The nursing industry is one of the only industries that women have almost entirely shaped, molded, and influenced. Women such as Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, Mary Breckenridge, Margaret Sanger, Lillian Wald, and so many more notable women of nursing paved the way for the nursing field to be what it is today. I desire to be a part of this industry that honors women and their intelligence, compassion, kindness, determination, and selflessness. Many of the qualities that women possess that are considered to be 'weak' are the same qualities that carried the world through a pandemic in these recent years. It is important to me to be surrounded by strong women that support other women, and I see that environment in the nursing industry. Many of the women in my life that I admire and surround myself with are nurses, and that speaks to the woman I am today and those who helped me become that woman. My goals for a successful career are to become an ICU nurse. I was fortunate enough to be placed in the ICU for my year-long capstone alongside a very knowledgeable ICU nurse. I have gained so much experience and have been reaffirmed in my desire to work in the ICU. This clinical experience has allowed me the opportunity to network and I have also received an unofficial job offer pending my NCLEX passing. Another goal of mine to have a successful career is to learn something new every day. Fortunately enough, the nursing career is always changing and there are advancements in technology and medicine daily. I believe that is up to an individual to choose to seek out this knowledge and not get complacent in doing things the way they have always been done. Nursing practice is best when it evolves with the rest of medicine. Evolving with the rest of the world is a concept I struggled to learn as I grieved the loss of dear friend when I was a teenager. Grasping the death of another young person while being young yourself is such a difficult thing. At that age, it seems as if the possibilities of the world are endless and there is nothing but time to figure out what to do and evolve into the person you want to be. However, grief has a way of making time go by slow because when you are grieving-- you just focus on one day at a time. This experience has made me appreciate loss and grief in a way I have seen in many of my days in the ICU. The anticipated grief of a death that is to come, the grief that comes with not getting the chance to say goodbye, the grief of it all not being fair, and the grief of how this changes a person's world as they knew it. I have shared in these grievances from my own experience, or at the bedside with patient families and it has made me a better person and nurse. While many focus on the care of their patients while they are working as a nurse, I will do the same and not forget about the care of those who love the patients. The care of a patient impacts those who know and love them, and I will use the hardship and loss in my life to do my best at caring for them all.

The nursing industry is one of the only industries that women have almost entirely shaped, molded, and influenced. Women such as Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, Mary Breckenridge, Margaret Sanger, Lillian Wald, and so many more notable women of nursing paved the way for the nursing field to be what it is today. I desire to be a part of this industry that honors women and their intelligence, compassion, kindness, determination, and selflessness. Many of the qualities that women possess that are considered to be 'weak' are the same qualities that carried the world through a pandemic in these recent years. I recognize that men also possess these qualities and that there are many notable men of nursing, and I have been thankful for the presence of male nurses in my clinical settings. However, it is important to me to be surrounded by strong women that support other women and I see that environment in the nursing industry. Many of the women in my life that I admire and surround myself with are nurses, and that speaks to the woman I am today and those who helped me become that woman. My goals for a successful career are to become an ICU nurse. I was fortunate enough to be placed in the ICU for my year-long capstone alongside a very knowledgeable ICU nurse. I have gained so much experience and have been reaffirmed in my desire to work in the ICU. This clinical experience has allowed me the opportunity to network and I have also received an unofficial job offer pending my NCLEX passing. Another goal of mine to have a successful career is to learn something new every day. Fortunately enough, the nursing career is always changing and there are advancements in technology and medicine daily. I believe that is up to an individual to choose to seek out this knowledge and not get complacent in doing things the way they have always been done. Nursing practice is best when it evolves with the rest of medicine. I have been immersed in the healthcare field for years and I finally pursued my desire to get out from behind the desk and put myself on the front lines. There is a need for nurses now more than ever as we are still recovering from the pandemic and as the Baby Boomer generation ages out of work and ages in general. I have a desire to learn from a generation that has survived multiple wars, watched technology advance from the start, and fought for equality--such as through the civil rights movement. The women of this generation have a depth of knowledge to share with my generation, and a compassion and empathy that my generation can sometimes lack. I plan to take full advantage of learning all that I can from these women as I continue to learn on the job, and it is important to me to learn how to be the type of woman who does the same for the generations to come.

