Growing up, I always felt eager to help others. I wanted to be a teacher in first grade. In fourth grade, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Now, I want to be a nurse. All these things have one thing in common; helping others. I want to be able to have a positive impact on others in the healthcare setting. In the long term, I also want a job that would support my family. I believe that the skills I will gain through nursing school will also help me later in life when caring for my family, as I have seen firsthand how my mom’s nursing career has helped her raise my brothers and me. The job stability that nursing provides also allows me to plan for my future with confidence, knowing I will have a stable job that will also provide growth and security as I move through different phases of my life. Although ending up in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is my main goal, I plan on getting a job where I can gain experience before fully committing to the NICU. I selected nursing as my major for multiple reasons. One of these reasons is my grandfather’s journey. In early 2019, my grandpa Gordon was told he had lung cancer and brain tumors. As I watched him go through chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the man I had always looked up to began to lose his independence, relying on others for even the simplest of tasks. I saw firsthand how illness strips away a person's ability to live fully and provide for themselves and others. I was deeply moved by the nurses who cared for him, and their unwavering compassion and dedication profoundly impacted my view of healthcare. They provided comfort, dignity, and a sense of peace, especially as he neared the end of his life. I was inspired by how they made a difference, even as his world closed in on him. Watching my grandfather's journey has solidified my aspiration to pursue nursing, and I aspire to provide care that goes beyond medical treatment, offering comfort and respect to those in their final days. Another reason is because of my own experiences in the healthcare field. During my CNA clinicals, I saw firsthand the overwhelming workload of those in the medical field and how they are affected by provider shortages. The responsibilities in these facilities are numerous, and the patient-to-staff ratio is excessively high, making it difficult to maintain an efficient work environment, and also putting the quality of care at risk. Burnout is also very common in the current medical field, as those helping with care often find themselves taking on extra hours to accommodate the needs of the facilities that they work at. Having more nurses will reduce burnout, improve patient care, and relieve some of the stress of the existing staff. In conclusion, my desire to pursue nursing stems from a deep commitment to positively impact the lives of others. I have been inspired by my grandfather's journey, my mother’s nursing career, and my own experiences as a CNA. I am confident that by obtaining my BSN, I can achieve my goal of becoming a NICU nurse and securing a stable career to support my future family. I believe that every effort, no matter how small, can make a difference, whether through the care I provide or simply by being a hard worker and having an optimistic and energetic personality. Ultimately, I am driven by the belief that even the smallest of actions in healthcare can significantly help someone else.

I exemplified the core pillar of being ethical during my CNA training at a local Alzheimers home, where I was faced with a challenging situation. While shadowing a more experienced CNA and assisting with a patient recovering from hip surgery, my friend Sophia and I found ourselves in a morally challenging scenario that required us to act decisively. Our job was to help her get ready for her day. Dressing the patient was difficult, as we were concerned about re-injuring her. We had asked the CNA for help. He told us to speed up because we had more patients to get to, and he became physically rough with her. The patient was yelling in pain and asked him to stop multiple times. Sophia and I were taken aback by this situation, unsure what to do. First, we told him to stop and be more gentle. He responded by saying she was fine and just liked to throw fits for attention. Despite telling him to stop repetitively, he refused. Recognizing the severity of this situation, Sophia and I reported him to our advisor. This experience has taught me the importance of patient advocacy, even when it’s hard or scary. I learned that being a patient advocate is a moral obligation to provide good healthcare. Furthermore, I also learned how important it is to voice my concerns especially when others are using negligent practices that are unethical and could potentially injure the patient worse. Reporting this incident was necessary to ensure the safety of future patients at this facility, and I’m glad we did so. Helping create an environment that promotes patient dignity and comfort is one of my top priorities when entering and being involved in the nursing field. Our actions helped bring attention to the need for proper training and accountability within the team, which ultimately led to improvements in patient care standards. It also showed the others in our class that it is okay to stand up for what you believe in, even if you doubt yourself at the moment. It taught me to have confidence in myself and the difficult decisions I will face in the future. I’m not sure what happened to this particular CNA after we talked to our advisor, but hopefully, it brought more awareness to them and their coworkers about how their care will affect the patient, their family, and others around them. In conclusion, this experience reinforced my beliefs in patient advocacy and the importance of upholding ethical standards in healthcare, no matter what the situation. It taught me that everything I do will always have an impact on others and that fostering a safe environment for those around me will help them feel valued. I am confident that through this experience, I will be better prepared to not shy away from the right choices I will face in my future career, no matter how difficult they are to make.