Growing up in a small, rural community the majority of the population was uninsured and underserved. Access to primary healthcare was limited with most physicians’ offices being close to an hour drive one way. I grew up seeing both of my parents work two jobs and still having to make the decision to put their health on the back burner due to lack of finances or insufficient insurance coverage. This often led to numerous emergency department visits because of the lack of access to a primary care physician who could have provided preventative care. This was not only an issue within my home but throughout the town. The experience of witnessing family, friends and community members fall ill to diseases that could have been prevented with proper …show more content…
Serving the underprivileged and underinsured has also always been a particular passion of mine. I feel that the mission, values and visions of the institute that one receives their education from should align closely with their personal beliefs as these are the values that will be taught and form ones character over the duration of the program. Georgetown University’s School of Nursing focuses not only on the individual but also the community as well as being a catalyst for health and social justice as mentioned in the Mission Statement and Vision directly correlate with my personal values and visions. The part that resonates with me the most is the Value of the Common Good which states that there is special emphasis placed on serving the marginalized and underserved. That value is key for me as the want to help the underserved was the primary reason I entered into healthcare. A successful Family Nurse Practitioner will be able to effectively assess, diagnoses and treat individuals. They also need to possess good communication skills in order to provide education and all around personal holistic care. After, I complete the Family Nurse Practitioner graduate program I will be able to fulfill my primary goal of being able to impact the health of individuals in underserved communities. I envision myself providing care as a family nurse practitioner in a smaller rural community in order to be able to better reach those with limited access to healthcare