Admission Essay for Master’s program in Nursing at Stony Brook

Master’s program in Nursing at Stony Brook

Discuss the personal qualities and attributes that you think will be useful as well as those that you feel need further development in preparation for the nursing profession. Provide your own definition of cultural competence, ethical sensitivity, leaders

As a new nurse entering the workforce at any level, an individual needs to identify and encourage specific nursing qualities that can prepare one to enter the nursing profession and become a great leader. A nurse leader is an agent who has followers in the healthcare team and oversees the integration of patient care, incorporating the development of treatment plans, collecting and evaluating treatment outcomes, and management of patients' medical teams (Heinen et al., 2019). Besides, the nursing profession requires nurses to become culturally competent, ethically sensitive, have leadership skills, and the aptitude for long-life learning. Cultural competence is the ability of a nurse to comprehend and communicate effectively and efficiently with individuals from other cultural background. Ethical sensitivity refers to a nurse's ability to decide with intelligence and compassion, especially in uncertainty care instances with the additional capacity to predict outcomes and courageously act.  

As a nursing student at Stony Brook School of Nursing, it is vital to encourage the qualities that align with the school’s mission of preparing nurse leaders at all entries of practice to advance the health of people of New York, the wider geographic regions, and the global community with a focus the underserved populations. The school ensures accomplishing this mission through innovative, high quality and accessible educational programs, clinical practice, research, and public service. In this paper, the objective is to discuss these qualities and attributes that can help me in Stony Brook School of Nursing in preparation for the nursing profession well as those that need further development.

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Qualities and Attributes

Caring

Caring is one of the leading qualities I believe can help me to advance my studies in the nursing profession. Throughout my working experience, I have been caring for patients in various hospitals I have worked, such as Hudson Valley Healthcare System, where I am currently based. I have shown a natural tendency to truly care about how my patients feel and which I believe will have a meaningful impact on my nursing field's success.

Communication skills

I believe that I possess great communication skills as I have been communicating with other nurses, physicians, disciplines across other units, patients, and their families. For instance, when working at Memorial, Hospital, sleepy hallow, I used my strong communication skills to develop an individualized interdisciplinary plan of care in collaboration with the resident, family, and health care team registered nurse to promote continuity of care. Through effective communication, it is easier to interpret and convey communication correctly and avoid medical errors as well as neglecting patients (Cornell, 2020). Therefore, by prioritizing and practicing communication skills, nurses will provide safer care and benefit their patients, their units, and the entire healthcare system as well as their long-term careers.

Empathy

As a nurse, I have been caring for thousands of patients throughout my career, and on all these occasions, I have been showing empathy to each of my patients. For instance, working as a Registered nurse in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Montrose, NY, I delivered individualized age-appropriate nursing care to patients. By practicing empathy, I was able to treat my patients as people and focus on a person-centered care approach instead of strictly following routine guidelines. All my patients have had a positive patient experience through the empathetic care I have been providing.

Cultural Awareness

Cultural awareness is crucial to giving complete, patient-centered care. As a registered nurse, I have always considered different cultural beliefs and values, which has always influenced my patient’s view of health, wellness, care, acceptance, adherence to treatment, and sometimes death. Cultural awareness requires that a nurse understands, respects, and accommodates the patient’s preferences and needs regarding their individual beliefs, customs, and practices, which should be part of both the planning and delivery of nursing care (Cornell, 2020).

Attention to details

Even though I have been working under immense pressure to balance receiving physicians' orders while providing the highest quality patient care to multiple patients simultaneously, I have been keen on details to avoid medical errors that could have adverse impacts on the care delivered. Even in a busy care environment, a good nurse should be one that is attentive to details, making sure that instructions are followed to the latter, ensuring accurate medication dosages, and keeping accurate records (Cornell, 2020).

Areas That Require Development

Sense of Humor

Sense of humor is one area that is often ignored by many nurses, and I find myself in this category. My sense of humor is an area that I need to develop to derive satisfaction from a nursing career that can be mentally and physically exhausting. Finding time to laugh and have light moments with patients and colleagues can help nurses succeed in their roles. Nurses often encounter varying degrees of high-stress circumstances and taking the opportunity to enjoy the downtime and include a lighthearted attitude can offer a sense of relief (Heinen et al., 2019). Again, possessing a good sense of humor can also help spread positivity to colleagues, including patients and their families.

Leadership

I have been approaching the nursing career with patient care in mind. However, I have realized that I need to develop a leadership attribute to transit into leadership roles in the future.  Therefore, through life-long learning, that is, the ongoing voluntary and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for professional progression, I will gain meaningful leadership skills to take up any leadership role that may arise along with my career (Heinen et al., 2019). In my previous roles, I have been exercising leadership roles and get mentorships from nursing leaders, which may help me become a great nurse leader in the future.

Time management

Managing time has been an issue in my nursing practice. I have found on many occasions that balancing multiple patients, stressful care settings, and competing priorities has not been easy for the 12-hour shift. I have been unable to set time aside for self-care, which is an essential time management component. Learning how to manage time would be an additional quality that will help me as a prepare for my nursing profession.

Overall, a nursing career is demanding and requires that nurses have good qualities and attributes that can propel them to become successful. The qualities and attributes are important in the nursing career because they ensure that nurses provide patient-centered care and avoid errors that could be detrimental to patients and the entire healthcare system. Some of the most important qualities and attributes I have include cultural sensitivity, communication skills, and attention to detail. However, time management, leadership, and a sense of humor are some of the areas that need development to prepare for my nursing profession.

References

Cornell, A. (2020). 13 Qualities & Characteristics of a Good Nurse | Relias. Relias. Retrieved 23 January 2021, from https://www.relias.com/blog/13-qualities-and-characteristics-of-a-good-nurse.

Heinen, M., van Oostveen, C., Peters, J., Vermeulen, H., & Huis, A. (2019). An integrative review of leadership competencies and attributes in advanced nursing practice. Journal of advanced nursing, 75(11), 2378-2392.