Porifolio Paper #1 Entrance Essay

Entrance Essay
By: Brittany Plate
Why do you think you would be a good candidate for the NIU nursing program?
All my life I have always been interested in helping people. Its one of those things that comes naturally to me. When I was in elementary school and the teachers would always ask you to draw a picture of what you want to be, every year I would draw the same thing: a doctor. I love helping people. Even if it would come to animals I always wanted to be there to help. I remember growing up as a child and having this doctor kit that I would use on my toy baby dolls. Every time I would see an ambulance, I would beg my mom to follow it so I could see what happened. Being a doctor was something that I wanted to do and I was going to do everything I could to be one.
When I was in high school we had the choice of choosing between Chemistry, Physics or Anatomy. Anatomy was a two year class, so I decided to take it my junior and senior year. I loved it. I enjoyed learning everything that was taught in that class, even when it got hard. As the weeks got longer in the first year, I was noticing that fewer and fewer kids were showing up for class. I knew this class was hard and had a lot of memorization, but I couldn’t understand how you could just drop out. Anatomy was something fascinating and everyone should know it. It was about your body and how it worked, how could you not find this interesting? Although there were a few parts where I would struggle, I never gave up. I loved the part in Anatomy where I could do it hands on. The best part was when we could dissect different animals. It was all on paper and in the book. Most of the other things in Anatomy I could see the visual and do it myself. Using my hands helps me understanding.
I remember talking to my teacher, and she told me that it would be a good idea for me to take the CNA course at the college for the summer. It was an eight week course and by the time it was done I could start working in either a hospital or a nursing home. That was the best advice she could have ever given me. I loved taking the class, it was so interesting and it really made it come real of what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life. Clinical was so fun, following around real doctors and watching how they handled emergencies, was probably the best part of the class. I am now CNA certified, and I started working in a nursing home in the fall of 2006. Coming to work every day, to be able to help people and take care of them put a smile on my face. Not very many people can come to work and say that they really enjoy doing what they do, but I can.
As I was coming up on my senior year I was beyond the credits that I needed to graduate. The only classes that I needed were Basic English, Global Issues, and History. I still had my second year of Anatomy and also decided to take a Child Care Practum class. This involved me going to a daycare everyday for about three hours and helping with the kids. It was amazing! The kids made my day, watching them grow and learn. Each kid was different in so many ways. For part of this class I had to come up with activities to do to help them learn. Although it might sound easy, there were a lot of things that came in the way. I had to learn what they liked, how long they could stay focused, which ones could cut paper and which ones couldn’t. At the end of my semester, I had to do a test on each child, testing them on what they know and how much they had improved. There was also a nurse that came in to help me measure them and check for how healthy they were. I learned a lot from seeing her coming in and how she handled different circumstances. Working at the daycare is where I decided that I wanted to be some kind of nurse that dealt with kids. Kids always make me put a smile on my face.
I could be a good candidate to considering accepting to the NIU nursing program because I enjoy working with all different age groups. I’m very outgoing and always try the best I can in whatever I do. I have done everything I could to be where I stand now. Every change that has came my way to help increase my nursing ability I have taken. This is something that I have been dreaming about since I was a little kid. I’m going to Waubonsee right now taking my basic nursing classes. By the fall of next year I will have completed all my general classes and will be ready to start the program. I have never failed or had to drop a class throughout my college year. I take college very seriously and I’m very responsible. You won’t be disappointed in accepting me to attend the NIU nursing program.