Discuss the personal qualities and attributes hat you think will be useful, as well as, those that you feel need further develpoment in preparation for the nurs

The paper “ The Rationale in Choosing the Career in Nursing” is an exciting example of an admission application essay on nursing. Being born in Haiti, I have seen how people thrive in poverty and sickness at a very young age. I always knew that in my young heart, I have this desire to alleviate other people’s situation by lending a helping hand and lending service to humanity. After leaving the country when I was five, I found out that my passion to help has never wavered as I began to realize that even in highly industrialized economies like the United States, there is an astounding number of people who are in dire need of help and service.

The rationale in choosing my career path has always been largely influenced by my passion to promote the quality of life of the people I come into contact with. I become particularly interested in assisting individuals and families in attaining, re-attaining, and maintaining their optimal health. It is this motivation which fueled my desire to become a nurse and enabled me to develop the qualities and characteristics required for this vocation.

Without this passion, I believe that I will only be treating nursing as a mere profession—something to generate income from. However, this passion has enabled me to endure all the hard work of being a full-time nurse for eleven years. Amidst the stress, this passion has furthered my skills and competencies, made me realize my potential, and shown me my worth as an individual. I believe that being passionate in giving service to humanity is the primary attribute which becomes the foundation in gaining cultural competence, ethical sensitivity, leadership, and lifelong learning in nursing. I love what I do and I am very much determined to gain the necessary skills required for me to excel in this career. Quoting the French philosopher Diderot, “ Only passions, great passions can elevate the soul to great things.” My passion has instilled me with empathy, hard work, compassion, and emotional stability which are essential traits in being a good nurse.

The length of time that I have been a nurse has exposed to different individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds. I have learned that healthcare does not just involve extending services but understanding and taking into account the racial, ethnic, and cultural disparities of patients. I understand that patients’ response to medical services and preventive interventions are largely dependent on their cultural background. In this account, I believe that I have mastered some degree of flexibility in dealing with individuals with a different culture. Recognizing that I am also a part of different ethnicity with its own set of values and culture, I have learned to be more open-minded, non-discriminatory, and adaptive. With the increasing need for cultural competence in health care, I know that I am blessed with the flexibility in dealing with other people both colleagues and patients. However, I know that being more knowledgeable about diverse cultures can still help me develop this skill.

The practice of being a nurse is governed by a specific code of ethics. In my experience, however, I have learned that some situations need my personal assessment and discretion. I believe that in this regard, my eleven years of exposure to health care has already presented me with situations where ethical sensitivity is needed. These situations, together with my innate empathy and compassion for my patients, have always motivated to do the best that I know and I can for them. I know my scope of practice by heart and as much as possible, I want to extend the standard of care of a “ prudent nurse.”

In my quest to realizing my full potential and extending the best service I can give, I would like to pursue a master’s degree in nursing. I believe that returning to school will furnish me with a more adequate theoretical knowledge of the nursing practice. A master’s degree will not only enhance my cultural competence and ethical sensitivity but will hone my leadership skills. I believe that learning is a lifelong process and that I should take all the opportunity that I have in order to achieve optimum knowledge and skills. Having a master’s degree will enable me to extend better patient care as well as enable to take on greater responsibilities. With this, I can further my goal of helping others and extending service.