As I sit here reflecting on how I will impact the nursing profession, I can’t help but view the question from a different angle: how will others see my impact through the care I provide? For nearly five years, I have cared for critically ill patients, and I’m grateful for the privilege. Yet, it was not the patients I cared for, but rather the care given to my wife, that ignited my desire to continue my education and pursue anesthesia. During my time in the intensive care unit throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I began to experience burnout, fatigue, and even apathy. As painful as it is to admit, witnessing loss after loss and placing patients in body bags day after day gradually dulled my motivation. With no family members at the bedside and every patient on a ventilator, the echoes of human connection grew quiet. Then came the day my wife needed surgery. Though not a high-risk procedure, the thought of her being anesthetized, placed on a ventilator, and entrusted to someone else’s care filled me with anxiety. When the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist entered the room, they introduced themselves, explained the process, and spoke with such calm confidence that my fears began to ease. In just a few minutes, they earned my trust and reassured me that my wife was safe. That moment changed everything. I wanted to be that kind of nurse, the one who brings peace in the midst of fear. Now, as I approach graduation after nearly three years of CRNA school, I often return to that moment. If I can capture even a fraction of what I felt that day and offer it to others, I know my impact will point in the right direction. I’ve been told I’m quick to gain trust and, more importantly, that I am trustworthy. These traits form the foundation of my practice and the relationships I build with patients and their families. At the heart of my impact will be trust: earned, nurtured, and never taken for granted. Some may say that CRNAs don’t truly work “at the bedside,” but I would argue that the bedside never leaves us. The setting may change, but the essence of care remains. Much of what I do will go unnoticed: the medications I administer, the airways I secure, even the simple act of straightening a blanket before transport to recovery. But that is what I love about this role: its humility, its selflessness, and its quiet significance. My goal is for my work to echo through the lives of those I care for, even if they never know my name.

Nursing has been the field that has not only challenged me, but also allowed me to grow into the leader and person I am today. When I first read this scenario, my mind immediately went to clinical judgment. Which patient is more critical? Which set of vital signs or lab results warrants an intermediate care bed more urgently? But after thinking it through, I realized that while assessment is one of my strengths, this decision should not rest solely on the shoulders of a charge nurse. One of the biggest lessons I have learned in nursing is that leadership does not always mean doing everything yourself. Sometimes, real leadership is knowing when and how to delegate. In this case, I would recognize that the decision of which patient is admitted should be made by the providers who have the most complete clinical picture of their patients, the physicians. My role as the charge nurse would be to facilitate the communication and ensure that a decision is reached quickly and collaboratively. I would call both doctors together and make it clear that they must work out, between them, which patient requires the bed first. This is not a way of “passing the buck,” but rather using the chain of responsibility appropriately. The doctors are the ones who can weigh the acuity and medical necessity of their patients, while I maintain oversight of the unit and ensure safe staffing and resources. Of course, situations like this rarely play out smoothly. Physicians may be frustrated or even angry, especially if they feel their patient’s care is at stake. This is where another quality I bring: calm, respectful communication, becomes essential. One of my personal strengths is remaining composed under pressure. By staying professional and keeping the focus on patient safety, I can de-escalate tension and remind both parties that we are working toward the same goal: giving the sickest patient the right care at the right time. I also know that leadership requires advocacy. If the unit is consistently in situations where only one bed is open and two critical patients are waiting, part of my role would be to raise this concern to administration later, once the immediate crisis is resolved. This type of problem-solving goes beyond the single scenario and looks at how we can improve systems for the future. True leadership is not just about putting out fires in the moment, but also about preventing them down the road. Finally, I believe my leadership style is rooted in fairness and accountability. I don’t shy away from tough conversations, but I also don’t believe in throwing authority around unnecessarily. I want to be the kind of charge nurse who my colleagues trust: someone who listens, communicates clearly, and uses sound judgment. In a situation like this, my ability to delegate appropriately, keep calm under pressure, and advocate for both patients and staff would allow me to handle the conflict in a way that promotes teamwork rather than division. In the end, nursing leadership is not about being the loudest or most forceful voice in the room. It’s about guiding others to the best decision for patient care, even when that means recognizing that the decision belongs to someone else. That balance of responsibility, humility, and advocacy is what I strive to bring to my work every day.