I feel I am the right candidate to be a professional nurse because I am a caring, compassionate person who likes to be around all types of people.  I have always been a ‘nurturer’ ever since I rescued a stray dog at the age of nine.  I nursed him and brought him back to health.  I also am a very strong person, physically and mentally, and am able to put up boundaries with people so that I don’t get emotionally overwhelmed.

I treat all my patients with respect and dignity, and feel I correspond with all the Nursing Core Values, making the patient a priority, allowing his or he r needs and those of their families guide my care.  I am dedicated to serving each patient, honoring their diverse needs, and am committed to excellence in my field.  I realize that each patient and each family is unique and that my care for them must be compassionate and also appropriate to their culture/ethnicity/age. 

Integrity is another core value that I practice, and my patients benefit from the fact that I always am honest and above-board with them and their families concerning their care, prognoses, and medical procedures, while being careful not to step on the toes of other medical personnel.  I feel I am ethical, and that my actions reveal my commitment to truth telling.  I am open with them, communicating with humility. I take care not to be inappropriate with any patient, and yet stay sensitive to their needs.

In the current nursing climate, paying attention to diversity is paramount.  I understand differences along the lines of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.  Although everyone is beset with some personal bias, I do my best to be tolerant of differences on my job and to understand and stop myself if I find myself acting out of personal biases.  Even more important than diversity is inclusivity, and celebrating the differences among cultures.  I try to understand each patient relative to their unique backgrounds and celebrate them, giving beneficial, positive reinforcement when necessary, especially when a patient is severely ill or injured and feeling hopeless.

Another important core value is caring, and I feel I exemplify this value as I try to always promote health, healing, and hope in my patients.  I always try to understand their needs and commit to act in their best interests.  This is not always easy, but I do keep this core value uppermost in my mind, even through very long work days/nights and a variety of stressors.  I feel I have learned over the years how to mitigate my own personal needs to the needs of the patients, making them my first priority. 

One more core value is excellence, and I feel I display this in my profession.  I always try to outperform in any classes I am taking, and take the knowledge I have gained into the hospital to carry out my work most efficiently and professionally.  If I need to learn new technologies, I take required courses online and implement these technologies in my nursing practice.  I always try to exhibit a warm and caring attitude to each patient, and do not gossip or socialize with other staff members while on my shift.

In short, I feel that I embody all the core values of the nursing profession in my own practice, and will continue to do so throughout my nursing career.