For me nursing is more than a career; it’s my passion. For as long as I can remember I have aspired to be a nurse. My mom is a nurse and she is my ultimate inspiration. I see how much she cares about people. I admire how much energy she puts into her patients. It reflects how well she treats others. When I was eight years old, my mom encouraged me to sign up for nursing classes at summer camp. At camp, I was given scrubs to wear. My mom told me that I lived in those scrubs for the whole summer. From a young age, I’ve had an affinity for nursing and it has only grown. Recently, my grandmother was hospitalized for stress-induced cardiomyopathy. When I found out the news, I wasn’t allowed to visit my grandmother because she was in the ICU. I felt vulnerable. I was on edge every day until my grandmother got out of the ICU. When I was able to see my grandmother, I saw how her nurses were taking care of her. Little did they know, they were taking care of me too. I want to be for someone who someone was for me. That’s why the nursing industry interests me. I want to advocate for my patient’s health and serve them with compassion and empathy. The nursing industry has countless ways you can serve others. There are opportunities to work with children, adults, or elderly people. There are multiple fields to specialize in. But, no matter where you go you’re taking care of someone’s family. I want to make a difference in my patient’s life and their family’s life. I am currently a sophomore nursing major at the University of Southern Mississippi. I just received news that I was accepted into the nursing program! I have a couple of goals in order to be successful in my nursing journey. Currently, my GPA sits at a 4.0. I want to maintain that GPA or keep my GPA at a 3.5 or higher. I aim to get a nursing externship to gain more experience in the nursing field. While keeping up my academic status, I want to prioritize my mental health. You can’t serve others if you don’t serve yourself. To reach my goal, I started my involvement with a vocational Health Sciences program at Hinds Community College. In the first year of the program, I earned a Practical Nursing college credit. In the second year of the program, I competed in the Nursing Assisting category with Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). In the regional competition, I was awarded 1st place. In the state competition, I was awarded 4th place. I studied, practiced, and performed nursing skills in order to receive these awards. I currently serve as a hospice volunteer at Heart of Hospice. One of my main responsibilities is sitting with patients. Occasionally, I help change the patient’s bedding. Volunteering with Heart of Hospice has been a rewarding experience. I have been able to provide holistic care to the patients and their family members. This has given me a glimpse into what nursing will be like. Finally, my mom’s example, my grandmother’s hospitalization, and my experience in healthcare have motivated me to pursue a career in the nursing field. Nursing requires resilience and I believe that I can fulfill that requirement. Not only will I fulfill that requirement, I will fulfill it compassionately, intelligently, and wholeheartedly. Maybe one day my daughter will see me as an inspiration and strive to become a nurse.

For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of being a nurse. When I was eight years old my friends and I wanted to participate in a camp called College 4 Kids. Some of the classes we could take were Cake Decorating, Spa-La-La, and Hair, Nails, and More. We were all trying to settle on one class to take together at camp. Spa-La-La seemed like a strong contender. However, the Nursing class stuck out to me but was looked over by everyone else. When I suggested the class to my friends none of them were excited about it. I had to make a tough decision for an eight-year-old: nursing or Spa-La-La. My friends were pretty bummed when they didn’t see me in Spa-La-La at camp. But, I was thrilled to be sitting in the Nursing class learning about CPR and how to use PPE. On the last day of Nursing class, they gave each student a set of scrubs to take home with them. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. However, I recently discovered the extent of my passion for nursing. A month ago my grandmother was hospitalized for stress-induced cardiomyopathy. My mom and stepdad went to see my grandmother, but my mom suggested that I stay home. There wasn’t much I could do since my grandmother was in the ICU and I wouldn’t be allowed to visit her. The best thing I could do was wait. The week of waiting was miserable. I felt helpless. I’m protective over the people that I love, and I was anxious about the type of care my grandmother was receiving. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I never got to play cards with my grandmother again or laugh with her again. These thoughts swarmed through my head for a week until I received news that she was out of the ICU and I was able to go see her. I stayed with her and my grandfather for a whole week. I was relieved when I realized that there were nurses watching over her and making sure that she was being taken care of. Once she was discharged and back at home I reflected on the entire experience. The general consensus for why someone wants to be a nurse is that they want to help people. For me, it’s more than that. Being a nurse means being an advocate, not just for the patient but for the patient’s family. Being a patient's loved one feels powerless and scary. But when there is a nurse who is advocating for your loved one and making sure they are being taken care of, the anxiety that you are feeling dissipates. I want to advocate for my patient's health and serve them to the best of my abilities. I want to provide quality care filled with compassion and empathy. I don’t know what it’s like being a patient, but I know what it’s like being their loved one. I know that by advocating for the patient's rights and providing the best care I am indirectly advocating for that patient's loved one. I want to be for someone that someone was for me. I don’t just want to help people, I want to serve them. I want to serve selflessly and wholeheartedly. I want to build trust with my patients and their families and create a safe environment for them. I want to be a nurse. I can thank my eight-year-old self for choosing Nursing over Spa-La-La.

