narrative essay about nursing

5 Nursing Narrative Note Examples + How to Write

One of the most important lessons nursing students learn is the importance of documentation. Whether you are a nursing student or a seasoned nurse, knowing how to create accurate nurses' notes is vital. Narrative nurses' notes are one of the most popular forms of nursing documentation. Perhaps you are wondering how to write a nursing narrative note? In this article, I will share 5 nursing narrative note examples + how to write them and discuss the importance of accurate charting.

What Is A Nursing Narrative Note?

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How to Write a Nursing Essay with a Quick Guide

Ever felt the blank-page panic when assigned a nursing essay? Wondering where to start or if your words will measure up to the weight of your experiences? Fear not, because today, we're here to guide you through this process.

Imagine you're at your favorite coffee spot, armed with a cup of motivation (and maybe a sneaky treat). Got it? Great! Now, let's spill the secrets on how to spin your nursing tales into words that not only get you that A+ but also tug at the heartstrings of anyone reading. We've got your back with nursing essay examples that'll be your inspiration, an outline to keep you on the right path, and more!

What Is a Nursing Essay

Let's start by dissecting the concept. A nursing essay serves as a focused exploration of a specific aspect of nursing, providing an opportunity for students to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge and its practical application in patient care settings.

Picture it as a journey through the challenges and victories of a budding nurse. These essays go beyond the classroom, tackling everything from tricky ethical dilemmas to the impact of healthcare policies on the front lines. It's not just about grades; it's about proving, 'I'm ready for the real deal.'

So, when you read or write a nursing essay, it's not just words on paper. It's like looking into the world of someone who's about to start their nursing career – someone who's really thought about the ins and outs of being a nurse. And before you kick off your nursing career, don't shy away from asking - write my essay for me - we're ready to land a professional helping hand.

How to Start a Nursing Essay

When you start writing a nursing essay, it is like gearing up for a crucial mission. Here's your quick guide from our nursing essay writing service :

Choosing Your Topic: Select a topic that sparks your interest and relates to real-world nursing challenges. Consider areas like patient care, ethical dilemmas, or the impact of technology on healthcare.

Outline Your Route : Plan your essay's journey. Create a roadmap with key points you want to cover. This keeps you on track and your essay on point.

Craft a Strong Thesis: Assuming you already know how to write a hook , kick off your writing with a surprising fact, a thought-provoking quote, or a brief anecdote. Then, state your main argument or perspective in one sentence. This thesis will serve as the compass for your essay, guiding both you and your reader through the rest of your writing.

How to Structure a Nursing Essay

Every great essay is like a well-orchestrated performance – it needs a script, a narrative that flows seamlessly, capturing the audience's attention from start to finish. In our case, this script takes the form of a well-organized structure. Let's delve into the elements that teach you how to write a nursing essay, from a mere collection of words to a compelling journey of insights.

Nursing Essay Introduction

Begin your nursing essay with a spark. Knowing how to write essay introduction effectively means sharing a real-life scenario or a striking fact related to your topic. For instance, if exploring patient care, narrate a personal experience that made a lasting impression. Then, crisply state your thesis – a clear roadmap indicating the direction your essay will take. Think of it as a teaser that leaves the reader eager to explore the insights you're about to unfold.

In the main body, dive into the heart of your essay. Each paragraph should explore a specific aspect of your topic. Back your thoughts with examples – maybe a scenario from your clinical experience, a relevant case study, or findings from credible sources. Imagine it as a puzzle coming together; each paragraph adds a piece, forming a complete picture. Keep it focused and let each idea flow naturally into the next.

Nursing Essay Conclusion

As writing a nursing essay nears the end, resist the urge to introduce new elements. Summarize your main points concisely. Remind the reader of the real-world significance of your thesis – why it matters in the broader context of nursing. Conclude with a thought-provoking statement or a call to reflection, leaving your reader with a lasting impression. It's like the final scene of a movie that leaves you thinking long after the credits roll.

Nursing Essay Outline

Before diving into the essay, craft a roadmap – your outline. This isn't a rigid skeleton but a flexible guide that ensures your ideas flow logically. Consider the following template from our research paper writing service :

Introduction

• Opening Hook: Share a brief, impactful patient care scenario.
• Relevance Statement: Explain why the chosen topic is crucial in nursing.
• Thesis: Clearly state the main argument or perspective.

Patient-Centered Care:

• Definition: Clarify what patient-centered care means in nursing.
• Personal Experience: Share a relevant encounter from clinical practice.
• Evidence: Integrate findings from reputable nursing literature.

Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing Practice

• Scenario Presentation: Describe a specific ethical challenge faced by nurses.
• Decision-Making Process: Outline steps taken to address the dilemma.
• Ethical Frameworks: Discuss any ethical theories guiding the decision.

Impact of Technology on Nursing

• Current Trends: Highlight technological advancements in nursing.
• Case Study: Share an example of technology enhancing patient care.
• Challenges and Benefits: Discuss the pros and cons of technology in nursing.
• Summary of Key Points: Recap the main ideas from each section.
• Real-world Implications: Emphasize the practical significance in nursing practice.
• Closing Thought: End with a reflective statement or call to action.

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Nursing Essay Examples

Here are the nursing Essay Examples for you to read.

Writing a Nursing Essay: Essential Tips

When it comes to crafting a stellar nursing essay, a few key strategies can elevate your work from ordinary to exceptional. Here are some valuable tips from our medical school personal statement writer :

Connect with Personal Experiences:

• Approach: Weave personal encounters seamlessly into your narrative.
• Reasoning: This not only adds authenticity to your essay but also serves as a powerful testament to your firsthand understanding of the challenges and triumphs in the nursing field.

Emphasize Critical Thinking:

• Approach: Go beyond describing situations; delve into their analysis.
• Reasoning: Nursing essays are the perfect platform to showcase your critical thinking skills – an essential attribute in making informed decisions in real-world healthcare scenarios.

Incorporate Patient Perspectives:

• Approach: Integrate patient stories or feedback into your discussion.
• Reasoning: By bringing in the human element, you demonstrate empathy and an understanding of the patient's experience, a core aspect of nursing care.

Integrate Evidence-Based Practice:

• Approach: Support your arguments with the latest evidence-based literature.
• Reasoning: Highlighting your commitment to staying informed and applying current research underscores your dedication to evidence-based practice – a cornerstone in modern nursing.

Address Ethical Considerations:

• Approach: Explicitly discuss the ethical dimensions of your topic.
• Reasoning: Nursing essays provide a platform to delve into the ethical complexities inherent in healthcare, showcasing your ability to navigate and analyze these challenges.

Balance Theory and Practice:

• Approach: Connect theoretical concepts to real-world applications.
• Reasoning: By bridging the gap between theory and practice, you illustrate your capacity to apply academic knowledge effectively in the dynamic realm of nursing.

Highlight Interdisciplinary Collaboration:

• Approach: Discuss collaborative efforts with other healthcare professionals.
• Reasoning: Acknowledging the interdisciplinary nature of healthcare underscores your understanding of the importance of teamwork – a vital aspect of successful nursing practice.

Reflect on Lessons Learned:

• Approach: Conclude with a thoughtful reflection on personal growth or lessons from your exploration.
• Reasoning: This not only provides a satisfying conclusion but also demonstrates your self-awareness and commitment to continuous improvement as a nursing professional.

As we wrap up, think of your essay as a story about your journey into nursing. It's not just about getting a grade; it's a way to share what you've been through and why you want to be a nurse.

Imagine the person reading it – maybe a teacher, a future coworker, or someone starting their nursing journey. They're trying to understand your passion and why you care about nursing.

So, when you write, remember it's more than just an assignment. It's your chance to show why nursing matters to you. And if you ever need help – there's always support from our essay writer online .

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Nurse — Why I Want to Be a Nurse Essay – Why Nursing

Why I Want to Be a Nurse

• Categories: Career Goals Dream Job Nurse Why I Want To Be A Nurse

About this sample

Words: 575 |

Updated: 21 November, 2023

Words: 575 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Hook Examples for Nursing Essay

• Hook: Imagine a profession where compassion is your daily tool, where your actions can save lives, and where the reward is more profound than any paycheck. Nursing is not just a job; it’s a calling, a passion that drives individuals to dedicate their lives to caring for others.
• Hook: Have you ever wondered what makes an extraordinary nurse? It’s more than just medical knowledge; it’s the ability to understand, comfort, and advocate for patients in their most vulnerable moments. Inspired by the exceptional nurses who cared for my family, I am driven to become one of these compassionate caregivers.
• Hook: Nursing is not just a career choice; it’s a way of life. The qualities required to be a nurse extend far beyond textbooks and training. It’s about empathy, kindness, and the unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of others.
• Hook: While some may see nursing as just a profession, I see it as a profound vocation. It’s a path that leads to healing, comfort, and hope. The journey to becoming a nurse is not easy, but the difference you make in the lives of patients is immeasurable.
• Hook: In the world of healthcare, nurses are the unsung heroes. They work tirelessly, often underappreciated, to provide care, comfort, and compassion to those in need. It’s a noble calling that requires dedication, resilience, and a heart full of empathy.

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How to Write a Nursing Reflective Essay as a BSN Nursing Student

• Author Jermaine Huey
• Published November 29, 2023

Welcome to NursingWriters.net, your go-to resource for expert information and guidance on writing nursing essays. In this article, we will provide you, as a BSN nursing student , with a comprehensive guide on how to write a compelling nursing reflective essay. Reflective essays are a personal reflection on your experiences in the nursing profession, and we are here to help you navigate this writing challenge.

As a busy nursing student, we understand that you may have limited time to spare. That’s where NursingWriters.net comes in, empowering you to excel in your BSN program by providing expert guidance on different writing and comprehension challenges you may face. Let’s dive into the world of nursing reflective essays and discover how you can effectively express your thoughts and insights.

Key Takeaways:

• Reflective essays allow nursing students to reflect on their experiences and personal growth in the profession.
• A nursing reflective essay is different from a personal statement, focusing on self-reflection rather than academic achievements.
• Key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay are the inciting incident, personal reflections, vivid details, and actions taken.
• The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide a clear thesis statement.
• The body paragraphs should delve into the writer’s reflections and emotions with specific examples and anecdotes.

What Is a Reflective Essay in Nursing?

A reflective essay in nursing is a powerful tool that allows nursing students to analyze their experiences, emotions, and actions related to their nursing practice. It provides an opportunity for self-reflection, critical thinking, and personal growth. Reflective writing can help nurses develop a deeper understanding of their own practice, improve patient care, and enhance their professional development.

Reflective essays in nursing differ from personal statements in that they focus on specific experiences and their impact on the writer’s growth and development. These essays require the writer to critically reflect on their actions, emotions, and thoughts, and identify ways to improve their practice. By examining their experiences and applying reflective frameworks, nursing students can gain valuable insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.

When writing a reflective essay in nursing , it is important to follow a structured approach. This includes describing the incident or experience, analyzing personal thoughts and feelings, exploring the actions taken, and reflecting on the outcomes and implications. By structuring the essay effectively, nursing students can communicate their reflections in a clear and organized manner.

Key Elements to Include in a Nursing Reflective Essay

When writing a nursing reflective essay, it is important to include key elements that will make your essay comprehensive and impactful. These elements will help you convey your thoughts and experiences clearly, allowing the reader to gain a deeper understanding of your reflections on nursing practice.

Inciting Incident or Event

The first key element to include in your nursing reflective essay is the inciting incident or event. This is the moment or experience that triggered your reflection and made a significant impact on your practice. It could be a challenging patient encounter, an ethical dilemma, or a personal realization. By describing this event in detail, you set the stage for your reflective journey.