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I was immersed in both the precision of science and the creativity of art. While this diverse upbringing enriched my perspective, it also left me uncertain about my career path. I found myself drawn to both structure and expression, logic and emotion, but I struggled to determine how these elements could coexist in a single profession. It wasn’t until my brother began his nursing degree that I found clarity. Inspired by his journey, I started reflecting on how I could make my own life as meaningful as possible. I wanted a career where I could make a tangible difference, combining critical thinking with human connection, ultimately leading me to pursue a degree in nursing. My passion for anesthesia emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. As intensive care physicians became overwhelmed, they relied heavily on anesthesia providers to assist with critical care. Watching these professionals step into a high-stakes environment with confidence and composure left a lasting impression on me. I saw how anesthesia providers played a crucial role not only in surgery but also in moments of crisis, bringing stability and reassurance to both patients and staff. This experience introduced me to the depth and complexity of anesthesia, sparking my interest in a role that required both clinical excellence and a deep sense of responsibility. This passion deepened on a much more personal level when my wife required unexpected abdominal surgery. Despite my three years of intensive care experience, I suddenly found myself in a different role: the anxious loved one in the waiting room. I had seen firsthand how routine surgeries could take unexpected turns, and my mind raced with worst-case scenarios. But then a CRNA entered the room. She was calm, confident, and incredibly reassuring. In just a few minutes, she eased my anxiety, explaining the process and ensuring I knew my wife was in good hands. That moment stuck with me. It reinforced the impact a CRNA can have, not just in the operating room but in the quiet, vulnerable moments before surgery when patients and families need someone to trust. As I progress through my nurse anesthesia training, I have faced some of the most demanding challenges of my life. The long nights of studying, financial strain, and time away from my wife and daughter have tested my resilience. I’ve had to make sacrifices, missing important moments with my family, knowing that this journey is about preparing myself to serve others in their most critical moments. CRNAs don’t often get the spotlight, but their role is vital, demanding confidence, precision, and humility all at once. That’s why I am pursuing my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice. My goal is to develop not only the technical expertise required for this field but also the ability to provide patients and their families with the same comfort and assurance I received when my wife was in surgery. At the University of South Carolina, I am committed to gaining the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to thrive in this role. I know the road ahead will be difficult, but I welcome the challenge. The ability to bring peace of mind to a worried family, to ease the fears of a child about to undergo surgery, and to provide life-saving care when seconds matter. That is what drives me forward. Ultimately, I believe compassionate care begins with preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required to become a CRNA are intense, but they are essential in shaping providers who can rise to the occasion when it matters most.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I was immersed in both the precision of science and the creativity of art. While this diverse upbringing enriched my perspective, it also left me uncertain about my career path. I found myself drawn to both structure and expression, logic and emotion, but I struggled to determine how these elements could coexist in a single profession. It wasn’t until my brother began his nursing degree that I found clarity. Inspired by his journey, I started reflecting on how I could make my own life as meaningful as possible. I wanted a career where I could make a tangible difference, combining critical thinking with human connection, ultimately leading me to pursue a degree in nursing. My passion for anesthesia emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. As intensive care physicians became overwhelmed, they relied heavily on anesthesia providers to assist with critical care. Watching these professionals step into a high-stakes environment with confidence and composure left a lasting impression on me. I saw how anesthesia providers played a crucial role not only in surgery but also in moments of crisis, bringing stability and reassurance to both patients and staff. This experience introduced me to the depth and complexity of anesthesia, sparking my interest in a role that required both clinical excellence and a deep sense of responsibility. This passion deepened on a much more personal level when my wife required unexpected abdominal surgery. Despite my three years of intensive care experience, I suddenly found myself in a different role: the anxious loved one in the waiting room. I had seen firsthand how routine surgeries could take unexpected turns, and my mind raced with worst-case scenarios. But then a CRNA entered the room. She was calm, confident, and incredibly reassuring. In just a few minutes, she eased my anxiety, explaining the process and ensuring I knew my wife was in good hands. That moment stuck with me. It reinforced the impact a CRNA can have, not just in the operating room but in the quiet, vulnerable moments before surgery when patients and families need someone to trust. As I progress through my nurse anesthesia training, I have faced some of the most demanding challenges of my life. The long nights of studying, financial strain, and time away from my wife and daughter have tested my resilience. I’ve had to make sacrifices, missing important moments with my family, knowing that this journey is about preparing myself to serve others in their most critical moments. CRNAs don’t often get the spotlight, but their role is vital, demanding confidence, precision, and humility all at once. That’s why I am pursuing my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice. My goal is to develop not only the technical expertise required for this field but also the ability to provide patients and their families with the same comfort and assurance I received when my wife was in surgery. At the University of South Carolina, I am committed to gaining the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to thrive in this role. I know the road ahead will be difficult, but I welcome the challenge. The ability to bring peace of mind to a worried family, to ease the fears of a child about to undergo surgery, and to provide life-saving care when seconds matter. That is what drives me forward. Ultimately, I believe compassionate care begins with preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required to become a CRNA are intense, but they are essential in shaping providers who can rise to the occasion when it matters most.