Women in Nursing Scholarship

I was just thirteen when the world seemed to be spinning out of control. No school, no friends - just my family and the constant stream of news. Scenes from New York hospitals, patients on gurneys, and infection rate tickers dominated the screens. My mom kept telling me to "look for the helpers" to calm my nerves and assure me everything would be okay. So I searched, and my eyes opened wide to the heroes risking their lives to help patients in pain - the nurses. Although I already knew I wanted to pursue medicine, these were the helpers I aspired to be. Since then, I've explored various nursing careers. I participated in a medical sciences program at the University of Cincinnati, sought out classes beyond my high school curriculum, including health sciences and emergency medical responder medicine. I also interviewed a nurse practitioner, a nurse anesthetist, and a labor and delivery nurse. With each interview, I'm in awe of the care and comfort they provide patients daily, reaffirming that this is my path. The world nursing shortage, deemed a global health emergency by the International Council of Nurses, fuels my drive to obtain my BSN. I want to be a helper when the world needs nurses most. Shadowing an ER doctor in East Los Angeles, I encountered a spectrum of experiences that piqued my intellectual curiosity about becoming a medical care provider. Observing the intersection of homelessness, gang violence, and the healthcare system revealed a new reality, challenging my prejudices. One eye-opening experience was visiting the jail wing of the hospital, where inmates received medical evaluations. Contrary to my expectations, I witnessed profound compassion and gratitude. The doctor noted that while inmates often displayed hostility towards law enforcement, they transformed into respectful patients when interacting with medical staff. This experience helped me understand the world's complexities and shaped my aspiration to pursue a healthcare career, combining my passion for medical knowledge with my commitment to social justice. Nursing's diverse career paths captivate me. Through four years of foundational learning and immersive clinical experiences, I'll explore various specialties and discover where my passion lies. Ultimately, it's the patient-centered essence of nursing that draws me in. I aspire to be a compassionate helper like those I admired during uncertain times. Reflecting on that 13-year-old seeking hope, I envision inspiring a future generation - perhaps another young girl will look up to me as a beacon of care and kindness, just as I once sought.

Working in a nursing home as a Certified Nurse Assistant inspired me to pursue a degree in nursing and make a potential impact in caregiving through research. When people ask me what I enjoyed about working as a CNA, I tell them about a memorable resident who was a pilot and a dancer. I tell them that I vividly remember closing the door, turning up the music in his room, and seeing the smile on his face as I walked near him to introduce myself before providing care. He called me the "short one" since "Fatima" was too difficult for him to pronounce. I remember him tapping his feet to the music playing on the TV and closing his eyes. I grabbed his arms and swayed them to the beat. I was also dancing with him; his smile was widening. Connecting personally and creating special memories for the residents beyond the routine tasks assured me of my dream of becoming a nurse. The opportunity to enhance someone's quality of life, to be a companion in their journey, and to bring a smile to their face is a privilege beyond any job description. Becoming a CNA, gaining hands-on experience, and working with my residents further strengthened my desire to pursue nursing wholeheartedly. This reinforced my understanding that everyone deserves compassionate care and companionship, regardless of their condition. I've learned that the honor of being a nurse lies in making a positive difference in the lives of those we care for, turning simple interactions into cherishable memories that last a lifetime. During my time as a CNA, I noticed a lack of emotional support given to residents by the healthcare staff. Determined to make a change, I engaged with the residents, sparking meaningful conversations and implementing new initiatives with the nursing team. My mission is to inspire fellow caregivers to recognize the transformative power of simple acts of kindness and genuine human connection in the lives of those they care for. I talked to the nurses about my observations, and we all agreed to implement change. The nursing staff and I slowly began engaging in meaningful conversations with older adults; we multitasked even throughout the busiest hours. As a future nurse, I emphasize the importance of emotional support in all healthcare settings, recognizing its transformative power. This specific experience made me interested in pursuing research. Dr. Roque, an Assistant Professor at Penn State, is now mentoring me. The research I am trying to study is to evaluate how caregiver burnout affects the emotional support provided to the individual that caregivers are caring for. Through my engagement in this research project, my primary purpose is to contribute to understanding caregiving burnout and identify factors influencing emotional availability and coping behaviors among caregivers. The potential impact of this research is significant, as it could shed light on the challenges caregivers face, ultimately aiming to improve support systems and interventions. As I work toward becoming a nurse, I plan to emphasize the importance of emotional support for older adults and patients in all healthcare settings. When patients or older adults are in fragile conditions, their caregivers or nurses may be their only source of human connection and comfort during their time of need. By advocating for emotional support, I plan to foster healthcare environments where patients feel physically looked after and acknowledged as whole people with distinctive lives and stories. I've learned that the honor of being a nurse lies in making a positive difference in the lives of those we care for, turning simple interactions into cherishable memories that last a lifetime.

By the age of seven, I was a professional smuggler. When my parents weren’t looking, I would sneak upstairs and hide the forbidden objects in my bedroom. These contraband items, however, were the least thing that you might expect: books. When I was young, my parents instilled in me a love of reading; this love only grew until it reached the point where I would stay up reading far past my bedtime. Consequently, my parents banned books from my bedroom and I resorted to surreptitious importation to feed my hunger for reading. Little did I know how the impact these books would have on my future. As I grew older, I decided that just as I loved books, I absolutely deplored STEM: healthcare was boring, and math was too complicated and confusing. However, my 9th grade algebra teacher completely changed my mind on math: through her clear teaching, she transformed my confusion into deep understanding. To my surprise, I grew to enjoy math; that year it was my favorite subject, and I decided that STEM wasn’t so bad at all. In 10th grade, chemistry was my favorite subject, and I resolved to pursue a career in STEM. While these subjects changed my mind on STEM, what changed my mind about healthcare in particular was, unsurprisingly, books. Often, having devoured all the books I could find, I would turn to reading books that I would have otherwise dismissed as being too young for me. Around 9th grade, this led me to read the Cherry Ames books, a series about a nurse, and the series which completely transformed my perspective on healthcare. Before reading these books, I had dismissed healthcare as boring because I viewed it as merely taking care of a body; however, after reading them, I realized healthcare was about taking care of a person. While nurses play an important role in administering healthcare, they are also some of a patient’s biggest emotional supporters. Whether through encouraging a mother in labor, comforting a lonely child, or reassuring an anxious patient before a procedure, nurses are crucial in helping patients feel that they are not alone. It was the realization of this that drew me to nursing. My dream is to make an impact in the future, not through some breakthrough discovery or achievement, but through the smaller-scale, yet equally important task of easing the mental and physical suffering of a patient through my care. Throughout my life, I have always been a nurturing person: I love playing with and babysitting children, and at school I always feel compelled to reach out to new students. Last year, I even co-founded a Women’s Club at my school to foster community between the girls in my school and to help them find a welcoming group of friends. Being a nurturing person is a critical aspect of becoming a nurse, as they empathize with and care for patients. Through becoming a nurse, I will be able to continue to pursue my goal of making a difference by impacting one life at a time. As I have researched the path to becoming a nurse, I have come to appreciate the crucial role that education plays every step of the way. College, and even my current high school education, will not only teach me knowledge necessary for this career; they will also help me develop the immense discipline, perseverance and hard work which I will need to become a nurse and fulfill the dream inspired by a young smuggler’s love for books.