Personal Reflections

Your nursing reflective essay should also include personal reflections on the experience. This is where you delve into your thoughts, feelings, and emotions related to the inciting incident. Reflect on how the event made you feel, what you learned from it, and how it has influenced your growth as a nursing professional. Be honest and vulnerable in your reflections, as this will allow the reader to connect with your experience on a deeper level.

Vivid Setting and Descriptive Details

To create a vivid and engaging narrative, include specific details that paint a picture of the setting and the people involved. Describe the physical environment, the interactions between healthcare professionals and patients, and any other relevant details that contribute to the overall context of the experience. This will help the reader visualize the situation and understand the complexities of the event.

Actions Taken

Finally, it is important to describe the actions you took in response to the inciting incident. Discuss how you applied your nursing knowledge and skills to address the challenges or opportunities presented by the event. Reflect on the effectiveness of your actions and whether there were any areas for improvement. This demonstrates your ability to critically analyze your own practice and make informed decisions.

By including these key elements in your nursing reflective essay, you can create a comprehensive and impactful piece of writing that showcases your growth and development as a nursing professional.

How to Write the Introduction of a Nursing Reflective Essay

The introduction of a nursing reflective essay plays a crucial role in capturing the reader’s attention and setting the tone for the entire essay. It should provide a concise overview of the main points that will be discussed and create a sense of curiosity and engagement. Here are some tips to help you write an effective introduction for your nursing reflective essay:

• Start with an intriguing opening line: Begin your introduction with a captivating statement or anecdote that relates to the topic of your essay. This will grab the reader’s attention and make them eager to continue reading.
• Provide context and background information: Give a brief overview of the event or experience that you will be reflecting on in your essay. This will help the reader understand the context and significance of your reflections.
• Present a clear thesis statement: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main purpose of your essay and the specific points or themes that you will be exploring. This will give the reader a preview of what to expect in the body of the essay.

By following these tips, you can craft an introduction that captivates the reader and sets the stage for a compelling nursing reflective essay.

“As I walked into the busy hospital ward on my first day of clinical rotation, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. Little did I know that this experience would become a pivotal moment in my nursing journey, shaping my understanding of empathy, communication, and patient-centered care. In this reflective essay, I will delve into the details of this encounter and explore the personal and professional growth that resulted from it.”

With an attention-grabbing opening, providing context, and presenting a clear thesis statement, your introduction will set the stage for a compelling nursing reflective essay that captures the reader’s attention and lays the foundation for your reflections.

Nursing Reflection Essay Tips and Examples

Writing a nursing reflective essay requires careful consideration and thoughtful analysis. Here are some tips to help you craft an impactful and meaningful reflection essay as a BSN nursing student . Additionally, we will provide examples to illustrate how these tips can be applied.

Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflection Essay:

• Start by choosing a specific experience or event that had a significant impact on your nursing practice. This could be a challenging patient encounter, a critical incident, or a personal realization that transformed your perspective.
• Reflect on the experience and consider how it affected your emotions, thoughts, and actions. What did you learn from the experience? How has it shaped your growth as a nursing professional?
• Focus on the key aspects of the experience that were particularly impactful or meaningful to you. Avoid including unnecessary details or deviating from the main message of your reflection.
• Use specific examples, anecdotes, or patient scenarios to support your reflections. This will make your essay more engaging and relatable to the reader.
• Consider the ethical implications of the experience and reflect on how it has influenced your approach to patient care and decision-making.
• End your essay with a reflection on the implications of your learning for future nursing practice. How will you apply the lessons learned to provide better care and improve patient outcomes?

Now, let’s take a look at two examples of nursing reflective essays to further illustrate these tips:

“During my clinical rotation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), I encountered a complex patient case that challenged my critical thinking skills and decision-making abilities. The patient was a middle-aged woman who had undergone a complicated surgery and experienced numerous post-operative complications. This experience taught me the importance of collaboration within the healthcare team and the significance of advocating for the patient’s best interests…”

“One of the most significant experiences during my nursing education was my time spent in the pediatric oncology unit. Witnessing the resilience and bravery of children facing life-threatening illnesses had a profound impact on my perspective as a nurse. It taught me the importance of providing holistic care, not only addressing physical needs but also supporting emotional well-being and promoting a positive environment for healing…”

These examples demonstrate how personal reflections, specific details, and professional insights can be incorporated to create a compelling nursing reflective essay. Remember to structure your essay in a clear and organized manner, ensuring that your reflections flow logically and coherently.

By following these tips and utilizing examples, you can create a compelling nursing reflective essay that showcases your growth and development as a nursing professional.

How to Conclude a Nursing Reflective Essay

The conclusion of a nursing reflective essay serves as the final reflection on the writer’s growth and learning from the experience. It is an essential part of the essay that summarizes the main points discussed and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. The reflective essay conclusion should bring closure to the essay by restating the thesis statement and highlighting the key takeaways from the essay.

To write a strong and impactful conclusion, start by restating the thesis statement in a clear and concise manner. This reminds the reader of the main focus of the essay and reinforces its significance. Next, summarize the key points discussed in the body paragraphs, highlighting the most important insights and reflections. This helps to reinforce the main ideas and ensures that they are not overlooked in the final reflection.

In addition to summarizing the main points, a thought-provoking statement or future outlook can be included to provide a sense of closure and leave the reader with something to ponder. This can be a reflection on how the experience has influenced the writer’s future practice or a call to action for continued personal and professional growth. By ending the essay on a strong and meaningful note, the conclusion enhances the overall impact of the nursing reflective essay.

A well-crafted conclusion is essential for a nursing reflective essay as it reinforces the main ideas, leaves a lasting impression on the reader, and provides a sense of closure. By following these tips, nursing students can create a powerful and impactful conclusion that enhances the overall effectiveness of their reflective essays.

Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay

Writing a nursing reflective essay can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can also be a rewarding experience. Here are some helpful tips and strategies to guide nursing students in their essay writing process:

• Start early: Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm ideas, reflect on your experiences, and write and revise your essay. Starting early will help you avoid last-minute stress and allow for a more thoughtful and polished essay.
• Conduct thorough self-reflection: Before you begin writing, take the time to reflect on your experiences and emotions related to your nursing practice. Consider how these experiences have shaped your growth and development as a nurse, and what lessons you have learned along the way.
• Organize your thoughts and ideas: Create an outline or a rough structure for your essay to ensure a logical flow of ideas. Group similar thoughts and reflections together to create cohesive paragraphs, and use headings or subheadings to further organize your essay.
• Seek feedback: Share your essay with trusted peers or instructors and ask for their feedback. They can offer valuable insights, provide constructive criticism, and help you refine your essay to make it stronger and more impactful.

Additionally, it is important to pay attention to the technical aspects of your essay:

• Grammar and spelling: Proofread your essay carefully to ensure it is free of any grammatical or spelling errors. Use grammar and spell-check tools, and consider asking someone else to review your essay for a fresh perspective.
• Coherent writing style: Use clear and concise language to convey your thoughts and reflections. Avoid excessive jargon or technical terms, and focus on communicating your ideas effectively.
• Formatting guidelines: Follow any formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or institution. Pay attention to font style, size, spacing, and citation style if required.

By following these tips and strategies, nursing students can approach their reflective essay writing with confidence and produce compelling and insightful essays that showcase their growth and development in the nursing profession.

Reflective Tools and Models for Nursing Reflective Essays

Reflective tools and models can provide structure and guidance for nursing students when writing reflective essays. These tools help organize thoughts and experiences, allowing for a more comprehensive and meaningful reflection. By utilizing reflection models , nursing students can enhance their reflective writing skills and deepen their understanding of their own growth and development as healthcare professionals.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model

“Reflective practice is both an art and a science that requires ongoing commitment and practice.” – Gibbs

Gibbs’ Reflective Model is a widely used reflection framework in nursing. It consists of six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. This model encourages a structured approach to reflection, allowing the writer to systematically explore their thoughts and emotions, analyze the situation, and identify areas for improvement or further development.

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model

“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” – Dewey

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model focuses on the importance of reflection as a tool for learning and growth. It emphasizes the need to actively engage with experiences, thoughts, and emotions, and to critically evaluate them in order to gain deeper insights and understanding. This model encourages nursing students to think analytically and develop a continuous learning mindset.

Kolb Reflective Model

“Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it.” – Kolb

The Kolb Reflective Model is based on the concept of experiential learning. It consists of four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. This model encourages nursing students to engage in a cyclical process of learning, where they actively participate in experiences, reflect on them, conceptualize their insights, and apply their learning in real-life situations.

Schön Reflective Model

“Reflection-in-action is the heart of the learning process.” – Schön

Schön Reflective Model emphasizes the importance of reflection in the midst of action. It focuses on the ability to think and adapt in real-time, making decisions based on professional knowledge and experiences. This model encourages nursing students to develop a reflective mindset that allows them to learn and grow while actively engaging in their practice.

Benefits of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective writing plays a crucial role in nursing practice, offering numerous benefits for nursing students and professionals alike. By engaging in reflective writing, nurses can enhance their self-awareness, develop their critical thinking skills, and gain a deeper understanding of patient experiences. This section will explore the advantages of reflective writing in nursing and its significance in healthcare.

Enhanced Self-Awareness

Reflective writing fosters self-reflection, allowing nurses to examine their thoughts, emotions, and actions in various clinical situations. Through this process, they gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This heightened self-awareness enables nurses to provide more effective and compassionate patient care, fostering a patient-centered approach.

Improved Critical Thinking

Reflective writing encourages nurses to think critically about their experiences and the impact of their actions. It requires them to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of their decision-making and problem-solving skills. By reflecting on past experiences, nurses can identify areas where they can enhance their clinical practice and make informed decisions based on evidence and best practices.

Increased Empathy and Understanding

Through reflective writing, nurses develop a deeper empathy and understanding of patient experiences. By reflecting on their interactions with patients, nurses can recognize the emotions, fears, and challenges faced by individuals in their care. This increased empathy enables nurses to provide more holistic and patient-centered care, improving the overall healthcare experience for patients.

Continuous Professional Development

Reflective writing is an essential tool for nurses’ continuous professional development. It allows them to document their growth, learning, and achievements throughout their nursing career. By regularly engaging in reflective writing, nurses can identify areas for further development, set goals for improvement, and ensure they are providing the best possible care to their patients.

Overall, reflective writing in nursing is a powerful tool that empowers nurses to enhance their self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and empathy. By engaging in this practice, nurses can continuously improve their clinical practice, provide high-quality patient care, and contribute to the ongoing development of the nursing profession.

Nursing Reflective Essay Examples

Looking for inspiration for your nursing reflective essay? Here are some examples that showcase different experiences, reflections, and growth in the nursing profession.

These examples demonstrate how nursing reflective essays can provide valuable insights into personal experiences, reflections, and professional growth. They serve as excellent references to help nursing students develop their own reflective writing skills and gain a deeper understanding of the nursing profession.

Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay for Nursing School Application

A nursing reflective essay can be a powerful tool for nursing school applications. It allows applicants to showcase their self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and passion for the nursing profession. When writing a nursing reflective essay for a nursing school application, there are a few key tips to keep in mind.

Reflect on your passion for nursing

Start by reflecting on what drew you to the nursing profession and why you are passionate about it. Consider your personal experiences, such as volunteering or shadowing healthcare professionals, and how they have shaped your desire to become a nurse. Highlight your commitment to providing compassionate and quality patient care.

