why nursing major essay

Essay Sample on Why I Want to Be A Nurse

Nursing is a rewarding and challenging career that has the power to make a real difference in people’s lives. Whether your motivation is to help others, attain financial freedom, or both, writing a “Why I Want To Be A Nurse” essay is an excellent opportunity to express your passion and commitment to the field.

In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why you might want to become a nurse and provide you with helpful tips and inspiration for writing a powerful and persuasive essay .

Why I Want to Be A Nurse (Free Essay Sample)

Nursing is a career that offers a unique combination of hands-on care and emotional support to those in need. There are many reasons why someone might choose to become a nurse, including:

The Empathy and Altruism of Nursing

I have a strong desire to help people and hope to become a nurse. I think nursing is the best way for me to make a difference in other people’s lives because it combines my natural empathy and desire to help people. Nursing gives me a chance to positively touch people’s lives, which has always attracted me to the thought of doing so.

I saw the beneficial effects that nurses may have on people’s life as a child. I have always been moved by the kindness and concern they have for their patients. The small gestures of kindness, like holding a patient’s hand or speaking encouraging words, have always touched me. I think nurses have a special power to change people’s lives and leave a lasting impression, and I want to contribute to that.

Additionally, I think that becoming a nurse is a great and selfless job. To provide for their patients and ensure they are secure and comfortable, nurses put their own needs on hold. I absolutely respect this kind of dedication to helping others, and I aim to exhibit it in my own nursing career.

The Economic Benefits of Nursing

The financial stability that comes with being a nurse is one of the reasons I wish to pursue this career. Nursing is a field that is in high demand, which translates to a wealth of job opportunities and competitive salaries.  This profession offers the chance for a stable income, which makes it a good choice for people who want to secure their financial future.

Nursing not only gives economic freedom but also a flexible work schedule that promotes a healthy work-life balance. Many nurses can choose to work part-time or in a variety of places, such as clinics, hospitals, and schools..

A Love for the Science and Art of Nursing

To succeed in the unique field of nursing, one must have both artistic talent and scientific knowledge. This mix is what initially drew me to the thought of becoming a nurse. The human body and its mechanisms have always captivated me, and I enjoy learning about the science that underpins healthcare. But nursing requires more than just a scientific knowledge of the body. It also requires an artistic understanding of the patient and their needs.. Nursing is a demanding and fulfilling job since it combines science and art, which is why I’m drawn to it.

I saw as a child the effect nurses had on patients and their families. Their compassion and understanding have motivated me to seek a profession in nursing because they frequently offer comfort and help in the hardest of situations. My enthusiasm for the science and art of nursing will undoubtedly help me to have a good influence on other people’s lives. I want to work as a nurse and improve the lives of the people I take care of, whether it be by giving medication, educating patients, or just being a reassuring presence.

Continuous Professional Development in Nursing

I think the nursing industry is dynamic and always changing, which gives people a lot of chances to learn and grow. I would have the chance to continuously advance my knowledge and abilities in this sector if I choose to become a nurse. In turn, this would enable me to better care for my patients and stay abreast of professional developments.

There are several different nursing specialties available as well. There are many options, including critical care, pediatrics, gerontology, and surgical nursing. Because of the variety of disciplines available, nurses have the chance to develop their interests and find their niche. 

I am certain that a career in nursing will provide me the chance to pursue my passion for healthcare while also allowing me to grow professionally.

Nursing is a fulfilling and noble career that offers a mix of hands-on care, emotional support, and professional growth. I am inspired by the positive impact nurses have on patients and their families and aim to offer my own empathy and compassion. The nursing industry is constantly changing, providing ample opportunities for growth and job prospects with financial stability. The ultimate reward in a nursing career is the satisfaction of making a difference in people’s lives.

Tips for Writing A Compelling Why I Want To Be A Nurse Essay

Now that you understand the reasons why someone might want to become a nurse, it’s time to learn how to write a compelling essay. Here are some tips and strategies to help you get started:

Create an Outline

Before you start writing, it’s important to identify the main points you’ll discuss in your essay. This will help you stay organized and make your essay easier to read.

Start with an Attention-grabbing Introduction

Your introduction is your chance to make a good first impression and engage the reader. Start with a hook that captures the reader’s attention, such as a surprising statistic or personal story .

Be Specific and Personal

Rather than making general statements about why you want to become a nurse, be specific and personal. Share your own experiences, motivations, and passions, and explain why nursing is the right career choice for you.

Highlight your Skills and Qualifications

Nursing is a demanding and complex profession that requires a wide range of skills and qualifications. Be sure to highlight your relevant skills, such as compassion, communication, and problem-solving, and explain how they make you a good fit for the nursing field.

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Why I Want To Be A Nurse Essay

Applying for nursing school is an exciting step towards a rewarding career helping others. The nursing school essay, also known as a personal statement, is a critical part of the application. This is your chance to showcase your passion for the nursing profession and explain why you want to become a nurse.

This guide will show you exactly what admission committees are looking for in a strong nursing school application essay. Let’s walk through how to plan, write, and polish your “why I want to be a nurse” personal statement so it stands out from the competition.

What To Include In Your Nursing Essay

Writing a compelling nursing school essay requires advanced planning and preparation. Follow these tips to create an effective personal statement:

Plan Your Nurse Essay

The first step is to carefully conceptualize your nursing school admissions essay. Jot down some notes answering these key questions:

• Why do you want to go into nursing?
• What personal experiences or traits draw you to the field of nursing?
• How have you demonstrated commitment to caring for others?
• What are your academic and professional qualifications for nursing?

From here, you can start mapping out a logical flow of key points to cover in your nursing school application essay.

Show an Emotional Connection to the Profession

Admission committees want to see that you have genuine passion and empathy for the nursing career choice. Dedicate part of your personal statement to describing your intrinsic motivations and positive impacts for desiring to become a nurse.

Avoid cliché reasons like “I want to help people.” Instead, get specific by sharing a personal anecdote that emotionally moved you towards nursing.

Here’s an example of how you could open your nursing school entrance essay by highlighting a meaningful patient-care interaction:

“Holding Mrs. Wilson’s trembling hand, I watched her fearful eyes relax as I reassured her that the medical team would take excellent care of her. At that moment, providing empathetic comfort to calm her nerves despite the clinical chaos around us, I knew deep down that nursing was my calling.”

This introduction immediately establishes an emotional pull towards the human side of healthcare. From here, explain how this or similar experiences instilled a drive in you to become a nurse.

Show That You Care

Much of nursing is providing compassionate, person-centered care. Therefore, your “why I want to be a nurse” essay should emphasize your ability to be caring, empathetic, patient, and comforting to others.

Share examples that showcase your natural inclination for caregiving:

“Volunteering at the Red Cross shelter after the wildfires by comforting displaced families demonstrated my patience and attentiveness to those suffering. Even as some evacuees grew frustrated by the chaos, I calmly reassured them that we would do everything possible to assist with their recoveries and ensure they felt cared for.”

This example highlights key soft skills needed in nursing as a career, like compassion, active listening, the desire to help, and providing a calming presence under pressure.

Share Your Aspirations

A strong application essay will also articulate your goals and vision for contributing to the nursing field. What are you hoping to achieve through a career in nursing?

Here is an example of discussing aspirations in a nursing school personal statement:

“My long-term aspiration is to become a nurse leader by earning an advanced degree and management experience. I aim to leverage my organizational, communication and critical thinking skills to mentor junior staff, improve operational workflows, and advocate for policies that enhance quality of care. In nursing, I’ve found my true calling – to provide critical care, and help others by being a source of compassion and driving excellence in healthcare delivery.”

This type of self-motivated, forward-looking vision demonstrates maturity, strong goals, and natural leadership qualities.

Describe Your Nursing Skills and Qualifications

Finally, your nursing school entrance essay should summarize the skills; profession offers, and experience that makes you an excellent candidate for the nursing program. Highlight relevant strengths like:

• Academic achievements (science/healthcare courses, GPA, etc.)
• Extracurricular activities (volunteering, internships, etc.)
• Relevant work experience (patient care roles like CNA, medical assistant, etc.)
• Other transferable skills (communication, leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, etc.)

For example:

“My passion for science, healthcare experience as a CNA, and volunteering at a community health fair have prepared me to thrive in the intellectually stimulating and collaborative nursing curriculum. I bring dedication, attention to detail, and a strong work ethic as demonstrated by my 3.8 GPA studying Biology at the University of Michigan.”

With application essays, it’s all about showcasing why you would make an outstanding addition to the nursing program, making a difference through your qualifications and intangible traits.

How Do You Write an Introduction to a Nurse Essay?

Now that you’ve brainstormed content ideas, it’s time to turn them into a polished personal statement. Here are some tips for crafting an attention-grabbing introduction to your nursing school essay:

Hook the Reader with a Personal Story

One of the most engaging ways to start writing your essay is by recounting a brief personal story that illuminates your drive to become a nurse. This can immediately immerse the reader in your intrinsic motivations.

For example , you could open with an anecdote describing a meaningful instance of care and comfort you provided to someone in need:

“Tears streamed down Mrs. Hernandez’s face as she told me about losing her husband to cancer last year. As a hospice volunteer, I held her hand, listening intently to her painful story of grief and loss…”

This type of vivid introduction pulls the reader into the narrative straight away. From here, you can continue sharing details about the scenario and its influence on your desire to pursue nursing.

Illustrate the Human Impact of Nursing

Another compelling way to begin your nursing personal statement is by painting a picture of nursing’s profound impact on patients and their families. This highlights your understanding of the profession’s vital role.

For instance:

“Looking a trembling new mother in the eyes as she first held her newborn, relieved knowing both were safe and healthy after a complicated delivery – that is the human difference nurses make each and every day.”

This type of introduction emphasizes nursing’s profound emotional impact on patients during vulnerable yet joyful moments. It activates the reader’s empathy by bringing them into the vivid scene while showing your own insight into the medical field.

Articulate Passion for Helping Others

Finally, you can start your nursing application essay by asserting your resounding passion for caring for others. This clear expression allows you to succinctly introduce central values like empathy and compassion.

“Ever since I was a young volunteer candy striper in my local hospital, I’ve held an unwavering passion for helping those suffering through the profound act of nursing. I was born to care for others.”

This authoritative opening clearly states your emotional connection to nursing in a compelling yet concise way. You can then build on this assertion of passion through personal examples and further explanation.

No matter how you start your nursing school essay, the introduction should vividly showcase your motivation and why you chose nursing. Set the tone early with your authorship and emotion.

Why I Want To Be A Nurse Essay Examples 

Now let’s analyze some complete sample nursing personal statements for inspiration on crafting your own:

Why I Want to Be a Nurse at a Hospital: Essay

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To craft a standout nursing school application essay, prospective students should engage the reader with an emotional opening that illuminates their calling to the profession, whether through a compelling personal anecdote or vivid imagery expressing the profound impact of nursing. 

The conclusion should be resolved by painting an inspiring vision of how the writer’s skills, values, and determination will be channeled into excellence as a nursing student and future registered nurse, making an empathetic difference in patients’ lives.

With focused, mature writing that radiates passion and preparedness, a “why I want to become a registered nurse” personal statement can stand out amidst the competition as a window into a promising applicant’s commitment to this vital healthcare profession.

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What to include: why i want to be a nurse essay.

Why do you want to be a nurse? What is your reason for entering the nursing profession? What drives you?

You will face these questions multiple times throughout your career, but there are two occasions in which answering them could actually define your career.

The first is when you apply to nursing school. You may be asked to complete an essay outlining why you want to become a nurse.

The second time is when you apply for a nursing position and answer that question as part of the interview process.

Whether you're applying for a nursing program or job, it's important to know how to address this question and what sort of answers work best.

What To Include In Your Nursing Essay

To create the perfect nursing essay, one that can help you get into nursing school or find your first job, follow the steps below:

Plan Your Nurse Essay

Before you start writing your nursing essay, think about what you want to include.

Jot down ideas that express your passion for the nursing profession, as well as any personal or familiar experience that led you to take this step.

