I began working in the healthcare industry 19 years ago and have worked my way up from a dietary aide to an anesthesia technician. Along the way I worked as a CNA in various long term care facilities, a rehabilitation hospital, and eight years ago I began working as a patient care assistant in the hospital. During my time working for the hospital, I have advanced from a patient care assistant to an emergency department technician, and currently work as an anesthesia technician. Each step along the way has taught me a new skill set and built upon my previously learned skills. In my current role, each new hire to our department works a week on nightshift with me. During that week I show them as much as I can without being overwhelming. I have created badge buddies that I give to each of them with information they can quickly reference, and it hangs from their current identification badge holders. I also have pictures that I share with them to have a visual of things they need to remember. It is my goal to set each person up for success. I do this daily, outside of just training new hires. I always try to set my team up for success and make sure that I have done all I can to start their shift off in the best way possible. I was unsure of what I wanted to do after graduating high school, and accepted a fulltime CNA position while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My passion has always been caring for others and helping in any way that I can. I realized that my dream career is to become a nurse and to provide the best care possible for patients. For many years nursing school was a dream that was out of reach for me. I became a mom at 21, to a son who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at two years old, which was the result of a complicated birth. I was a single parent, working night shift, and was solely responsible for getting him to and from physical, occupational, and speech therapy, doctors’ appointments and being his caregiver after his various medical procedures. A year ago, I began my journey as a nursing school student with Nightingale College. The format of their program makes it possible for me to now pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. During my third semester at Nightingale College, we were assigned an applied field experience project. The project required 22 hours of service to the community that involved the art of nursing. I chose to obtain my hours volunteering with a hospice organization. What began as a project for school, turned into a true love of volunteer work. I currently provide companionship to hospice patients. I left my first patient visit with what I can only describe as a sense of complete elatement. Over the past few months, I have been visiting with three ladies who are currently on hospice. Each of them has something unique about them that makes the time spent with each of them such a rewarding experience. After I graduate from nursing school and obtain my license to practice, it is my hope that I can volunteer my time in a nursing role. The organization I work for has volunteer opportunities and I am aware of other organizations that nurses volunteer for.

I am currently entering my third semester of an eight-semester accelerated bachelor's degree program for my nursing degree. I had previously taken classes at my local community college, but life circumstances prohibited me from completing my degree. My current school allows me flexibility through distance learning, which permits me to continue working so that I can continue to provide for my family financially while pursing my dream of becoming a nurse. Nursing was a career that I never imagined I would be pursuing. As I was about to graduate high school, I was very unsure of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I was working after school as a dietary aide in a long-term care facility and was approached with the opportunity to become a certified nursing assistant. I completed the program and I immediately fell in love with patient care. I went from working every other weekend to working full time as a CNA. Over the following 15 years, I was exposed to various types of care including long term, rehabilitation, home based, hospital, and emergency department care. I am the single mom to a 14-year-old boy who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 2-years-old. Managing the many aspects of his care while working three jobs prohibited me from pursing higher education for many years. He has reached a point where he is more independent with his daily care and his medical care is less demanding, which now allows me to pursue my degree. A little over a year ago, I met a young woman who was attending Nightingale College. I had never heard of the school and had no knowledge of the program. She explained it briefly and then I investigated it on my own. I had an interview with an admissions counselor, took my Accuplacer exam, and before I knew it, I was starting nursing school. It has been a whirlwind experience. Working full time nightshift, being a mom, owning a home, and being in school full time has been quite exhausting, but I have found drive and determination that I did not know I had. I truly hope that my son sees that I never gave up on my dream, and it motivates him to never give up on his. Nothing brings me a sense of fulfillment like caring for others. I look forward to being able to expand the scope in which I can provide for patients. I know that there are challenges being faced in the nursing field, despite them, I believe that as I nurse, I can provide quality and compassionate care that will result in a positive outcome. I hope that even on their worst days, I can bring some comfort and joy to the patients I care for and be a team member that my future coworkers trust and enjoy working with.

