About how i Became Family Nurse Practitioner

As I walked into my patient’s room, I was shocked by what I saw. The patient’s IV pole was tipped over, and I realized the patient’s intravenous line had been ripped out when I noticed a blood trail to the bathroom. Upon opening the bathroom door, I saw not only was there blood all over from this, but feces as well. Yes, this scene might shock you. But as a nurse, you take a deep breath, orient the patient, make sure they are safe and stable, and begin to clean up the mess without skipping a beat.

Every day is bound to have its challenges as a nurse. The challenge might be managing time appropriately to care for each patient, or it might be a physical or an emotional challenge.

But no matter how many challenges I face every day in my career, as Marie Osmond stated, “It’s an amazing feeling to be appreciated for what you do and to feel like you have brought happiness to others.” In my years working as a nurse, I have experienced profound job satisfaction that I attribute to both the verbal gratitude and the unspoken expressions of appreciation I receive from patients and their families for the care I provide. I am seeking a degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner because I want to increase my intellectual challenges and broaden my clinical care scope of practice, and be at the forefront of helping patients heal and maintain optimal health and happiness. I know I will encounter physical, emotional, and situational challenges as I pursue this degree and in my future career, but I am ready to face each and every challenge.

Becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner allows me to continue hands-on patient care, working with patients at a higher level and taking on more leadership responsibilities. Although I am content as a registered nurse, I possess a strong desire for greater autonomy and more opportunities for critical thinking, testing, analyzing results, and understanding patient health histories in order to provide correct diagnoses and create individualized treatment plans. As a nurse, I have developed critical thinking skills and gained a wealth of experience and knowledge. However, I am limited within my scope of practice. With this career advancement, I would have the opportunity to work in a clinic setting where I can form long-term relationships with my patients while helping to implement required examinations, medications, and therapies. Most importantly, I aim to ensure that each person is able to maintain a healthy, happy lifestyle without any setbacks.

After completing my degree, I envision myself working within Wisconsin, most likely in a more rural community like the one I grew up in. Some areas in Wisconsin have limited healthcare facilities, and I would like to make a difference within a smaller community where people are hesitant to be seen by healthcare professionals. Therefore, I would want to work with a wide range of the population, from young children to the elderly. I look forward to advocating and encouraging the population to seek preventative health measures while also tackling any acute issues head-on. I would be interested in collaborating with other businesses in the community to routinely provide education to the population on various health topics.

The University of Concordia is an exceptional fit for me in my journey to obtain my Family Nurse Practitioner degree. I strongly believe in the importance of developing a balance between mind, body, and spirit. Nurses and healthcare professionals need to care for themselves as devotedly as they care for their patients. Ensuring that I maintain rest, personal time for the Lord, a healthy lifestyle, exercise, and the use of relaxation techniques throughout each and every day is how I balance my mind, body, and spirit. I have also witnessed how important faith and a holistic approach to healthcare can be for patients. Understanding a patient’s beliefs, values, spirituality, and cultural circumstances is crucial. If my patient is receptive to it, I will integrate the patient’s beliefs or relationship with Christ into our discussions about health and healing. I can recall one situation as a nurse where a young man, only 35 years old and otherwise healthy, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer with metastatic spread to the brain.

Faced with this new diagnosis, the doctor and I discussed the plan of care going forward. We reminded his wife and two young children to keep faith and look to the Lord. Ensuring he was at peace with his mind and spirit would help him deal with the struggles he was facing with his body. Faith can be a strong support when dealing with devastating life events like this. I plan to serve my patients in a caring, helpful, and respectful way. I believe that furthering my own connection with mind, body, and spirit and my relationship with Christ will help maintain stability and success while seeking a graduate degree and in my future career.

My desire and passion, along with the skills and techniques I have learned thus far, will help me be successful in this graduate program. I developed exceptional time management skills while obtaining my Bachelor’s degree and working one, sometimes two, part-time jobs, while also focusing on my studies and maintaining my GPA. I have become better at prioritizing, as this is necessary with a full patient load of up to six hospital acuity patients at one time during a shift. Additionally, the fact that I will be continuing to work at the hospital while taking classes is a form of stress reduction in itself, which may sound odd, but for me, it proves true. While I am at work, caring for my patients to the fullest and focusing on them allows myself a break from outside stresses.

My current job is rewarding, and feeling appreciated for what I do for my patients actually helps relieve stress and maintain motivation. I have wonderful coworkers and leadership in my current position. I have communicated with my team leader, and she is willing to accommodate my schedule or even let me reduce hours if need be, to ensure success in my educational program. I feel comfortable communicating with the doctors, nurse practitioners, coworkers, and university staff if I need guidance or support in my journey to obtain my graduate degree.

The rewards in nursing are endless. I want to continue to have a positive impact on my patients’ lives. Succeeding in my goal to become a Nurse Practitioner will allow me to increase my current nursing knowledge, strengthen my relationship with patients and their families, and make a difference in my community. As a Nurse Practitioner, I can combine nursing skill and compassion with the independence to practice, diagnose, and treat patients holistically. I will have more continuity of care with my patients and be able to listen, provide, and guide my patients to their healthcare goals.

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