Be honest. Be open. Summarize your story, highlight your goals, and think about what the nursing profession means to you.

All of these things will be important when structuring your essay.

Show an Emotional Connection to the Profession

Do you have any family members that worked as nurses or doctors? Did you care for a loved one during an illness? Did you require a lot of care at some point in your life?

If so, this should be your lead, and it's probably the most important part of your essay.

Nursing is a lucrative career. You can make a decent salary, enter numerous specialties, and even progress to opening your own practice. There is also a national nursing shortage, so you'll also have plenty of opportunities if you're willing to learn and work. But interviewers don't want to hear that you became a nurse to earn good money and pick up lots of overtime.

Think of it in the context of a talent show. We know that the contestants are there to get famous and make lots of money. But when they stand in front of the camera and appeal for votes, they talk about deceased parents/grandparents, changing their family's life for the better, and making a difference in the world.

It's easy to sympathize with someone who wants to follow in the footsteps of a beloved mother or make a grandparent proud. It's not as easy to sympathize with someone who just wants to drive a Bugatti and wear a Rolex.

Examples  :

"My mother is a nurse practitioner. I can see how happy the role makes her and how much it has changed her. I have looked up to her throughout my life and have always wanted to follow in her footsteps."

"I cared for my father when he was ill. I was able to comfort him and assist him in his time of need, and while it was very challenging, it always felt right to me and it's something I would love to do as a career."

Show That You Care

Like all health care workers, nurses are devoted to healing the sick. If you're not a people person, it's probably not the profession for you.

Make it clear that you're a caring person and are willing to devote your life to healing sick people. A good nurse also knows how to comfort distraught family members, so you may want to include this in your essay as well.

If you have any examples of times when you have helped others, include them. This is a good time to talk about volunteer work, as well as other occasions in which you have devoted your time to helping strangers.

"I feel a great sense of pride working with families and patients through difficult times. I like to know that I am making a difference in the lives of others."

"I want to become a nurse so that I can help others in their time of need. I chose nursing as a profession because I feel a great sense of accomplishment when helping others".

Share Your Aspirations

What are your goals for your nursing career? Do you want to become a nurse practitioner? Do you want to specialize as a nurse anesthetist, a critical care nurse, or focus more on pediatrics?

Nurses work across a range of specialties, and it's important to show that you are interested in continuing your education and developing to your full potential.

The goal is to show that you are determined. You are driven to succeed and to better yourself.

If you're just taking your first steps as a nursing student, now is a good time to research into specialties and get an idea of how you want your career to progress.

"I have always been drawn to the nursing profession because it's challenging, demanding, and interesting. I want to push myself every day, engaging my academic interests and satisfying my need to learn and improve as a person."

Describe Your Nursing Skills and Qualifications

If you're applying for an accelerated nursing program or a new nursing job, the interviewer will have access to your qualifications. But they won't know what those qualifications mean to you, what you learned from them, and how you can use them in your career.

It's about problem-solving skills, as well as academic work. It's about experience and personal growth, as well as knowledge acquisition.

This is a good time to talk about internships.

How Do You Write an Introduction to a Nurse Essay?

Starting is always the hardest part, but it's best not to overthink it.

Just start writing about why you want to become a nurse. Don't overthink it. Don't worry too much about the first word or sentence. Everything can be edited, and if you spend too long thinking about those first words, you'll never finish the essay.

Keep it simple, check your work, and edit it until it's perfect and says exactly what you want it to say.

• December 27, 2022

How to Write: Why I Want to Be a Nurse Essay

The Why I Want to Be a Nurse essay is one of the most common components on nursing school applications. There are tons of reasons to become a nurse, but yours are unique – a good nursing essay will stand out and be remembered by those who read it. In addition to general admission, this could even be your ticket to some scholarships for nursing school!

Let’s dive into how to write your Why I Want to Be a Nurse essay and get you into nursing school!

Planning Your Nursing Essay

Before you get into writing anything, you should always complete your pre-writing phase of brainstorming and planning for what you want to write about. Only then can you start considering your structure and details that you want to include.

Step 1: Brainstorm an event or a list of moments that began your interest in nursing.

If this is a lifelong dream, then maybe you can’t remember when you first became interested in nursing. But what moments have helped you continue down this path?

Some people may not have a specific healthcare related experience that inspired them to take this path. That’s okay! You can think broadly and consider times you were satisfied by helping someone with a task or volunteered.

Haven’t taken a writing class in a hot minute? Here are some effective strategies for brainstorming your ideas.

Step 2: Consider what you did to learn more about nursing.

Think about when you began researching nursing as a viable career option. What made nursing more appealing than a different career?

Step 3: Write down what made you decide to choose nursing as a career path.

If you can boil your reasoning down to a sentence or two, then that will be the thesis for your Why I Chose Nursing essay.

What to Include: Why I Want to Be a Nurse Essay

Introduction: your hook and story.

Your test scores and transcripts tell the story of your technical aptitude. But your essay is an opportunity to give your application an emotional route. What experiences have made you passionate about nursing? Have you cared for sick loved ones before? Are there nurses in your family?

Your introduction is where you’ll explain the stake that you have in this. You want the admissions team to understand that you belong in the program. Not just that you have the academic qualifications, but that you’ll be an asset to the entire nursing profession.

In kindergarten, there was an accident while my family was camping. A pot of boiling water tipped over onto my leg. The burns were so bad that I had to be airlifted to a regional hospital. I don’t remember much of the incident itself today, but I remember the nurses who helped me recover. They turned a frightening experience into something much kinder. I want to be able to give that to a child by working as a pediatric nurse.

Paragraph 1: Detail the event or moment you became interested in nursing.

This is a paragraph where you really want to reel the reader in. You’ve hooked them with the broad overview of your story: what sets you apart, why you’re so interested in the nursing profession. Now you can detail a specific moment.

Pick one moment and capture it in as much detail as you can. For example, maybe you remember waiting in a hospital for news about a loved one. Perhaps it was the kindness of a nurse who treated you. Or, in contrast, it was a time that a nurse wasn’t kind, and it made you want to do better for a patient in need.

Despite spending several weeks in the hospital, I didn’t immediately develop a desire to become a nurse. Growing up, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. Then in my sophomore year of high school, my neighbor’s son got sick. He was about the same age as I had been when I was in the hospital. When I babysat him, we would swap hospital stories — the good and the bad! And suddenly it dawned on me that if I was a nurse, I could help make those bad stories a little less painful.

Paragraph 2-3: Show how you have used that experience to build your foundation towards nursing school.

Here is where you’ll take your personal experiences into account. Nursing school requires more than just empathy. You will need to have core science credits and an ability to understand the human body. The best nurses are adaptable in the workplace and always willing to learn. You can browse a list of skills nurses need to thrive in the workplace.

I spent a lot of time researching my neighbor’s son’s condition. Though his illness wasn’t terminal, it was degenerative. He began to lose his hearing a few months after his diagnosis. I joined his father in learning sign language to communicate better. During that time period, I spent a lot of time thinking about how so many people have to struggle so hard to communicate.

I want to be a nurse who can give relief to the most vulnerable patients. Every person’s needs are different. A child’s needs are different from a developmentally disabled adult’s, which are different from the needs of someone hard of hearing, and so forth. I’ve seen firsthand the frustration that occurs when communication isn’t easy. So I’ve focused on learning adaptable communication methods and educating myself about the groups that are most overlooked in hospital settings.

Paragraphs 4-5: Detail how you will use your strengths and skills in your nursing career.

This is the point at which you can start to talk about your specific skills, similar to a job interview. You want to highlight any particularly unique aspects, then make sure to solidly establish your core competency. A dream of becoming a nurse can’t just be a dream; you need detail to back it up.

If you know where you want to place your specific focus as a nurse, mention it! Talk about your career goals and how you want to work with your patients and what you hope to learn in doing so.

I think it’s so important for patients to have a nurse that listens to them, and that goes doubly for patients with communication struggles. During my career, I want to continue practicing and using ASL with my patients. I want to improve the quality of care for chronically ill people, especially because so many report anxiety around healthcare settings.

It’s also important to me to keep learning and adapting constantly. I never want to stop learning new skills and refreshing my knowledge. Understanding a patient’s vital signs and demeanor could mean the difference between life and death. In the high-pressure environment of nursing, I strive to have the answers to the questions my patients have – I’ll never stop seeking knowledge.

Conclusion: Reiterate your skills and qualifications, saying why they’d make you a great fit for the program.

The conclusion is fairly straightforward. You’ve provided your thesis: why you want to be a nurse. You’ve explained when the desire started, what experiences support it, and what you plan for the future. Now you just need to tie those things together in a neat summary. Remind the admissions team of why you’re a unique candidate to fit this role.

A long stay in the hospital as a child doesn’t qualify me to be a nurse by itself. But that experience has laid the foundation for my desire to work in healthcare settings. There are a thousand careers that help people, but nursing is personal and dear to me. I want to make sure that any vulnerable patient has access to the care they need, and I can use my adaptability and communication skills to do that.

Related: Stay Organized for the School Year with These Nursing School Planners

Do’s and Don’t’s for Nursing School Essays

Do: Show that you care about people.

Illustrate that you want to help people and have compassion for their suffering. It helps to talk about specific people or groups of people that you care for.

Do: Explain the qualifications that will make you a good fit as a nurse.

Talk about your adaptability, your desire to learn, your interest in the healthcare field, your prior experience – anything that will serve you during your career.

Do: Tell admissions why you want to be a part of their program.

Find a unique aspect of the program to highlight, showing why you want to study there specifically. For example, maybe there’s a school that connects students to underserved rural areas and this is a mission that you are on board with. Spend some time researching the nursing program to be confident in what they offer.

Do: Ask someone to proofread.

You’ll miss typos in your work if you read it a thousand times, so ask for a fresh pair of eyes. It also helps to change the essay to a different font for editing. Here are some more tips to consider offering to your proofreader.

Don’t: Pay for a writing service.

Write your own paper. If you’re worried about your skills, have a peer take a look at your draft, rather than using someone else’s work.

Don’t: Make false claims.

Tell the truth about your motivations, goals, strengths, and driving factors. Don’t make up a backstory or pretend to have skills you don’t.

Don’t: Disregard instructions or criteria.

Pay careful attention to the essay prompt and the criteria. Sometimes you’re expected to answer in less than 300 words, or there are more specific prompts to follow.

Related: Can Nurses Have Tattoos?

Why I Want To Be a Nurse Essay – FAQ

What should i include in a short essay on why i want to be a nurse.

A short essay should still include the main points made here – a short story or introduction, why you became interested in nursing and how that experience has propelled you into nursing, and the skills and experience you will bring to the program.

Should I give more than one reason on why I want to be a nurse?

You should aim to stick with one or two main reasons why you chose nursing – too many reasons will lead to a less effective essay due to a difficulty in following along with your main points.

What do I do if I don’t have a personal story that inspired me to want to become a nurse?

Even if your inspiration is not specific to nursing, you should be ready to tie that into why it’s related to a nursing career. Focus on experiences that required interpersonal skills, great communication skills, or show care for others.

The Why I Want to Be a Nurse essay is your chance to stand out from the crowd. You can show your dedication, compassion, and willingness to learn all through being honest. Just make sure you have your essay proofread before you send it!

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Why Major Essay Examples

At many schools, the why major essay forms a crucial part of the college application process. In addition to your Common App essay , many schools require supplemental essays. One of the most popular supplemental essay prompts is the why major essay.

The why major essay allows colleges to learn more about you and your interests. This guide will give you some why major essay examples from popular colleges. It will also offer some tips on how to write a why major essay. 

This guide includes why major essay examples from the following colleges: The University of Texas at Austin , The University of Southern California , Cornell , Georgia Tech , and Pomona College . These college essay examples can act as a great source of inspiration for your why major essay. By looking at these college essays that worked, you can learn more about how to approach various supplemental essay prompts. 

What are examples of why major essay prompts?