Share personal experiences in healthcare settings

Provide specific examples of your experiences in healthcare settings, such as clinical rotations or internships. Reflect on the challenges you faced, the lessons you learned, and how those experiences have impacted your growth and development as a future nurse. Discuss any significant interactions with patients, healthcare teams, or mentors that have shaped your understanding of the nursing profession.

Align with the nursing school’s values and mission

Research the nursing school’s values, mission, and educational philosophy. Ensure that your reflective essay aligns with these principles and demonstrates your commitment to the school’s mission. Use the nursing school’s prompts or essay questions as a guide to structure your essay and address the specific criteria they are looking for in applicants.

By following these tips, you can write a compelling nursing reflective essay that effectively conveys your passion for nursing, showcases your experiences, and aligns with the nursing school’s values. Remember to proofread your essay carefully for grammar and spelling errors and seek feedback from mentors or trusted individuals in the nursing profession to ensure your essay is clear, concise, and impactful.

(Table) Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay for Nursing School Application

Writing a nursing reflective essay can be a transformative experience for BSN nursing students. It allows them to gain valuable insight into their own growth and development as future healthcare professionals. Throughout this comprehensive guide, we have provided expert information and guidance on how to write a compelling nursing reflective essay.

By understanding the purpose of a reflective essay and the key elements to include, nursing students can effectively showcase their personal experiences and reflections. Incorporating reflection models such as Gibbs’ Reflective Model or Kolb Reflective Model can also provide structure and depth to their essays.

At NursingWriters.net, we are dedicated to empowering busy nurses and providing them with the tools they need to excel in their BSN programs. Whether it’s writing a reflective essay or any other writing challenge, we are here to support and guide nursing students towards success.

What is a nursing reflective essay?

A nursing reflective essay is a personal essay where the writer reflects on their own experiences and how those experiences have shaped their growth and development in the nursing profession.

How is a reflective essay in nursing different from a personal statement?

While a reflective essay in nursing focuses on the writer’s personal experiences and reflections, a personal statement is more of a formal document that highlights the writer’s qualifications, achievements, and future goals in the nursing profession.

What are the key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay?

The key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay are the inciting incident or event, personal reflections on the experience, specific details to create a vivid setting, and a description of the actions taken by the writer. It is important to avoid including academic details and excessive focus on emotions.

How should I write the introduction of a nursing reflective essay?

To write an engaging and informative introduction for a nursing reflective essay, you can grab the reader’s attention with an intriguing opening line, provide context and background information, and present a clear thesis statement. Focus on the specific event or experience that will be the main focus of the essay.

How should I structure the body paragraphs of a nursing reflective essay?

The body paragraphs of a nursing reflective essay should have a clear structure. Use the first paragraph to present the thesis statement and provide background information on the event. Use subsequent paragraphs to explore your reflections, emotions, and actions taken. Use specific examples and anecdotes to make the essay more engaging.

How should I conclude a nursing reflective essay?

To write a strong conclusion for a nursing reflective essay, you can summarize the main points discussed in the essay, provide a final reflection on your growth and learning from the experience, restate the thesis statement, and leave the reader with a thought-provoking statement or future outlook.

What are some tips for writing a nursing reflective essay?

Some tips for writing a nursing reflective essay include starting early, conducting thorough self-reflection, organizing your thoughts and ideas, and seeking feedback from peers or instructors. Pay attention to proper grammar and spelling, coherent writing style, and adhere to any formatting guidelines provided.

How can reflective tools and models help with nursing reflective essays?

Reflective tools and models provide structure and guidance for nursing students when writing reflective essays. Models such as Gibbs’ Reflective Model, Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model, Kolb Reflective Model, and Schön Reflective Model can be used as frameworks for organizing thoughts and experiences in a nursing reflective essay.

What are the benefits of reflective writing in nursing?

Reflective writing in nursing offers benefits such as enhanced self-awareness, improved critical thinking skills, increased empathy and understanding of patient experiences, and continuous professional development. It promotes lifelong learning and helps improve patient care.

Where can I find nursing reflective essay examples?

You can find nursing reflective essay examples that showcase different experiences, reflections, and growth. These examples incorporate personal reflections, specific details, and professional insights into nursing practice. They demonstrate the diversity of topics and experiences that can be explored in nursing reflective essays.

How can I write a nursing reflective essay for nursing school applications?

To write a nursing reflective essay for nursing school applications, reflect on your passion for nursing, personal experiences in healthcare settings, and future goals in the nursing profession. Address specific prompts and align the content with the nursing school’s values and mission.

How can writing a nursing reflective essay benefit BSN nursing students?

Writing a nursing reflective essay allows BSN nursing students to gain insight into their own growth and development as future healthcare professionals. It helps improve critical thinking skills, self-awareness, and understanding of patient experiences. It also promotes continuous professional development.

Jermaine Huey

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How to Write “What Nursing Means to Me” Reflective Essay

The “what nursing means to me” reflective essay is something often asked of students entering an accelerated nursing program, a master’s level course for nursing, or some other specialized program. Unlike a nursing school letter of intent or nursing school application cover letter, the “what nursing means to me” reflective essay gives you a chance to state and defend an argument regarding something you feel deeply about, namely, being a nurse. It can detail professional setbacks or successes. It can be a venue to express opinions and criticism of the profession. You can also write about important personal events in the past, before you became a nurse, which had some impact on why you chose this profession. This article will explore the nature of the reflective essay, its essential elements, the structure of an excellent reflective essay and provide examples.

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Article Contents 11 min read

What is a reflective essay.

A reflective essay is like a regular essay, but the subject matter is you. You must state a thesis about yourself and choose a specific event from your past or something similar on which to build an argument supporting your thesis. The main impetus of a reflective essay is to get you to reveal growth and how a particular event in your life changed you, your perceptions, beliefs, and so on.

But there are other things a reflective essay can reveal about you. In the context of writing a reflective essay connected with a nursing school application resume, you can also use the essay to state your larger career goals and ambitions as a nurse and how you see the role changing and evolving.

How does the “what nursing means to me” reflective essay differ from a nursing school personal statement? Part of the answer is that a personal statement can include many different details from the past and does not have to take the form of a standard essay – introduction, thesis statement, supporting arguments. You can write a personal statement without including anything about your professional achievements or anything directly related to nursing. But a “what nursing means to me” reflective essay is the complete opposite. It is aimed at exploring how being a nurse or nursing student has directly impacted your worldview.

Depending on where and why you are asked to write a “what nursing means to me” reflective essay, there may be certain content and style guidelines you must follow, based on that program’s requirements. Some reflective essays use prompts or questions about nursing to give you a starting point for what to write. In these cases, how you write is up to you, but there are certain elements that are key to every outstanding reflective essay that you should incorporate into your writing. Here, we list elements you can include in the body of your essay to create a template of what your essay should look like.

The Inciting Incident 

In university, reflective essays tend to revolve around coursework and materials to show how you’ve interacted with them. But according to many nursing essay writing services , a “what nursing means to me” reflective essay can structure itself around a catalyzing event. A traumatic injury. A death in the family. Moving to a new country.

If you haven’t been given instructions on what to write about in your “what nursing means to me” reflective essay, then you can choose a specific, life-altering event in your past that had and continues to have an impact on you. Many reflective essays take this path, but you do not have to, especially if you are asked to write about something else.

If you do write about a specific incident, be as specific as possible. Who did it involve? Where did it take place? What was the lead-up like? Of course, if you have word limits, then you can cut out unnecessary parts in your second draft, but for your first draft, you should be as detailed as possible and then make cuts later.

Personal Reflections 

The most obvious point of a reflective essay is to reflect. Nursing school admissions officers want to know how you interpreted, compartmentalized, and dealt with an extreme situation related to being a health care worker, since everyone knows that being a health care worker exposes you to things most people never see. You can talk openly about what you’ve experienced in the nursing profession or during your schooling and, finally, express emotions you were not able to at the time. However, those emotions must also connect with an action you took later on to show that they led to some deep-seated change in your personality or outlook.

Specific Details 

The topic of your essay should focus on a specific time, place, or incident and not stray into generalities. You want to place your readers in a setting they can understand, so that they can see the story as it unfolds. Remember: show, don’t tell. This is your personal story, so enrich it with specific details, like the time of year, the weather outside, some important event that happened at the same time, anything that makes the universal personal.

Your Actions 

After you set the scene with vivid descriptions and a concrete location, you can start to bring yourself into the narrative. Take a step-by-step approach to write about how the specific event unfolded – before/during/after – and make sure to detail as much as you can about each step.

You can write about what your expectations were beforehand and what happened afterward. What was the aftermath like? What did you feel, physically, emotionally? What did you do? Were you in any danger? You can talk both about your physical and emotional reactions but remember that a reflective essay should walk a fine line between being a subjective and objective retelling of a major event so do not go too far either way.

Academic Details/Achievements 

The reflective essay sits apart from other documentation like a nursing school recommendation letter and is not a place for you to recite your professional or academic CV. All the information about your academic achievements (GPA, transcripts) has already been reviewed, so the audience is not interested in hearing about it again.

Your reflective essay is a space for you to encapsulate something about yourself in a calm, measured tone. Of course, you can mention things about school that impacted you personally or an event that took place during your education, but reciting your CV looks boastful and misses the point of the reflective essay.

Too Many Emotions 

The “what nursing means to me” reflective essay can contain many powerful emotions, but the language should always remain coherent and precise. You do not want to dwell on positive or negative emotions but instead, use them to push along your overall narrative. You can explain about how something made you feel, but then transition to what actions those emotions made you take.

Introduction 

The introduction of any essay should present the topic about which you are going to write and hook the reader with an intriguing line. Afterward, you can briefly mention where you are in your career (registered nurse, nursing school applicant, grad school candidate) for context, but most of your introduction should be about the subject matter at hand, like the event you want to talk about or the general themes you want to explore.

You can also present your thesis in the introduction or keep it for a later paragraph if you want to structure your essay that way. After the introduction, you can begin to narrow your focus down to the inciting incident and move closer to finalizing your argument. You can also begin inserting background elements of your narrative like when and where it happened.

Thesis Statement/First Paragraph 

If you put your thesis in the introduction, you can begin positing your arguments supporting it in the first paragraph of the body section. But you can also put your thesis here and begin expounding on your arguments in the proceeding sections. If you are writing about a specific event, this is where you would set the stage for what happens next.

Build your narrative toward a climax by describing where you were, what you were doing, and what expectations you had. When you reveal what happened, use that as a springboard to talk about the aftermath – how the event affected you and what you began to understand about it – which is what will lead you to your second paragraph.

Second Paragraph 

The second paragraph can contain the “reflective” part of your essay, where you unpack the event and examine how it impacted you. You want to mention how you changed and how you began to see things differently while also expounding on the potential growth that this moment presented for you as a person and as a health care professional.

Conclusion 

The end of your essay should tie into the thesis and summarize the best argument supporting it. You can draw from the body section to make the connections between your thesis and the other sections and ultimately land on a conclusion. It should reveal something significant you learned or realized because of that event and how it continues to shape you.

“What Nursing Means to Me” Reflective Essay Samples

“what nursing means to me” reflective essay sample #1 .

Things came into focus when I started coughing up blood. Up until then I was sure things would get better and that the danger would pass. Even though a doctor had told me I needed to be hospitalized, I thought nothing was wrong and that I would be okay. I told him to give me some antibiotics and send me home. But from one minute to the next, in the space of a heartbeat, something gave way, and I would not be the same again.

