Career Goals

Though initially I was unsure of what field of nursing I wanted to work in when I first decided that I wanted to become a nurse; there has been one distinct experience that has had a major impact on directing the focus of my career. In the summer of 2006, I traveled to the Dominican Republic for five weeks through a volunteer program with a group of about 30 other college students. While there, we worked mostly with Haitians who had relocated to the Dominican Republic because they were no longer able to support themselves or their families in Haiti. We helped with the construction of houses, poured cement floors, participated in milk ministries and played with the children as the vast majority of them did not attend school. While there I had the opportunity of visiting a public hospital and also a clinic run by the doctor we were staying with. It opened my eyes to the vast inequalities of the standards of care between one of the Western hemispheres poorest nations and our own. Since this experience I have been dedicated to working with greatly underserved populations- whether this be internationally, or with the underserved populations in this country. As a person I highly value everyone's right to healthcare and as a nurse I will be able to work towards implementing this belief. With that being said, here is a list of my career goals:


1. To become a well-educated and dedicated professional nurse.
2. To pass the NCLEX exam and become a registered nurse.
3. To be a lifelong learner: learning from fellow co-workers and my clients, staying educated with the current nursing research and implementing evidence-based practice.
4. To be a teacher: teaching clients about their health and self-help, and also helping new students or coworkers.
5. To enhance my clients' physical and mental health as much as possible.
6. To feel as though I have made a difference in my clients' lives by helping improve their health.
7. To strive to work with underserved populations: for expamle working internationally, with the poor, or in a jail.