The why major essay examples in this guide have varying prompts. Here are the why major essay prompts from our college essay examples: 

“Why major” essay requirements

As you can see, most why major essay examples will have between 250-300 words. However, some college essay examples will have more. Additionally, some why major essay examples will focus on college-specific information. In general, these essays ask why you’ve picked your intended major , so try to be as specific as possible. These why major essay examples are a great place to start if you need help with your why major essay. 

The college essay examples in this guide also reflect the level of research needed for a why major essay. As you research colleges, look for a class you want to take or a research opportunity that interests you. Then, be sure to include that in your why major essay for that school. If a prompt mentions the college’s name or asks why you’re interested in their school, focus on school specifics. The college essay examples we’ve included in this guide can help you jumpstart the writing process. 

Who has a why major essay?

Many schools have a why major essay, as these essays help colleges understand you and your academic passions. The why major essay examples in this guide come from UT Austin, USC, Cornell, Georgia Tech, and Pomona College. 

In addition to these schools, many other colleges also have a why major essay. Some of these include Yale University , University of Pennsylvania , Emory University , University of Michigan , and Rice University.  

Beyond the why major essay, many colleges will also have a why this college essay. This essay asks why you’re interested in that specific college. Some schools may combine the why this college essay and the why major essay. It can be helpful to compare colleges to help you decide which schools you prefer. In these essays, try to mention specific courses and professors. Some of the why major essay examples in this guide also function as why this college essay samples.  You can find more college essay examples here.  

Choosing your major

It’s okay if you don’t have a designated major in mind yet. While many schools will allow you to apply as an undecided student, some schools will require you to pick a major as part of your application. However, this choice often is not binding.

Reading why major essay examples can help as you choose your major and prepare to apply. If you’re not sure about your major, you can read our guide on How to Choose a Major.  

In our why major essay examples, you’ll see how your personal interests and passions can help you choose a major. Our why major essay examples demonstrate how helpful it can be for colleges to know why you’re interested in your intended major. Where do you see yourself working? What’s your favorite subject in school? Thinking through these kinds of questions (and reading college essay examples) can help you navigate the different majors available. 

Why This Major Essay Example

We’ve included five different why major essay examples below. Pay attention to how these why this major essay examples include specifics about each college. These why major college essay examples can help you understand what colleges look for in a Why Major essay. Overall, by reading college essays that worked, you can learn more about how to brainstorm and structure your own essays.

Now, let’s look at some why major college essay examples. 

UT Austin Essay Examples

Please describe your interest in your intended major and how your interest in the field developed. (250 words), ut austin essay example.

Some of you may wonder ‘When will I ever use derivatives in real life?’ Welcome to when.” My physics teacher, Mr. Welsh, described engineering as the “when” math and physics were applied to real problems. That is what is so attractive about engineering; it gives me the ability to apply intriguing concepts to fascinating projects. I love how engineering combines creative freedom with mathematical certainty to create projects that can impact and change the world.

During the Chain Reaction Contraption competition, a local competition, my team and I created a Rube Goldberg machine to complete a certain task. I found a love for the hands-on, creative portion of mechanical engineering and design. Other engineering activities also provided important experiences that contributed to my desire to pursue engineering. In my engineering design class, I enjoyed using computer programs like Solidworks and AutoCAD to create designs and visualizations of ideas. In FTC Robotics, I discovered that in addition to building the robot, I also loved the programming aspect behind mechanical design.

Reflecting on these experiences with engineering, particularly mechanical engineering, I am certain that engineering is the best path for me. I hope to apply my Mechanical Engineering degree to the Aerospace field. My dad is a pilot, so I have grown up hearing about and being around airplanes. As a child, I watched war plane documentaries with my dad and have had a passion for Aeronautics since then.

Why this essay worked

This why this major essay example works because it utilizes a personal story. By using a specific experience, this essay reflects on why this student is interested in mechanical engineering. Starting with a personal anecdote is a great way to introduce your essay. By including any experience you have with a club or extracurricular, you can help the reader understand your experience within the field. 

Reading UT Austin essay examples can help you start writing your why major essay. Read through the UT Austin Degree Programs and pick the major that best aligns with your interests. Try to think about what experiences, both inside and outside of school, have piqued your interest—this can be a great way to start your why major essay. Use the UT Austin essay examples to help guide your writing process. As you draft, these why major essay examples can be a great source of inspiration.  

USC Why Major Essay

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at usc specifically. please feel free to address your first-and second-choice major selections. (300 words).

The perks of being an English major is that you have a lot of opportunities, which I fully plan on partaking in during my time at USC. First and foremost, I hope to form close connections with my professors and to take advantage of the world-class education I’d be receiving. There is also a study abroad program specifically entwined with English that I hope to be able to participate in during my time at USC. I intend to participate and eventually help with the events that USC’s English department puts on as well.

As a sophomore, I hope to be a research assistant to a professor, hopefully someone who specializes in Romanticism or the niche field of ‘Law and Literature.’ I plan on starting research to write my own thesis during my junior year and hope to publish by my senior year. I plan on being a research assistant first because it would give me insight on the mechanics of research in the humanities and would help me formulate some ideas for my thesis early on. Since I am on the pre-law track, I hope to take advantage of USC’s resources by starting an internship.

While I have yet to declare a minor, I would like to capitalize on my love for languages by minoring in a language, and since Los Angeles and the campus of USC itself is a multicultural hub, I could immerse myself into the cultural aspects that come with learning a “new tongue.”

Why this essay worked 

This why this major essay example works because it focuses primarily on how this student will utilize the resources at USC to pursue their intended major. In this, the essay fully answers the prompt set by the USC Admissions Office. 

This USC Why Major essay mentions the specific study abroad program and the research opportunities available. In doing so, it shows how familiar this student is with the English program at USC. This USC essay also helps demonstrate the student’s excitement for the opportunities available at USC. Detailing a rough plan for each year in college is a great way to show the USC Admissions Office what you know about their school’s programs. 

This USC Why Major essay is a great example of combining a Why This Major essay example and a Why This College essay sample. Compared to the other Why Major essay examples you may read (including the one above), this USC essay is specific. Other Why Major college essay examples may be used for more than one school—often, you’ll include similar information in your supplemental essays for different schools. However, the USC Why Major essay can only be used for USC. The USC Admissions wants you to detail exactly what about USC you find appealing, and this USC essay does this very well. 

Cornell Arts and Sciences supplement essay example

Students in arts and sciences embrace the opportunity to delve into multifaceted academic interests, embodying in 21st century terms ezra cornell’s “any person … any study” founding vision. tell us about the areas of study you are excited to explore, and specifically why you wish to pursue them in our college. (650 words), cornell arts and sciences supplement essay example.

When 6:35 AM alarm rings, I find myself considering the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility–if I hit the snooze button, will my eight minutes of fragmented slumber garner more utility than a fresh-brewed cup of coffee? The trend continues throughout the day: with the release of the newest Yeezys, I contemplate bounded rationality. Though the sneakers scarcely justify the price tag of $550, the rapidly-depleting supply almost overwhelms my rational decision-making capabilities: textbook behavioral economics. As soon as I realized that my daily decisions could be explained by economics, I was determined to learn more. 

To many, the subject conjures images of stockbrokers painstakingly laboring over Excel spreadsheets; it’s easy to forget it governs our everyday lives. Half a century ago, the creation of the unassuming mortgage-backed security set the stage for the global 2008 Recession. Simultaneously, the power of economics can be awe-inspiring: Muhammad Yunus’ work with microfinance pioneered new ways to address global poverty. Studying AP Economics, participating in countless rounds of debate both in and outside the United States, self-studying courses like Professor Chetty’s Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems, and managing the budget of our schools debate team taught me that market principles govern our world; through my education, I hope to learn how to harness them for good.

After a summer working for Congressman DeSaulnier, I realized that economics and politics are intertwined. One of my most memorable projects was preparing a brief on H.R. 4674 (the College Affordability Act)–for two weeks, I scrutinized the social, political, and economic effects of the legislation, and concluded with a half-hour presentation on my findings to the Congressman. In the process, I realized that even seemingly minor pieces of legislation affect all of society; by helping disenfranchised communities gain access to education, the bill addresses cyclical poverty at the root. When the Congressman announced he would become a co-author, it was a personal victory–it cemented my desire to intertwine my passion in economics with our political process, and learn how to craft innovative legislation designed to benefit millions.

The College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell is the ideal environment for me to pursue those passions. As an aspiring Economics major, I’m incredibly excited to learn from world-renowned economists like Professor Basu. Beyond fascinating courses like Game Theory and Strategic Economics, which synthesize economics, business, politics, and diplomacy, it would be a privilege just to attend his office hours and learn from his experience as former Chief Economist at the World Bank and President of the International Economic Association. In addition to my classes, I’d love to get involved in the Hatsfield Undergraduate Research program and further my understanding of how economics can be applied. Papers like Professor Battaglini’s “The Political Economy of Weak Treaties” are fascinating to read, and it would be a phenomenal experience to receive mentorship from veterans in the field while aiding them in their work. 

I’d also love to minor in Public Policy, which seems almost tailor-made for my own career goals; the synthesis of an unparalleled education in the fundamentals of economics with courses designed to help students craft tangible policy would literally be a dream come true. Programs like Cornell in Washington promise the opportunity to get hands-on experience from Capitol Hill itself. I’d be more than happy to use my education in a Congressional Committee and get an insider perspective on the steps that go into developing, amending, and passing legislation.

The College of Arts and Sciences combines that with a robust undergraduate community, which offers unique opportunities to collaborate with a large student body and start developing a professional network–whether I’m catching a game of ice hockey or participating in Dragon Day, I know there’ll never be a dull moment. All in all, Cornell promises four truly life-changing years–I can’t wait to become a member of the Big Red community.

Reading through Cornell Arts and Sciences supplement essay examples, like the one above, can serve as an excellent case of how to combine a Why Major essay and a Why This College essay.  

Out of all the college essay examples we’ve included here, the Cornell Arts and Sciences supplement essay examples contain the most detail. This why this major essay example showcases how important it is to have exact details available about the college or program you are applying to. This student highlights several different professors at Cornell, as well as their specific work and research. The Cornell Admissions Office appreciates the time and effort put into these essays, so it’s crucial to do your research! 

This why this major essay example also uses the longer word count well. In particular, it offers personal anecdotes while showcasing the writer’s knowledge of economics. The reader gets to know the student better, and the Cornell Admissions team can see that the writer is serious about studying at Cornell. 

As you can see in these why major essay examples, the more specific details you can include about the college, the better. Reading multiple Cornell supplemental essay examples can help you explore the different programs students look forward to joining. Be sure to explore the Cornell Admissions website to review their offered fields of study .  If you’re undecided on a major, you can read through our guide on Cornell Majors here for some inspiration. You can also read more Cornell supplemental essay examples here . 

Georgia Tech Essay Examples

Next, let’s look at some essay examples from Georgia Tech. Here’s the prompt:

Why do you want to study your chosen major at Georgia Tech, and what opportunities at Georgia Tech will prepare you in that field after graduation? (300 Words)

Georgia tech essay example.

March 29, 2019. 11 AM EST. GT Shadow Day. I remember it all so clearly: Descending the red-brick steps of the Old Civil Engineering Building. My friend and I, chatting up a storm, our minds blown by our newfound perspectives. 

We had just walked out of ECON-4060: Money & Capital Markets, taught by Dr. Belton. To say that it changed my life would be no exaggeration; within an hour, Dr. Belton had upended my perception of society and defined my future aspirations. 

We had been asked to consider a popular commodity, diamonds. Hardly rare, fast-decaying, and intrinsically worthless. So why do we buy them? Dr. Belton had then illuminated the factors in our economic behavior that cause us to gift a ring in marriage rather than something with real value, say a treasury bond. These realizations were enough to rock me back on my heels, for I had never before noticed the large degree to which our everyday economic decision-making is irrational.

Craving more than that one splendid hour, I knew where and what I wanted to study for the next four years. I saw myself strolling through Bobby Dodd Way, bumping into old friends as I made my way to Midtown Atlanta. Then, I imagined myself exploring the realm of economics, probing questions ranging from price formation to income disparity. I saw myself at a place that felt familiar enough to call “home,” learning in a way that felt genuine enough to call “discovery.”

