Deborah Stevens Pediatric Nursing Scholarship

I am choosing a career in nursing because of my deep-seated passion for helping others and making a positive impact on people's lives. Nursing is more than just a profession to me; it is a calling that aligns perfectly with my values of compassion, empathy, and service to others. The opportunity to be there for individuals during their most vulnerable moments, to offer comfort and support, and to advocate for their well-being is what drives my desire to become a nurse. From a young age, I have been drawn to the field of healthcare. I have always had a natural inclination to care for others, whether it was looking after younger siblings, volunteering at local community centers, or simply being a listening ear for friends in need. These experiences have nurtured my desire to pursue a career where I can have a meaningful and direct impact on the lives of those in need. What specifically attracts me to pediatric nursing is the unique opportunity to work with children and their families during critical stages of their lives. Children are incredibly resilient, but they also require specialized care that takes into account their developmental needs and emotional well-being. As a pediatric nurse, I want to be a source of comfort and support for children facing illness or injury, helping them navigate their healthcare journey with compassion and understanding. Pediatric nursing also appeals to me because it involves working closely with families. I believe that a child's health and well-being are deeply intertwined with their family's support system. By building trusting relationships with parents and caregivers, I can provide not only medical care to the child but also emotional support and guidance to the entire family unit. Being able to empower and educate parents about their child's condition and treatment plan is something I find incredibly rewarding. Moreover, I am drawn to the diversity and challenges that pediatric nursing presents. Every day brings new and unique cases, requiring nurses to adapt, think critically, and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to provide the best care possible. Whether it's administering medications, monitoring vital signs, or simply offering a comforting presence, pediatric nurses play a crucial role in the holistic care of young patients. Additionally, the resilience and joy of children inspire me. Despite facing illness or adversity, children often maintain a sense of wonder and positivity that is truly remarkable. Being able to contribute to their well-being and witness their strength firsthand is a privilege that I do not take lightly. In conclusion, I am choosing a career in nursing because of my innate desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Pediatric nursing, in particular, resonates with me due to the opportunity to work with children and their families during critical times, the chance to provide holistic care that addresses both physical and emotional needs, the diversity of cases, and the resilience and joy that children embody. I am passionate about becoming a pediatric nurse and am eager to embark on this fulfilling and rewarding journey of caring for the youngest members of our community.

In my first two years of high school, there was a school nurse whom I deeply respected and admired. He had such a profound impact on not only me but also countless others throughout his career. During my sophomore year, he unfortunately passed away. Mr. Sexton was kind, always ready to listen, and always had words of encouragement when I needed them the most. He always had a genuine concern for me as well as my family. However, his legacy still lives on, and I want to continue it. I want to be in the line of work to make a positive impact and help change people’s lives for the better. There is no better field that I can get into to make a change in people than nursing. As someone who danced from the age of 2 1/2 up until the age of 19 and who also has quite a few health issues, the emergency room is a place I am familiar with. Between having concussions, broken bones, asthma attacks, sprained ankles, and even kidney issues, the only people I could rely on to make me feel better besides my family were the nurses in the pediatric unit. When you’re a kid and in an unfamiliar place, it will be nerve-wracking, but for me, it wasn’t. The pediatric nurses always made me feel safe, comfortable and even loved. In 2017 I was hospitalized for a week due to having seizures. This event was a terrifying experience for me, not knowing why this was happening to me, being away from my dad and sister for a week, and not being able to dance. Besides my mother being there the entire time, the nurses were also there. They held my hand when I was scared, watched my dance competition videos with me, even snuck me some ice cream late at night. If it wasn’t for these nurses, I don’t know how I would’ve been during that experience. But because of them, I felt strong during one of my weakest points. The pediatric nurses and Mr. Sexton’s kindness and genuine concern for the lasting welfare of others have inspired me to choose the path of Pediatric Nursing. Myrtle Aydelotte once said, "Nursing encompasses an art, a humanistic orientation, a feeling for the value of the individual, and an intuitive sense of ethics, and of the appropriateness of action taken."I truly believe that pursuing this field will help me to grow in so many ways. As a responsible person caring for the needs of those who rely on my care. The assurance of quality and effort is needed to ensure that patients are safe and respected. The ear to hear and the voice to advocate for others when they are unable to speak. The eyes to see when patients are in pain or need a nurse's hand for comfort. A smiling face upon awakening just knowing that a nurse is there for reassurance. The power a person needs to encourage them to fight and not give up. That is what I want to give back to patients as a future pediatric nurse.