I see the path I could have gone down in my patients. I grew up in a trailer park in a small town with two parents that did not graduate high school. Both worked physical labor jobs, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough most of the time. There were winters without heat, summers with only cold water for showers and no gas for the stove, and many times without electricity. My dad found peace in a pack of cigarettes and my mom found hers in food. I watched my parents try their best to make the right decisions and provide, only to watch them fail and seek comfort in the things that would one day lead to: a heart attack, obesity, COPD, IBS, pre-diabetes, and a multitude of other help problems. I have now begun my clinical rotations, and I see the same demographic in my patients. I see their desire to learn about their condition and improve their health. I see their fear when they hear they need to stay another day in the hospital, adding to their already high medical bill. I smell the cigarette smoke that lingers in their hair and clothes. I hear what they would like to order for breakfast, and then provide education on what health choices are better for their new diagnosis. I see my mom. I see my dad. I see who I could have been if I followed a similar path. However, I also see hope. I see room for growth. I see opportunities to provide education and encouragement. I see where I can make a difference. I see a life that can be changed. As a nurse, I will do my best to impact the community as I share my nursing knowledge with my patients and with my family and those who will listen. Health literacy and economic stability are two of the biggest risk factors associated with a poor health status. I want to become a community health or ED nurse, so that I can interact with people in my community often. I have a desire and passion to make the world around me better because I know there has to be something better for the people I love and for the people in my community. While these patients remind me of the hard lives and poor decisions my parents have had, they also remind me of the people who raised me. My neighbor, who opened up her home when we needed a warm bed, even if it was a smoke-filled room. My grandpa, who would fix any problem I had with my car drinking nothing but coffee all day— no water. My grandma, who would give anyone words of encouragement when they were down, but would not feed herself before she fed everyone around her. I see how our system has failed and how the sick only get sicker. I see generations of health diseases, and I want to see it end with the work my generation does to focus on preventative health.

The nursing industry is one of the only industries that women have almost entirely shaped, molded, and influenced. Women such as Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, Mary Breckenridge, Margaret Sanger, Lillian Wald, and so many more notable women of nursing paved the way for the nursing field to be what it is today. I desire to be a part of this industry that honors women and their intelligence, compassion, kindness, determination, and selflessness. Many of the qualities that women possess that are considered to be 'weak' are the same qualities that carried the world through a pandemic in these recent years. I recognize that men also possess these qualities and that there are many notable men of nursing, and I have been thankful for the presence of male nurses in my clinical settings. However, it is important to me to be surrounded by strong women that support other women and I see that environment in the nursing industry. Many of the women in my life that I admire and surround myself with are nurses, and that speaks to the woman I am today and those who helped me become that woman. My goals for a successful career are to become a trauma ICU nurse. I was fortunate enough to be placed in the ICU for my year-long capstone alongside a very knowledgeable ICU nurse. I have gained so much experience and have been reaffirmed in my desire to work in the ICU. This clinical experience has allowed me the opportunity to network and I have also received an unofficial job offer pending my NCLEX passing. Another goal of mine to have a successful career is to learn something new every day. Fortunately enough, the nursing career is always changing and there are advancements in technology and medicine daily. I believe that is up to an individual to choose to seek out this knowledge and not get complacent in doing things the way they have always been done. Nursing practice is best when it evolves with the rest of medicine. Currently, I am enrolled in an accelerated second-degree nursing program. My first degree is in Health Information Management (HIM) and I have spent 5 years working in the medical realm. My internship for my undergraduate Bachelor's degree was at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Michigan as an HIM intern. My capstone project was to develop a more organized database for the release of information data and processes. After graduation, I accepted a role as a HIM Coordinator at Spectrum Health and worked my way up to an inpatient coder. I moved down to Texas and maintained my role as an inpatient coder but at a new facility in Texas, Texas Health Resources. I was recruited for the role I currently hold, which I have maintained part-time through this accelerated program, as a Trauma Registrar for Medical City Plano. I have been immersed in the healthcare field for years and I finally pursued my desire to get out from behind the desk and put myself on the front lines. There is a need for nurses now more than ever as we are still recovering from the pandemic and as the Baby Boomer generation ages out of work and ages in general. I have a desire to learn from a generation that has survived multiple wars, watched technology advance from the start, and fought for equality through civil rights, gay rights, and social equality. These women have a depth of knowledge to share with my generation, and I plan to take full advantage of that in the nursing industry.