Educating myself on the mechanics of economics is just a glimpse of my great desires. Through the senior research project, I seek the one-on-one guidance of faculty in yielding a publishable journal paper. Someday, with the support of the program’s alumni network, I plan to pursue career and internship opportunities in the great company headquarters of Atlanta.

Like many of the why major essay examples we’ve highlighted, this why major essay starts with a personal anecdote.  Our Georgia Tech essay examples can be used as a why this college essay sample as well. 

The student’s personal story is tied to Georgia Tech. This makes it a great addition to a Georgia Tech application.  Our Georgia Tech essay examples also drive home the importance of bringing specific details about a college into your why major essay. The Georgia Tech supplemental essays examples can help spark your inspiration on what details to include. This why this major essay example does a great job of building on a personal experience with Georgia Tech. It also highlights what prompted the student’s interest in economics. 

Learning from Georgia Tech essay examples

Reading through Georgia Tech supplemental essays examples like the one above can teach you a lot. As you approach your essays, make sure you showcase how important it can be to reference specific classes or professors offered by a college. Use Georgia Tech essay examples to get some inspiration for your research and writing. 

If you are interested in submitting a Georgia Tech application, be sure to familiarize yourself with the offered majors. These can be found here .  The Georgia Tech supplemental essay examples can be a great research tool as well if you are unsure about picking a major. 

For more help on a Georgia Tech application, be sure to read through our guide on Georgia Tech Admissions as well. Reading through more Georgia Tech essay examples can help if you’re feeling stuck on your why major essay—it can be helpful to target your search for the major you’re interested in. The Georgia Tech supplemental essays examples illustrate the importance of building connections between your interests and what each college offers. 

Pomona College Essay Examples

What gets you excited about your academic interest selection(s) above (300 words), pomona college essay example.

I’m a cis-gender gay man. I came out to my family during my sophomore year and to my entire school in an assembly my junior year. 

My queer identity has inspired my involvement at Tony’s Place, my research on LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness, and my involvement in changing my school’s LGBTQ+ policies. Being gay has become a primary lens through which I view the world. 

The Gender & Women’s Studies Program would provide me with a critical lens to further understand my own experiences and ways I can become a better activist. 

The LGBTQ+ community is distinct from other marginalized groups because it is an umbrella of different experiences, and it takes a high level of literacy to understand these differences. The Gender & Women’s Studies Program’s emphasis on including diverse perspectives in the curriculum is crucial in my understanding of other perspectives and ways I can support others. 

For my Modern Middle East final, I wrote a forty-five page paper on LGBTQ+ movements in Middle Eastern countries. Writing this paper made me think about LGBTQ+ rights from an international perspective. Pomona’s Decolonizing Gender and Sexuality in Asian/America can advance my understanding of the cultural implications of Western colonization. In doing so, I’ll discover ways the United States can assist an LGBTQ+ social movement in other nations without imposing an imperialist definition of pride.

While researching alongside a University of Houston professor, I had to consider the relationship between disabilities and LGBTQ+ homeless youth’s mental health outcomes. Taking The Disability Studies: Foundations, Intersections, & Future class will help me better empathize with the different communities represented in my future research endeavors. 

By linking queer theory to disciplines such as economics, media studies, and politics, The Gender & Women’s Studies Program will prepare me for a lifetime of activism.

This why this major essay example does a great job of connecting this student’s personal identity and experiences to their intended major. This Pomona essay gives the reader insight into who the student is. It also highlights how their identity has informed their academic passions. 

Out of all the Pomona majors, this student describes a specific program that spoke to their long-term goals. Reading through the Pomona College essay examples can help you structure your Pomona essay. This why this major essay example also has a great structure. It opens with a personal anecdote and segues into specific details about Pomona naturally. As such, this why this major essay example feels cohesive and clear. 

When reading through college essay examples, pay attention to how closely they follow the exact prompt directions. The Pomona College essay examples highlight how important it is to answer the prompt. Your Pomona essay should explain why your intended major excites you. Make sure you read through the offered Pomona majors, found here. The Pomona College essay examples can also help you narrow down your options from the many Pomona majors offered. The reader can feel how excited this student is to pursue their major at Pomona, making it a great why this college essay sample as well! 

How to write a Why Major Essay

After reading through the why major college essay examples, you may still feel stuck on how to write a why major essay. The first step to writing a why major essay is to pick your major. 

While this may seem obvious, this can be a difficult step for a lot of students. There are many great guides on picking a college major, including our own guide . There are also guides from U.S. News , Research.com , and Coursera . Additionally, you can review the data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics on the most popular college majors. Reading about different majors (and reading different why did you choose this major essay examples) can help you decide which path of study is best for you. 

You can also read a number of college essays that worked from Johns Hopkins University here . These can help you explore different areas of study and see how other students have described their experiences. Additionally, you can read our guides on college search , building a college list , and how to compare colleges . 

Beginning your writing process

Once you know what major to pick, the fun part starts. Read some why did you choose this major essay examples and think of your own experience. Was there a class you took that sparked your interest or a club that inspired a new academic passion? What subjects or topics within this major speaks to you the most? Start reading why major essay examples for your intended major—they may help you focus your interest. 

Let’s think through how a student may tackle a why major essay. Imagine a student named Isla who plans to study biology in college. When sitting down to write her why major essay, she might research each school’s biology programs in depth. Then, she might pick one or two classes for each school and look up what research projects the professors design. 

She’ll also think about why she wants to study biology. She can still remember how captivated she was during her biology classes and how excited she was to learn more—this can be a great start to her essay. Isla can build her why major essay around her personal interests and the research she’s done. The Why Major essay gives Isla a great opportunity to explain her passions and to show schools she is serious about her goals. 

Why engineering essay

If you’re interested in applying to engineering programs, your why engineering essay should detail what subjects within engineering you find compelling. Some schools will have you write a why engineering essay as part of their application process. Some of these include Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering and the California Institute of Technology . 

When writing your why engineering essay, it can be helpful to include the specific field you’re interested in, such as mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, or computer engineering. Research the programs you’re applying to. Then, try to include any recent projects or news in your why engineering essay. Overall, a why engineering essay should explain your interest, include relevant information about each school and showcase your knowledge in engineering. 

In addition to the UT Austin why this major essay example included in this guide, research other college essays that worked specifically to engineering. Reading why major essay examples for engineering programs can teach you more about the programs that interest you. If you’re feeling stuck, read more why did you choose this major essay examples for some inspiration!

Why business major essay

As the most popular major for undergraduate students, writing a why business major essay can be intimidating. Since business is such a popular major, many why major essay examples will focus on business. Some schools will have you write a specific why business major essay. For example, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business require them. You can also refer to the Cornell why this major essay example included in this guide. 

Try to include specific details about your experiences to ground your why business major essay. Think about your future career goals—do you have a dream company you’d like to work for? Look into each business program as well. Do they have any exciting internship programs, or connections with local businesses? Breaking down your goals and detailing what makes you excited about the specific program can help you write your why business major essay. 

Reading college essay examples specific to business programs can help as well. You may find more essays geared towards graduate degrees, but researching why did you choose this major essay examples for business can help target your search. Reading why major essay examples for business programs can also help you see what specific schools look for.

Why nursing essay

Nursing is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States. Writing a why nursing essay can be a core component of applying to nursing programs. This includes applying to programs at the University of Virginia and the University of California, Los Angeles . So, reading a why this major essay example for nursing can help jumpstart your writing process. 

Your why nursing essay should explain your passion for the field. In your why nursing essay, be sure to include any personal stories you may have regarding nursing and the health field. Many why major essay examples for nursing include personal stories to help explain the student’s interest in healthcare.

Your why nursing essay should also be as specific as possible. Is there a specialization you’re interested in? Be sure to reflect on caretaking and share any personal experience you may have. These can elevate your why nursing essay. Additionally, if you’ve volunteered in a healthcare facility or have any experience with the profession, include these details in your essay. Overall, your why nursing essay should explain to the reader why you’re passionate about such an important field. It should also outline your future career goals within healthcare. 

Other CollegeAdvisor Resources on College Majors

If you’re still feeling stuck on picking a major for your why major essay, CollegeAdvisor is here to help. In addition to these why major essay examples, you can review our guide on college majors here . This guide includes college-specific resources, but we also have a guide on listing a college major . Beyond that, we have guides for business majors and computer science majors. Additionally, we have guides on college enrollment , study abroad , and test scores . 

Reading these different guides, alongside these why major essay examples, can help you navigate the wide array of majors. Once you find a major you’re interested in, reading why major essay examples for your specific major can help you start writing your why major essay. 

Why This Major Essay Examples – Final Thoughts

Applying to college may feel overwhelming, but researching schools and majors is a crucial first step. Reading college essays that worked can help you understand what goes into a great why major essay. 

Even if you’re not sure about your intended major, reading through why did you choose this major essay examples can help in the decision-making process. Arming yourself with information about each program will help, too. Reading why major college essay examples can provide specific inspiration for the programs you’re interested in. Focus on what excites you about each school’s program, and you’ll have a great starting point for your why major essay!

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Tips for Writing Your Nursing Program College Essays

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Giebien Na in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

The importance of your college essays, general advice for writing your nursing essays.

If you know you want to be a nurse, you probably have quite a few reasons for that. Instead of merely relying on your academic and test performances to tell your story, you get the opportunity in your essays to share exactly why you’re so passionate about nursing. Writing about this can be a clarifying and even exciting process. This article explains why college application essays matter and how you should write about why you want to become a nurse.

Grades and test scores matter when you’re applying to college, but your essays can help improve your chances of admission. They’re how you can express your experiences and make your desire to become a nurse clear and personal.

If your prospective school doesn’t have supplemental essays, it’s a good idea to include your interest in nursing in your Common App essay . This could mean that you end up with two different drafts of the essay: one for if there are supplemental essays where you can discuss your interests in nursing and one for if there are not. You’ll change them out depending on whether you also have to respond to specific prompts about why you want to pursue nursing. This may not sound like much fun, but it will help you be admitted to your school of choice.

It might seem exciting to apply to a place where you don’t have to write extra essays—it’s less work! If you don’t do that additional work, though, you’ll have fewer chances to explain yourself. You might not be able to share exactly why you think that you’re the right fit for a certain college or program. 

If you are writing supplemental essays for the colleges that you’re interested in, you can include more details about your passion for nursing. You’ll often be asked, “why this major?” or “why this school?” When you have those opportunities to share your specific reasons, you can let yourself get personal and go deep into your passion. Use that space to share important details about who you are.

Start Broad

When writing essays entirely about why you want to pursue nursing , try to start from a broad interest, then slowly work your way to telling specific personal stories and goals. 

When first thinking about your general interest in nursing, ask yourself what attracts you to the work of being a nurse. This can lead to powerful potential responses. Maybe you like taking care of people in the community. Perhaps you’ve always known that you wanted to make a difference in the healthcare profession, but you don’t want to be a doctor. You’d rather make patients’ healthcare experiences as comfortable and pleasant as possible. 

After you’ve described these broad, overarching motivations for wanting to go into nursing, consider any personal experiences that have made you want to be a nurse. Think about moments you’ve had during hospital visits or checkups or an anecdote from a time that you decided to volunteer in a healthcare role. Once you’ve written these stories, you can end the essay by discussing your planned major and career goals.

Discuss Your Future Goals

If you know what your end goal is, be sure to include it. You can write about becoming a registered nurse or maybe a nurse practitioner. It doesn’t have to be set in stone , but sharing a final ambition can help anchor your personal narrative. Writing about the future that you want can help the admissions officer reading your essay see how you view yourself. If they can do this, they’ll better understand your values and motivations and see you as a real candidate for their school. 

You don’t have to follow this pattern exactly. For example, it can be powerful to begin your essay in the middle of the action—you can dive right into an anecdote and get the reader interested in your story from the jump. 