Experiencing the birth of a child is eye opening and a blessing. This is why I want to expand my knowledge and become a labor and delivery nurse. My name is Madelyn, and I am 21 years old. I am looking to continue my education and become the best nurse that I can. As a child I always liked to play "doctor" with my little fake stethoscope and pretending to save my friends lives. As I grew up my goal has not changed, I still want to help people and be an advocate for my patients and their families. Throughout high school I was a part of a career and technical program dedicated to nursing. By my senior year I passed my skills/paper test and received my STNA license, shortly after I got a job working with those diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia. I learned a lot by caring for the residents. I was their voice and their family member when no one came to visit and for that I am grateful. In 2022 I attended Portage Lakes career center enrolled in a 9-month accelerated program and received my LPN license. Since then, I have been working at a medical office for those diagnosed with gynecological cancers. Originally, I wanted to work in a NICU and be there for those little babies who are fighting for their life, but after consideration I felt as if I am not yet strong enough mentally and emotionally. I am very hopeful that gaining more experience and completing my RN will help me gain confidence to pursue my career as a NICU nurse. For now, after I complete my RN, I want to become a labor and delivery nurse. Pediatric nursing to me is described as helping save those who will grow up and help improve the world. As for the families of these infants I want to be the one who holds their hand, stays calm at the bedside, and give those families a peace of mind knowing they have the best nurse to care for their child. Due to the pandemic, there is a nursing shortage across the U.S, and it is very scary. Imagining no more hospitals, no more nurses or doctors to help those who are critically sick or have a chronic condition. However I believe the nurse community will grow, and I want to be a part of that. One thing I love about nursing is that the opportunities are endless, there are so many jobs and specialties I wish I could try them all, but the future is unknown. I am looking forward to continuing my education and moving towards my goal of becoming a labor and delivery nurse and hopefully a pediatric nurse working in the NUCI.

Growing up in a refugee camp in Kenya, I was exposed to the harsh realities of limited access to healthcare and saw firsthand the struggles that my family and community faced when it came to getting the medical attention they needed. These experiences have deeply impacted me and have shaped my desire to pursue a career in nursing. I am motivated to become a nurse because it allows me to utilize my compassionate nature, strong work ethic and willingness to learn, to make a positive impact on the lives of others. I am particularly drawn to pediatric nursing as it aligns with my passion for working with children and providing them with the care and attention they need to grow and develop into healthy adults. In addition to my passion for pediatric nursing, I am also committed to continuing my education, expanding my knowledge and skills in the field, and staying current with the latest research and advancements in healthcare. I am excited to take on new challenges and opportunities to develop my skills further and to provide the best possible care to my patients. I understand the importance of working as a team, that's why I am committed to being an active member of the healthcare team and collaborating with other professionals to achieve the best outcomes for my patients. I believe that with the dedication, compassion and skills that I bring to the field of pediatric nursing, I will be able to make a real impact in the lives of children and their families. In conclusion, I am determined to make a positive impact on the world through my career in nursing, and particularly in pediatric nursing, by utilizing my compassion, dedication and willingness to learn. With the passion and commitment that I bring to this field, I believe that I can make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and their families. The loss of a close family member or loved one has further strengthened my resolve to focus on what matters most in life and to fight for the things that I believe in. I am confident that my commitment to continuing my education, expanding my knowledge and skills, and being an active member of the healthcare team, will enable me to make a positive impact on the world as a pediatric nurse. I am excited to begin my journey as a nurse and to use my skills and knowledge to help others and improve the lives of children and their families.

I am choosing a career in nursing because I have always had a heart for helping others, as much as I can. I have been told I have a kind compassionate heart toward others. I believe that being in a nursing environment or any kind of health care profession, you have to have a certain mindset and emotions to be able to work in nursing. I don't believe nursing is just to help others but to have a kind compassionate heart for those around them, especially the patients. Being able to help them and nurturing them during their journey no matter what the outcome is. Certain skill sets would help it become nursing, for example, communication, observance/ attention to detail, adaptability/flexibility, striving to learn new techniques and critical thinking. Having a communication skill set is one of the major aspects in health care or any profession I believe. Being able to communicate with patients and patient's families and being able to determine what is the next step for their family members. Having an observant mind is another great aspect, paying attention to detail in the patient's medications. Making sure you are giving the correct dosage, and being observant of any changes to the patients. Adapativibility and flexibility are being able to make changes through the environment. Whether that means you are short-staffed or one of your patients is not having a good day and giving you a hard time, last-minute schedule changes. I have always been wanting to strive to learn new techniques no matter what point in my life. I always wanted to move further in my life, and learn new ways in my environment. My career is to be able to become a pediatric nurse oncologist. Cancer has been an important topic in my life considering I have had family members die because of it. I have always loved children, I hope one day to have them later in my career. I understand that working in a nursing environment isn't going to be an easy task let alone telling the children's families what would come next during their journey. I would like to become their sort of best friend while they are in my care, no matter what kind of outcome there is and be able to be their support for the families. Being a pediatric nurse you can help from infants to adolescence and can give viable information to help the parents to help their children. I believe I am a hard worker when it comes to my job, I am committed to my work and environment. I always give my 100% in my job and nothing less, no matter what is on with my life, I leave it at the door and make sure I have a correct mindset while steeping into the health care facility.

