Nursing is an important career to me for a multitude of reasons. From a young age, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Growing up, I heard my mother's and grandmother's stories from their medical careers, which further drew me in. I enjoyed listening to their stories and hearing about how they helped people. Their stories, as well as others that I have talked with, have inspired me to pursue nursing so that I may help others. My grandmother, for instance, has told me about multiple times she has helped patients by doing even the smallest things, like making sure they were comfortable or being there when no one else was. Additionally, I have heard from many others about the difficult, sometimes traumatizing, experiences they have had with medical professionals. After experiencing adverse interactions with healthcare professionals in recent years, I am even more passionate about the career. Additionally, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the shortage of nurses, I have been more motivated to pursue this career field. While being a nurse, especially during a shortage, will be difficult, strenuous, exhausting, and labor-intensive, I would love nothing more than to help other people, such as patients, and ease the workload of others on staff. Being a dependable and empathetic member of the healthcare team is incredibly important to me. Through my own experience with an eating disorder and depression, I have seen firsthand how deeply mental health struggles can impact every aspect of a person’s life. At my lowest, I isolated myself from friends and family, became physically weak, and barely able to complete the most basic tasks. Even when those around me urged me to seek help, I was too stubborn and unable to recognize the severity of my condition. Looking back now that I am in recovery, I am able to recognize how profoundly these illnesses had impacted my quality of life. This experience continues to fuel my passion for nursing, especially in eating disorder recovery. As I mentioned earlier, I have heard about many people’s experiences with poor healthcare due to a lack of care or compassion for patients, especially in eating disorder recovery. These experiences continue to inspire me to pursue nursing, where I can combine professional training with compassion to better assist patients. I am continually committed to making a difference for those who feel overlooked, just as I have felt, and to providing the care and understanding that every patient deserves.

Nursing is an important career to me for a multitude of reasons. From a young age, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Growing up, I heard my mother's and grandmother's stories from their medical careers, which further drew me in. I enjoyed listening to their stories and hearing about how they helped people. Their stories, as well as others that I have talked with, have inspired me to pursue nursing so that I may help others. My grandmother, for instance, has told me about multiple times she has helped patients by doing even the smallest things, like making sure they were comfortable or being there when no one else was. Additionally, I have heard from many others about the difficult, sometimes traumatizing, experiences they have had with medical professionals. After experiencing adverse interactions with healthcare professionals in recent years, I am even more passionate about the career. Additionally, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the shortage of nurses, I have been more motivated to pursue this career field. While being a nurse, especially during a shortage, will be difficult, strenuous, exhausting, and labor-intensive, I would love nothing more than to help other people, such as patients, and ease the workload of others on staff. Being a dependable and empathetic member of the healthcare team is incredibly important to me. Through my own experience with an eating disorder and depression, I have seen firsthand how deeply mental health struggles can impact every aspect of a person’s life. At my lowest, I isolated myself from friends and family, became physically weak, and barely able to complete the most basic tasks. Even when those around me urged me to seek help, I was too stubborn and unable to recognize the severity of my condition. Looking back now that I am in recovery, I am able to recognize how profoundly these illnesses had impacted my quality of life. This experience continues to fuel my passion for nursing, especially in eating disorder recovery. As I mentioned earlier, I have heard about many people’s experiences with poor healthcare due to a lack of care or compassion for patients, especially in eating disorder recovery. These experiences continue to inspire me to pursue nursing, where I can combine professional training with compassion to better assist patients. I am continually committed to making a difference for those who feel overlooked, just as I have felt, and to providing the care and understanding that every patient deserves.