While you should avoid dramatization, starting with a few clear, memorable scenes or a line or two of dialogue can make for an instantly interesting essay. All of this helps you show your passion, rather than simply explaining what intrigues you about a nursing career. 

Once you’ve led with your narrative, though, remember to ground it in clear reasons for your intended career and what you want your future to look like. A good essay will be balanced between the past, present, and future. It’s how a college will see who you are and everything that you have to offer.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

How to Write an Admission Essay for Nursing School

The nursing school admission process is rigorous. One of the critical requirements for new applicants is an application essay, and writing a compelling nursing essay will give you a major head start over other nursing school candidates.

Once you have figured out why you want to be a nurse, all your memories, accomplishments, ambitions, and goals will align. Therefore, writing an essay on why you are interested in becoming a nurse and selecting a specific nursing college or university allows the admissions team to understand why they should choose you over other candidates.

A well-written, organized, and polished nursing school essay automatically increases your chances of acceptance. With thousands of applications destined for assessment and judgment by the admissions committee, you would want to make your application essay for the nursing school admission stand out.

We have admission essay-writing experts and consultants who, luckily, have compiled this intensive guide to help you write an intentional, focused, and perfect essay for nursing school.

Note: If you are in a hurry or you need direct assistance in writing your nursing college essay, please place an order and let our expert essay writers craft for you an original, engaging, and compelling nursing essay!

What Is a Nursing School Essay?

A nursing school essay is a written piece that demonstrates your interest in a nursing career and elaborates why you are the perfect fit for a specific nursing program.

Most nursing schools (colleges and universities) require aspiring students to write an application essay for nursing school admission. It is a personal essay submitted as part of the application process, which the admission officers review to determine if you can be accepted.

A good nursing school essay shows your interest in the nursing field, your chosen career path, why you want to pursue your nursing education through a specific nursing school program, and why you believe you should be accepted into the institution. It has to show why the entire process is crucial to you and why you are a worthy candidate to select for the nursing school program.

Sometimes, it is the only hope one has left, especially if the competition is stiff. Imagine a situation where the application materials such as grades, resumes, test scores, or recommendation letters are all qualified; a nursing school essay will be the only means to select the best out of the rest fairly.

Writing a perfect nursing essay will demonstrate that you are ready to go down the thorny path of training to become a nurse. Nursing education entails research and writing assignments, and a well-written essay demonstrates your readiness.

Helpful Information to Include in a Nursing Admission Essay

You are probably wondering what goes into an application essay for nursing school admission. Well, your nursing essay will answer an essay prompt from the university. Most colleges will specify the essay questions for college of nursing applicants for various levels of study (MSN, DNP, BSN, Ph.D., or ADN).

Below are some examples of what might be expected:

• Your goals and ambitions for a successful nursing career
• How do you plan to achieve your academic goals
• The specific reasons why you want to join the nursing field
• Reasons you are selecting the particular nursing school or program
• Personal accomplishments that set you apart as the right candidate
• Experiences and encounters that make you love nursing career
• Plans for the future once accepted
• Experience with medical training or patient care
• Character traits aligned to being a nurse
• How you are prepared to become a successful nurse
• Academic, personal, and career interests
• Any other reasons to convince the admissions committee to approve your admission

In some quarters, a nursing school application essay might be a statement of purpose, personal essay, or letter of intent. It is a chance to plead with the admissions committee to accept you into your dream nursing college or program. Having looked at what goes into it, it is also essential to cover the steps to writing a perfect and comprehensive admission essay for nursing school.

Structure of a Nursing School Essay

A nursing essay for admission into a nursing program or school follows the typical format of an academic essay. It is organized into three main sections: introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction

• This is the opening paragraph that has to impress your readers (admissions officers)
• It can make or break your admission essay or personal statement
• It should be direct to the point
• It is a roadmap that helps the readers to know what to expect as your story grows.
• Open it using an enticing quote, event, anecdote, or statement
• You are allowed to use personal pronouns such as I in the introduction and the rest of the essay
• It has 2- 3 and sometimes five paragraphs
• Elaborates the introduction
• Every paragraph has a unique opening sentence that is a mini-thesis statement.
• Bears the best ideas yielded in your brainstorming session
• It can be as long as your word limit allows but contributes to at least 70-80% of the word count
• Focuses on quality over quantity
• Has one idea or experience per paragraph
• You should mention the skills you intend to develop and how they will help you become a successful nurse
• Connect the skills and experiences to the program and your future career
• Summarize and emphasize the main ideas
• It should be captivating and insightful
• Conveys a sense of closure to the readers
• Invites the readers to reflect on the ideas in your essay
• Creates one last lasting impression on the readers

Outline for a Nursing School Essay

A good nursing school essay outline should give you directions that help you visualize what the essay will look like in its final draft.

If you are writing a nursing essay, having the outline is the first thing you do after brainstorming (as shown in the steps).

It helps you to figure out how to arrange the ideas and points in the essay for a better flow. You can develop each section independently, regardless of the sequence, and still have a quality essay. 

In most cases, the outline is meant for personal consumption, especially when writing a personal statement. However, if you are writing a nursing essay on a given nursing topic , you might be required to write an outline, annotated bibliography , and the nursing essay , and each will be graded separately.

Given the structure, you can outline your nursing school essay as follows:

    Introduction paragraph

• Hook (quote, statement, or anecdote)
• Background information
• Thesis statement
• Transition sentence

    Body paragraph 1

• Topic sentence
• Evidence, data, and facts
• Transition to the second body paragraph

    Body paragraph 2

• Transition to the third body paragraph

    Body paragraph 3

• Transition to the conclusion

    Conclusion

• Summary of the main ideas
• Restate the thesis statement
• Last impression (call to action to the admissions committee)

Steps for Writing a Nursing School Essay

Optimizing your application essay increases your chance of getting accepted into the nursing program or nursing school. The essay should elaborate on your person (who you are as an individual) by providing a comprehensive perspective of your career ambitions, goals, and plans related to your passion for nursing. You should elaborate to the admissions committee why you are a good fit for their nursing program. Students at the ADN, BSN, ABSN (Accelerated BSN), MSN, DNP, or Ph.D. might be required to write an admission or personal essay, and here are the five steps to make it successful.

• Read the prompt
• Brainstorm for ideas
• Plan your essay
• Write the first draft
• Edit and Polish your Essay

Let's explore all these steps before delving into the tips to help you write the essay better.

Read the Prompt

If you are considering applying to a specific nursing school, you need to begin by researching the application process to know when you will be expected to submit your application essay.

In most cases, the nursing schools have essay prompts and instructions for the potential nursing candidates published on their websites. The prompts might vary depending on the programs you are interested in pursuing and the institutional preferences. Therefore, it is vital to begin by locating the nursing school essay guidelines. A quick search online can help, or you will also find it enclosed in the email sent to you by the school's admissions committee.

Read the instructions thoroughly with a specific focus on the essay question, word limit, and topics you must cover. If you apply to many nursing schools, you should locate and read each prompt before moving to the next steps.

Reading and understanding the instructions is the first step in writing an excellent application essay. Besides, it helps you to customize the essay to the requirements and not the other way around.

Brainstorm for Ideas

Now that you know what is expected of you, you need to decide what to include in your nursing essay to make it stand out. For this, get into an idea-generation marathon where you brainstorm ideas based on the prompt and the requirements.

Give every idea a thoughtful consideration and make shorthand notes so that you have all the ideas condensed. Consider your ambitions, accomplishments, drive, passion, preferences, strengths, weaknesses, character traits, and other attributes that might relate to your urge to pursue nursing as a career.

Also, research the nursing program and relate it to your personal ambitions and desires. Such information will help you spot the specific things you like about it. You can then tailor your experiences and encounters to the requirements. Look at the program's website and examine 2-3 aspects that stand out. This will help you focus on what you have that makes you the best pick for the program. You can also reference experiences, events, or traits related to the program.

Consider the environment and people around you and relate them to your desire to become a nurse.

Experiences, encounters, and events can inspire ideas to pen into your nursing school essay.

You can also research some well-written examples of nursing personal statements and essays to get inspired when brainstorming ideas for yours. Besides, you can also ask people in your network, such as family, friends, or peers, for ideas that can stand out and then choose the best.

To get the most robust ideas, rate them depending on how best they answer the prompt; this is the fodder for the entire application essay. Choose 3-5 strongest points and make them the central focus of your essay.

Plan your Essay

As a nurse, planning is everything, even when it comes to clinical decision-making. And because you are destined for this noble career, planning your personal essay won't hurt. Instead, it helps you know what to put and where to engage the admission officers from the beginning to the end of your nursing school essay.

With the ideas in mind, create a rough outline and adjust it until you are fully satisfied that your thoughts, facts, and opinions are well-organized. The outline will help you to structure your essay, avoid derailing it, and write a draft that bears all the quality ideas.

A good step is to organize the essay into paragraphs that align with the word count (often given as the minimum or maximum number of words, exact number of words, or characters).

Include an introduction to give your readers a clear understanding of the focus of your essay. Yes, a good nursing essay has a thesis statement that shows your central claim or the main idea you are focusing on the entire essay.

You should include the body paragraphs, each with a topic sentence supporting the thesis and a series of supporting facts such as examples, evidence, and illustration.

Finally, include a conclusion as the last paragraph that reverberates the thesis, summarizes the essay, and has a call to action to the admissions committee.

Write the First Draft

After the outline, you must begin writing your essay sentence by sentence and paragraph after paragraph. Whatever approach you take, ensure that every detail covered in the outline ends up in your essay as long as it is valid.

Write the introduction paragraph by giving a hook or attention grabber. You can begin with a quote from a famous nurse or a scholarly nursing article. You can also state facts or give statistics if they matter to your application. You should also elaborate on your selected topic, especially if the prompt provides options. End your first paragraph with a thesis statement that describes the focus of your nursing school essay. The introduction should account for 10-15% of the word count.

Each body paragraph has a unique, unmistakable, and concise topic sentence followed by supporting details and a concluding sentence that transitions to the next paragraph. Ensure that you have at least two body paragraphs considering that you can write either a three-paragraph or a five-paragraph nursing essay. Collectively, the body section should be 70-80% of the essay's word count. The body paragraphs should outline your encounters, experiences, and events and how they relate to the specific nursing program.

The final part is the conclusion, where you summarize the main ideas in the essay. for this, avoid the clich� conclusion starters such as "in conclusion," "to sum up," or "in summary." Instead, use conclusion opening sentences that demonstrate to your reader that the essay has ended � it gives the best closure and helps close the information loop in your essay. Rephrase your thesis and summarize the main ideas before appealing to the admissions committee to accept you into their nursing program. It should be 10-15% of the word count, like the introduction paragraph.

Edit and Polish the Essay

Now that you are done with your first draft, it is only the beginning, and you are far from being done. You need to take a break to cool down your frustrations, anxiety, and adrenaline developed when writing. It is a chance to establish an objective mind to look at things from a broader perspective when you settle for editing and proofreading.

If you are not good with editing and proofreading, you can hire a professional proofreading and editing expert to look at your essay and suggest changes to make. You can also use friends and family as a second and third eye to see what you cannot see. Using their feedback will help you optimize the essay for better results. You can incorporate the suggestions and proceed to editing and proofreading.

As for editing and proofreading, you can take advantage of tools such as Grammarly, Ginger, Hemingway Editor, and other editing and proofreading tools available by students and professionals. Revise the essay until it meets the requirements and addresses the prompt. If anything, do not be afraid to do away with an entire paragraph or a few paragraphs that don't make sense.

It is better to start over again than submit a subpar nursing school essay that will be a laughingstock of the admissions committee. The only way to entertain the admissions officers is to write an outstanding nursing school essay that will automatically dial you into the nursing program of your choice. Best of luck!

