Would SOOO appreciate feedback for my grad school essay for BC's PMHNP program.... I've been out of school for years and feel like I can't write at all anymore!! The question and my response:
1. Nursing is both the art and science of human caring. Please elaborate on your reasons for wanting to become a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, or nurse anesthetist. Please describe the specialty and/or patient population with which you wish to study and how educational preparation in this specialty will enable you to achieve your future goals and plans.
I don’t recall the first time I specifically spoke about wanting to become a nurse, as I feel as though I’ve always been one. Growing up on idyllic Cape Cod, I did not spend the majority of my days riding the bike path or swimming on Sandy Neck Beach. Instead, my earliest memories include assisting my ailing and bed-ridden mother, who suffered from a rare and debilitating neurological condition, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. My normal days included arranging her medications, fixing up meals, aiding her to the bathroom, and always providing emotional support. Unbeknownst to me at the time, she began engaging in substance abuse of narcotics due to the intolerable pain she had to endure. Like many opioid users at that time, she never received the proper recognition, education, support, and treatment that was necessary. Sadly, she passed at the young age of 35.
This was not my last encounter with the devastating opioid epidemic that still continues to ravage our nation. According to the Massachusetts Government website, 1,091 people died via overdose from January to September, 2019 alone. While the number of fatalities has slightly decreased in recent years, the problem remains largely misunderstood and there is a long road ahead. This is a problem that not only affects the individual who is suffering, but also puts a strain on the entire community. I recall more than once finding used needles on the beach. Worse than that, I remember getting the news of peers’ deaths and questioning my teachers: when will it end?
Comprehensive and accessible mental health care throughout all life stages is fundamental in preventing substance abuse of all types. On the McLean Child and Adolescent Inpatient floor, I have seen first hand how untreated depression, anxiety, and a myriad of others can quickly transition towards substance abuse. Implementing the proper nursing interventions, I have been able to provide (at the very least) some form of stability for the most at risk patients during times of personal crisis. I always knew I wanted to pursue the psychiatric field, and my experience as a psychiatric nurse has only made my passion for wellness grow. By expanding my scope of practice, I am eager to be able to provide even more comprehensive care and help not only individuals thrive, but to enhance the entire community.
