DanaRNoneday

I'm applying to a local LPN program with the intent to continue on to an RN program. I'm stuck on the essay, and have already rewritten it a few times, so many help would be appreciated. The only prompt was "Why are you choosing nursing as a career?". I tried to keep it personal an honest, and less cliche. Thanks for your input! My start in the medical field was different than you might expect. Like many medical professionals, I worked long hours, often staying after my shift ended. I never minded, I enjoyed the work, enjoyed the action, the medicine, and how we were able to use technology to better treat our patients. The work wasn't easy, but that was half the reason I loved the job. The difference with my job and your average medical professional is that I had little interaction with people. I worked at a veterinary clinic, and while I loved my job, I missed people. For whatever reason, nursing didn't click in my head right away. I loved the medical atmosphere, and I missed people, but I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It happened on a day I was killing time at my school, wandering the halls, when I ended up in the nursing wing. I watched the students, they were either studying or talking about their most recent clinical experiences. I felt a tremendous amount of respect for them and the profession they were going into, even envied them. That's when I had it, my epiphany moment. Why do I have to envy them? Why can't I be them? I already knew I loved medicine, and it would give me plenty of human interaction. It was perfect, and I wanted to kick myself for not coming to this realization sooner. As I considered it further I realized how nurses had already impacted my life. When I was young and my father had to have surgery they were there to comfort me about what an easy procedure it would be. When an old family friend had a very close call with cancer it was the nurses she couldn't say enough about, and how gentle and patient they were with me whenever I had a procedure of my own. The more I thought about it, the more I knew. Between my undying curiosity and love for medicine along with the need for human interaction, nursing is not only the perfect career for me. Every day brings a new situation and a new story, and that is the kind of environment I thrive in.

I'm applying to a local LPN program with the intent to continue on to an RN program. I'm stuck on the essay, and have already rewritten it a few times, so many help would be appreciated. The only prompt was "Why are you choosing nursing as a career?". I tried to keep it personal an honest, and less cliche. Thanks for your input! My start in the medical field was different than you might expect. Like many medical professionals, I worked long hours, often staying after my shift ended. I never minded, I enjoyed the work, enjoyed the action, the medicine, and how we were able to use technology to better treat our patients. The work wasn't easy, but that was half the reason I loved the job. The difference with my job and your average medical professional is that I had little interaction with people. I worked at a veterinary clinic, and while I loved my job, I missed people. For whatever reason, nursing didn't click in my head right away. I loved the medical atmosphere, and I missed people, but I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It happened on a day I was killing time at my school, wandering the halls, when I ended up in the nursing wing. I watched the students, they were either studying or talking about their most recent clinical experiences. I felt a tremendous amount of respect for them and the profession they were going into, even envied them. That's when I had it, my epiphany moment. Why do I have to envy them? Why can't I be them? I already knew I loved medicine, and it would give me plenty of human interaction. It was perfect, and I wanted to kick myself for not coming to this realization sooner. As I considered it further I realized how nurses had already impacted my life. When I was young and my father had to have surgery they were there to comfort me about what an easy procedure it would be. When an old family friend had a very close call with cancer it was the nurses she couldn't say enough about, and how gentle and patient they were with me whenever I had a procedure of my own. The more I thought about it, the more I knew. Between my undying curiosity and love for medicine along with the need for human interaction, nursing is not only the perfect career for me. Every day brings a new situation and a new story, and that is the kind of environment I thrive in.

I agree with you, theRNjedi, I definitely want to be an RN and definitely want my Bachelors degree. Cost is a huge problem for me though. All the BSN programs around here are at private schools, so the LPN was sort of a short cut. Plus when I graduate from that I could start earning a lot more money than I am now to help me pay my way through school. LeChien, I'm sorry I worded it poorly! I know LPN's are licensed. I just meant locally here it's referred to as a one year certificate program as compared to an RN four year Bachelors program.

Thanks, both of you. I'm kind of at a loss so I really appreciate it. And yes, BBboy I would really appreciate it if you did.

I need to submit an essay of why I want to be a nurse in my nursing school application. There are no more details to it than that, it simply says "Why are you choosing nursing as a career?" It makes me a little nervous since there isn't much of a prompt. Does anyone have any advice? Obviously I have my own reasons for wanting to be a nurse, I was just looking for opinions of what points you think I should hit in my essay. Thanks! This is what I wrote, any feedback is greatly appreciated. When I started in the medical field I had very little human contact at work. My job was at a veterinary hospital, and even though I was fascinated by the medicine and the procedures I assisted in, I began to realize there was a problem. I missed people. That's when a little spark ignited in my head. I loved medical aspect of the job, but I needed more human interaction. Nursing, of course. As I considered this further I began to realize how nurses already impacted me, and those I was close with. A woman who is like a second mother to me was diagnosed with a terrible cancer years ago, talked often about how it was the nurses that were her constant support system and were some of the most amazing people she has ever met. The first time I was sedated for a simple procedure I was very nervous, and it was the nurse who gave me confidence that everything would be okay. It seemed as if for every situation, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, there was a compassionate nurse for every situation. I have always been a compassionate person, and I have always been the first person to offer help in any situation. To me, there is no more honorable and rewarding career path than being a nurse. I am choosing a career as a nurse because I so passionately want to be able to successfully help another human being. I am choosing a career as a nurse because while I know it is my duty to help the sick, I also believe it is my duty to nurture the emotions of their loved ones. I am choosing a career as a nurse because I know it is a path I will excel in, enjoy, and be given the opportunity to make a positive difference in someone's life.

I know you posted this year's ago, but I was wondering what you ended up doing. Right now I'm looking at going to Isabella Graham and transferring into Nazareth.

That's always an option. The thing that makes me nervous is my community college is well known for putting the majority of applicants on a wait list forever. I don't want to be waiting around to get my degree. LPN's have a much easier time getting into the program and they don't have much of a wait list.

Yeah, I kind of thought $15,000 for the LPN certificate was ridiculous as well. Especially since I believe the starting salary is around $15-$17 dollars an hour. That's why I was going to go right into the Bachelors program. The LPN is basically just a short cut to get there, and something that would give me a bit of experience.

Okay, please don't kill me. I am not trying to start a war of Bachelor's versus Associate's degrees. You're all nurses here and I respect you for that. I've seen a few posts on here similar to my situation, but I'd like to get a little more specific and see what the experts have to say. I'm planning on getting my LPN certificate and transferring into an RN program right after. The question is, do I transfer into a community college or a private four year college. The certificate itself is $15,000, and the private college is about $31,000 a year including fees. The community college program on the other hand is about $10,000 total. I live in upstate New York and Nazareth college is the private school I'm looking into. I really like it. After I become an LPN I would have to take about five semesters worth of classes to get my Bachelors degree, and I would have to take three more semesters at the community college to obtain my Associates. We've got some pretty good hospitals around here, and I'd really like to be an ER Nurse. It seems like getting my Bachelors degree would be the best route to my end goal, especially since most of the hospital job postings strongly prefer a Bachelors degree and require you to obtain one within four years of hire anyway. But, I don't know. $30,000 dollars a year is a lot of money. Especially since I'd be there for two and a half years, and may have to take a couple summer courses like Statistics and Chemistry. So what do you all think? Also, I have no idea if this matters in the grand scheme of things, but I am planning to move to South Carolina eventually. Charleston in particular. I think they prefer Bachelors degrees as well. Thank you so much for all your help :)