I have been lucky most of my life. I had never been seriously ill or broken anything. I had family members succumb to illnesses, but I hadn’t so much as scraped an elbow. I never thought about my fragility and vulnerability until I was forced to reckon with them when I was hospitalized with pneumonia.

Going to the hospital in an ambulance for the first time was nerve-wracking. I lay in the gurney with an oxygen mask over my face as the paramedics looked at my vital signs. I was feverish, short of breath, and still coughing, so there was barely any time to think or reflect. Things had progressed so fast that I had left my house still in my pajamas.

One of the first things that happened when I got to the hospital was that the attending nurse took my hand and told me, “You’re in good hands now, darling.” It was such a small gesture. She must have done it for everyone who came in, terrified, scared, and lonely. She knew what they were feeling, which is why she said it to everyone.

I spent almost two weeks in the hospital recovering, but that nurse came to see me every day and spent time with me, even with her busy schedule. She made the time. It was after one of her visits that the thought of being like her one day came into my mind. I was in my first year of undergrad and still hadn’t thought about my future.

The experience of being seriously ill made me realize how much we depend on the strangers who have committed their lives to helping the infirm. It is a vital role that nurses play in helping the ill feel whole again, often more so than doctors, because nurses spend more time with patients than any other health care professional.

The nurse who greeted me at the hospital entrance also helped me bring things into focus. Seeing up close the damage an illness like pneumonia can cause was one wake-up call, but the nurse who comforted me when I felt like the world was ending also woke me up. She met my fear and anxiety with compassion and understanding. She created the mold that I now wish to fill with my career and advancement in the nursing profession.

It was bright and sunny the day my mother died. She died in the early morning, and when I looked out the window of her room – she died at home – I could see people waiting for the bus, going on their way to work, completely unaware that I had lost the most important person in my life.

I wanted to go outside, tears streaming down my face, and tell everyone my mother had died. I wanted to spread my grief. I wanted the world to stop and acknowledge my loss. Grief was something new, and I didn’t know how to manage it.

I went on anti-depressants and began to self-medicate as well because I couldn’t stand the pain. I was going down a self-destructive path, and no one in my immediate family knew what to do. It was only through circumstance that my path was corrected before it led farther into darkness.

One afternoon, months after my mother’s death, I was at her house, arranging and organizing her belongings, when the palliative care nurse who had treated my mother at home came by to collect the medical supplies that had been left behind. It was pure luck that I was at home when she came.

I answered the door and invited her in. I explained what I was doing, and she told me why she was there. We went to the kitchen because she said she had some papers for me to sign. I don’t know why exactly, but between putting the kettle on for some tea and signing the papers, I started to cry. It was something I had been doing regularly, breaking down in public or suddenly, without warning. But that day, I showed my vulnerability to the right person.

The nurse, named Sylvia, rose immediately and gave me a hug. She held me as I wept and then began to tell me that she still mourns her sister. Her sister had died from the same illness as my mother and, according to Sylvia, had suffered just as much. Sylvia told me that she had dealt with her sister’s passing by pushing herself through nursing school. She wanted to memorialize her sister’s memory through the work she does every day as a nurse. Instead of letting her sister’s death tear her apart, like my mother’s death was doing to me, Sylvia took motivation from it and committed to becoming a person who helps people transition from life to death.

Sylvia told me that the pain never goes away, but it does lessen and when you are helping save lives and taking care of the most vulnerable people, it lessens even more. That day, Sylvia showed me the heights nurses can reach through their empathy and knowledge, not just as nurses but as human beings. Sylvia’s strength was my scaffold during an unsteady time, in addition to being the light that inspired me to become a nurse myself.

The thoughts in a reflective essay are your own, so you should not shy away from saying as much as possible, like the fact that you were afraid or felt negative emotions like anger, hatred, or despair. This is what the reflective essay is all about. If your essay is about a specific event in your past, then you should write about it in detail. You can allude to it in your introduction and build up to it through your main paragraphs, or not mention it at all in your introduction and reveal it later.

Being any kind of health care worker is demanding and stressful, but it can also be rewarding and humbling. The “what nursing means to me” reflective essay is the perfect way to talk about a moving or troubling incident in the past if you hadn’t had the chance to explore it before. It is not always possible for nurses and other health care professionals to express the emotions that come with the job, and working with a nursing essay writing service can help you craft a truly impressive account of an event that marked you deeply. 

This essay is meant to help you express what is most important to you about being a nurse and reveal how you stay motivated. 

The purpose of the essay is to let nursing school admissions officers know how you understand and interpret the nursing profession and what aspects of it appeal to you the most.

You can structure your essay around a specific event and then describe what happened before, during, and after this event. You can also talk about why this event means so much to you or what about it reflects the best aspects of nursing.

You should think about the reasons you wanted to become a nurse and what about your character or personality will sustain you throughout your career.

The length of your essay depends on the requirements of your particular program or school, since they all have different requirements.

A personal statement is a general background story of why you want to pursue a degree or get into nursing school, but a reflective essay specifically asks you to pick a particular moment and think about how it affected your career. So, a reflective essay is the reverse of a personal statement: rather than relating how personal experiences have shaped your personality, you write about how being a nurse has changed you personally.

A letter of intent looks at how your education, work experience, and anything else related to the nursing profession has prepared you to become a nurse, and also asks what you plan to achieve. A reflective essay does not focus on academic achievements but asks you to interpret a moment in the past. 

Not all nursing schools or graduate programs will ask for a reflective essay. Admission requirements are different for every school, so make sure you know what they are before you apply. 

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Nursing Through the Lens of Storytelling

Blog by Catherine Best

Storytelling forges connections among and between people and ideas. Telling stories is one of the most powerful means of influencing, teaching and inspiring (Boris, 2017). They convey the culture, history and values that unite each and every one of us; they are the ties that bind us (ibid.).

Storytelling, or narrative pedagogy, is a practice that occurs as a result of the lived experience (Haskell, 2021). Stories are omnipresent (Hawkins and Saleem, 2012). They can be found in our behaviours; our actions; our dialogue and our values. They can be found in our search for meaning and understanding.

Having the ability to share one’s story is considered an essential element of the humanities, and can enable a rich description of patient experiences to emerge (Wang and Geale, 2015). And while medicine has been previously steeped in the richness of the humanities, as evidenced by, for example, the work of Canadian physician Sir William Osler (Mangione and Kahn, 2019), there remains a challenge to ensure the humanities are integrated into undergraduate teaching (Kollmer Horton, 2019)—which is, perhaps, unsurprising when considering the myriad skills required by the medical profession. Such skills include the expert understanding of the scientific basis of disease (Kollmer Horton, 2019); mastering technology that enables diagnosis and treatment (ibid.); and the ability to make moral and ethical decisions requiring more than simply choosing appropriate treatment regimens (Varkey, 2021). Essentially physicians must ‘recognise and appreciate the patient in which the disease exists’ (Kollmer Horton, 2019).

Conversely, person-centred care, as Price argues (2020), requires nurses to ‘listen to patients’ narratives of illness or injury’, a process through which a powerful understanding of the complex experiences of patients can emerge, encouraging a deeper level of understanding of lives lived (Alicea-Planas, 2015)   and supporting a collaborative approach to the planning and delivery of appropriate care (Price, 2020).

In recent years the importance of narrative within nursing has become a catalyst for inspiring patient-centred care, compassion and understanding (Baines et al. 2019), providing an important framework to enable effective communication to take place (Fitzpatrick, 2018).

Furthermore, patient-centred approaches to care delivery stress the importance of understanding patients’ knowledge, emotions, well-being and life experience (Johnston et al. 2016), providing a lens through which patients can experience a release of emotion and a sense of catharsis (Roebotham et al. 2018), and strengthening their otherwise silent voice (Trahar, 2013).

Expressing empathy is a highly potent cognitive and behavioural reaction enabling the building of patient trust and reducing anxiety, ultimately impacting patient outcomes positively (Stone, 2019); it is an essential element in the repertoire of a nurse’s skillset, the essence of which ‘is the ability to share and understand the emotions of others’ (Molenberghs, 2017). What better way to do this than through listening and engaging with patient narratives?

Stories can foster personal values such as courage, resilience and resourcefulness, generosity, sensitivity and respect (Boyd, 2018). They can be used to gain insight of sacrifice, understanding, fear and loss. Furthermore, with an increasing evidence base, patient narratives are used to encourage problem solving (Baldwin et al. 2017) and reinforce professional ethics, helping to close the gap between human experiences and the theories used to explain them (Tevendale and Armstrong, 2015).

Moreover, nursing narrative can be a powerful educational opportunity (McAllister, 2015), opening up a plethora of opportunities to enhance professional development, including reflective practice, and empowering nurses to express and extend their current knowledge while making clinical expertise visible and providing occasions for collective learning (Erickson et al. 2015).

Narratives, argues Traynor (2020), can support professional socialisation: the dynamic process of coming to know a professional role (Price et al. 2018), ensuring a smooth transition to professional practice (Newton et al. 2015). When a personal story is shared we catch sight of a world that is different from our own; by learning to understand another’s perceived world, the experience can both inspire empathy (The Health Foundation, 2016) and enable human connections (Petty, 2021).

Furthermore, because narratives are inherently designed to persuade; they describe a particular experience rather than assert a generalised truth, narratives have no need to validate the accuracy of such experience; the narrative itself is sufficient (Dahlstrom, 2014).

Through the medium of narrative, nurses have an opportunity to engage with and learn from each other, creating a future that promotes integrity, trust and professionalism, a future in which nurses seek to listen, to understand and, where necessary, act.

Furthermore, stories enable nursing students to develop a deeper understanding of specific issues and experiences (Tevendale and Armstrong, 2015). They can be used extensively within teaching and learning to enable learners to reframe events and alter their perspective, to focus on details or obtain an overall view (ibid.)

Moreover, they have the potential to encourage resilience (Traynor, 2020); enable critical reflection on professional experience (Walton et al. 2018); enhance learning within professional practice (Timpani et al. 2021); and improve effective decision making (Saffran, 2021).

Patient narratives can be considered a conduit through which nurses are able to gain greater insight into the world of their patients. They support empathic behaviours, encourage shared learning, and open up a plethora of opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality, person-centred care. They can enable the building of trusting relationships, ensure effective decision making, guide diagnosis and support successful treatment plans. They can help a patient die with dignity, love and kindness bestowed. They must be treated with the value and respect they deserve (Baines et al. 2019).

Catherine is the practice educator at Saint Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough UK. She is a Queens Nurse, an award which recognises excellence in professional nursing practice and a member of the Phi Mu Chapter of Sigma, an honorary nursing society which recognises excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service.

Alicia-Planas, J. (2015) Listening to the narratives of our patients as part of holistic nursing care. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 34 (2) June, pp. 162-166. DOI:10.1177/0898010115591396.

Baines, R. Denniston, C. and Munro J. (2019)  The transformative power of patient narratives in healthcare education. Available from:  https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/07/08/the-transformative-power-of-patient-narratives-in-healthcare-education/  [Accessed 31 October 2021].

Baldwin, A. Mills, J. Birks, M. and Budden, L. (2017). Reconciling professional identity: A grounded theory of nurse academics’ role modelling for undergraduate students. Nurse Education Today, 59 December, pp. 1-5. DOI:10.1016/j.nedt.2017.08.010

Boris, V. (2017) What makes storytelling so effective for learning? Available from:   https://www.harvardbusiness.org/what-makes-storytelling-so-effective-for-learning/  [31 October 2021].  

