My Further Career Goals: Nurse and Science Tutor

As a girl born and raised in Nepal, I had never imagined that today I would be in the United States pursuing my dream of becoming a Registered nurse (RN). I am the eldest daughter of the family who has financial responsibilities towards my family in Nepal besides the studies. My journey in LaGuardia began in 2016 Fall with the ESL classes because English is my second language. With the fact known that the path I have chosen to be an RN is not going to be easy, I chose to follow it anyway because I was dedicated and passionate to achieve my goals despite all the difficulties. Since the time I joined this school, I have applied for the foundation scholarship and the awards have helped me cover my education expenses, for example buying course-related software, books, and MetroCard. As a result, I have been able to focus 100% on my studies rather than worrying about the expenses. This is my final graduating semester, and I am hoping for the continuous support from the foundation again.

To start the essay, currently, my short-term goal is to pass the final semester with a good GPA. I have planned to continue my bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) at SUNY University at Buffalo right after I graduate from LaGuardia. I aspire to be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) in the next five years. CRNAs are the advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with a doctorate who works in collaboration with the doctors to safely administer anesthesia and monitor patients throughout their surgeries. I plan to achieve this career goal through my role as an ICU nurse because it will give me hands-on experience in the surgical aspect of patient care which will help me built my foundation in clinical knowledge and expand my leadership skills that are necessary to a CRNA.

My vision as a nurse is that I will see each patient as an individual and provide them individualized care. I want to be a nurse who is open-minded and compassionate in providing quality care to the patient so that they can trust me as their care-provider. I acknowledge that nursing is a very challenging and noble profession, and I want to pursue it as my career because I believe it is a field that will provide me with many opportunities to help people and make difference in their lives every day.

Before enrolling in the nursing program at LaGuardia Community College, I pursued the license of a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and worked as a Nurse Aide in Dry Harbor Nursing home for four months. This position directly provided me with the opportunity to experience different aspects of the healthcare system. I was amazed to learn that nursing is indeed more than just looking at a sick person. Most people think that a hospital is a place where only the sick are treated. Despite the disease is treated, many patients suffer mentally which could affect their mental health. To prevent, nurses not only treat the disease, but they focus on healing the whole person by providing holistic care. Holistic care involves taking care of a patient’s mind, body and soul. It requires acknowledging the effects of illnesses or diseases on the person’s emotions, religion, family, relationship, and society. Consideration of all these aspects of a patient during the development of the nursing care plan is critically important in today’s society.

Currently, I tutor Math and Science ten hours a week at the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) in college. Being a tutor is a valuable experience I have ever gained as a student. Assisting different students with different learning styles helped me acknowledge and enhance my interpersonal, communication and listening abilities. Since nurses play a dynamic role in healthcare, one of their primary roles is to be an educator. With my experience as a tutor, I believe it will help me later in my nursing career in teaching patients according to their needs and desires.

After joining LaGuardia in 2016 Fall, I have been consistently successful in achieving my goals such as entering the nursing program and making through the final graduating semester. As a student, I learned many informational lessons from my mentors and faculty teacher who are amazing and most talented. This wouldn’t have been the same case if I had divided my attention towards covering my expenses and study at the same time. My heartfelt thanks to the LaGuardia Foundation Scholarship for continuously supporting a student like me who is committed to turning the dreams into reality. I am sincerely hoping for continuous support for the Fall 2019 semester as well. 

Works Cited

1. National League for Nursing. (2010). Scope and Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses. Washington, DC: Author.
2. American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. (2017). Practice Guidelines for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Park Ridge, IL: Author.
3. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice. Washington, DC: Author.
4. American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.
5. Cohen, M. Z., & Cesta, T. G. (Eds.). (2018). Nursing Case Management: From Essentials to Advanced Practice Applications. Springer Publishing Company.
6. Creasia, J. L., & Friberg, E. E. (2015). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice (6th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.
7. Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P., & Hall, A. (2016). Fundamentals of Nursing (9th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.
8. St. John, W., & Chester, P. (2015). Health Policy and Advanced Practice Nursing: Impact and Implications. Springer Publishing Company.
9. Davis, M. A. (2017). Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
10. American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.