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I was immersed in both the precision of science and the creativity of art. While this diverse upbringing enriched my perspective, it also left me uncertain about my career path. I found myself drawn to both structure and expression, logic and emotion, but I struggled to determine how these elements could coexist in a single profession. It wasn’t until my brother began his nursing degree that I found clarity. Inspired by his journey, I started reflecting on how I could make my own life as meaningful as possible. I wanted a career where I could make a tangible difference, combining critical thinking with human connection, ultimately leading me to pursue a degree in nursing. My passion for anesthesia emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. As intensive care physicians became overwhelmed, they relied heavily on anesthesia providers to assist with critical care. Watching these professionals step into a high-stakes environment with confidence and composure left a lasting impression on me. I saw how anesthesia providers played a crucial role not only in surgery but also in moments of crisis, bringing stability and reassurance to both patients and staff. This experience introduced me to the depth and complexity of anesthesia, sparking my interest in a role that required both clinical excellence and a deep sense of responsibility. This passion deepened on a much more personal level when my wife required unexpected abdominal surgery. Despite my three years of intensive care experience, I suddenly found myself in a different role: the anxious loved one in the waiting room. I had seen firsthand how routine surgeries could take unexpected turns, and my mind raced with worst-case scenarios. But then a CRNA entered the room. She was calm, confident, and incredibly reassuring. In just a few minutes, she eased my anxiety, explaining the process and ensuring I knew my wife was in good hands. That moment stuck with me. It reinforced the impact a CRNA can have, not just in the operating room but in the quiet, vulnerable moments before surgery when patients and families need someone to trust. As I progress through my nurse anesthesia training, I have faced some of the most demanding challenges of my life. The long nights of studying, financial strain, and time away from my wife and daughter have tested my resilience. I’ve had to make sacrifices, missing important moments with my family, knowing that this journey is about preparing myself to serve others in their most critical moments. CRNAs don’t often get the spotlight, but their role is vital, demanding confidence, precision, and humility all at once. That’s why I am pursuing my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice. My goal is to develop not only the technical expertise required for this field but also the ability to provide patients and their families with the same comfort and assurance I received when my wife was in surgery. At the University of South Carolina, I am committed to gaining the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to thrive in this role. I know the road ahead will be difficult, but I welcome the challenge. The ability to bring peace of mind to a worried family, to ease the fears of a child about to undergo surgery, and to provide life-saving care when seconds matter. That is what drives me forward. Ultimately, I believe compassionate care begins with preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required to become a CRNA are intense, but they are essential in shaping providers who can rise to the occasion when it matters most.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I was immersed in both the precision of science and the creativity of art. While this diverse upbringing enriched my perspective, it also left me uncertain about my career path. I found myself drawn to both structure and expression, logic and emotion, but I struggled to determine how these elements could coexist in a single profession. It wasn’t until my brother began his nursing degree that I found clarity. Inspired by his journey, I started reflecting on how I could make my own life as meaningful as possible. I wanted a career where I could make a tangible difference, combining critical thinking with human connection, ultimately leading me to pursue a degree in nursing. My passion for anesthesia emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. As intensive care physicians became overwhelmed, they relied heavily on anesthesia providers to assist with critical care. Watching these professionals step into a high-stakes environment with confidence and composure left a lasting impression on me. I saw how anesthesia providers played a crucial role not only in surgery but also in moments of crisis, bringing stability and reassurance to both patients and staff. This experience introduced me to the depth and complexity of anesthesia, sparking my interest in a role that required both clinical excellence and a deep sense of responsibility. This passion deepened on a much more personal level when my wife required unexpected abdominal surgery. Despite my three years of intensive care experience, I suddenly found myself in a different role: the anxious loved one in the waiting room. I had seen firsthand how routine surgeries could take unexpected turns, and my mind raced with worst-case scenarios. But then a CRNA entered the room. She was calm, confident, and incredibly reassuring. In just a few minutes, she eased my anxiety, explaining the process and ensuring I knew my wife was in good hands. That moment stuck with me. It reinforced the impact a CRNA can have, not just in the operating room but in the quiet, vulnerable moments before surgery when patients and families need someone to trust. As I progress through my nurse anesthesia training, I have faced some of the most demanding challenges of my life. The long nights of studying, financial strain, and time away from my wife and daughter have tested my resilience. I’ve had to make sacrifices, missing important moments with my family, knowing that this journey is about preparing myself to serve others in their most critical moments. CRNAs don’t often get the spotlight, but their role is vital, demanding confidence, precision, and humility all at once. That’s why I am pursuing my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice. My goal is to develop not only the technical expertise required for this field but also the ability to provide patients and their families with the same comfort and assurance I received when my wife was in surgery. At the University of South Carolina, I am committed to gaining the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to thrive in this role. I know the road ahead will be difficult, but I welcome the challenge. The ability to bring peace of mind to a worried family, to ease the fears of a child about to undergo surgery, and to provide life-saving care when seconds matter. That is what drives me forward. Ultimately, I believe compassionate care begins with preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required to become a CRNA are intense, but they are essential in shaping providers who can rise to the occasion when it matters most.