  Boyd, B. (2018) The evolution of stories: from mimesis to language, from fact to fiction. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 9 (1) May, e1444. DOI:10.1002/wcs.1444.

Dahlstrom, M.F. (2014) Using narratives and storytelling to communicate science with nonexpert audiences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 111 supp 4 September, pp. 13614–13620.

Erickson, J.I. Ditomassi, M. Sabia, S. and Smith M.E. (2015). Fostering clinical success: Using narratives for interprofessional team partnerships from Massachusetts General Hospital. Indianapolis: Sigma Theta Tau International.

Fitzpatrick, J. (2018) Teaching Through Storytelling: Narrative Nursing. Nursing Education Perspectives, 39 (2) March/April, pp. 60.

Haskell, B. (2021) Please tell me your story. Tennessee Nurse, 84 (2), pp.10

Hawkins, M.A. and Saleem, F.Z. (2012). The omnipresent personal narrative: Story formulation and the interplay among narratives. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 25   (2) March, pp. 204-219. DOI: 10.1108/09534811211213892

Johnston, C. Banner, N. and Fenwick, A. (2016) Patient narrative: an ‘on-switch’ for evaluating best interests. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 38 (3) September, pp. 249-262.  DOI:10.1080/09649069.2016.1228146

Kollmer Horton ME. (2019) The orphan child: humanities in modern medical education. Philosophy Ethics and Humanities in Medicine, 14 (1). DOI:10.1186/s13010-018-0067-y.

Mangione, S and Kahn, M.J. (2019) The old humanities and the new science at 100: Osler’s enduring message. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine,  86 (4) April, pp. 232-235. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.86a.19019

McAllister, M. (2015). Connecting narrative with mental health learning through discussion and analysis of selected contemporary films. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 24 (4) May, pp. 304-313.

Molenberghs, P. (2017) Understanding others’ feelings: what is empathy and why do we need it? The Conversation. Available from:  https://theconversation.com/understanding-others-feelings-what-is-empathy-and-why-do-we-need-it-68494  [Accessed 20 October 2021]

Newton, J.M. Henderson, A. Jolly, B. and Greaves, J. (2015). A contemporary examination of workplace learning culture: an ethnomethodology study. Nurse Education Today, 35 (1) July, pp. 91-96.

Petty J. (2021) Using arts-based digital storytelling in neonatal care to enhance nursing students’ empathy. Nursing Children and Young People, 33 (4) July, pp. 13-18 DOI:10.7748/ncyp.2021.e1351

Price B (2020) Optimising professional communication with patients. Nursing Standard. 35, 2, 43-50. DOI:10.7748/ns.2020.e11457

Price, S.L. McGillis Hall, L. Tomblin Murphy, G and Pierce, B. (2018) Evolving career choice narratives of new graduate nurses. Nurse Education in Practice, 28 October, pp. 86-91.

Roebotham, T. Hawthornthwaite, L. Lee, L. and Lingard L.A. (2018)

Beyond catharsis: the nuanced emotion of patient storytellers in an educational role. Medical Education, 52 (5) May, pp. 526-535.

Saffran L. (2021) Public health storytelling practice. The Lancet. 397 (10284) April, pp.1536-1537. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00841-2.

Stone, J. (2019) The importance of empathy in healthcare: advancing humanism. Available from:  https://blog.medicalgps.com/the-importance-of-empathy-in-healthcare/  [Accessed 22 October 2021].  

Tevendale, F. and Armstrong D. (2015) Using patient storytelling in nurse education. Nursing Times, 111 (6) February, pp. 15-17.

Timpani, S. Sweet, L. and Sivertsen, N. (2021) Storytelling: One arts-based learning strategy to reflect on clinical placement. An integrative review.  Nurse Education in Practice.  52:103005. DOI:10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103005.

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Trahar, S. (2013) Contextualising narrative Inquiry: developing methodological approaches for local contexts. Abingdon: Routledge

Traynor, M. (2020) Stories of Resilience in Nursing. Tales from the Frontline of Nursing. London: Routledge.

Varkey, B. (2021) Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30 (1) pp. 17-28. DOI:10.1159/000509119

Walton, J.A. Lindsay, N. Hales, C. and Rook, H. (2018) Glimpses into the transition world: new graduate nurses’ written reflections. Nurse Education Today, 60 January, pp. 62-66.

Wang, CC. and Geale, SK. (2015) The Power of story: Narrative inquiry as a methodology in nursing research. International Journal of Nursing Science, 2 (2) June, pp. 195-198  DOI:10.1016/j.ijnss.2015.04.014

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Writing is an essential skill nurses should achieve proficiency in early in their career. It is a crucial part of the profession, as nurses need to be able to effectively communicate with patients, families, and other healthcare professionals.

While verbal communication also plays a vital role in nursing, being able to write well builds the nurse's ability to provide better care.

Being able to accurately detail a patient's personal history, symptoms, and diagnosis allows for the execution of a precise treatment plan that is clearly communicated to all parties involved, both professional and personal.

From registered nurses to clinical nurses and beyond, being able to communicate effectively and efficiently is a critical soft skill that will help nurses in any role increase their ability to treat their patients.

This guide provides an overview of the types of writing nurses will experience throughout their educational training. Utilize the following tips and tricks to help strengthen your writing skills, which will ultimately help in the development of transferable career skills .

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Types of writing nurses will do in school, personal statements for nursing school.

Nursing schools want candidates who meet academic and professional requirements. They also want a candidate who demonstrates a sincere passion for patient care and individual connections. You should always craft a personal statement, even when the application doesn't explicitly require one. Personal statements allow you to describe your goals, characteristics, credentials, volunteer work, and meaningful life experiences. A well-crafted essay can help you stand out among other qualified applicants. And, as with any piece of writing, you must take the time to revise.

In your personal statement, you should portray yourself as determined and empathetic, with characteristics, goals, work ethic, and healthcare philosophy that align with a program's values. Some nursing schools ask for a general personal statement, while others require a specific prompt. Colleges commonly ask students to describe a hardship they overcame, a difficult task they accomplished, or a professional goal they hope to achieve through the program. Many schools also ask students to detail previous experiences in healthcare. You may decide to write about how you connect with patients or how you provide practical and emotional support to loved ones.

You will also encounter writing prompts during examinations, including standardized tests like the GRE or MCAT, nursing school entrance exams , and course-specific evaluations. You may also take exams to get state licensure or professional certification. In most of these instances, you will need to write one or several long-form essays. Proper planning is key. Though you won't know what specific prompt the test will require, you can expect certain common topics. You can search online or use study guides to determine which prompts usually appear on each test.

On test day, you should begin by creating an outline that lists three main points in response to the prompt. Using these points, work backwards to write a central thesis to guide the essay's structure. Review what you've written to ensure that the essay actually responds to the prompt at hand. Be sure to leave time to correct spelling, grammar, and stylistic errors.

Research Papers

Like essays, research papers follow a long-form structure. Unlike an essay, which heavily relies on the writer's point of view, a research paper presents an in-depth investigation of a topic using data, expert opinions, and insights. While an essay evaluates general critical thinking and writing skills, a research paper tests your knowledge, research skills, and original contributions. Research papers also allow you to prove you understand what has been argued and discovered about a topic. Research papers, especially at the graduate and doctoral levels, require independent research and analyses. These papers sometimes take months or years to complete.

To write a successful research paper, you should pick a topic relevant to your interests and the nursing field. Possibilities include elderly care challenges, patient safety and ethics, mental health treatment and regulations in the U.S., and nursing shortages and possible solutions. Whatever your choice, you must plan accordingly. Advanced papers such as dissertations may require funding or help from professors. Research papers often consist of the following sections: abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. You should keep this general structure in mind as you prepare notes and outlines.

How Do You Write a Nursing Essay?

In nursing school, essay writing includes academic papers, personal narratives, and professional compositions. You should become familiar with each of the five major forms below. There are many similarities between these essay types, such as an overarching thesis and a supportive, logical structure. You should support claims with factual, statistical, anecdotal, and rhetorical evidence. However, each form requires distinct skills to achieve specific results.

Comparative

Cause and effect, citations guide for nursing students.

Citations allow readers to know where information came from. By citing sources, you avoid plagiarizing or stealing another person's ideas, research, language, and analyses. Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is one of the most egregious errors one can make. Consequences for plagiarism include automatic course failure, disciplinary actions from the university, and even legal repercussions. You should take special care to ensure you properly cite sources.

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American Psychological Association (APA) Style

APA is the most commonly used style among natural scientists, social scientists, educators, and nurses. Like other citation styles, APA emphasizes clarity of font style, font size, spacing, and paragraph structure. APA citations focus on publication date, and in most cases, the date comes right after the author's name. This order makes the style particularly useful for scientists, who value new research and updates on current findings. For more information on APA style, visit this official website .

(Author and year of publication, page number) "Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process" (Foucault, 1977, p. 9).

Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)

CMS (also known as CMOS or, simply, Chicago) features two citation systems, the notes and bibliography, and the author and date. This style is used primarily by historians, who place high importance on a text's origin. The notes and bibliography include a superscript number with a corresponding footnote or endnote. Scientific professionals use the author and date citation, a generic parenthetical system with similarities to other citation styles. The CMS official website provides additional information, including changes to citation systems in the current edition.

"Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process". 1 1. Michel Foucault, trans. Alan Sheridan, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (New York: Pantheon Books, 1977), 9.

(Author and year of publication, page number) "Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process" (Foucault 1977, 9).

Modern Language Association (MLA) Format

MLA format traces its history to 1951 when it was first published as a thin booklet. Today, MLA is the primary format used by academics and professionals in humanities, English, literature, media studies, and cultural studies. To adapt to the rapid growth of new mediums over the past few decades, MLA updates its citation system. Visit the MLA Style Center for in-depth information on new guidelines and ongoing changes. In general, in text citations consist of author and page number, or just page number if the author's name appears in the text.

(Author and page number) "Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process" (Foucault 9).

Associated Press (AP) Style

Published in 1952, the original AP Stylebook was marketed to journalists and other professionals related to the Associated Press. AP now stands as the go-to style for professionals in business, public relations, media, mass communications, and journalism. AP style prioritizes brevity and accuracy. The style includes specific guidelines regarding technological terms, titles, locations, and abbreviations and acronyms. Unlike the previous styles, AP does not use parenthetical or in-text citations. Rather, writers cite sources directly in the prose. For more information, including style-checking tools and quizzes, visit the Associated Press Stylebook .

In the book, "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison," first published in English in 1977, philosopher Michel Foucault argues that "Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process".

Which Style Should Nursing Students Use?

Because nurses rely on scientific terms and information, professionals in the field usually use APA style. Regardless of the purpose and specific genre of your text, you should always strive for concise, objective, and evidenced-based writing. You can expect to learn APA style as soon as you enroll in a major course. However, you should also prepare to learn other styles as part of your academic training. For example, freshman composition classes tend to focus on MLA guidelines.

Common Writing Mistakes Students Make

Active vs. passive voice.

Active and passive voice represent two different ways to present the same piece of information. Active voice focuses on the subject performing an action. For example, the dog bites the boy. This format creates clear, concise, and engaging writing. Using active voice, nurses might write, I administered patient care at 11:00. Passive voice, on the other hand, focuses on the object of the sentence or the action being performed. For example, the boy was bitten by the dog. A passive sentence is usually one that contains the verb "to be." Using passive voice, you might write, patient care was administered at 11:00.

Professionals in the sciences often use passive voice in their writing to create an objective tone and authorial distance. Passive voice can prioritize specific terms, actions, evidence, or research over the writer's presence. Additionally, nurses use passive voice because it is usually clear that the reported thoughts, actions, and opinions come from them. However, you must also learn how to use active voice.

