Nursing personal statement

Nursing personal statement example

I have always been passionate about working in health and social care and chose to study this field at undergraduate level. I particularly enjoyed modules in 'Global Issues Within Social Care' and 'Working with Adults' and was delighted to take up a position after graduating in a social care role within my local council. This exposed me to working in a community-based adult residential care setting, where I saw how adopting a person-centred approach made a genuine difference to the experiences of our residents, empowering them to make care-related decisions and with an emphasis on compassionate care. I began to realise that my skills in communication, teamworking and problem solving, alongside my values of empowering vulnerable people to make choices, would make me an excellent candidate to train as an adult nurse.

To continue to build relevant experience, alongside my social care role, I volunteered in my local hospital where I worked on several wards including A&E, the maternity ward and within the diabetes clinic. I used this opportunity to further develop my skills in patient care, empathy and communication and have received positive feedback from the ward sister praising my communication, excellent time management and my high levels of motivation. Patient feedback was similarly positive, noting my calm demeanour and cheerful manner. Volunteering gave me the opportunity to speak with nurses from a variety of clinical areas about their roles and to explore the many routes a career in nursing presents for professional development and growth. The most important thing I learned from this valuable experience was the profound impact nurses make on individuals' lives and it was this knowledge that firmly cemented my ambition to pursue a career in nursing.

Nursing as a profession demands many core skills, including displaying a professional attitude at times of high pressure, excellent attention to detail, communicating clearly and with confidence, teamworking and being able to work independently. I first developed my professional behaviour while working as part of the waiting team in a busy restaurant where I prioritised excellent customer service. I continued to improve my leadership skills by captaining my high school hockey team and the second XI team at university. My university course demanded a clear focus on detail, and I believe the research I conducted for my dissertation on 'Demystifying drug abuse' is a clear and relevant example. Working in the residential home has always been rewarding  but has, at times, had  challenging moments when my skills in keeping calm and defusing tension through clear and open communication have been valuable. I believe these professional skills would enable me to be a calm and patient nurse, able to handle the difficult situations and conflicting demands inherent in the role.

I have chosen to apply for the MSc Nursing at X University due to the focus on person-centred care and the holistic approach on caring for both the patient and their wider family. I appreciate the combination of theoretical and placement-based modules within your partner NHS Foundation and am eager to learn from both the academic team at the university and from the staff who work within the NHS. I am particularly interested in studying the core module 'Improving Safety and Quality of Care', which would give me a greater understanding of person-centred care in practise. Experiencing a variety of practical placements also greatly appeals, and while I have developed some ward-based experience through volunteering, I look forward to discovering nursing in a range of different settings to better inform me of potential career options.

My academic skills, as demonstrated by my 2:1 degree in social care from the University of Y, alongside my strong A-level performance are a clear indicator of my ability to cope with the intellectual challenge of studying at Masters level. I enjoy both research and writing academically and my grounding in biology and chemistry from A-level studies will be of great benefit. I have always been a proactive student, volunteering to be a class representative in my undergraduate studies and taking an active role in both the hockey team and the student film society. I intend to become a proactive member of the student body if I’m  offered a place on this programme and would be interested in becoming a class rep, something I see from your website that the university values greatly.

The MSc Nursing from X University represents an exciting step towards my professional goal of nursing and I believe my practical and academic skills combined with my passion for delivering excellent patient care make me an outstanding candidate for your consideration.