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I was immersed in both the precision of science and the creativity of art. While this diverse upbringing enriched my perspective, it also left me uncertain about my career path. I found myself drawn to both structure and expression, logic and emotion, but I struggled to determine how these elements could coexist in a single profession. It wasn’t until my brother began his nursing degree that I found clarity. Inspired by his journey, I started reflecting on how I could make my own life as meaningful as possible. I wanted a career where I could make a tangible difference, combining critical thinking with human connection, ultimately leading me to pursue a degree in nursing. My passion for anesthesia emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. As intensive care physicians became overwhelmed, they relied heavily on anesthesia providers to assist with critical care. Watching these professionals step into a high-stakes environment with confidence and composure left a lasting impression on me. I saw how anesthesia providers played a crucial role not only in surgery but also in moments of crisis, bringing stability and reassurance to both patients and staff. This experience introduced me to the depth and complexity of anesthesia, sparking my interest in a role that required both clinical excellence and a deep sense of responsibility. This passion deepened on a much more personal level when my wife required unexpected abdominal surgery. Despite my three years of intensive care experience, I suddenly found myself in a different role: the anxious loved one in the waiting room. I had seen firsthand how routine surgeries could take unexpected turns, and my mind raced with worst-case scenarios. But then a CRNA entered the room. She was calm, confident, and incredibly reassuring. In just a few minutes, she eased my anxiety, explaining the process and ensuring I knew my wife was in good hands. That moment stuck with me. It reinforced the impact a CRNA can have, not just in the operating room but in the quiet, vulnerable moments before surgery when patients and families need someone to trust. As I progress through my nurse anesthesia training, I have faced some of the most demanding challenges of my life. The long nights of studying, financial strain, and time away from my wife and daughter have tested my resilience. I’ve had to make sacrifices, missing important moments with my family, knowing that this journey is about preparing myself to serve others in their most critical moments. CRNAs don’t often get the spotlight, but their role is vital, demanding confidence, precision, and humility all at once. That’s why I am pursuing my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice. My goal is to develop not only the technical expertise required for this field but also the ability to provide patients and their families with the same comfort and assurance I received when my wife was in surgery. At the University of South Carolina, I am committed to gaining the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to thrive in this role. I know the road ahead will be difficult, but I welcome the challenge. The ability to bring peace of mind to a worried family, to ease the fears of a child about to undergo surgery, and to provide life-saving care when seconds matter. That is what drives me forward. Ultimately, I believe compassionate care begins with preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required to become a CRNA are intense, but they are essential in shaping providers who can rise to the occasion when it matters most.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a diverse and unique upbringing, I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon want to pursue; I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia, a position that combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being someone who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

It wasn't until working during the COVID-19 pandemic that I learned of my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. Although this gifted me with a very diverse and unique upbringing, come college I had difficulty figuring out which direction I wanted my life to go. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in audio production, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room, showing me that the position combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care nursing. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Although three years of intensive care experience provided me surgical knowledge and expectation, having my own loved one's care in the hands of anesthesia staff brought me a new perspective. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly decreased as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes of my wife being rolled into the operating room. This solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I complete these three years of school, I endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with my wife and our newborn daughter, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. This is the reason I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I complete my program at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadow multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments when a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

“Good morning, I will help you rest during your surgery today; you can trust that I will take the best care of you and I’ll see you when you wake up!”

