UB Nursing Admission Essay!

[maggasaur]

Hi all! I am applying to the University at Buffalo's Traditional BSN Nursing Program. When applying we are asked to submit essays of 250 words or less that answer the following amazing questions:

1. What is your understanding of the role of a professional nurse?

The role of a nurse is hard to define, it's vast, fluid, and ever evolving. It changes with every patient, every family, and every new case. Their role is all encompassing, they provide beginning of life care and end of life care that includes anything from putting on Band-Aids, to emergency response care. Nurses care for individuals, families, and communities. The role of a nurse is to work both collaboratively and independently to educate, prevent illness, promote health, and achieve optimal recovery for their patients. Nurses are able to do this by being adaptable and through taking on numerous roles in their profession.

Nurses are passionate caregivers that take care of others no matter what the circumstances. They are helpful teachers who help their patients learn about their health and their care. They are counselors who help their patient to cope with psychological and physical problems. Nurses are effective leaders who guide others to work together to accomplish a common goal. They are intelligent researchers who use research to keep their knowledge sharp and to improve patient care.

The incredible nurses that I have shadowed have shown me the compassion and dedication that the role of a nurse demands. I have watched nurses they go above and beyond for every one of their patients by both caring more and do more for their patients than expected of them. Their capacity for kindness is limitless.

2. What experiences have shaped you as a person and will influence the future nurse you want to be?

I was wondering if anyone could help by reading my answers and providing feedback I'm worried that I'm going to sound cheesy and am really looking to stand out. I will update as I write/complete my answers!

Thank you so much to anyone that reads/answers.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

1. What is your understanding of the role of a professional nurse?

The role of a nurse is hard to define. It's vast, fluid, and ever-evolving. It changes with every patient, every family, and every new case. The role is all-encompassing; nurses provide beginning of life care and end of life care that includes everything from assessing newborns to helping the critically ill to die peacefully. Nurses care for individuals, families, and communities. The role of a nurse is to work both collaboratively and independently to educate, prevent illness, promote health, and achieve optimal recovery for their patients. Nurses are able to do this by being adaptable and through taking on numerous roles, such as... (I'd give examples here...what kinds of roles do nurses regularly take on?)

Nurses are compassionate caregivers that tend to the physical, emotional and mental needs of others no matter what the circumstances. They are teachers who help their patients learn about how to better their health and their maximize their care. They are counselors who help their patients cope with both physiological and psychological problems. Nurses are effective leaders who work together to accomplish common goals. They are researchers who use advancements in science and technology to guide their practice and improve patient outcomes.

The incredible nurses that I have shadowed have shown me the compassion and dedication that the role of a nurse demands. I have watched nurses as they go above and beyond for their patients by both caring more and doing more for their patients than expected of them. Their capacity for kindness is limitless.

Edited for punctuation, grammar, and syntax; occasionally reworded for clarity and flow. Good luck!

[gere7404, BSN, RN]

It's really difficult to relate what you want to do in 250 words or less -- further, in the application I filled out there wasn't just a word limit, but a character limit of 1500 characters.

What I tried to do was relate an experience and a story of where I have gone to get to the point of submitting my application, a personalized journey rather than a vague essay. While what you wrote is very good as an essay, it is more of an every day definition of what a nurse does. Instead of writing a sterile book definition of what a nurse is, try to relate it to a personal experience so the admissions committee can gain insight on YOU and why your vision of nursing is compatible with their school's mission statement.