Punctuation

There are 14 punctuation marks in the English language, each with multiple and sometimes overlapping uses. Additionally, certain punctuation marks only make sense in highly specific and nuanced grammatical instances. To master punctuation, you must learn through practice, particularly by revising your own writing.

For example, colons and semicolons are often used interchangeably, when they actually serve distinct purposes. Generally used before itemized lists, colons stand in for the phrases "here is what I mean" or "that is to say." For example, I am bringing three things to the picnic: applesauce, napkins, and lemonade. Semicolons separate two independent clauses connected through topic or meaning. For example, It was below zero; Ricardo wondered if he would freeze to death. Comma splices, which create run on sentences, are another common mistake. You can identify a comma splice by learning the differences between an independent and dependent clause.

Grammar refers to the rules of a particular language system. Grammar determines how users can structure words and form sentences with coherent meaning. Aspects include syntax (the arrangement of words to convey their mutual relations in a sentence) and semantics (how individual words and word groups are understood). Unless you major in writing, literature, etymology, or another related field, you generally won't examine English grammar deeply. Through years of cognitive development and practice, native users implicitly understand how to effectively employ the language.

Distinct grammatical systems exist for each language and, sometimes, even within a single language. For example, African American Vernacular English uses different syntactic rules than General American English. You should learn grammatical terms and definitions. Common errors include subject/verb agreement, sentence fragments, dangling modifiers, and vague or incorrect pronoun usage. Hasty writers can also misuse phonetically similar words (your/you're, its/it's, and there/their/they're).

Writing Resources for Nursing Students

Reviewed by:.

Shrilekha Deshaies, MSN, RN

Shri Deshaies is a nurse educator with over 20 years of experience teaching in hospital, nursing school, and community settings. Deshaies' clinical area of expertise is critical care nursing and she is a certified critical care nurse. She has worked in various surgical ICUs throughout her career, including cardiovascular, trauma, and neurosurgery.

Shri Deshaies is a paid member of our Healthcare Review Partner Network. Learn more about our review partners here .

Page last reviewed November 30, 2021

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Nursing Narratives

Student writing assignments deepen their ability to empathize and provide better patient care, share this page.

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*This story originally appeared int he Spring 2015 issue of Columbia Nursing Magazine. 

The first year of nursing school is intense, nonstop, and leaves little time for reflection. Because of this, students tend to focus more on the scientific knowledge than the emotional, social, and psychological aspects of nursing. Assistant Professor Jeanne Churchill, DNP , who directs the ETP program’s five-week pediatrics rotation, wanted to change that. She had personally discovered that writing about nursing’s non-medical elements gave her the critical distance to explore her feelings about her own clinical experiences. Her students also needed this distance, to step back and remember why they went into the profession: to take care of human beings, not just diseases.

Churchill began assigning narratives to help students reflect on the quality of their interactions with patients. “I wanted them to explore the personal impact of their experiences, and how their feelings and reactions could help them become better nurses.”

One such student was Brian Lohotsky. The first-year ETP student wrote about Lauren, an eighteen-year-old patient who had been admitted for acute asthma exacerbation. Lohotsky was on the third day of his pediatrics rotation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital when he was assigned to care for Lauren. Medical personnel had stabilized her, and during the course of her recovery, she began to open up to him. She was a single mother with a sick child at home, had a boyfriend and dreamed of attending medical school. She also had a history of intubation for acute asthma exacerbation, and dreaded the procedure, fearing it might further separate her from her daughter. Lohotsky’s assignment to write about this episode focused on Lauren’s fear:

She grieved that she couldn’t breathe, that the albuterol wasn’t working, that she wanted to shower, that she wanted to go home, that she missed her daughter. And again that she missed her daughter. And again.

By writing Lauren’s story, Lohotsky recognized that, “She wasn’t just a kid having an asthma attack. She had in the back of her mind her kid, her schooling, her boyfriend.”

Describing the scene for Churchill’s class gave him clarity about the kind of nurse he hopes to be. “She just needed a little bit of reassurance, which would have helped her just as much as the medications,” he says. “If you’re preoccupied with administering meds and looking at numbers, and not looking a patient in the eye and using your own social radar, you’re going to miss the individual reaction that your patient is having.”

He adds, “When I’m a nurse and actually practicing in a situation like Lauren’s, I would probably ask the supervising health care provider if there might not be another option besides medication.”

Building Self-Confidence

Writing about their clinical experiences helps students notice the small things that make a difference, says Churchill, which can play an important role in the healing process. These small things can be as simple as spending time with a sick adolescent, as Lohotsky did; or, as another student wrote, holding the hand of a developmentally disabled boy, Izzy, who had been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit for respiratory failure, and one month later, still depended on ac-pap machine to breathe:

I just held his hand; told him that he was doing a great job, and made sure that he knew that in that moment I was there for him. Then it happened. That moment in time when I was able to physically see his body relax, just a little bit. His breathing became just a bit less laborious, and more regular. His pulse dropped only by a few digits. However, for him, that tiny step made all the difference in the world.

Treating the Entire Family

To expand students’ appreciation of the significance of their role during a birth, Laura Zeidenstein, DNP, director of Columbia’s Nurse Midwifery program , also assigns reflective writing. She says the essays and poems she has students write boost their confidence in their own usefulness, as did one assignment to write a poem about their hands during birth. “Their hands are a big part of what students do,” she says. “Writing about their hands helps them learn to trust in themselves as clinicians.”

Writing about her hands helped Tiana Miller- Breland ’12 ’14, understand that even as a nurse midwifery student, she brought needed skills to a woman’s labor and birth. “I realized that while I’m waiting, even in my stillness, I’m assessing and thinking with my hands,” says Miller-Breland, who wrote:

We, hands, are here to watch, to wait, to anticipate. To protect, support, prevent. To guide, to reach, to rest. To stretch. To flex, to elevate, to grasp. To grip, to Hold, to clamp. To cut, to dry, to catch. To welcome, to present.

To help students understand how to care for the whole family, Zeidenstein has them write from the perspectives of the expectant parents, as well as the soon to- be birthed baby. Birgit Dugan ’10 ’12, described one father’s anxiety during his wife’s labor:

I’m biting my nails, pacing the floor, on the verge of tears. I hate that you’re crying out in pain and I can’t take it away. I feel helpless.

Then, Dugan imagined a baby’s impatience to enter the world:

I feel a drop as suddenly My bouncy world begins to leak And now my head is well applied I feel the need for “out!” inside.

Making Connections

To cope with the stress of caring for very sick or terminal patients, nurses recognize that they must guard against interjecting emotional distance between themselves and their patients. Yet, it’s because narrative nursing creates the space for clinicians to reflect on their and their patients’ experiences that Lindsey Wright finds it so personally and professionally rewarding. A first year ETP student, simultaneously working toward her masters in Narrative Medicine program at Columbia, Wright established a bi-monthly narrative nursing group for her fellow students. Group members read and reflect on literature, and share personal writing about their clinical experiences. “Narrative nursing helps me empathize and genuinely listen to my patient,” Wright says. In this way, narratives are making her more nurturing and open, compassionate, and better able to connect with her patients. “It makes me a gentler, kinder, more insightful nurse.”

Facing Fears

Writing about their limits as caregivers often helps students understand and accept that they, like their patients, are human and vulnerable. When a student realized that she was unable to physically comfort, a six–year-old boy with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) , a genetic disease that causes the skin to blister and slough off after the slightest contact, she wrote:

Without the power of touch, I felt useless and incapable.

“The very thing she has been taught to do she cannot do – and that is to provide comfort through touch,” Churchill notes. Yet, writing about her anguish deepened the student’s compassion for her patient:

I thought about how I would feel if no one could touch me, if my friends could not put an arm around my shoulder when I was upset or rub my back when I was crying.

Sometimes caring for patients, particularly those who have suffered interpersonal violence, triggers students’ own painful memories. Zeidenstein says that reflective writing can help students cope with these memories. Students who have not suffered from interpersonal\ violence can still evaluate it in their patients’ lives by writing about it imaginatively. “My role as a teacher is to say, ‘you can imagine what this is like. You might not want to, but you won’t fall apart from imagining it.”

She has students write about a time when they felt powerless, or isolated, or about how it feels to envision the destruction of a favorite place. “It’s okay to feel angry, frustrated, or re triggered,” she says. “Students don’t have to avoid these feelings to be good clinicians. They just have to recognize them and use them constructively.” Recognizing and accepting their own responses helps make students more receptive to patients, more empathic, and more accessible. “If you’re more comfortable, your patients will perceive that,” Zeidenstein says. “They’ll feel safe. They’ll feel that ‘we’re in this together.’” 

Writing an Outstanding Application Nursing Essay

Embarking on the path to a nursing career involves navigating through various challenges and significant moments, with the nursing application essay standing out as a key component. This essential part of your application transcends mere formality; it presents a special chance for you to highlight your character, commitment, and aptitude for the nursing profession. In this detailed guide, we aim to explore the intricacies of creating a standout nursing application essay. Whether you’re just starting to explore the nursing field or are ready to submit your application, this article is your roadmap to success.

Understanding the Purpose of the Essay

What do nursing schools seek in your essay.

Nursing schools are looking for candidates with the academic qualifications and personal qualities essential for nursing. Your essay should reflect your compassion, empathy, commitment to the profession, and understanding of the nursing role.

The Essay’s Role in Your Application

Your application essay is your voice in the admission process. It’s where you can speak directly to the admissions committee, tell your story, and explain why you are drawn to the nursing field. This essay can be the deciding factor in your application, setting you apart from other candidates.

Preparing to Write

• Research: Aligning with the School’s Values

Prior to beginning your essay, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the fundamental ideals and beliefs of the nursing school you’re applying to. Spend time browsing their website, absorbing their mission statement, and comprehending their perspective on nursing education. This crucial insight will help you tailor your essay to resonate with the school’s philosophy. This research will help you tailor your essay to resonate with their ethos.

• Self-reflection: Your Nursing Journey

Reflect on your experiences and why you chose nursing. Think about moments in your life that led you to pursue this career. These reflections will help you create an authentic and personal narrative.

• Brainstorming: Crafting Your Story

Take time to brainstorm ideas for your essay. Think about your strengths, experiences, and what aspects of nursing excite you. Make sure to note down these key points; they will be the essential framework for your essay.

Structuring Your Essay

• Introduction: Making a Strong First Impression

The introduction of your essay is your first chance to capture the reader’s attention. Begin with an engaging story, a meaningful personal experience, or a statement that makes the reader think. This approach will offer a window into your personality and highlight your enthusiasm for nursing.

• Body: Building Your Narrative

Organize the body of your essay around a few key experiences or ideas. Each paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of your journey or a particular quality you possess. Use examples from your life to demonstrate your commitment, compassion, and ability to overcome challenges.

• Conclusion: Leaving a Lasting Impression

Your conclusion should wrap up your essay by summarizing the key points and reaffirming your interest and readiness for a nursing career. This is your final chance to remind the admissions committee why you are a suitable candidate.

Writing Tips and Best Practices

• Clarity and Conciseness

Keep your writing clear and concise. Avoid unnecessary jargon and be direct in your storytelling. Remember, the admissions committee reads many essays, so getting your point across quickly is crucial.

• Authenticity: Be Yourself

Your essay should reflect your true self. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Honesty and sincerity will resonate more than trying to fit a certain mold you think the school wants.

