Registered Nurse Scholarship Essay

In today’s world, a registered nurse is a modern-day superhero. A registered nurse must put all opinions, personal beliefs, and any known personal bias to the side and do what is best for their patients. Everyone has their own personal connection to the healthcare field; whether you have been a patient or maybe someone you know has been ill and needed professional care. However, my personal relationship with the healthcare field is unique. As for myself, I had never once in my lifetime stepped foot anywhere near a hospital until I entered the nursing program at Saint Cloud State University. Pursuing the nursing profession has been one of the most physically and mentally demanding decisions—but one of the best decisions I have ever made. Growing

I have learned many things this semester, from professional nursing skills, identifying the pathophysiology behind patient illness, to navigating my way around a hospital. However, the most surprising thing that I have learned from this semester is who I truly am as a person. I bring a lot of charisma to the nursing profession. One of my greatest strengths that I obtain and can provide to my cohort is my ability to be relatable to everyone. I make sure I go out of my way to introduce myself to new people and to make them feel included in things. In fact, one of my favorite quotes that I have come up with myself is “to make everyone feel like a someone” and I stand by that. In the nursing profession, it is essential to make a patient feel as comfortable as possible while I am taking care of them. Not only will it make my job easier, but it allows me to connect to new people and to better understand their personal care needs. Another strength that I provide to the nursing profession is my sense of humor. Humor is a fantastic way to deescalate upset patients and it is useful in a variety of encounters with patients, especially

I refer to nursing school as “culture shock” to people because you must make sacrifices that you are not used to normally making. You must first dedicate your time to classroom work, studying, and attending open labs. Then, you can use any remaining time towards your social life. Time management is an area where I have room for the most improvement. I sometimes lack in finding the appropriate balance between school and my personal life. I would like to improve my mindset and realize that school is my main priority. After graduation, nursing will provide me the opportunity to have the necessary financial income and stability in which I need to start a family one day. Another area that I have recognized in which I could improve upon is my study habits. I spend a tremendous amount of time studying my resources given, but I tend to cluster my schedule and end up “cramming”. This personal reflective practice is a great tool to use as it allows myself to not only identify my strengths, but my weaknesses as well. Every day, I must strive to be the best student nurse that I can possibly be. The community is relying on us as future nurses and we cannot let them down. Nursing school is extremely difficult, but with that being so, there are many resources to help students