Judge my cover letter! Please :)

[RedRaiderNurse]

My first attempt at writing a cover letter. I'm thinking it's probably too long but I'm not sure what to leave out. ANY advice is appreciated :) writing is not my strong suite. I'm also not sure who to address it to. I couldn't find any names of the nursing recruiters online. I was thinking about leaving the part about being a mother out but I feel like its such a big part of my journey. Having a newborn and being in nursing school was probably the hardest thing I've ever done.

I'm writing to express my interest in the OB registered nurse position at XXXX medical center. It has always been an interest of mine to work in the labor and delivery unit and after having chosen my elective clinical in labor and delivery and working close with my preceptor to care for laboring patients, my desire to be care for mothers and their newborns has been affirmed.

My Bachelor of Nursing degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has given me the opportunity to learn and apply the skills needed to provide high quality care. I've developed excellent leadership skills and have demonstrated the ability to provide safe patient care in sync with evidence based practice. I learned the importance of caring for my patients holistically recognizing not only their physiological condition but their psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

During this time I've been recognized as a dedicated and ambitious student. I've made the Dean's list, Presidents Honor Roll, and am part of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society. I scored at the top of my class on multiple ATI maternal newborn exams, ranking in the 99^th percentile nationally. I've managed to attain a GPA of 3.94 while also managing my home life as a mother of two. In the clinical setting, I've shown competence in numerous simulation evaluations where I showed my ability to care for patients in acute care situations. I strive to go above in beyond expectations in everything I do and am looking forward to providing care for patients in the same manner.

Furthermore, I have demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with the interprofessional team and with patients. In addition to my nursing education, I've worked as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant for 3 years, were I learned how to work in a culturally diverse environment. I also developed reputation for providing prompt and efficient customer service to the West Texas population as a cashier at Murphy USA. I've accrued excellent time management skills from both being a waitress, nursing student, and mother.

I'm a firm believer in working hard to achieve my career goals and have a desire to continually better myself and develop my skills to become the best nurse I can be. I wish to work as a graduate nurse for XXX after graduating December 10^th. I plan to take my nursing licensure exam as soon as I receive my authorization to test and continue with orientation. Thank you for taking the time to consider my application. I hope to hear from you soon to talk further about the possibility of working at XXXX.