I have a bucket list of goals that only grows longer as the days go by. Upon completion of nursing school, it is my hope that I will be accepted into the graduate nurse residency program with my current employer, specifically in the medical intensive care unit. I would like to acquire at least two years of experience as a bedside ICU nurse before pursing my other goals because I believe bedside nursing gives the solid foundation needed to become a skilled, compassionate, and well-rounded nurse, and I have a particular interest in intensive care. My current job as an anesthesia technician has exposed me to the Gift of Life program. Although my role is not nearly as significant as that of the surgeon or anesthesiologist, I have had such a special opportunity to be a part of several liver, heart, and kidney transplants. I assist in the placement of arterial lines, central lines, during liver transplants I perform point of care labs and document the blood products given and help transport the patient to their respective ICU after surgery. It is such a special experience to see someone get a second chance at life. I would like to work with the Gift of Life program, or a similar transplant program as a transplant coordinator. I spent three years in the emergency department of a level one adult and pediatric trauma center as an emergency department technician. In addition to being a trauma center, we are also a comprehensive stroke center, and have a heart and vascular institute. I saw and participated in the care of critically ill patients. One thing I observed is that there is a need for patient educators, especially to patients when they receive a new disease diagnosis. I have developed a particular interest in being a community resource nurse both on the professional level and as a volunteer. Nursing was a career that I never imagined I would be pursuing. As I was about to graduate high school, I was very unsure of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I was working after school as a dietary aide in a long-term care facility and was approached with the opportunity to become a certified nursing assistant. I immediately fell in love with patient care. From there I gained various experiences including physical rehab, hospital care, emergency department patient care, and now I work for anesthesia assisting anesthesiologists and residents in their care and monitoring of patients before, during, and after surgery. I gave birth to my son in 2009 and was a single parent. In 2011 he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. I worked three jobs and coordinated all his care including various therapies, doctor’s appointments, tests, and surgeries. At 14, he is more independent, requires less medical attention, and the opportunity for me to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse is now possible. My approach to patient care is that I see you during difficult, and perhaps the worst times of your life. I think medical providers get wrapped up tasks and forget that compassionate and quality care is vital to the people we serve. I know I cannot change the medical field for everyone; however, it is my hope that the care I will provide as a nurse will create a lasting impression and contribute to a positive outcome for each patient I have the privilege to care for.

I have wanted to become a nurse for quite some time. I spent the last 18 years working in the medical field in different settings. The positions I have held range from dietary aide to anesthesia technician. I have gained a considerable amount of experience and knowledge and look forward to utilizing all of that to pursue my passion as a nurse. I currently work in a very busy emergency department and we are also level one trauma center for both adults and pediatrics. No one comes to the emergency department because they are having a good day. I always keep that in mind and approach all patients with empathy and compassion because they deserve nothing less. I wish more people in healthcare kept this in mind when dealing with patients because I am aware that not all of those who work in healthcare have a true passion for it. Upon graduation, I plan to apply to the graduate nurse residency program at my current place of employment. I would love to be accepted into the adult medical intensive care unit graduate nurse residency position. I feel that the opportunity is one of great privilege and the experience will give me a strong start to my nursing career. My ultimate dream is to be a patient educator. I see many patients who come through the emergency department with new diagnoses that have not had the proper education on how to manage this. For example, a new diagnosis of diabetes, and they are unsure of how to check their blood glucose or how to figure out how much insulin they need. I want to educate and advocate for this patient population. I want to be someone they can use as a resource. I do have one other area of interest and it came from my time as an anesthesia technician. As an anesthesia technician, I was a part of several Gift of Life surgeries. To be a transplant coordinator has also been heavily on my mind. I think it is such a special job. I believe that it is equal parts challenging and rewarding. In conclusion, I am a caring and compassionate individual who wants to graduate from nursing school and be able to provide the best care for patients that I am able to provide.