Nursing is an important career to me for a multitude of reasons. From a young age, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Growing up, I heard my mother's and grandmother's stories from their medical careers, which further drew me in. I enjoyed listening to their stories and hearing about how they helped people. Their stories, as well as others that I have talked with, have inspired me to pursue nursing so that I may help others. My grandmother, for instance, has told me about multiple times she has helped patients by doing even the smallest things, like making sure they were comfortable or being there when no one else was. Additionally, I have heard from many others about the difficult, sometimes traumatizing, experiences they have had with medical professionals. After experiencing adverse interactions with healthcare professionals in recent years, I am even more passionate about the career. Additionally, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the shortage of nurses, I have been more motivated to pursue this career field. While being a nurse, especially during a shortage, will be difficult, strenuous, exhausting, and labor-intensive, I would love nothing more than to help other people, such as patients, and ease the workload of others on staff. Being a dependable and empathetic member of the healthcare team is incredibly important to me. Through my own experience with an eating disorder and depression, I have seen firsthand how deeply mental health struggles can impact every aspect of a person’s life. At my lowest, I isolated myself from friends and family, became physically weak, and barely able to complete the most basic tasks. Even when those around me urged me to seek help, I was too stubborn and unable to recognize the severity of my condition. Looking back now that I am in recovery, I am able to recognize how profoundly these illnesses had impacted my quality of life. This experience continues to fuel my passion for nursing, especially in eating disorder recovery. As aforementioned, I have heard about many people’s experiences with poor healthcare due to a lack of care or compassion for patients, especially in eating disorder recovery. These stories, combined with my own personal experience, have given me a strong sense of empathy for those overlooked or mistreated in medical settings. As I pursue a career as a nurse at an eating disorder facility, I will continue to carry my experiences with me to learn from and help others in recovery. By using both my professional training and personal experiences, I hope to make a meaningful impact on my future patients’ lives and help them build trust in the healthcare system as they navigate their medical problems.

Throughout my life I have dealt with a handful of mental health issues, ranging from anxiety to an eating disorder. Starting when I was about seven years old, I was diagnosed with anxiety, ADD, and selective mutism. My anxiety inhibited me from talking to family members and teachers, making new friends, and speaking up when something was bothering me. As I got older and treated my issues, I grew out of many of them, but grew worse in other ways. Throughout middle and high school, I continued to battle with depression and anxiety, which worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic. My dogs fought constantly during this time, which our vet said we needed to separate to prevent significant harm. Since I was around this constant fighting during the quarantine, my anxiety continued to worsen. For a while after our one dog passed, I would constantly be on edge, jumping at every little sound and having a difficult time being around my other dogs. It wasn’t until a couple years after quarantine that my mental health began to improve until I moved to university and my mental health took a turn for the worse. During my time in college I have developed an eating disorder and have significantly struggled with depression. As these issues got worse, I became withdrawn and flat, and I barely had the energy or motivation to make it to class or go to the store. My depression got even worse when I received the news that I was denied admission to my school’s nursing program, and I continued to decline mentally and physically. I did not pass the class I needed for my program, and failed to show up to classes and do simple assignments. After I had failed that class and was denied from the program, I started to convince myself that I truly did not want into my program all along and it was for the best that I gave up. I had lacked the ability to think complexly or pay attention to activities I once enjoyed. Due to my issues revolving around my eating disorder, specifically my mood and temper had worsened, I put a strain on my relationship with my parents and friends. I became easily angry, I lacked motivation to get out of bed in the morning. I could barely perform basic hygiene tasks such as showering, brushing my teeth, or even going to the bathroom. Simply put, I was the shell of the human I once was, and it was nearly impossible to see if I would ever improve. Now, thankfully, I have been working with my mental health support team, got into my school's nursing program, and have been improving myself. At this point in treatment and recovery, I have been able to look back and see where I have come from, and where I can hopefully go and continue to improve in the future. It is through these difficult experiences that I have come back stronger than ever and am ready to overcome any future challenges.