Example of Nursing School Essay Prompts

• Discuss your interest and understanding of the clinical nurse leader role. What's your story? And what experiences have contributed to your interest?
• The DNP program aims to prepare nurse leaders at the highest level of nursing practice to improve patient outcomes and translate research into practice. Describe experiences that exhibit your formal leadership role or informal leadership skills.
• How will the program help you achieve your academic and career goals?
• What experiences have influenced your interest in pursuing a clinical specialty you have chosen?
• The DNP program aims to prepare nurse leaders at the highest level of nursing practice to improve patient outcomes and translate research into practice. Describe experiences that exhibit your leadership skills.
• Why have you chosen to pursue a nursing research doctorate?
• How does becoming a nurse fulfill your ambitions?
• What does becoming a nurse mean to you?
• What drives you to become a nurse?
• Why do you want to become a nurse?
• What is your nursing philosophy?
• What was your reason for choosing nursing as a career? Do you have any additional information that you would like the admissions committee to know about you that has not been previously considered in the application?
• What are your professional goals? How will this accelerated nursing program help you materialize those goals?
• Discuss a specific leadership position (e.g., manager, director, associate dean) you wish to attain within three to five years after completing the DNP program.

Note: Some of these prompts have been rephrased from the Rush University Website . They keep changing depending on the preferences of the admissions committee. Inquire with your university or college of nursing to get specific directions on the most current prompts and instructions.

Related Reading: Ideas for a nursing capstone project.

Tips for Writing an Effective Nursing School Admission Essay

When grades, test scores, and other material entries don't count , a nursing school essay, referred to as a personal statement, suffices. In this case, a great nursing school can only be your hope for getting into nursing school. If you want to get ahead of the competition, these proven tips will significantly help you.

1. Plan Well

To pen an excellent nursing school essay that gets you accepted, you need to plan the essay.

Read the instructions, brainstorm as you take notes, research widely, and create an outline.

And even when done, the purpose is to have a reverse outline to help you score the essay against the requirements. Planning helps you to know what attention-grabbing statement to begin the essay with, the sequence of the body paragraph ideas for a logical flow, and what specifics to include in the conclusion.

Having an outline will help you save time when writing the first draft and help you to stay focused when writing.

2. Show, Don't Tell!

All effective nursing school essays express your personality, experiences, and encounters while convincing the admissions officers that you are the best fit for the program.

You should not focus on telling your story alone. Instead, show how your account relates to the prompt.

Discuss experiences, encounters, and events but show how they have impacted your choice of the program and desire to become a nurse.

If you are applying to a specific program, enlighten your readers on why you are specifically interested in the program and what that means.

It could be the hybrid learning model that entails both online and classroom learning or the history or reputation the school has, parental preferences (if they were a graduate), mentor recommendation, etc.

3. Choose Information Wisely

Ensure that every idea or information in your essay is unique, authentic, and original. Don't just write fictitiously.

If you have no past experiences directly related to nursing, you can introduce them and twist them to fit the context.

Impress the admissions committee with your wits, not just a summary of what others have written online.

Standing out in your presentation of facts will always carry the day. Genuinely share your story about what made you want to become a nurse.

4. Avoid Excuses

Even if you don't have appealing past encounters with medicine, hospitals, or anything related to nursing, tell your story as it is.

Do not excuse yourself for telling the truth. After all, you are on your journey to becoming a nurse; all you are seeking is training to develop the knowledge and skills.

If you have cared for your family members at home, babysat your siblings, or have compassion for the suffering, these are the most authentic stories you have, and they can spell meaning on your ambition. Therefore, prove your strong candidature by stating things as they are without clutching at things that do not matter.

5. Let it Flow!

Instead of forcing things such as humor or stories, write plainly about your experiences, encounters, and past events that made you want to become a nurse.

Most "why I want to be a nurse" essays don't have to have any humor. If it clicks well and is good, if it doesn't, don't force it.

As well, avoid exaggerating things when writing your nursing school essay. You should focus on making it as interesting, engaging, and convincing as can be but be truthful.

Avoid mixing up stories. A good way is to focus each paragraph on the main point that relates to your thesis.

6. Show you care about People and Yourself

Nursing is a noble career that entails caring for oneself as you care for others. Your full-time attention and job will be to care for people to help them achieve better health outcomes.

You must show empathy, selflessness, and determination to be a nurse. You can bring examples of when you took care of others and yourself.

Let the committee know that even when training as a nurse, you understand self-care as much as you understand caring for others.

7. Bring in Current Issues

If there is a chance that you can introduce nursing concepts or ideas from current events, it will beef up your nursing school essays.

Get facts from well-established nursing organization websites such as the American Nurses Association, National League of Nursing, Emergency Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau, or National Black Nurses Association, etc.

Intrigue your readers by understanding the challenges and opportunities in the nursing field.

You can relate your application to nursing shortages, medical errors, nursing burnout, continuing education, evidence-based practice, etc.

8. Briefly Explain your Qualifications

Since you have already provided material such as transcripts, resumes, and test scores, it is imperative to briefly expound on the qualifications without going into details. Tell them about your experiences, your education, and how you have set yourself up for success in nursing school . For instance, elaborate on how volunteering and internships helped you develop a sense of becoming a nurse or how they developed skills you will apply in nursing school.

9. Share your plans

Everybody has plans. You have short, medium, and long-term goals as you prepare to enter nursing school. You should include them in your essay and demonstrate how the program or school will help you achieve them. Admission officers are always wowed by hearing about goals, especially if they relate to their schools or programs. As you do this, be very specific with the goals and how you intend to achieve them.

All set, but before You Go �

As you contemplate entering nursing school, you must understand that it will never be a walk in the park. There is so much to learn within the specified time frame, and you must show your preparedness. A nursing school personal essay is one of the ways to do so.

Related Article:

• Writing a nursing philosophy ( a student's guide)
• Writing a nursing student resume (a guide)

Lucky for you, our nursing admission essay writers have shared insights, tips, and steps that can help you write an exceptional application essay for any nursing school or program. If you follow them, you will write a seamless admission essay that increases your chances of getting into the nursing school of your dreams.

We wish you luck in your endeavors and promise that were available in case you need a well-written, organized, and plagiarism-free admission essay tailored to your experiences and the specific nursing school or program requirements.

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How To Answer “Why Do You Want To Be A Nurse?” (With Examples)

• Cover Letter
• Registered Nurse Interview Questions
• Registered Nurse Job Description
• Why Did You Choose Nursing?

When you’re in a nursing interview, you’ll hear the common question “Why do you want to be a nurse ?”, so it’s essential to know how to answer it. Your answer should reflect on what it was that drew you to nursing and tell a story about it, such as the moment it was clear that you wanted to be a nurse.

Whether you want to be a pediatric nurse , emergency department nurse, or travel nurse, we’ll go over how to answer “Why did you choose nursing as a career?”, why interviewers ask this question, as well as some common mistakes to avoid.

Key Takeaways:

Try to think of a story or a moment that made it clear that a nursing career was right for you.

Interviewers ask “Why do you want to become a nurse?” so you can highlight your passion for nursing and what got you interested in the field.

Avoid saying anything negative because it can often be a red flag for interviewers.

How to answer “Why do you want to be a nurse?”

Example answers to “why do you want to be a nurse”, why interviewers ask this interview question, common mistakes to avoid when answering, interview tips for answering this question, possible follow-up questions:, nurse career path faq, final thoughts.

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To answer “Why do you want to be a nurse?” you should first ask yourself questions as to why you want to be a nurse, start at the root, and tell your interviewer a story. Below is a more detailed list of how to answer this interview question .

As yourself questions. Before the interview, ask yourself, putting money and career goals aside, why do YOU want to be a nurse? Consider the following questions to better understand your reasoning:

Do you want to help people?

Does the medical field excite you?

Do you have certain skills, such as communication or concentration under duress, that naturally fit the position?

Do you thrive when you get to build relationships with people?

Do you love both science and working with people?

Focus on these aspects of yourself when you are asked why you are choosing nursing as a career.

Start at the root. If you’ve wanted to be a nurse since you were a kid, start there. If you got into medicine thanks to an impactful college professor , make that your starting point.

Tell a story. Most interviewers prefer narratives over bullet point facts — especially with a personal question like this. Don’t feel like you have to make up some great tale about how a nurse saved the day when you were a child, but bring in real moments when it became clear that nursing was the career for you.

Talk about people and experiences. Nursing is all about building relationships, so your answer should touch on your empathy and ability to form bonds with the people you work with and serve. In this way, your answer will show that you want to be a nurse because you truly enjoy the process of nursing.

Bring it to the future. Close your answer with a nod to the future and what you’d like to accomplish in your brilliant new nursing career. Bringing your answer from the past to the future shows that you’re forward-thinking and determined enough to make your dreams a reality.

Below are example answers to “Why do you want to be a nurse?” for different scenarios such as pediatric or emergency room nursing. Remember to tailor your answers to your specific needs when you answer in your interview.

Pediatric nurse example answer

“I have wanted to get into nursing since I was very young. One of my earliest memories is of a nurse taking care of me when I had to go to the hospital for stitches. She was so kind and gentle with me that I didn’t even cry or panic. I remember leaving thinking that was the kind of person I wanted to be when I grew up. Ever since then, everything I have done has been working towards becoming a nurse.”

Emergency room nurse example answer

“When I was in college I took a course on basic first aid and found it super interesting. I started signing up for volunteer first aid positions and some of my fellow volunteers were nurses. I was curious about their job and the more I learned about what they did the more I found myself excited by the prospect of helping people in medical situations. I made friends with these nurses and they helped guide me through the application process.”

Travel nurse example answer

“Medicine is such an exciting field, and one of the biggest joys of nursing is that I’m always learning new things. I know people who dread getting their necessary CEUs every year, but for me, it’s a perk of the career. “For instance, just last year I completed my certification from the Wilderness Medical Society and can now serve as medical staff on the Appalachian Trail. But from Diabetes for APRNs to Nursing for Infertility courses, I’m always able to maintain my passion for nursing through continuous discovery and wonder at the medical field.”

Critical care nurse example answer

“I believe in helping people, especially in times of extreme need. When I worked as an EMT I was always the one asked to facilitate information between any involved party. I want to expand this skill and I think nursing is a good fit for me. My interests and experience with medical professionals are good for this job.”

Nurse midwife example answer

“I want to be a nurse because I am deeply committed to providing compassionate healthcare to women during one of the most significant and transformative moments of their life. Being a nurse midwife will allow me to empower women by advocating their choices and preferences during childbirth. “Being a nurse midwife will also allow me to make a positive impact on the lives of women and their families. I will be able to provide personalized care, emotional support , and educational resources to help ensure a smooth and empowering birthing experience for my patients.”

Oncology nurse example answer

“I want to be an oncology nurse because this field is driven by a profound desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those fighting cancer. I am committed to providing compassionate care to patients during their cancer journey. “Working as an oncology nurse also has the opportunities to be part of cutting-edge research and advancements in cancer treatments. I want to be at the forefront of innovation and help contribute to the improvement of cancer care outcomes.”

The interviewer will ask why you want to be a nurse to know how serious you are about the position. This isn’t a career to take lightly because there are many challenges.

Nursing is a profession with a prerequisite for assisting others in potentially high-stress environments. So by answering this question, you are given the opportunity to highlight not only your skills but more importantly, your passion for nursing and ability to keep cool under pressure.

Additionally, interviewers hope to learn why you got interested in the field in the first place. Telling a story about an impactful experience with a medical professional or about the sense of satisfaction you feel when helping a patient can help illustrate that you’re not only skillful but also have deep compassion for the people you’ll be working with.

You should avoid saying anything negative because it can be a red flag for the interviewer. Here are some other common mistakes you should avoid when answering:

Saying anything negative. A negative response will be a red flag for the interviewer. If you are one to complain or see the worse in a situation, this will make you a difficult coworker in an already difficult field.

Focusing on money or self-serving reasons. Even if the wages are an attractive feature of the profession, mentioning this as a reason will hurt you. The interviewer is looking for an answer that goes beyond your own needs.

Unrelated anecdotes. Don’t get caught up in telling stories about nursing that have nothing to do with you or the job. Remember to keep things relevant and concise.