It began with the simple, yet powerful single 'Love Story' by the young and talented Taylor Swift years ago that started my Swift fandom. A unique, powerful, yet delicate voice presented itself into my ears in a way that had not happened before. Fast forward and we meet her new album, '1989'. I was mesmerized with the refreshed chord progressions and melody structures. This was a new Taylor, she had created herself into a new genre, bringing the same lyrical charm in a special and different way. I begin to listen to the album, intrigued with every title I hear, yet my mind began to stop for a minute when the song 'Wildest Dreams' began to play. With the timbre of her voice, Taylor had created 3 minutes and 40 seconds of lyrical and musical genius. Flashbacks to the Cranberries' single 'Dreams' began to pop into my head, while also hearing some of Taylor's original style and flare. With a rebranded musical identity, she had transitioned into a new artist. This also reminds me of my excitement to start graduate school; it had been a dream of mine for years, but I had been unable to get in due to the competitiveness of the program. Now with the hard work completed of finally being accepted, my "wildest dreams" are coming true. Although the financial burden will be heavy, and the academic work even heavier, I see myself driving to class each day blaring this Taylor Swift song with the windows rolled down. A great song for working out, starting the day, relaxing on the lake while studying, and more, it will be a great asset. Finally, while the album artwork of the Polaroid picture reminds me of my childhood. While my family didn't particularly have much money, I will never forget my Polaroid camera I received as a gift on my 12th birthday. This gift started my journey into photography and seeing the album artwork brings me feelings of nostalgia and helps me reminisce on the "old days". All in all, I believe this album was some of Taylor's best work and 'Wildest dreams" will be one of my favorite songs for years to come. With slight impressions of music from multiple decades, it brings out musical inspiration for any listener. It's creativity is unmatched and I hope it brings as much joy to others as it has brought for me!

Growing up with an engineer father and a musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadow multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year when my wife suddenly required abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period. These nerves quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school after a 4-year hiatus, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the University of South Carolina, I desire to strongly prepare myself for these moments: moments when a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put to sleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Who we once were never has to define who we are or who we will be. This is true of individuals, couples, families, etc. In my situation, I am proud to change the course of my family's addiction. On my mother's side, there was an alcohol addiction - one that set a financial and emotional course to despair and suffering. This caused my mother to grow up with little financial support, questioning whether or not her next check would bounce. On my father's side, another alcohol addiction - one that caused marriages to end and relationships to struggle. While I am thankful to say this addiction has not been successful in degrading my life, my goal is to end my family's struggle against alcohol. This is not a recovery of my life, but my family. Setting an example and re-routing the course towards a responsible, sober lifestyle with a cornerstone of character and kindness, I plan to make sure there will be no more suffering due to this addiction. This recovery process, however, is marked by hardships. In a culture that praises the bar scene, fancy drinks, and intoxication, being alcohol-free for me and my family has produced judgment and isolation. Although we hold firm and true to our values and beliefs, being able to remind ourselves of our family's addiction reaffirms our stance to focus on recovery. In this, we also aim to be a source of uplifting encouragement for those with a similar struggle.

