FNP Application for UPenn and Rutgers

[radhirules]

Hello! This is my first post on here. I am currently applying to the FNP master's program at University of Pennsylvania and the Family DNP program at Rutgers University. The Penn program is my first choice but I have NO idea what the average GPA is for applicants that are admitted so I'm just kind of applying and praying.

Anyways! I just finished my first essay for the Penn application and the question is: Why are you applying to this particular graduate program at Penn Nursing at this time? Please explain your motivation for submitting your application while reflecting on your career progress and goals.

I really needed help proofreading my essay. I need to send it in within the next few days and I was hoping someone could help. I was also going to tweak it a little bit and use it as my personal statement for my Rutgers Application.

Here it is:

I have always been very dedicated, never settling for anything but the absolute best I can do. Naturally, this led me to applying to one of the highest ranked family nurse practitioner programs in the country. The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is known for not only their innovations in nursing, but also their deep ties with the history of the nursing profession. Having such a rich history with nursing ensures that the art of nursing and compassionate care is not lost, but complimented with cutting edge medical discoveries. I want to attend this School of Nursing because I know that they don't just create nurses, they create leaders. Another important factor for choosing to apply to this school of nursing is that they have so many outreach programs with the community they are a part of. They not only believe in creating healthcare leaders but they believe in serving the people that surround them. This is something that has always been very close to my heart.

I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Seton Hall University. There, I did not just excel in my education but, I was able be a part of numerous organizations on campus. One of these organizations is Alpha Phi Omega, whose foundation is based on service, leadership, and friendship. Through this organization, I was able to attend a series of LEADS courses that foster leadership using the servant leader model. By strengthening my leadership skills, I was able to coordinate and direct several community service projects through Alpha Phi Omega, as well as the Student Nursing Association, to increase health education in the community.

After graduating, I was blessed to have been able to start my nursing career on a busy postpartum floor at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center. Working in culturally diverse, inner city environment where most of my patients are charity care clients has really shown me the importance of quality primary care. Working with such patients has increased my awareness of different cultural practices, shaping me into a more culturally sensitive nurse. This has also heavily improved my communication skills and ability to quickly build rapport with my patients. Many of my patients are well under the poverty and line and either have no access to healthcare, due to lack of education regarding hospital clinics, or they have inadequate primary care. This is a big ethical dilemma for me because I strongly believe that everyone should have access to evidenced based, high quality healthcare in a country as developed as the United States. It breaks my heart that there is only so much I can do for my patients as a staff nurse.

The increased scope of practice with the ability to diagnose, manage, educate, and prescribe, along with increased autonomy, is what has drawn me to apply to be a nurse practitioner. The reason I want to be a family nurse practitioner is because I am a strong believer in building rapport and maintaining relationships with patients. I want to be able to treat my patients throughout their lives. I want to be able to sit down and educate my patients, emphasizing disease prevention and health promotion, on a personal level. My goal is to open a healthcare clinic in an inner city area that can treat patients from different cultures, socioeconomic classes, and walks of life. I want to help minimize the shortage of primary care practitioners and I want to utilize the full scope of practice as a nurse practitioner in family health. I will also give back to the field of nursing by becoming a professor at a school of nursing upon completion of my master's degree. I want to do all that I possibly can to advocate, care, and provide for my patients.

I understand that working towards this degree is not going to be easy, especially at a school as rigorous as this, but I know that I will succeed simply because of my relentless personality and my deep rooted passion for my patients. Seton Hall University has prepared me for a career as a highly competent, nurse with a strong foundation in evidence based practice and holistic care. My personal and work experiences have molded me into a compassionate, attentive, meticulous, trusting, reliable, and dedicated nurse. I feel l have transitioned into the role of a staff nurse well and I hope to be able to develop myself as a family nurse practitioner through the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Thank you so much! I'm so so nervous and any help would be great!

[uncnp]

I think you have done well, the only thing I might have done differently would be the arrangement, I might have placed the parts that painted a picture of who you are first and then led into why you have chosen Penn, then led into the ending that you have written, but overall I think you have done a good job with it.

The only other change I might suggest is the part where you speak of opening a clinic and being a professor at a school of nursing, I might say that you want to provide care/open a clinic in an inner city area and also spend some time teaching, you want to come across as realistic in your plans and it would be difficult to do both of those things full force at the same time, you want to come across an having an understanding of what the role you are applying for will be like, know what I mean? I have seen nurses get rejected from FNP programs because readers did not think they understood the role.

Again though I do think you have written very well, good luck!

[radhirules]

Thank you so much for the feedback! I'll definitely change the part about the role of an NP. I have been trying so hard to find a way to introduce the essay and haven't found a way to make it flow properly. I think I'll continue moving things around until it works. Thank you so much! I am so nervous!

[uncnp]

Let me know how it goes!

[Phlisha]

I know its been a few months did you get into upenn? I am considering applying for fall 2015.

[adventure780, BSN, MSN, RN, APN]

how is upenn's program is any of it online?