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Exiting the elevator on the third floor, I was struck with an unfamiliar silence, louder and somewhat more bothersome than the constant beeping heard in the Internal Medicine Unit that I was used to. As the assistant to the Nurse Manager, I arrived in the Palliative Care Unit hoping to gain new experience in a hospice setting. Because the unit specialized in managing terminal cancer, my duties included communicating and interacting with patients suffering from excruciating pain. "How are you feeling today, Ms. Devine?" I asked the elderly woman in room 202. Staring into the full tray of food in front of her, she shut her eyes. Without notice, her thin arms grabbed the metal bedrails beside her. Using what strength she had, Ms. Devine let out a high-pitched moan, breaking the quiet that I immediately wished would return. Words did no justice to her pain. After taking action to alleviate her physical discomfort, I sat at her bedside, resting her weak hand in mine. Without giving false hope, I stared into her tear-filled eyes and embraced my powerful responsibility to simply listen. Working in a variety of settings prepared me for the heartbreaking realities that I expect to face as a nurse. Furthermore, personal loss has given me a first-hand understanding of the many stages of grief. Last October, my best friend and six of her friends from college were killed in a North Carolina house fire. In the months following, no amount of clinical experience helping patients cope with death could have prepared me for the deep sadness and confusion that I endured. During this time, one quote in a book I was given made all the difference. It read, "It is good to grow wise from your sorrows." As a nurse, I hope to use my personal insight to tragedy in helping patients and family members deal with the profound challenge that loss often involves. Unlike my clinical occupation in an innovative hospital, volunteering abroad exposed me to environments with limited resources. As a member of a medical service team in Costa Rica, I traveled to villages ridden with skin parasites, infectious disease, and rampant crime. With the assistance of a translator, I conducted patient interviews, obtained and recorded vitals and worked collaboratively with a doctor to help treat patient symptoms. Although having lived in Europe, I was unprepared for the culture shock that awakened me to the widespread need for medical care. As society in the U.S. becomes increasingly global, my experience in a variety of cultural and geographic settings will advance the diversity that is essential in modern-day nursing. Whether working in the U.S. at a highly ranked hospital or treating Spanish speaking families in the slums of San José, the consistent challenges I was faced with and gratification I felt have secured my goal of receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). Thus far in my undergraduate education, I have attained levels of equanimity and balance that have allowed me to excel in demanding coursework. Equipped with top notch faculty and facilities, this program will challenge me to use my self-management skills in earning a top-notch education and will allow me to exchange my cross-cultural understanding with an equally diverse student body. In the future, I plan to enroll in graduate school and receive my master's degree as a Nurse Practitioner. Ultimately, my nursing career goal is to continue working in palliative care, while still volunteering in my global efforts to improve human health.

I would desperately appreciate someone looking over my personal statement for nursing school and giving me advice on what to change. The deadline is Feb 1. Thank you!!