half of Earth's population experiences. Maternal and infant mortality rates are high in the United States and in developing countries and these deaths can be avoided with medical prevention. CNMs offer care that reduces the risk of preterm birth, increases the rate of breastfeeding and increases patient readiness for labor. Compared to OB/GYNs, CNMs give their patients a more holistic treatment and form a deep connection with their patients. I want to be the most effective clinician and serve the most effective and personal care to marginalized women.

One of my goals is to make healthcare more accessible to people of lower socioeconomic status. I intend to utilize my role as a certified nurse midwife to help those who are marginalized and live in an underserved area because I have personally experienced life with limited access to healthcare. My parents were immigrants who chose the U.S. to be their new home but we were in the lower socioeconomic status for a long time. I know the burdens and stress of not being able to afford healthcare. Even though the United States has one of the best medical treatments in the world, we weren't provided that treatment because we couldn't afford it, that experience would make anyone feel insignificant and unimportant. It's my dream to play a role to make healthcare universal because healthcare shouldn't be a privilege; it should be a basic human right. By the end of ten years, my goal is to have started a non – profit organization in Washington State that provides access to medicine and healthcare to working single mothers, immigrants and refugees who are disproportionately more likely to live in poverty and lack healthcare coverage and therefore have higher rates of infant mortality. Seattle University's reputation of helping marginalized patients is why I would be honored to be a part of the Certified Nurse Midwife program because working with underserved, vulnerable and disenfranchised populations is my goal. Seattle University is not only a highly respected and unique program but it also has deep ties within the local community and strongly focuses on community health. Coming from a family of refugees I regularly visit my family in Jordan and have first-hand experience of how essential and lifesaving nonprofits like Doctors without Borders are to refugees in refugee camps and after graduating and working for two years in an undeserved community I will join Doctors without Borders and assist refugees like Sarah did. I will strive to take a holistic approach in caring for all marginalized women and treat them with the compassion, dignity and respect that they deserve but often don't receive.

Sarah was my first exposure to midwifery but my first exposure to American nurse practioners was during my internship at Swedish Medical Center. At Swedish I had the opportunity to be in the center of the hospital, it was like being at a movie set where I had the opportunity to watch the movie being created with all the different players. I witnessed doctors hastily checking up on their patients, nurses tending to every need that the patient required and nurse practioners caring and treating their patients. Out of all three healthcare providers, registered nurses had the most patient contact but they had no autonomy. Doctors had the least amount of patient contact but were the most independent and nurse practioners had extensive patient contact while being independent providers. Nurse Practioners at the hospital were very personal and closely interacted with their patients without haste. This is what draws me to the CNM profession; I thrive in environments where I possess independence but I also am drawn to the level of care that midwives provide for their patients. Many women complain that their birthing experience was sterile and impersonal but by becoming a midwife I can provide a more holistic approach that is more compassionate and personal.

I understand that midwifery is a demanding and difficult field that requires sacrifices, but I have an innate drive to become one and I am willing and ready to commit to my goals. I believe that I have the most important quality it takes to become a CNM and that is compassion. I will never be satisfied in life if I am not directly aiding people in need. During my college career, I started the first west coast chapter of a nonprofit organization at the University of Washington called United Muslim Relief. Through UMR I successfully collected over 2 tons of winter clothing for Syrian orphans in Jordan and Turkey, I started Project Downtown which provides monthly meals for the homeless population of Seattle, collected over $100,000 in donations for orphans sponsorship programs in war-torn countries and collected clothing for battered women in Seattle shelters. I felt honored to give back to my local and international community. There is no shortage of people in dire need of help and I have a driving passion to help people, to be challenged, and to learn throughout my life. More often than not women and infants are at the crosshairs of poverty, abuse and war and by becoming a CNM I can serve them and that would be the highest honor.