Keys by Jason Burgess A portrait of words to be typed on a page This canvas of keys beholds me While yet these words might crumble to dust Their potential value extolling It clicks and it clatters with each line I express This brush has an endless story I type and I type as this story unfolds Attempting to paint something corny The reason for this? To just bring a smile But truth is you just might ignore me Yet what I've still gained can be nothing less Than ten minutes spent in glory A 'glory' of joy, I wrote something fun This story, creative, yet boring I've written a poem about using a keyboard You read it and I thank you for enduring While this story might end, the premise stands firm My passion for words is still roaring But now I must go, there isn't much time The water for my coffee is boiling

As I reflect over the last 3 years, my concept of loss has been viewed through a lens of tragedy and despair, but the final image shows a path of hope and perseverance. Towards the end of 2020, my wife and I decided that we were ready to start a family. As a young couple, excited to bring another member to our family, we became pregnant. Throughout a normal-looking pregnancy for 12 weeks, we were hopeful for a healthy child, but late one night my wife started severely contracting and bleeding. We rushed to the emergency department to find out our child had no heartbeat. There was no preparation for the feelings that we faced, yet we kept on and several months later my wife became pregnant once more. Yet with all of the excitement for finally welcoming a new child into the world, she miscarried again. As a Pediatric ICU nurse, she had seen many, many mothers with several children who were poorly cared for, neglected, and unloved, all the while she had not been able to have one. On my side working as an adult ICU nurse during the COVID pandemic, each day I would put countless patients into body bags shortly after each family member said his/her goodbyes. This dark period in our lives was riddled with loss, but I am so thankful our marriage stayed strong and we loved each other well throughout. Although our two children that we lost in the womb were never able to see a sunny day, experience a baseball game, or meet their grandparents, we trust God's plan for our lives and the future of our family. As I type this essay, I think of the excitement I have for starting my doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia. The 3-year process will keep me out of work, so my generous wife will be supporting our family financially, while we supplement with student loans. Being able to serve others through performing anesthesia has been a goal of mine for several years, but this year I was able to successfully get accepted into the University of South Carolina program. Fighting for this dream has not been easy; years of rejected applications and refusals for interviews made me hesitant to continue pursuing this passion, but persistence prevailed. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the University of South Carolina, I desire to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments when a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be "put asleep". However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required are heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle. I have quickly realized through the loss of our two miscarried children that generosity, love, and compassion are what is most important in my life. My wife exemplifies these traits daily, and I hope to grow to continually do the same. We are even more thankful to express the joy that we have in sharing that we are due to have our first child this coming July. Although the doors for graduate school and parenthood have opened at the same time, causing financial stress and emotional heaviness, we stay motivated to pursue our goals so that we may continue to serve others well. In the hardest moments we grow, and through that growth, we can choose to either use our gifts and abilities selfishly or selflessly; I aim to choose the latter.

The nuances of education rarely focus on financial readiness and diligence. As a college athlete, I was gracious enough to have a majority of my undergraduate degrees paid for, yet as I enter a new chapter of graduate school I see new financial challenges and burdens that I must prepare to face. During the next 3 years pursuing my degree in nurse anesthesia, I will be unable to work due to the rigors of the program, yet I stand confident that my current financial preparation will allow me the freedom to focus on my academics. With a baby due in July, my wife and I have placed extreme importance on reducing unnecessary spending and being devoted to fiscal diligence. Through budgeting, working overtime, and selling things we don't use on sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and other outlets, we have saved enough to minimize loan requirements for my program. Secondly, managing for our financial future has also been a priority; setting aside a decent percentage of our income in pre-tax Roth IRAs and 401Ks, we have also started prioritizing our retirement planning. While this may seem standard, as many financially responsible students pursue these methods, the reasons behind doing so come from different motives. A majority of individuals focus on financial freedom and strong money management to be able to live a comfortable, lavish lifestyle, my wife and I hope to use our assets to help others. Whether that is donating to non-profits, shelters, or helping the homeless, generosity is our main goal. As a 28-year-old, I am thankful to have had this mentality engrained into the fabric of my personality all the way back to my high school years. Every morning, I would drive to school 20 minutes away and meet the same homeless gentleman named Mark at the corner of Lamar Boulevard and Highway 290. We would have short conversations, usually ending with a few dollars handed for him to eat for the day. While a few dollars may not seem impactful in the grand scheme of life, the