I see the path I could have gone down in my patients. I grew up in a trailer park in a small town with two parents that did not graduate high school. Both worked physical labor jobs, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough most of the time. There were winters without heat, summers with only cold water for showers and no gas for the stove, and many times without electricity. My dad found peace in a pack of cigarettes and my mom found hers in food. I watched my parents try their best to make the right decisions and provide, only to watch them fail and seek comfort in the things that would one day lead to: a heart attack, obesity, COPD, IBS, pre-diabetes, and a multitude of other help problems. I have now begun my clinical rotations, and I see the same demographic in my patients. I see their desire to learn about their condition and improve their health. I see their fear when they hear they need to stay another day in the hospital, adding to their already high medical bill. I smell the cigarette smoke that lingers in their hair and clothes. I hear what they would like to order for breakfast, and then provide education on what health choices are better for their new diagnosis. I see my mom. I see my dad. I see who I could have been if I followed a similar path. However, I also see hope. I see room for growth. I see opportunities to provide education and encouragement. I see where I can make a difference. I see a life that can be changed. As a nurse, I will do my best to impact the community as I share my nursing knowledge with my patients and with my family and those who will listen. Health literacy and economic stability are two of the biggest risk factors associated with a poor health status. I want to become a community health or ED nurse, so that I can interact with people in my community often. I have a desire and passion to make the world around me better because I know there has to be something better for the people I love and for the people in my community. While these patients remind me of the hard lives and poor decisions my parents have had, they also remind me of the people who raised me. My neighbor that opened up her home when we needed a warm bed, even if it was a smoke-filled room. My grandpa that would fix any problem I had with my car drinking nothing but coffee all day— no water. My grandma that would give anyone words of encouragement when they were down, but would not feed herself before she fed every one around her. I see how our system has failed and how the sick only get sicker. I see generations of health diseases, and I want to see it end with me. In my own family and for all the families that look like mine.

I had my first sleepover with my brother and parents my senior year of high school. Our gas and heat had been shut off as my parents were being buried with bills. We all pulled our mattresses out into the living room and slept by our fireplace, just trying to make the best out of a bad situation as it was winter in Michigan at the time. I had sports, school, and a job on my plate already, but when you have to focus on the basic needs in life — it’s kind of hard to stay focused on those things. Surely it was a setback and a situation to adjust to, but once I found a system that worked I was able to endure. The quality that I greatly value within myself is my resilience. I have faced a lot in my life, and by the grace of God, I have always endured. I have always kept going and told myself that there will be a way. Through even the toughest times, I have remained steadfast and graceful through it all. Tough situations will test a person and you are called to think outside of the situation. Some get stuck in a cycle of hardship because they can’t see outside of the struggle. While exposure to crisis at a young age was difficult, I am thankful for the ways it has strengthened me. I have always prided myself on my strength and being independent, but at times I wish I could be all of that because of choice and not because I have to be. My freshman year of college I was pursuing a pre-nursing path. In March of 2014, the boy I liked passed away in his sleep after we had just been up all night on the phone. It was devastating and I couldn’t help but to feel blame for not noticing if something was wrong or if he didn’t feel well. Exactly two weeks to the date of his death, one of my childhood best friends passed away. Both deaths were sudden and unexpected and I could not understand how these healthy and young people were no longer with us. I nearly failed out of school that semester because of all the classes I missed, but I pushed through and adjusted to a life without those people. I changed my major so those classes wouldn’t affect my career path so much, and I graduated college in 4 years with a Bachelor’s in Science in Health Administration. I have been working for years behind the desks of some of the best hospitals, but that initial passion of being hands-on with patient care and pursuing nursing still lingers. Recently, I was accepted into Texas Tech’s Accelerated Nursing Program. An accelerated program will surely test the resilience I have been building throughout my life, but with all that I have endured I know I can do it. I let life get in the way of my dreams once, and I did what I had to to get through that time of my life— but it will not happen this time. My resilience has brought me so far, and I plan to keep on going. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I think we could all agree that our first responders were the most resilient. The journey I will have through and beyond nursing school will require resilience, and I will continue to nurture that quality in myself and find ways to nurture it within others. Life doesn’t get easier, we just get stronger.