Your especially distinguished nursing program at XXXX is my first choice for study towards the BSN degree for a variety of reasons, particularly your explicit focus on diverse student populations, which attracts me as Korean woman who adores diversity. At 32 years old, the decision to become a nurse did not come easy. It has meant making a lot of sacrifices so as to be able to fully focus on making my career change successful. First and foremost, I had to quit what was for me a lucrative job as an Operations Manager and move back into my parents’ home in order to be able to devote myself full time to nursing. I feel strongly that my background as a business professional has provided me with the opportunity to learn many valuable practices and principles that will enable me to become a highly competent nurse, especially my organizational skills and ability to multi-task.
I also believe that the many challenges that I have faced along the way have made me a strong person; someone who will be able to give much to nursing. Right after my graduation from high school, my brother was murdered. It turned my life upside down and until this day, it has been the hardest thing that I have had to endure. Yet, I also realize that life's greatest lesson come through trials and tribulations. My experiences of loss and grief contributed to my temporary academic failure as a result of depression and anxiety. Yet, it is also our hardships that enable and inspire our growth as human beings. I carry this with me in everything I face. Thus, in everything that I do, I do my best with purpose, integrity, and sincerity. Keenly aware of how fragile life is, I treasure each moment and always make the most of it. As a nurse, I want to make every day count.
My managerial background and the wisdom that I have gained thus far as a career professional provide me with many resources that will be helpful to my career in nursing as I have come into contact with many types of people and have come to excel at teamwork and professional networking.
I have chosen to pursue nursing as a career change from my current professional role as an operations manager because what I have is a job and what I want is a vocation. I have been working very hard at fulfilling the requirements for entrance into your program because of the great, passionate drive that I have for caring for the needy, the sheer joy and fulfillment. I am a young Korean woman whose great passion for nursing has deep roots in many facets of my life, not the least of which is my profound religious faith as a Christian. My Christian inspiration and career goals fit nicely hand in hand. I look forward to making nursing my Christian mission to the Developing World and going on annual, medical missions for the rest of my life.
I want to spend my life caring for the needy with no thought of selfish gain because I seek joy and fulfillment that result in authentic happiness. The church that I attend is extensively involved in, sponsoring and participating in medical missions to the Developing World and this stand at the center of my own personal and world vision. “Giving back” is what provides me with the greatest happiness and satisfaction in life. Going on annual medical missions, as a nurse, with other members of my Church to Third World countries annually will become the central triumph and celebration of my life, my greatest achievement.
The missions supported by my church have a great need for participation of qualified medical professionals to travel to Third World countries where many people lack even the most basic medical care. With the education and professional knowledge that I will gain through my experience of becoming a nurse in the United States, I wish to give back beyond borders for those in other parts of the world with limited access to medical care. I believe that it is our natural duty in life to do the most we can in helping others on both a micro and macro scale, making as much positive difference as we can to people’s lives.
In particular, I look forward to working with the elderly, especially those with estranged relationships or little to no family left. When my grandmother suffered a stroke and was in the hospital for several weeks, it broke my heart to see so many elderly sick and all alone. I want to care for them during their final days and do all that I can to keep them as comfortable and happy as possible.
My ideal job upon graduating nursing school would be to work in the hospital for a few years to discover from my many experiences in which area I want to specialize for further study. 10 years from now, I hope to have made a significant contribution to society as a nursing professional, touching the lives of many patients and aiding in their recovery to the extent to which that is possible.
In retrospect, I see very clearly now that caregiving was always a definitive part of my nature. It was during those moments when I was provided for others in need that I felt most alive. As a child of immigrants in a foreign world, I had to grow up quickly and take on many responsibilities at an early age. To make ends meet, my parents worked 14-hour shifts at a clothing factory, leaving my brother and I to take care of the house and look after one another at an early age. While my older brother provided me with a sense of security, I took on the nurturing and caregiving role. Whenever my brother got sick, I took care of him just as my mother would. When my mother was sick, I cooked and cleaned knowing it would help ease the load. When my father suffered an accident and could not walk for weeks, I tended to his needs and assisted my mother in nursing him back to health.
Thus, early on, I learned the inexplicable rewarding satisfaction that came from taking care of others while putting my own needs aside. Although I did not know it at the time, it set the cornerstone for who I would become for the rest of my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your consideration of my application.
