In this blog post, we will look at the activities and ways of thinking that should be included in a nursing academic plan, and introduce specific examples of how to write a convincing plan.
Write about your academic experience and what you learned
Learning experience exploring Pender’s concept of health promotion
While researching theories related to nursing in biology class, I learned about Pender’s health promotion model, which is similar to modern health. Pender’s health promotion model is based on the premise that individual characteristics and experiences influence behavior, and that behavior can be modified by two factors, cognition and emotion, which influence behavior. The cognitive and emotional factors include perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, emotions related to behavior, interpersonal influences, and situational influences. The content was difficult to understand at first, but by searching for biology papers and nursing books, I was able to confirm that the following factors can be modified through nursing practices, and as a result, the ultimate goal of health promotion can be achieved.
In addition, I found that nursing providers promote health promotion practices, which in turn leads to behavioral changes in the individuals they serve. With the increase in average life expectancy, nurses must also take an interest and participate in the field of health promotion. Through my research, I found that the field of health promotion in nursing has been growing steadily over the past decade. I learned that health promotion education is currently included in clinical practice and that HPM is a very suitable field for nurses because it can be applied not only throughout one’s entire life but also in various situations. Above all, we explored the conceptual definition of health and life for modern people and recalled the purpose and meaning of health promotion. As nurses, we thought about ways to improve the health of patients and explored what kind of research could be done by applying Pender’s health promotion model to people of all ages and genders.
In this process, Pender argued that health promotion should be the goal of the 21st century, and I strongly agreed with this argument and realized the importance of nursing in ensuring that people of all ages have access to health promotion services. I decided that I wanted to conduct nursing research to help explain the importance and value of health to many people in the future.
Major school activities and reflections
Study group leader for the nursing club “Nurse’s View”
When I was in high school, many of my friends wanted to become nurses, but none of them knew anything about the profession. I was the only one who researched the nursing profession, so I gathered my friends who shared my dream and formed a club called ”Nurse’s View.” Due to the nature of nursing, it is a specialized profession that requires a tremendous amount of study even at university. Therefore, I thought that learning basic nursing knowledge in high school and understanding the relevant content would have a positive impact on my nursing studies after entering university. So, after consulting with the club members, I created a voluntary study group to learn basic nursing. It was a study group with eight aspiring nurses, and as the leader of the group, I set specific learning goals with the members to use our time efficiently, and we aimed to accurately perform basic nursing skills protocols at set times.
Specific examples included the diet and restrictions for diabetic patients and how to behave when dealing with child patients in the pediatric ward. We imagined various situations we might encounter as nurses and role-played them, and we watched YouTube videos about nursing to experience the work of a nurse and dream about our future together. After our study session, we gathered in the school science lab to thoroughly learn the nursing theory we were lacking, and then each of us explained the terms and concepts we didn’t understand to the others and asked questions about anything we were curious about. After the study session, we wrote a report on what we had done that day and what we needed to improve so that we could study more easily on our own. As a result, our group was selected as the best study group in the school, and all the members received satisfactory grades, which improved our learning achievement and effectiveness. It was a meaningful experience because I participated with friends who also aspire to become nurses, and imagining myself as a nurse in the future further motivated me to achieve my goal.
Six months of volunteer work caring for elderly people with dementia
When I was in my third year of high school, I volunteered for six months at a nursing home for elderly people with stroke and dementia. Due to frequent volunteer changes, it was difficult to build rapport with the elderly residents, but I actively approached them by helping them bathe and keeping them company, and I asked them if they needed anything, which helped me become friends with them. Although they had memory loss and did not recognize me well, they opened up to me because I approached them in a friendly manner, and that part of the experience is particularly memorable. Even the difficult and sensitive elderly people shed tears when we parted ways, and at that moment, I realized that opening the hearts of others comes from a sincere heart. I also realized the importance of actively approaching patients first as a nurse.
Examples of consideration, sharing, and cooperation, and what I learned
Participating in a campaign to knit hats for children overseas
As a nurse, I believed that knowing the importance of life was my greatest asset. Then, I wanted to do something for the newborn babies dying every day in Africa, so I participated in a “newborn hat knitting campaign” sponsored by a welfare organization in Korea. Actually, I had never knitted before, so it was difficult to even get started. I am not very good with my hands, so I felt frustrated as I repeatedly unraveled and reknitted my work, but I persevered because I knew that the hats I made would bring warmth to children around the world. To improve my skills, I searched for knitting videos on YouTube and made hats one by one, feeling a great sense of accomplishment as I saw them being completed. I made hats filled with the warmth of my heart and the preciousness of life and sent them to newborn babies in Africa on time, and as a result, I was able to save the life of one child. The time I spent knitting was a time when I realized the preciousness of life as a nurse, and it was a moment of happiness through small achievements and service. When I realized that the happiness of others is my happiness, I decided that I wanted to become a nurse and provide a wider range of medical services to patients. I was able to finish school with the belief that coexisting with others is an important value that I strive for in life. In my first year of high school, I was an active member of the RCY volunteer club, where I practiced sharing by serving the underprivileged. As an RCY executive, I planned overseas child sponsorship programs and took the lead in volunteer activities, striving to contribute to society. Although it was a small act of sharing, I realized the value of the spirit of service and warm sacrifice by participating in volunteer work with a united heart. Even after entering the nursing department at XX University, I want to help make our society brighter and warmer by putting the lives of patients first and striving to provide nursing care that helps them.
Efforts and preparations related to your motivation for applying and career plans
Providing excellent treatment services as a nurse at XX University Hospital
Since I was young, I wanted to become a nurse who provides appropriate medical services to sick patients and contributes to their happiness and quality of life. Among them, ○○ University Hospital, located near my home, is a well-known medical institution in Korea, and I grew up seeing many patients visit there. Whenever I passed by, I made a firm resolution to work there as a nurse from the nursing department at ○○ University. I believe that nursing work, which prioritizes the treatment and recovery of patients, requires the three elements of the best medical environment, infrastructure, and medical services. In order to provide proper treatment to patients, it is necessary to have excellent equipment, medical services, and technology, and ○○ University has a high-quality medical environment that enables it to provide more satisfactory nursing services to patients. Therefore, I believe that the nursing department at ○○ University, which has its own hospital and can provide excellent medical services to patients, is the most suitable school for me. While in high school, I created a voluntary club called “Nurse’s Cafe” to become a nurse and served as its president. Together with my friends who also dreamed of becoming nurses, we worked hard to familiarize ourselves with basic nursing, nursing knowledge, and terminology. We frequently read nursing-related papers, academic journals, and nursing trends, and shared nursing-related information with each other. In addition, in order to practice the values of sharing and love as a nurse, I actively participated in volunteer programs run by local welfare facilities for the elderly and children, where I experienced holistic healing through love and sacrifice. I will enroll in the nursing program at XX University to receive professional training to become a nurse, and I will devote myself to my studies to fill in the gaps in my nursing knowledge and develop my expertise. In four years, I hope to join XX University Hospital, promote the excellent medical services of our university, and grow into a nurse who can serve as a role model for my juniors.
