Sample Nursing Personal Statement
Through having regularly kept abreast of the professional challenges of the nursing profession by discussing it as a potential career choice with practicing nurses, regularly reading Nursing Times and closely following developments in the NHS I am highly aware of the fact that nurses require much more than a deep-rooted aspiration to care for people if they are to carry out their duties competently and professionally. Nevertheless, being driven by a desire to help others who are suffering is certainly an essential pre-requisite, and it is something that is perhaps my defining quality.
Acting on this instinct I have been involved in voluntary work based around helping people for a number of years now. My first taste of caring for others outside the environment of my friends and family came through completing a work experience placement at a nursery, where I was a play assistant. I enjoyed the responsibility of tending to children who were upset or picked up the knocks that all toddlers experience as a result of their developing motor skills as much as I did the task of playing with the children. Moreover, through the placement I discovered I have a natural aptitude for communicating and empathising with children. I have also carried out voluntary work with children with learning difficulties at my school centre. This much more challenging position helped me to think about the importance of qualities such as patience and listening when working with people with disabilities, as well as the ability to calm conflicts between children. This voluntary work helped to prepare me for the challenges of working as a prefect during my final year of secondary school.
The scientific and academic side of nursing is as engaging to me as the caregiving duties of the profession. I particularly enjoyed my double-award A Level in Health and Social Care as I particularly enjoy the applied dimensions of the health sciences. Indeed, one of the aspects of studying nursing that appeals to me in particular is the balance between theoretical learning and its practical application in a healthcare setting that it provides. I have sought to further my scientific body of knowledge through taking a university-level course through the Monmouth Science Initiative and through the A Level in Psychology that I am currently taking.
I was instinctively eager to join the working world as soon as I was old enough to do so, and as a result I have accrued a wide range of professional experiences. I started out by working part-time as a customer assistant at a branch of WHSmith. I enjoyed taking on extra responsibilities throughout my time with the company, for example training new staff and handling takings. I gained an experience of working in a high-pressure environment through working in the call centre of a large brewing company, where I was required to resolve queries in a professional and accurate manner within a short timeframe. I now balance my current study commitments with working as an administrator at a law firm, and through this position I have gained proficiency in completing complex paperwork. As a release from these responsibilities I enjoy reading and socialising with my friends.
I wholeheartedly embrace the philosophy that underpins the NHS and I would feel honoured to be able to care for people through working within it. From what I have learnt about the NHS it is an organisation that welcomes individuals who are eager to progress to positions of greater responsibility and acquire extra skills by taking on extra duties, spurred on by their personal drive and commitment. The nature of nursing also demands a person who loves to work with a diverse range of people, act professionally when working under pressure and continue to learn on the job as they do so. I feel that I would thrive in this environment and I would hope one day to one day reach the consultant nurse level and develop specialties in a range of care fields.
We hope this Nursing personal statement has been a useful example.