premise behind the actions planted a seed for more financial and personal generosity. As I packed my belongings and headed to Texas A&M for the start of my college career, I pulled over on Lamar Boulevard, got out of my 1994 Ford Explorer and walked over to give Mark a hug before driving to my new home. This caught him off guard, but even more so, was the joy he shared of having grown our friendship. The conversation ended with me handing him a $100 bill and saying thank you for the years of small chats every morning. While I had thought this might have been the end of our relationship, I still keep in touch with Mark back home. Being able to use my nursing degree and experience, he discusses medical issues he has while I attempt to counsel, encourage, and direct him as best as I can. This story is not a prideful exclamation, rather a story of encouragement that I am eternally grateful for. Although the diligence of my financial methods may be standard, the importance to me rests in having the ability to express generosity. There is rest in knowing one is financially stable, but joy in spreading your resources, time, and heart with others.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments when a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This is the reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle. However, none of this would have come to fruition without the mentorship of my first shadowing experience in the OR. Julia, the CRNA who allowed me to shadow was unbelievably kind and informative to what a nurse anesthesia career looked like. This didn't stop after my shadowing experience, though. She continued to stay in touch with me, provide advice for applications, and even let me shadow with her a second time. It is from her willingness to mentor me through the CRNA application journey that I sit here as an accepted applicant to the DNAP program at the University of South Carolina. We were not aquaintances prior to our initial meeting, she simply was caring enough to bring me under her wing and help me along. Her anesthesia care was compassionate, but her character was even more admirable. Once my degree is completed, I hope to exemplify the same level of care and selfless generosity that she provided for me.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. These nerves quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school after a 4-year hiatus, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.

Growing up with an engineer father and musician mother, I quickly learned of the differences between art and science. It wasn't until my brother started his nursing degree that I found a glimpse of what I would soon desire to pursue. After completing my first degree in Digital Media, I started thinking more about making my life as meaningful as it could be and decided to pursue a degree in nursing. After completing my BSN, it was a quick transition from classroom education to clinical practice. Being married to a Pediatric ICU nurse, my wife was the reason I chose to begin my nursing career in critical care. Over three years, I feel this role has utilized the best of my clinical knowledge, individual character, and communication skills. It wasn't, however, until the COVID-19 pandemic began that I found my desire to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. During the heaviest days of the pandemic, our intensive care physicians were stretched so thin, they turned to our hospital's anesthesia staff to help with patient care. CRNA's and anesthesiologists would help with intubation, proning, and sedation, all while updating and educating family members on their loved one's care. This sparked my interest in anesthesia and led me to shadowing multiple CRNAs in the operating room. Being able to speak with a patient before surgery, monitor his/her airway and hemodynamics, and then successfully recover him/her post-op was a unique and exciting process for me to see. It combined the joys of personal impact with the experience and intellect required of critical care medicine. This desire continued to blossom over the past year, when my wife suddenly required an abdominal surgery. Anxiety set in as I began to think of patients I recently took care of who had unexpected surgical emergencies during a routine operation, requiring life support for an extended period of time. This nervous feeling was quickly diminished as the CRNA who entered the room was unbelievably gracious and informative; she earned my trust within minutes and solidified my passion to pursue a degree in nurse anesthesia. As I foreshadow my next three years of school, I fully expect to endure many sleepless nights of studying, financial struggles of being unable to hold a job, and disappointments of not being able to spend much time with our newborn child on the way, but I embrace the awaited joy of being the individual who gains the trust of patients and families in their most vulnerable times. A nurse anesthetist plays a role rarely placed on a pedestal; their position behind the scenes of a surgical operation requires confidence dressed in humility. Once patients are awoken, there is minimal face-to-face interaction, although their lives were just held in the hands of the anesthesia team. This is the exact reason why I have chosen to pursue my Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: to humbly give compassionate care in the most uncertain moments before, during, and after surgery. Although there are many different career options for anesthesia, the operating room is my goal. As I begin my program this May at the Medical University of South Carolina, my desire is to strongly prepare myself for these moments: the moments where a family is worried about a procedure, or a child is scared of what it means to be put asleep. However, compassionate care begins with proper preparation. The educational rigor and clinical training required is heavy, but I will choose joy in the difficult moments to come, as the eventual reward of giving strong and comforting care will be more than worth the struggle.