• Using Specific Examples

Provide specific life examples rather than general statements about your passion for nursing. This might include volunteering, personal experiences with healthcare, or moments of inspiration from other nurses.

• Attention to Technical Details

Proofread your essay multiple times for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Also, adhere to the nursing school’s formatting guidelines, such as word count and font size.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Steering Clear of Clichés and Generalities

Clichés and overused phrases can make your essay sound generic. Instead, focus on providing unique insights and personal experiences that highlight individuality.

• Directly Answering the Essay Prompt

It’s crucial to stay on topic and answer the essay prompt directly. Deviating from the prompt can lead the admissions committee to question your attention to detail and ability to follow instructions.

• Avoiding Excessive Jargon

Revising and Refining Your Essay

• The Importance of Drafts and Revisions

Your first draft is just the beginning. Be prepared to revise and refine your essay several times. This process helps fine-tune your message and improve the overall flow and clarity.

• Seeking Feedback

Get feedback on your essay from mentors, teachers, or peers. They can provide valuable insights and suggest improvements you might not have considered.

• Final Proofreading

Before submitting your essay, do a thorough proofreading. Check for grammatical errors or typos, and ensure your essay adheres to the specified word limit and formatting requirements.

Crafting your nursing application essay is an opportunity for self-reflection and a chance to convey your zeal for nursing. It’s important to remain authentic, be truthful in your narrative, and allow your sincere passion for nursing to be evident. With careful preparation, thoughtful structure, and attention to detail, your essay can prove your readiness for a nursing career.

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• How to write a narrative essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

• Write a story about your first day of school.
• Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

• Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
• Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Self Reflection for Community Health Nursing

Community health nursing focus on health promotion, disease prevention and maintenance of  health. The foundation of community-base nursing is evidence-based care.Information about the concerns, conditions and strengths of  the populations and the community are gathered through community assessment which are then analyzed and identified. Community assets and their accessibility are also identified. Diversity in cultural, ethnic, economic, educational, linguistic, medical, physical, and social are recognized during the community assessment. I have the opportunity to practice as a community health nurse at the Stein Senior Center. This is a very interesting clinical experience because I was able to work with seniors not a critical or illness level. I learn to see and know what activity and program they are interested in during their leisure time when they relatively healthy. As mentioned in the beginning of the paragraph, community health nursing is able health promotion, disease prevention and maintenance of health, my clinical group conducted a health fair event beneficial to the seniors at the Stein Senior Center. Following are the objectives that I have met during the participation as a community health nurse at the Stein Senior Center.

Objective 1: Demonstrates individual professionalism through personal behaviors and appearance.

Maintaining client confidentiality is part of demonstrations of individual professionalism. I’m obligated to all information shared with me by the seniors confidential unless it causes harm to the persons. Individual professionalism also involves dressing professional to the work setting. I dress in business casual and wear sneaker to the clinical as per the request of the facility. This is not a hospital setting that requires scrub or lab coat. I dress who I represent, a nurse. Punctuality is important part of individual professionalism. It is also a respect to the facility as well as to the seniors. We as a class met with Robert F. Doxsey, the Deputy Director of the Stein Senior Center, every morning and discussed the upcoming events and changes at the center. The mission of the center is “to cultivate friendly relations among the members of the Stein Senior Center and the general public; the provide services with an emphasis on group growth; to share the strengths, and wisdom of senior citizens; and referral services, and to safeguard the health and wellness of senior citizens”. I assumed responsibility for my own learning by reading the materials, information, textbooks and nursing journals that help me prepare and practice better as the community health nurse. I completed all assignments given by the professor which further enhanced my learning. My professor was always available and provided me guidance.

Objective 2: Employ analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills when providing care to individuals and families in the community setting.

Analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills are important when providing care to clients. Analytical reasoning involves analyzing a situation, being able to look through the problem and think in a multi-dimensional way of the situation. Critical thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of a situation with the intention to form a judgment or solution to the situation. There wasn’t much opportunity for hands on experience at the senior center. There was neither medical record for the seniors attended the center. Client information was collected through interview and information shared with by the seniors. I have done blood pressure screening. I was pleased to know that most of the seniors check their blood pressure at home regularly. They know what their normal blood pressure reading is and their medications for treating their hypertension. There was no opportunity to administer medications or treatments to the seniors: however, I assessed and reviewed the medications with the seniors. I emphasized to the seniors the indications and importance to adhere to their medication regimen. I also advised them not to stop taking any medication without notifying their care providers.

Objective 3: Effectively communicate with diverse groups and disciplines using a variety of strategies regarding the health needs of individuals and families in the community setting.

Therapeutic communication involves using broad opening statements, reflecting, sharing observations, acknowledging the seniors feelings, using silence, giving information, clarifying, verbalizing implied thoughts and feelings, exploring, presenting reality and validating. When approaching and interacting with the seniors at the center, I always greet them with a smile. I always introduce my name and profession to them. I have effectively communicated with the seniors by sharing, clarifying and validating their knowledge of health. Seniors may not process the information given to them at the same speed that they used to be; therefore, I talk to the seniors at the speed that they can follow. Paying attention to senior’s nonverbal cues is also important. I have met couple of the Asian seniors at the center. I approached to them and learned that they speak Chinese and limited English. I started interviewing them using their primary language. The seniors were very pleased that they have someone speak their language at the center. They were more opened up and willing to share their thoughts and concerns.

Objective 4: Establish environment conducive to learning and use a plan for learners based on evidence-based practice.

We have established environment conducive to learning for the seniors. During the health fair event, there were many health care providers participated and engaged in screening the seniors. The event provided the opportunity for the seniors to consult these health care providers with the questions that they have. Brochures containing health information were distributed to the seniors. The seniors were advised and referred to follow up with the health care providers as needed. During blood pressure screening, one to one learning opportunity was provided. Seniors are encouraged to ask questions that they may have. Medications and indications of the medications are reviewed with the seniors.

Objective 5: Utilize informational technology when managing individual and families in the community.

The center has computer lab for seniors to use which they can have access to internet and vital information. We also used the computers to do community research to prepare for the health fair event that we coordinated at the center. We used the computer to communicate with vendors, to create flyers, and to print out invitation letters to the vendor. Since this is a senior center, there is no electronical medical records of the members. Yet, all information shared with me by the seniors was kept confidential. I did not disclose information about the seniors to anyone else in or outside of the center. I would only disclose information if it would cause a health concern on the seniors.

Objective 6: Demonstrate a commitment to professional development.

To demonstrate the commitment to professional development, I completed all the required written assignments which enhanced my learning experience. I reflected upon my clinical experience with my classmates on my weekly blog. When caring for the seniors at the center,  I always keep aware of my own cultural beliefs and values that vary from the seniors. Professional development also include using appropriate current literature in planning care. To assume responsibility for lifelong learning as a health profession, I must stay informed of evidence based practice to support my clinical practice through reading and researching.

Objective 7: Incorporate professional nursing standards and accountability into practice.

As a nurse, it is crucial to know and remember my nursing scope of practice and nursing code of ethics. It is important to check with American Nurse Association Standards to learn and update the professional nursing standards in clinical practice. The standards of professional nursing practice include assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing and evaluating in a patient care. Ethical practice is pertinent in provide nursing care. According to the code of ethic in nusring, nurses have the duty to advocate for equitable care for their clients, Nurses have the obligation to keep client confidentiality within legal and regulatory parameters. Nurses also have to deliver care in a manner that preserves and protects client’s autonomy, dignity, rights, values and beliefs. Lastly , nurses should know and aware of the assigned agency’s mission. As I mentioned earlier in this self reflection, the mission of the Stein Senior Center is to “cultivate friendly relations among the members of the Stein Senior Center and the general public; the provide services with an emphasis on group growth; to share the strengths, and wisdom of senior citizens; and referral services, and to safeguard the health and wellness of senior citizens.”

Objective 8: Collaborate with clients, significant support persons and members of the health care team.

My clinical group set up, planned, coordinated and carried out a health fair event for the senior citizens at the Stein Senior Center. The staffs and the deputy director at the center were very helpful by giving us the contact list of the potential vendors. Works were disseminated among the group. We have created our own flyer of the event to the vendors and the members in the community. We were responsible for calling and emailing the invitation letter to all the vendors. We were also responsible for confirming the date with them. We also went out to the community and asked for donations to the seniors at the center. The community members were very nice and supportive to the event. On the day of the health fair, we set up the tables, table cloths, balloons and signs. We directed the seniors to each vendor and made sure that they visited all the vendors for needed health information. There were hearing screening, blood pressure screening, dental screening and many other more screenings at the health fair that the seniors could take advantage of.

Objective 9: Recognized the impact of economic, political, social and demographic forces that affect the delivery of health care services.

The impact of economic, political, social and demographic forces that affect the delivery of health care services were recognized in the research of the community. Through research, my clinical group has identified the major health problems that were needed in the community include but no limited to cancer, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. I have recognized that not all seniors are insured or are under insured. There are many services are denied by insurances that used to cover. This is the gap in care system where seniors failed to receive needed care due to noncoverage. Many insurance companies such as Health First, BlueCross BlueShield and VNS were present at the health fair event to answer questions and provide details of the insurance coverage. Health educational information and brochures were provided and distributed to the senior citizens as well. We advocated for our members who need additional resources and helps they need in order to assist them in the delivery of health care services.

I have a wonderful opportunity to practice as a community health nurse at the Stein Senior Center. The service learning project has broaden my knowledge and clinical experience at a different level of care where clients are stable, active and relatively healthy. Community health nursing is evidence based practice care that focus on health promotion, disease prevention and maintain a healthy living. Community health nursing involve assessment of a community, diagnosis of needs in the community, planning how to increase health awareness in the community, implementing of the plan and evaluating the outcome of the plan. Professional nursing standards apply in all settings with the emphasis on keeping client confidentiality, advocating equitable healthcare to clients, and deliver care to clients in manner to preserve and protect client’s autonomy, dignity, rights, cultural values and beliefs.

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How to Write a Personal Statement for Nursing

How to Write Narrative Essays in Nursing

Though there is still a shortage of nurses in the United States, gaining admission to nursing schools is still quite competitive. For example, according to nursinglink.monster.com, at the University of Stonybrook, "about 800 people eventually applied for a total of about 120 slots." And the "Daily Pennsylvanian" states that at the University of Pennsylvania: "Approximately 20 percent of the nearly 500 applicants were accepted, according to Dean of Admissions Eric Furda." Thus, you should view your personal statement on an application as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from the other applicants. Essentially, the personal statement will ask why you want to be a nurse and why you want this particular school to educate you.

Start your personal statement with an attention-grabbing personal anecdote that relates to nursing or care-giving. For example, you could talk about how nurses made a tremendous difference to your father when he was in the hospital or how nurses always made you less afraid of getting your blood taken when you were a child. Make sure the anecdote is interesting and relevant.

Explain what you have done so far in life: degrees obtained, jobs held, places visited and how they have shaped you as a person and how they have helped you to realize you want to be a nurse and how these experiences will make you into a great nurse.

Explain any eyebrow-raising issues on your application. For example, if there were any times you were out of work or received low test scores, your personal statement is a good place to provide an explanation to the admissions committee.

Explain why you want to go to this particular school. Be as specific as you possibly can. It helps to do research about the history and background of the school. For example, you could say the school has a reputation for caring about people just as much as medicine and that's why you want to study there.

Print out your essay and give it to a friend or colleague to read for feedback and to check for mistakes. Revise as necessary.