For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of being a nurse. When I was eight years old my friends, I wanted to participate in a camp called College 4 Kids. Some of the classes we could take were Cake Decorating, Spa-La-La, and Hair, Nails, and More. We were all trying to settle on one class to take together at camp. Spa-La-La seemed like a strong contender. However, the Nursing class stuck out to me and was looked over by everyone else. When I suggested the class to my friends none of them were excited about it. I had to make a tough decision for an eight-year-old: nursing or Spa-La-La. My friends were pretty bummed when they didn’t see me in Spa-La-La at camp. But, I was thrilled to be sitting in the Nursing class learning about CPR and how to use PPE. On the last day of Nursing class, they gave each student a set of scrubs to take home with them. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. However, I recently discovered the extent of my passion for nursing. A month ago my grandmother was hospitalized for stress-induced cardiomyopathy. My mom and stepdad went to see my grandmother, but my mom suggested that I stay home. There wasn’t much I could do since my grandmother was in the ICU and I wouldn’t be allowed to visit her. The best thing I could do is wait. The week of waiting was miserable. I felt helpless. I’m protective over the people that I love, and I was anxious about the type of care my grandmother was receiving. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I never got to play cards with my grandmother again or laugh with her again. These thoughts swarmed through my head for a week until I received news that she was out of the ICU and I was able to go see her. I stayed with her and my grandfather for a whole week. I was relieved when I realized that some nurses and therapists were watching over her and making sure that she was being taken care of. Once she was discharged and back at home I reflected on the entire experience. The general consensus for why someone wants to be a nurse is that they want to help people. For me, it’s more than that. Being a nurse means being an advocate, not just for the patient but for the patient’s family. Being a patient's loved one feels powerless and scary. But when there is a nurse who is advocating for your loved one and making sure they are being taken care of, the anxiety that you are feeling dissipates. I want to advocate for my patient's health and serve them to the best of my abilities. I want to provide quality care filled with compassion and empathy. I don’t know what it’s like being a patient, but I know what it’s like being their loved one. I know that by advocating for the patient's rights and providing the best care I am indirectly advocating for that patient's loved one. I want to be for someone that someone was for me. I don’t just want to help people, I want to serve them. I want to serve selflessly and wholeheartedly. I want to build trust with my patients and their families and create a safe environment for them. I want to be a nurse. I can thank my eight-year-old self for choosing Nursing over Spa-La-La.

I feel like you must know a person’s name to know who they truly are. My name is Camryn Walker. A career in nursing is nothing new to me. My mom is a nurse and my sister is currently in nursing school. When I announced my decision to pursue a career in nursing, no one was surprised. They assumed because my mom and sister were both in those fields that I would be too. They weren’t wrong of course. But they were not responsible for my decision. Ever since I was younger I’ve had a passion for nursing. During the summer, my mom would sign me and my sister up for summer programs. There was a program called College 4 Kids that contained different majors that you could take classes on. The popular classes were Hair and Nails, Cake Decorating, and Painting. However, I would always choose Nursing 10. They taught us different skills and sent us home with nursing supplies that we could practice on. I would set up a free clinic with my stuffed animals and use the skills that I learned in class on my stuffed animals. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to learn more about nursing and use my skills to help people. I plan to pursue a career in the anesthesia field of nursing. I feel like nurse anesthetists are overlooked. Many people view them as assistants to anesthesiologists but they play a significant role in improving patient care. They deliver anesthesia to patients using a variety of techniques. CRNAs provide their patients with comfort and are responsible for advocating for their patients so that they receive the best care possible. I want to make sure my patient is comfortable throughout their surgeries and help them during their recovery process. It’s hard being sick but no one talks about how hard it can be to recover from being sick. I want to provide comfort to my patient in any way that I can. I have taken action to prepare myself for the field of nursing. In high school, I registered for a two-year vocational program in health science. In the first year, I learned medical terminology, proper handwashing, and how to don and doff sterile gloves. At the beginning of the second year, I became CPR certified. I learned how to wrap a wound, take vital signs, and practice injections. I also competed in HOSA which is a competition where students are tested on their knowledge and skills in a certain category. I competed in the nursing assisting category. To prepare for the competition I had to practice skills such as donning and doffing PPE, transporting a patient from a bed to a wheelchair, and making a closed bed. Throughout the entire program, I was tested on anatomy and the signs and symptoms of diseases. I ended the program doing a couple of rounds of clinicals at a local hospital where I had the opportunity to gain a little ICU experience. Overall this program truly prepared me for my journey to becoming a nurse and made me eager for what is to come. Pursuing a career in nursing is a long and challenging voyage. But that voyage is worth all the while. I know that in the future I will look back at my younger self and see how proud she is of who I have become. From caring for stuffed animals to caring for patients, my passion for nursing has grown immensely. I can be confident that it will continue to grow as I continue my voyage.