When I was about seven years old, I was diagnosed with anxiety and selective mutism. This made socializing and talking incredibly difficult for me. I struggled to have a simple conversation or make eye contact with certain family members. Whether I was at the doctor’s office or getting a haircut, I could barely speak with any adult. Over the years, my anxiety has created challenges in advocating for myself, speaking with others, making friends, and asking questions–especially regarding class work or content. In times of crises, my anxiety has left me to feel isolated. This barrier has shown me how to interact with those around me and how I view myself in social and academic settings. During the COVID-19 quarantine was one of the worst periods for my anxiety. During this time my dogs started fighting to the point that my family had to separate the house to keep them apart. After months of being in the same room with this, I was constantly on edge, afraid of every little noise. It was also during this period that I became concerned with my appearance and eating habits, and this anxiety manifested itself into an eating disorder. Another specific instance in which my anxiety was overwhelming occurred during Hurricane Helene. While I didn’t lose my home or completely lose access to food and water, resources were scarce, violence was rampant, and I was filled with uncertainty. What made it worse was that nobody else seemed to understand just how severe the situation was or how hard my town had been hit. This sense of isolation, combined with my anxiety, made it nearly impossible to eat and function normally. When I eventually evacuated back to my hometown, I still had that feeling of being on edge–unable to sit still or think clearly. The most current struggle with my anxiety is in the nursing program. I have only just begun the program, but it has started to significantly affect my physical well-being. My acid reflux and anxiety have become so intense that I can barely eat or drink anything. However, over the past year or so, I have learned to channel this anxiety into motivation, pushing me to complete my pursuit for higher education. Pursuing a college degree is important to me because it will allow me to help others, especially those who have suffered from the same issues I have personally faced. My degree will not only allow me to help others but also prove to myself that I can conquer anything.

Mental health is important to maintain for a multitude of reasons. Arguably the most important reason is the ability to function day-to-day. When mental health is poor, everyday activities can become daunting. Underperformance at work and/or school can appear, and you will not be able to put your best efforts forward. These effects can create a vicious cycle of underperformance and a decline in mental health. I have personally experienced some adverse effects from my mental health struggles. I have unfortunately seen what these effects can do to myself and others. During my battle with depression I had become increasingly withdrawn to the point I could barely get out of bed, see others, or go to class. My grades and social life had ultimately suffered because of this spiral I had gone down. After seeking help and breaking that cycle, I have reflected and seen the damaging effects my mental health has caused. Fortunately I have built a strong mental health team and have drastically improved. Additionally, I have found techniques that have helped me maintain and improve my mental health on my bad days, the first of which is my support system. My support system includes my therapist, family, friends, and roommates. Therapy has given me a way to talk through my feelings and identify potential triggers to prevent me from getting back into a rut. My therapist has also equipped me with coping techniques that I can use when I spot those triggers. The other members of my support system have also helped to keep me on the right track, check in, and give me any support and comfort I may need. In addition to my support system, I have found that having a hobby or activity is incredibly helpful to maintaining and improving my mental health. Some of my favorite activities include crafting such as sculpting with clay, cross-stitching or embroidery, drawing, or painting. Doing crafts like these has also been something I do with friends and family in my support system. Another technique I have personally found helpful is simply being in a room with those I love, even if I am not engaging in any particular activity with them. Sometimes I find it enjoyable and relaxing to have a movie night or being in the room with my support system. In conclusion, mental health is vital to basic functions and living life to its fullest.

Nursing is an important career to me for a multitude of reasons. From a young age, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Growing up I heard my mother's and grandmother's stories from their medical careers, which further drew me in. I enjoyed listening to their stories and hearing about how they have helped people. Their stories, as well as others that I have talked with, have inspired me to pursue nursing so that I may help others. My grandmother, for instance, has told me about multiple times she has helped patients by doing even the smallest thing, like making sure they were comfortable or being there when no one else was. Additionally, I have heard from many others about the difficult, sometimes traumatizing, experiences they have had with medical professionals. I have heard of medical professionals treating patients impolitely and without listening to them. As I pursue my career as a nurse, I hope to become more aware of these types of issues that may arise on the job and help prevent frustration with patients down the line. Additionally, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the shortage of nurses, I have been more motivated to pursue this career field. While being a nurse, especially during a shortage, will be difficult, strenuous, exhausting, and labor-intensive, I would love nothing more than to help other people; such as patients and ease the workload of others on staff. Another reason I would love to become a nurse is to broaden my views by talking with people from different backgrounds. I grew up in a small school for all twelve years of my education and did not have much experience or knowledge of many other cultures besides my own. When I become a nurse, I would thoroughly enjoy getting to understand and learn about how other people live and have lived, and I believe that would help me become a better nurse. This type of life experience would help me become more understanding and knowledgeable in many different areas and aspects of life. Becoming a nurse is incredibly important to me because it has always been a career I have been fascinated by, I would get to interact with and learn from people from different backgrounds, and I could help numerous people in countless ways, whether it's other nurses and easing their workload or patients and increasing their quality of care.