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• Studential: Nursing Personal Statements

Lane Cummings is originally from New York City. She attended the High School of Performing Arts in dance before receiving her Bachelor of Arts in literature and her Master of Arts in Russian literature at the University of Chicago. She has lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lectured and studied Russian. She began writing professionally in 2004 for the "St. Petersburg Times."

Narrative in nursing research: an overview of three approaches

Affiliation.

• 1 School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Ireland.
• PMID: 26749518
• DOI: 10.1111/jan.12887

Aim: The aim of this paper is to present and discuss three popular narrative research approaches which have been successfully used by the authors in nursing research. Examples of each approach are offered to illustrate potential application in healthcare contexts.

Background: The creation, function and interpretation of narratives are of increasing interest to nurse researchers worldwide. Currently a variety of narrative research approaches are used to explore how people make sense of experience. While this diversity adds to the richness and scope of the methodology, practitioners new to narrative research may struggle in determining which approach best suits their research purposes and contexts.

Design: This discussion paper presents the philosophical basis, methodology, strengths and challenges of the following three commonly used narrative approaches: Murray's Narrative Framework, the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method and Arts-Based Narrative Methods.

Data sources: Data sources dating from 1934-2014 were used. These included seminal texts and articles from nursing and social science journals on narrative and narrative research found in the CINAHL, Medline and PsycInfo databases.

Implications for nursing: This discussion offers clarity and guidance to nurse researchers who are considering/ using narrative research methods to enquire into the storied nature of human experience and sense making processes.

Conclusions: Employing a specific narrative research approach requires close attention to the 'fit' of the research question/context with the particular method under consideration. While sharing some narrative commonalities, each of these three methods enables the emergence of unique analytic and interpretive perspectives about stories relevant to nursing practice.

Keywords: Murray's narrative framework; arts-based narrative methods; biographical narrative interpretive method; narrative methods; nursing research; research exemplars.

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Writing a Personal Statement

Preparing to Write

Brainstorming, don't forget, sample prompts.

A personal statement is a narrative essay that connects your background, experiences, and goals to the mission, requirements, and desired outcomes of the specific opportunity you are seeking. It is a critical component in the selection process, whether the essay is for a competitive internship, a graduate fellowship, or admittance to a graduate school program. It gives the selection committee the best opportunity to get to know you, how you think and make decisions, ways in which past experiences have been significant or formative, and how you envision your future. Personal statements can be varied in form; some are given a specific prompt, while others are less structured. However, in general a personal statement should answer the following questions:

• Who are you?
• What are your goals?
• How does this specific program/opportunity help you achieve your goals?
• What is in the future?

A personal statement is not:

• A variation of your college admissions essay
• An academic/research paper
• A narrative version of your resume
• A creative writing piece (it can be creative, though)
• An essay about somebody else

Keep in mind that your statement is only a portion of the application and should be written with this in mind. Your entire application package will include some, possibly all, of the materials listed below. You will want to consider what these pieces of the application communicate about you. Your personal statement should aim to tie everything together and fill in or address any gaps. There will likely be some overlap but be sure not to be too repetitive.

• Personal Statement(s)
• Transcripts
• Letters of recommendations
• Sample of written work
• Research proposal

Preparing to Write A large portion of your work towards completing a personal statement begins well before your first draft or even an outline. It is incredibly important to be sure you understand all of the rules and regulations around the statement. Things to consider before you begin writing:

• How many prompts? And what are they? It is important to know the basics so you can get your ideas in order. Some programs will require a general statement of interest and a focused supplementary or secondary statement closely aligned with the institution's goals.
• Are there formatting guidelines? Single or double spaced, margins, fonts, text sizes, etc. Our general guideline is to keep it simple.
• How do I submit my statement(s)? If uploading a document we highly suggest using a PDF as it will minimize the chances of accidental changes to formatting. Some programs may event ask you to copy and paste into a text box.
• When do I have to submit my statement(s)? Most are due at the time of application but some programs, especially medical schools, will ask for secondary statements a few months after you apply. In these instances be sure to complete them within two weeks, any longer is an indication that you aren't that interested in the institution.

Before you start writing, take some time to reflect on your experiences and motivations as they relate to the programs to which you are applying. This will offer you a chance to organize your thoughts which will make the writing process much easier. Below are a list of questions to help you get started:

• What individuals, experiences or events have shaped your interest in this particular field?
• What has influenced your decision to apply to graduate school?
• How does this field align with your interests, strengths, and values?
• What distinguishes you from other applicants?
• What would you bring to this program/profession?
• What has prepared you for graduate study in this field? Consider your classes at Wellesley, research and work experience, including internships, summer jobs and volunteer work.
• Why are you interested in this particular institution or degree program?
• How is this program distinct from others?
• What do you hope to gain?
• What is motivating you to seek an advanced degree now?
• Where do you see yourself headed and how will this degree program help you get there?

For those applying to Medical School, if you need a committee letter for your application and are using the Medical Professions Advisory Committee you have already done a lot of heavy lifting through the 2017-2018 Applicant Information Form . Even if you aren't using MPAC the applicant information form is a great place to start.

Another great place to start is through talking out your ideas. You have a number of options both on and off campus, such as: Career Education advisors and mentors ( you can set up an appointment here ), major advisor, family, friends. If you are applying to a graduate program it is especially important to talk with a faculty member in the field. Remember to take good notes so you can refer to them later.

When you begin writing keep in mind that your essay is one of many in the application pool. This is not to say you should exaggerate your experiences to “stand out” but that you should focus on clear, concise writing. Also keep in mind that the readers are considering you not just as a potential student but a future colleague. Be sure to show them examples and experiences which demonstrate you are ready to begin their program.

It is important to remember that your personal statement will take time and energy to complete, so plan accordingly. Every application and statement should be seen as different from one another, even if they are all the same type of program. Each institution may teach you the same material but their delivery or focus will be slightly different.

In addition, remember:

• Be yourself: You aren’t good at being someone else
• Tragedy is not a requirement, reflection and depth are
• Research the institution or organization
• Proofread, proofread, proofread
• How to have your personal statement reviewed

The prompts below are from actual applications to a several types of programs. As you will notice many of them are VERY general in nature. This is why it is so important to do your research and reflect on your motivations. Although the prompts are similar in nature the resulting statements would be very different depending on the discipline and type of program, as well as your particular background and reasons for wanting to pursue this graduate degree.

• This statement should illustrate your academic background and experiences and explain why you would excel in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (UMass Amherst - M.S. in Civil Engineering).
• Describe your academic and career objectives and how the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies can help you achieve them. Include other considerations that explain why you seek admissions to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and your interests in the environmental field (Yale - Master of Environmental Management).  
• Please discuss your academic interests and goals. Include your current professional and research interests, as well as your long-range professional objectives. Please be as specific as possible about how your objectives can be met at Clark and do not exceed 800 words (Clark University - M.A. in International Development and Social Change).
• Write a 500- to 700-word statement that describes your work or research. Discuss how you came to focus on the medium, body of work, or academic area you wish to pursue at the graduate level. Also discuss future directions or goals for your work, and describe how the Master of Fine Arts in Studio (Printmedia) is particularly suited to your professional goals (School of the Art Institute of Chicago - MFA in Studio, Printmaking).
• Your statement should explain why you want to study economics at the graduate level. The statement is particularly important if there is something unusual about your background and preparation that you would like us to know about you (University of Texas at Austin - Ph.D in Economics).
• Your personal goal statement is an important part of the review process for our faculty members as they consider your application. They want to know about your background, work experience, plans for graduate study and professional career, qualifications that make you a strong candidate for the program, and any other relevant information (Indiana University Bloomington - M.S.Ed. in Secondary Education).
• Your autobiographical essay/personal statement is a narrative that outlines significant experiences in your life, including childhood experiences, study and work, your strengths and aspirations in the field of architecture, and why you want to come to the University of Oregon (University of Oregon - Master of Architecture).
• Personal history and diversity statement, in which you describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You may refer to any educational, familial, cultural, economic or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education (U.C. Davis - M.A. in Linguistics).
• A Personal Statement specifying your past experiences, reasons for applying, and your areas of interest. It should explain your intellectual and personal goals, why you are interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary degree rather than a more traditional disciplinary one, and how this degree fits into your intellectual and personal future (Rutgers University - Ph.D in Women’s and Gender Studies).
• Your application requires a written statement to uploaded into your application and is a critical component of your application for admission. This is your opportunity to tell us what excites you about the field of library and information science, and what problems you want to help solve in this field. Please also tell us how your prior experiences have prepared you for this next step toward your career goals and how this program will help you achieve them (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill - Master of Science in Library Science).
• After watching the video, please describe what strengths and preferences as a learner you have that will facilitate your success in this innovative curriculum. What challenges in our curriculum do you anticipate and what strategies might you use to address these challenges? (MGH Institute of Health Professions PT - They recently redesigned their curriculum)
• Your personal goal statement should briefly describe how you view the future of the field, what your goals are to be part of that future, and what brought you to pursue an advanced education degree in your chosen field. You may include any other information that you feel might be useful. (Northeastern PT)
• Personal Statement: In 500 words or less, describe a meaningful educational experience that affected your professional goals and growth and explain how it impacted you. The educational experience does not need to be related to this degree. Focus on the educational experience and not why you think you would be a good professional in this field. (Simmons PT)
• Personal Statement (500 word minimum): State your reasons for seeking admission to this program at this institution. Include your professional goals, why you want to pursue a career in this field and how admission to this program will assist you in accomplishing those goals. (Regis College Nursing)
• “Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to this type of program.” (AMCAS)
• Address the following three questions(Though there is no set limit, most statements are 1–2 pages, single-spaced.): What are your reasons for pursuing this degree? Why do you wish to pursue your degree at this institution? How do you intend to leverage your degree in a career of this field? (Boston University MPH)
• Please submit a personal statement/statement of purpose of no more than 500 words for the department/degree of choice. Professional degree essays require a clear understanding of the _______ field and how you hope to work within the field. Be sure to proofread your personal statement carefully for spelling and grammar. In your statement, be sure to address the following: what interests you in the field of _____ what interests you in a specific degree program and department at this institution and what interests you in a particular certificate (if applicable). Please also describe how you hope to use your ________ training to help you achieve your career goals. (Columbia PhD in Public Health - Epidemiology)
• Because each Home Program requires significant original research activities in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, we are interested in obtaining as much information as possible about your previous research experiences. Those who already have such experience are in a better position to know whether they are truly interested in performing ______ research as part of a graduate program. Please include specific information about your research experience in your Statement of Purpose. You may also use the Statement to amplify your comments about your choice of Home Program(s), and how your past experiences and current interests are related to your choice. Personal Statements should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced). Make sure to set your computer to Western European or other English-language setting. We cannot guarantee the ability to access your statement if it is submitted in other fonts. (Stanford Biosciences PhD)
• Your statement of purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the Department of ____ at ___ University. It would be helpful to include what you have done to prepare for this degree program. Please describe your research interests, past research experience, future career plans and other details of your background and interests that will allow us to evaluate your ability to thrive in our program. If you have interests that align with a specific faculty member, you may state this in your application. Your statement of purpose should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced). (Stanford Bioengineering PhD)
• Statement of purpose (Up to one page or 1,000 words): Rather than a research proposal, you should provide a statement of purpose. Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at this institution and your relevant experience and education. Please provide an indication of the area of your proposed research and supervisor(s) in your statement. This will be assessed for the coherence of the statement; evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study; the ability to present a reasoned case in English; and commitment to the subject. (Oxford Inorganic Chemistry - DPhil)

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