I had a really good time in nursing school in general; but nothing else excited me as much as my course in women’s health. This is why I have my sights set on becoming a distinguished WHNP and I hope to perform all of my clinical work in this area. I have complete confidence in the distinguished faculty of the University of XXXX to guide me in the design of a study plan that is geared towards making me the finest WHNP possible. My labor and delivery rotation was the high point of my life so far, coaching my patient, working with her on her breathing. Words cannot describe how I felt when her first baby made his appearance. The exhilaration was total and I was hooked on women’s health. I want to give my life to this area of nursing and I feel strongly that the sheer joy that I feel in doing so is my greatest asset, my motivation.
A Filipina woman, 29 years old, I was born and raised in California. Since I am obviously Asian, and a minority, this helps me relate well to members of all minority groups and I take great pride in my ethnicity. Some Filipinos in America are much more comfortable speaking Tagalog rather than English and I look forward to being on call for many decades for anyone in need of health care in this language, which, along with English, is also my mother tongue. I see my ethnic background as an asset that will help be to be as effective as possible in the service of un-insured women in underserved communities. My long term dream is to give my all to providing free health awareness education, health screenings, and primary care, especially for pregnant women.
As a RN intern, I shadowed and assisted a home health nurse at XXXX County Health Services, a local women’s health family clinic. We made follow up visits to women discharged from the hospital after having given birth to their bundle of joy. I educated women on breastfeeding techniques, how to care for their newborn, coping techniques, and assessed for postpartum depression. When I had the pleasure of volunteering at a local WIC office in an underserved community, I educated women on nutrition and diet during pregnancy. I was surprised by how very much these women appreciated our efforts, which made me want to do still more, everything that I could. In my current role as a Nurse Case Manager, it is common that I encounter patients without medical insurance and very minimal income. As a discharge planner it is my responsibility that patients have good follow up with a primary care physician. When the woman is un-insured, this is most difficult, however, and many eventually get readmitted to the hospital because they failed to have adequate follow-up attention. A close cousin of mine was laid off by her employer and lost her medical benefits while 3 months pregnant. I provided her with resources for local community health clinics and they told her that she first have to take a pregnancy test and then get on a waiting list and that it would be a long time before a healthcare provider would be able to examine her and her baby. While in her case we were able to get her insurance re-instated, this experience left me wanting to help un-insured pregnant women in need of routine examinations for themselves and their baby without waiting weeks if not months.
My passion for women’s health progressed further as a result of my own pregnancy and childbirth, helping me to better appreciate the anatomy and physiology of a woman and the way that new life comes to fruition. As a result of my prenatal visits at the clinic and my delivery at the hospital, I established a close bond with my healthcare providers which very much reinforced my desire to specialize in women’s and reproductive health. With one of my best friends fighting for her life against breast cancer, I am very fired up about breast and cervical cancer awareness and education and. I want to be an advocate for un-insured women with cancer. I thank you for considering my application to your distinguished program at the U of XXXX.
