My name is Kelsey King and I am from Sylvania, Ohio. I am a senior at St. Ursula Academy. I am a team captain of the lacrosse team, perform in school musicals, and I am a member of the National Honor Society, spirit squad, and French club. I have two younger brothers and two labrador retrievers, Finn and Sully. I work as a lifeguard in the summers and my hobbies include reading, skiing, and crocheting.
I first considered a career in the field of medicine after taking Honors Anatomy and Physiology during my sophomore year. As part of our school curriculum, during the summer before junior year, we are required to complete a career exploration project. This project includes researching and shadowing a professional in a field of our interest. I had the opportunity to shadow a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) for a day in the operating room at a Level 1 Trauma Center.
I never knew one experience could have such an impact on me. Watching a team of professionals work together for the goal of saving a patient’s life struck a chord inside me. In addition to learning about what a CRNA does, I was able to observe a trauma surgeon, a circulating nurse, and a scrub technician during this experience. Everyone in the operating room had specific roles and they knew what to do and when to do it. This experience planted a seed that would soon become my career choice.
There is one person who has inspired me to pursue a career in nursing, and that person is my mom. She has been caring for patients as a Registered Nurse for 22 years. When the pandemic hit in 2020, my mom was a frontline hero. She was going into the hospital Covid units, caring for patients that needed life-saving procedures, she even signed up to work extra as the floors and intensive care unit nurses were short-staffed. I have always looked up to her, but the pandemic showed me how courageous and caring of a person she is.
Last summer, I applied to volunteer at the very hospital I shadowed at. I was assigned to an area where they performed various procedures. While volunteering, I was able to observe the nurses and assist them with simple tasks. Through the career exploration project, summer volunteering, and the influence of my mother, I have decided to pursue a career in nursing.
I have been accepted as a direct admit in the nursing program at Saint Mary's College in Indiana. As a student there, I will have the opportunity to study abroad in Africa. The Uganda Practicum is a six-week summer program for nursing students to work with the Sisters of the Holy Cross in the local community.
I plan to make a difference in the lives of my patients through knowledge, kindness, and by giving compassionate care. I want to be the kind of nurse that makes their patient feel less anxious during stressful times. I can remember needing to get bloodwork as a child, and how scared I was of needles. The phlebotomist's name was April, and she took the extra time to explain everything to ease my anxiety. The next time I had to come in, I wasn't scared. I will make a difference by being just like your mother Mrs. Dupont, my mom, and April, by helping the scared and vulnerable feel the care and compassion they deserve.