Nursing is known to be one of the most needed professions not only in the United States of America but across the globe. I have been intrigued to become a nurse from a tender age as I had already started the journey from 2011 in my home country, Jamaica, but because of financial difficulties I had to stop. My reason for choosing nursing is because of the wide variety of different professions. My goal is to become a Pediatric Nurse Practioner with Master of Science in Nursing as I have an interest in the Pediatric Unit. Due to the pandemic, we have lost many of our heroes to either burn out, brain drain, unfair treatment and sadly death. My intention is to bring back hope to some fellow students who have lost their spark to become a nurse by showing them my perseverance and ability to thrive through these hard times as education does not come at a low cost to become a Pediatric Nurse Practioner. In the African American and black communities and countries, children's health care in at a higher risk as there is a lack in Pediatrics during clinical. In my home country, we have only one pediatric hospital serving the entire country. I believe there should be additional training in regards applying pediatric care. My intention after completing my studies as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse specializing in Pediatrics once employed to the Bustamante Children's Hospital is to dialog with the nursing adminstrative team to host seminars specifically for Pediatric care. My intention is to have a small team of nurses who are dedicated to saving and caring for children to travel and host the seminar. With the technology and skills taught in the first world country as the US in comparison to a third world country, these skills, with the ability to compromise in the situation, can improve the care of children. Being a young black woman attaining a master’s of science in Nursing, will encourage other black women to do so as in my country it seems impossible because of the idea that a Bachelor is the ultimate stop. I am currently a Liberal Arts major accepted to the pre-Clinicals and hopefully the Clinical program for Nursing at Kingsborough Community College. I also intend to sign up for the Honors Program at Kingsborough Community College with the hope of attaining a scholarship from the many institutions listed with a RN-BSN program to finance my Education to fully complete my Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree at Hunter College, Lehman College or Medgar Evers College. After completion of the BSN, I intend to get the necessary experience and certifications to be considered for a Master of Nursing program at an accredited Institution to become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse specializing in Pediatrics.

I have always enjoyed the idea of becoming a nurse. It has always been my dream career. I currently work as a certified nursing assistant and love everything I do. My job is solely providing the best care to patients for their lives to be the best they can have. Being a nurse is so much more than a medical profession. Seeing a resident walk again after a long recovery from a car accident, seeing grandma with a new hip and smiling, it is simply the connections and bonds with patients that are made along the way that I look forward to every single day. Working in the field as an assistant, you can see what nurses go through and they are superheroes. The stuff they deal with daily can be so gut wrenching and aggravating, but you will not find one complains. This is what they signed up for, this is what drives them. Nursing is only for certain people, and I know I am one of them. My goal upon completing nursing school, it to be become a pediatric nurse. I love working with kids, after all we are all still kids in some ways. I knew I always wanted to work with kids, hence me going to school to become a teacher. Teaching never worked out because my heart has always been so stuck on nursing and healthcare. I am a volunteer coach for Daviess County Special Olympics team, and I love working with the kids and athletes every week in their activities and competitions. It really is all about the smile they give back when you know this is possible because of you. I know pediatric nursing isn't always going to be rainbows and sunshine as most people think, it’s going to be difficult keeping a kid still so I can set up an IV or dealing with the divorced parents both wanting to make medical designs regarding their child, and the screaming, jumping on the beds, and just so much more, but that is something I know I am getting into. That is something that drives me to this field. Pediatrics is a whole different environment, and it is the environment that I belong in. My career won’t stop at pediatric nursing. Once I obtain my RN and start working as a Registered Pediatric Nurse, I will also be continuing my education online to obtain my BSN for pediatric nursing. This will take some time to complete, but once I am done with it, I will go even further to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Being a nurse is a lifelong commitment to saving people’s lives. The thought of it gives me an adrenaline rush, and it is something I have worked so hard for, and it is finally only a step away.

Dear Miss Stevens, as a child and young adult, my mom was in and out of hospitals a lot. From heart blood clots, unnecessary removal of her gallbladder to so many more complications. If it was not this, it was always something else that continues today. Thankfully the hospital visits are much less frequent. But this is where the idea of becoming a nurse fell into place. I got to see what they did daily and their connections with their patients and families. I wanted to be someone that could help someone else's family. My mom's nurses all inspired me a great deal. I wouldn't be so passionate about helping others if it was not for my situation. In my senior year of high school, I decided I would go to college to become a nurse. I did a lot of research; I came up with two choices I absolutely loved—a midwife and pediatrics. I thought about the two for a while and decided to go with the one that spoke the most. So I decided in summer, pediatrics was for me. Everyone deserves care, but if I can help give child the care they need, I would. I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field, but self-doubt came and I was unsure if I could make it as a nurse. But I thought more and more about how much I wanted to help others. Finally, that self-doubt became a blur. Now I can see my goal clear as day, and I'm excited about it. Due to my financial issues, I can only take a couple of classes a semester. So I pay for college on my own, apply for scholarships, work, and do what I can. No matter how slow I have to move, my goal is still there. I want to thank you for your time in reading this.