Your answer should be positive and you should use a personal experience to help you answer and tell a story. Here are some more tips to keep in mind when answering this question:

Be positive. Nothing will concern an interviewer more if you are cynical and negative in an interview where the job requires a strong sense of empathy and selflessness. This does not mean you can’t, nor should, ignore the challenges of the profession. If you can reframe these difficulties with a positive mindset and a “can do” attitude, you will strengthen your impact in the interview.

Be concise. A long-winded, rambling answer may give the impression that you have not considered the question ahead of time. That said, if you rush through your words, you may concern the interviewer as well. So, don’t be afraid to take breaths or have moments of silence, but choose your words carefully and effectively. Concise communication is a huge part of the nursing profession so here is an opportunity to highlight that skill.

Use personal experience. When answering the question “Why did you choose nursing as a career?” it can really help to bring in a personal touch to the response. This creates a unique answer that can help you stand out among other candidates. The personal experience may also reveal a moment of inspiration pointing towards why you chose nursing as a career.

Remember the job description. Use the skills required in the job description and apply them to yourself as you explain your interest in the field. Integrate them with care, you are not trying to restate your resume . Instead, consider how your skills have developed over time and how that relates to your interest in nursing. Remember, skills are developed through some kind of interest too.

Research the organization/department. Wherever you are applying to is going to have unique characteristics. Perhaps the organization focuses on low-income individuals or the elderly or intensive care patients. You may be able to bring this into your answer. Even if you do not, it is still good to give you context. By understanding where you’re applying to, you strengthen the explanation of why you are applying.

Practice your answer. Before the interview, practice this answer, preferably with someone else who can give you feedback such as a friend or family member. However, if you do not have that opportunity, practice in front of a mirror or, better yet, record yourself on your phone and listen back to what you said. In the end, you want to “train” for this question by giving yourself the opportunity to run through it a couple of times with the chance to tweak your response.

After the question “Why did you choose a nursing career?” there will most likely be follow-up questions. Here are some examples of other common interview questions and some tips on how to answer them. This will help you prepare yourself for the direction the interview may take.

What do you think is most difficult about being a nurse? Why?

Be aware of certain challenges of nursing ahead of time. Do some research . The worst thing you can do for yourself is be caught off guard by this question.

How are you at handling stress?

Consider what techniques you use for reducing stress. It is going to be important to show your competency. Consider answering in a way that reveals you to be a team player and aware of the stresses of your coworkers as well.

What are your long-term career goals?

The interviewer is going to be gauging your seriousness in becoming a nurse. It is not a profession that you can just “try-out”, so give an answer that shows sincere consideration for a long-term medical profession. Note: This does not necessarily tie you strictly to nursing. Many managers and hospital administrators come from nursing backgrounds.

Why do you want to work here?

Many interviewers will want to hear about not only your passion for nursing as a career but also how your passions align with their organization.

Look up the mission and vision of the facility before your interview and talk about how that resonates with you, or give an example of how you’ve seen them in action and want to be a part of that.

What drove your interest in this specialty?

Not every nurse fits well in every nursing role, so your interviewers will likely ask you why you want this particular job.

Whether this is the specialty you’ve always worked in or you’re trying something new, structure your answer similarly to your answer to the “Why do you want to be a nurse?” question.

Why would one want to be a nurse?

Many people want to be a nurse because it gives them an opportunity to help people in a meaningful way. Nurses not only perform specialized tasks that are vital to a person’s well-being, but they also get to emotionally support people who are going through an incredibly difficult time.

This can be as simple as being a calm, friendly presence or advocating for them with the rest of the medical staff, but it makes a huge impact on people’s lives.

In addition to this, many people choose to become nurses over another occupation that helps people because they love science and medicine or love the fast-paced, challenging work environment.

What is a good weakness to say in a nursing interview?

A good weakness to say in a nursing interview is a weakness that you’re actively working on. Whether your greatest weakness is that you’re too detailed with your paperwork or say yes to too many people and requests, always follow it up by explaining the steps you’re taking to overcome that weakness.

Hiring managers don’t expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to be self-aware and take the initiative to minimize the impact of your weak spots.

What are the 6 C’s of nursing?

The 6 C’s of nursing are care, compassion, communication, courage, and commitment. These are principles taught to many nurses to help them learn how to give excellent care to patients.

They also help to set cultural expectations at medical facilities, since all of the nurses are upheld to this standard, no matter what their educational background or specialty.

What are some common nursing interview questions?

Some common nursing interview questions include:

What skills do you think are important for nurses to possess?

Describe your experience as a nurse and what you’ve learned from it.

How would you manage an uncooperative patient?

How well do you thrive in a fast-paced environment?

There are so many nursing jobs out there and nurses are in high demand. You will want to know what you’re getting yourself into before you are asked at the interview what brings you to the field.

Knowledge is power, so knowing your response to “Why did you choose a nursing career?” is crucial for success. This is your moment to shine and show why you are the best candidate for the job.

Those who are able to answer with sincerity and empathy are the types of nurses all organizations will want. So get yourself ready and figure out ahead of time why you want to be a nurse.

Nightingale College – How To Ace Your Nursing Job Interview: Questions, Answers & Tips

The College of St. Scholastica – Why do you want to be a nurse? Students share their sentiments

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Conor McMahon is a writer for Zippia, with previous experience in the nonprofit, customer service and technical support industries. He has a degree in Music Industry from Northeastern University and in his free time he plays guitar with his friends. Conor enjoys creative writing between his work doing professional content creation and technical documentation.

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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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“Why Do You Want to Be a Nurse?” Nursing School Interview Question

Preparing your “Why do you want to be a nurse” answer for an interview is key. The question will always be asked in a nursing school interview, which is why you must strategically plan out your answer, and take some time to reflect on this difficult question.

Not everybody puts thought into the “why” behind this question. Some people seem to act entirely on instinct, but you can’t afford to do so with your career – your future. Not to mention the fact that you need to have a professional, snappy, and thoughtful response to any (and every) question brought forward in an admissions interview.

Some nursing school interview questions are a chore to get through, but with some careful consideration, the question of why will be so foundational that you’ll never regret having explored it. This isn’t just something you have to answer, this is a question you want – even need – to answer.

In this article, you will find different answer samples to the “Why do you want to be a nurse” question, how to find a personal answer unique to you, and how to structure your answer to create an amazing impression on the interview day. 

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Article Contents 10 min read

Why are you asked this question.

Having an answer to this question is more than important, it’s necessary. It’s necessary for your interview, but it’s also necessary for yourself.

Imagine being the interviewer for a moment and seeing a candidate who looks great on paper, with strong academic record, a great nursing school personal statement , good letters of reference, and a demonstrable track record of excellence all-around demonstrated in their nursing school application resume . But in the interview, that candidate responds with, “I don’t know,” to the question of why they are selecting the career that they are. The interviewer’s likeliest response? Complete dismissal. If this question isn’t answered properly, it will corrupt the entire interview, and possibly even destroy the application altogether.

That’s why they ask the question. Would you select a candidate who didn’t know why they were even applying to nursing?

Of course not. If you were generous, you’d take the candidate aside and advise them to take more time to think about their future.

Which presents another reason why you need to answer the question: you owe it to yourself. This is who you want to be, after all. Make sure you put some thought into it. What the interviewer is asking of you is to not just explain why you’re a good candidate, but why nursing is important to you. So the main thing is to put your connection to the profession on display.

This question really is for the admissions committee to understand whether you fit with this career path. Your “why” will demonstrate whether you will be a positive addition to this profession.

Before you start composing your answer to this question, it’s important to reflect on your own reasons for pursuing this career. There are thousands of potential reasons and each one is legitimate in its own way. We have compiled a list of suggestions that may help you pinpoint your own “why” behind your decision.

Patient Care

One of the most common reasons that nurses give for “why nursing?” is to care for patients. Nurses spend more time with patients than any other medical professionals . They spend close to twice as long with patients as personal visitors (more than friends and family) and almost three times as many minutes with patients as other medical staff (physicians, physician assistants, and medical students).

Directly caring for patients is the biggest part of nursing, and an excellent potential aspect of your answer to the question of “why” you want to be a nurse. If you love working with patients, it could be an ideal entry into your answer to this question.

\u201cHuman connection has always been important to me. Nursing is an opportunity for me to help people at their most vulnerable.\u201d  ","label":"Example statement","title":"Example statement"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

Heat of a Team

Nurses work together as a team to care for their patients. Although each nurse is assigned certain patients, they will help each other out. Being part of a team is exciting for a lot of people, and perhaps this is one aspect of the profession that excites you. Knowing that somebody has your back, and you have theirs, is a big plus in any career.

Not just part of a nursing team, healthcare requires many specialists across disciplines, and nurses are a part of that team.

\u201cI love working with other people and knowing that I\u2019m part of a work-family. Nurses come together to share their workload in a way that I find encouraging. I would love to be the kind of person who can be counted on by my colleagues, and who has a good support network as part of the job.\u201d ","label":"Example Statement","title":"Example Statement"}]" code="tab2" template="BlogArticle">

Physically, mentally, and emotionally, nursing is a challenge. The profession demands excellence and endurance from all aspects of life. Many people find challenges exciting and rewarding, and it might be beneficial to let an interviewer see that hardworking, never-back-down side to your character.

\u201cI am someone who rises to a challenge, who doesn\u2019t quit, and who won\u2019t back down from hardship. If I fail, I try again. I know that nursing is tough, but that toughness is something I admire in others and in the profession, and I think I would be ideally suited for a place where I can be challenged. ","label":"Example Statement","title":"Example Statement"}]" code="tab3" template="BlogArticle">

Constant Learning

You’re a curious mind who loves to experience new things? Nursing is perfect.

Nursing is a multi-facetted profession, and there is always more to learn and explore. Whether travel nursing, working with children, or with the elderly, you can find something (or everything) within the field.

One of the most interesting areas to learn is in pure medical knowledge. Nurses have to deal with many different areas of medical science, so the opportunities for educational growth are exponential.

Although less altruistic than some other answers, it can be beneficial to let an interviewer know that you will love a career in nursing for these rewarding aspects as well. 

\u201cLife is a journey, and an adventure, and nursing provides a place to be a kind of adventurer. There is so much this profession offers, so many different ways to learn and grow, and I look forward to a life of, not just helping people, but exploration.\u201d ","label":"Example Statement","title":"Example Statement"}]" code="tab4" template="BlogArticle">

Nursing exposes a person to a wide variety of medical experiences, and that can lead to excellent insights into the field at large and lead to other, perhaps unexpected, career paths.

There are a lot of growth opportunities within the nursing field. A nurse might strive to become a nurse practitioner – very similar to an R.N. or R.P.N., but with some powers granted and further responsibilities. They can diagnose illnesses, order tests, or give prescriptions, for example. It’s like a halfway point between nurse and doctor. If this is your ambition, do not hesitate to express that you want a career where you will be able to grow, learn, and advance as a professional!

Nurses may also explore other medical professions. While you may be hesitant to express your desire to go from nurse to doctor , you should know that these kinds of transitions are not rare. Nurses who transition to being physicians or other medical professional have a huge advantage in terms of experience and clinical knowledge! You should feel free to express your dedication and commitment to nursing, as well as your aspirations for other professional avenues. Whether you want to grow within nursing or beyond, admissions committees like applicants who show ambition.

\u201cI want to experience the medical field in its fullest, and I believe there is no better first step on that journey than nursing.\u201d ","label":"Example Statement","title":"Example Statement"}]" code="tab5" template="BlogArticle">

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How to Plan Your Answer

All of the reasons we list above are good. But you need more than just a parroted reason. Reason without passion is just an excuse.

There is a deeper reason for entering this field. Use this question to display that depth and your passion for nursing.

The personal why is about how the profession connects with you. There was a point in your life when you knew you wanted this for yourself. Maybe a family member was a nurse? Maybe somebody you knew was hospitalized, but the nursing staff at their hospital made their recovery infinitely better. Maybe that person was you: sick or injured, your life and health, improved by the nurses who cared for you.

Start with a good, captivating opening statement. Make it short, to the point, and formulate it in such a way that you will set up the rest of your answer. A good attention-grabbing statement might be a cataclysmic life event, a profound quote, or a statement that generates intrigue. Think of the beginnings of your favorite books or films. They start with something that grabs attention (“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” for instance). You want to ensnare an audience, not just say, “I always wanted to be a nurse.”

For example: “We were miles from help, cell phones dead or no bars, and blood was everywhere. I was holding onto my belt, pulling it tight enough to stop the flow, talking my friend back to a state of calmness, and hoping like heck that my lack of belt wouldn’t mean my pants would fall down imminently. I didn’t know it at the time, but being the calm one in a crisis, remembering my first aid knowledge, and making it through all that trauma was what would lead me to become a nurse.”

Keep to one or two main examples as to why you are pursuing nursing, show your connection to nursing beyond just, “it’s a job”, and throw in personal flair to accent your statement. Outlining one or two examples or reasons will allow you to include interesting details and expand on these reasons in more depth.

The personal connection is a good place to start. When did you realize you wanted to be a nurse? Why do you love it? Those catalyst points in your life that made you choose nursing are a great start.

A concluding statement – as short and punchy as your opening line – is the best way to wrap things up. You might let the interviewer know your career goals and how their program will help you get to where you want to go.

Make sure to keep your answer to 1 or 2 minutes long. You do not want to ramble on and on, thus losing the attention of your interviewers.

How to Practice Your “Why Do You Want to Be a Nurse?” Answer

Once you have an experience or two to focus on, spend some time thinking about how you want to present these talking points. Once you have an idea, start practicing. Remember, you do not want to memorize your answer, but you also want to have a clearly laid out format for your response. One of the worst things you can do is come to the interview unprepared, saying something like this, for example:

“I like helping people. I was once hurt and the nurses at the hospital helped me.”

That’s no good. Put effort, details, stories, and energy into the answer. This is the reason why you’re entering your next stage of life, so allow your excitement to shine through. Make a mini-story out of it.

It will help you a lot to practice your answer in mock interviews, making sure that your answer sounds natural, thorough, and professional.

“Why Do You Wat to Be a Nurse?” Sample Answer #1

“I have always needed to help people. As a kid, if my younger siblings got a scrape on the knee, I was right there with my mom, helping to bandage them up. I think I was just mostly in the way.

But that need to care and heal never went away. When I was older, I took first-aid classes and loved it. I loved learning how to help, knowing that if there was a problem I could be right there making things better.

The day that I knew specifically I wanted to be a nurse was after applying my first-aid knowledge directly. A friend of mine got hurt at school, slipped and had a bad fall down some stairs. I used my first-aid to keep them calm and check for any breaks or other issues before helping get them to the school nurse. While I was in the nurse's office, I felt like I was part of something already. Later, I spoke with the school nurse about my career path, and she was helpful, thoughtful, and encouraging.

Nursing is perfect for me. More than any other profession, nursing will give me an opportunity to care for people. It lets me do more than just give medicine, it connects me to people, and make a real difference in their lives.

That human element, making small differences day-to-day, and really helping people – all of that is deeply connected to who I am, who I want to be, and to nursing. Nursing and me are a perfect fit.”

“Nursing is a one-hundred percent career, and I am a one-hundred percent person.

Challenge is exciting to me. Rock climbing is a hobby of mine, and I love it because it’s active and requires commitment. I’ve always been passionate like that.

Another thing I’m deeply passionate about is going where I’m needed. I remember my aunt talking one time about being a nurse, and about the struggles that she and the other nurses went through. I remember her being really upset about it, but I also remember thinking, ‘Oh, they need people.’ And, as I said, I go where I’m needed.

From there I started learning as much as I could about nursing, taking elective classes in school, reading about the profession, and talking to my aunt about the job. The more I learned, the more I knew this was my path.

Nursing is a place where I can make a difference, be needed, and be challenged, and I am looking forward to all of that – one-hundred percent.”

The answer to this question is as personal as it is imperative. Really think about why you want to be a nurse above all else, and you’ll have your answer. Once you know the “why”, you might get thrashed a lot on your journey, but you will always have sight of your destination.

You also have the perfect answer for your interview. But with all that incredible insight into your life and who you want to be, that’s almost a by-product, isn’t it?

An in-depth answer, one that properly communicates your connection to nursing, is going to take up more than a couple sentences. Keep your answer to 1 or 2 minutes long.

No, and in fact, we strongly discourage memorization. Memorizing your answer comes off as disingenuous. Additionally, you run the risk of messing up your script and freezing in the middle of your answer. Instead, just focus on remembering your talking points.

Do plan out your answer carefully before your interview, practice it, but from that point on, just worry about holding the main points in your head. You don’t need to memorize the whole thing.

Everybody has a different approach to their writing processes, but one fast, fairly simple way to deal with writer’s block is to give yourself permission to take five minutes and free associate. You could use pen and paper, word processors, or record yourself talking aloud, but through whichever method you choose, just start getting out ideas about nursing and why you’re interested in it.

Another approach would be to think about the first time you considered nursing as a career and why. Those memories will give you excellent insight and a good starting place to plan your answer.

We recommend sticking to one or two events or reasons that led to your decision.

Since you don’t have time to get into every facet of every aspect of why you want to be a nurse, you’re going to want to stick to one or two primary reasons. You will weaken your statement if you have too many points.

To have a strong answer, you need to incorporate personal or professional events or experiences that led you to pursue nursing. Why did you decide to pursue this career? What interests you about it? What events took place to lead you to apply to nursing school? These events do not necessarily need to be related to nursing directly, but you can connect them to nursing. For example, maybe your volunteer or work experiences demonstrate exceptional communication and interpersonal skills? Whatever it is, make sure you can connect your passion for nursing, and your experiences in your answer.

Chronologically is probably clearest. It will let you, and the interviewer, track the story better.

Keep in mind classical story structure, with a beginning, middle, and end, and use that as a rough guide.

Just pause, take a breath, and remember the first thing your wanted to say. Since you’ll have practiced beforehand, the rest will come back to you. Since you’ve arranged your answer as a small story, the structure helps with remembering as well, and because you haven’t scripted anything, it doesn’t need to be exactly as you’ve rehearsed it.

You need to go back to your story and really look at it with a critical eye. Ask yourself if there are any details you’re including that aren’t really necessary. Try to weed it out.

What is extraneous to your story will pop out if you reconsider that story structure of beginning-middle-end. If you’ve started talking about a certain event in childhood that led to another event that led to your deciding to be a nurse, are you taking any digressions along the way? Including any anecdotes that, while nice, don’t support your main story?

If you’re having trouble sticking to two minutes, be ruthless in your editing.

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Writing Tips for Nursing School Students

• Nursing School Writing Types
• Writing a Nursing Essay
• Citations Guide
• Common Writing Mistakes
• Writing Resources

Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?

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 .

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.

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

Apa style central, 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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Why I Want to Get my BSN: Tips to Help With Your Entrance Essay

Nursing is more a calling than a profession. If you feel called to help and care for others, then nursing school may be a smart move. But nursing school can be difficult to get into, typically requiring an entrance essay, among other things. Nursing educational programs select BSN applicants based on their academic excellence and essay response. If you're concerned your written communication skills aren't up to par, read on for our nursing school entrance essay tips. 

Tips on How to Write a Nursing School Admission Essay

For you to enter nursing school, you will need a good admission essay. The essay is much more than the content, and there are some key points that the admission board will consider. Ideally, your essay should answer the question “Why Do I want to get my BSN?” Some of the things that you should include in your nursing essay are:

• Why nursing interests you
• Why you chose the specific nursing school and program
• Your preparedness to become a great nurse
• Your personal vision and goals
• Personal accomplishments like outstanding test scores and transcripts
• Describe your academic interests
• Your experience with patient care and medical experiences
• Reasons why the board should consider your application

While you will only be required to write a few words about your personal life, your acceptance or rejection could depend on these words--so choose each carefully. Keep in mind that the admission essay is an essential part of the selection program. To write a successful essay, follow these simple but important tips:

Select a strong topic for your essay: You want to be remembered for your essay even after the admissions officers have read it. Therefore, ensure that you choose a strong topic and are able to back it up with supporting information. Making an outline of all the points you want to cover can help. While editing (yes, you MUST proofread and edit), compare your essay to your outline to ensure they match and support your overall message.

Choose the information you include wisely: Ensure that the information you include helps paint a positive and accurate portrait of your past and what you intend to accomplish, so that you can impress the admission board. It may be helpful to have others in your life review your essay. Those who know you best can help you paint yourself in the best light.

Provide a glimpse about your life: Don’t bore the admissions officers by including mundane details in your essay. Instead, include vital information that makes you unique from the rest of the applicants. Such information should be interesting while still relevant. 

Structure your essay: Your essay should have an introduction, body, and a conclusion that is easy to read and comprehend. Remember, your introduction and conclusion should support one another--it may even be helpful to write the conclusion first. The last paragraph and sentence should really drive home your point, and stick in the heads of the admission board.

Captivate your readers in the first few lines:  Your first sentence should be strong. It should introduce your topic and 'hook' your audience, enticing them to keep reading. The job of your first sentence is to spark curiosity and interest--no matter what you're writing or to whom. 

Simple is strong: If you're not confident in your skills as a writer, that's ok. You're looking to become a nurse, not a novelist. Your essay is important because it shows who you are, in your own words. When in doubt, keep them short, sweet, and to the point. Flowery language won't get you as far as clear communication.

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Are you interested in earning your BSN? If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree and do it faster than at a traditional college, consider ECPI University's accelerated program. For more information about this exciting opportunity, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today .

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make !

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For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya .

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Life Experiences — Why I Want To Be A Nurse

Essays on Why I Want to Be a Nurse

"why i want to be a nurse" essay topics.

The theme of "Why I Want to Be a Nurse" revolves around the motivations, aspirations, and values that drive individuals to pursue a career in nursing. It encompasses personal experiences, the desire to help others, the appeal of the healthcare profession, and the impact of nurses on patients' lives. This theme allows for a deep exploration of the personal and professional reasons behind choosing nursing as a career path.

Choosing a Topic for a "Why I Want to Be a Nurse" Essay

When selecting a topic for a "Why I Want to Be a Nurse" essay, consider the following steps:

• Reflect on Personal Experiences: Think about your own experiences that have influenced your decision to become a nurse. These could include personal health experiences, volunteer work, or interactions with nurses.
• Consider Broader Themes: Explore broader themes such as compassion, dedication, the impact of nursing on society, or the challenges and rewards of the profession.
• Choose the Type of Essay: Decide on the type of essay you wish to write. This could be analytical, narrative, descriptive, argumentative, or compare and contrast.
• Research and Relevance: Ensure that there is enough research material available on the chosen topic if you are writing an analytical or argumentative essay. The topic should also be relevant and engaging to your audience.
• Personal Connection: Select a topic that you have a personal connection with or a strong interest in.

Popular "Why I Want to Be a Nurse" Essay Topics by Categories

• Personal Experience
• Narrative: Share a personal story about a nurse who inspired you to pursue this career.
• Descriptive: Describe a personal health experience that led you to want to become a nurse.
• Analytical: Analyze how your volunteer work in healthcare settings influenced your decision to become a nurse.
• Comparative: Compare your career aspirations before and after deciding to pursue nursing.
• Argumentative: Argue why personal experiences are crucial in deciding to become a nurse.

Professional Motivations

• Narrative: Write a narrative about your first experience in a healthcare environment and how it solidified your decision to become a nurse.
• Descriptive: Describe the qualities you believe are essential for a successful nursing career and how you embody these qualities.
• Analytical: Analyze the professional rewards and challenges of a nursing career.
• Comparative: Compare the roles of nurses in different healthcare settings.
• Argumentative: Argue why nursing is a fulfilling and rewarding career choice.

Impact on Patients

• Narrative: Share a story about a time you witnessed a nurse making a significant impact on a patient’s life.
• Descriptive: Describe the emotional and psychological support nurses provide to patients and their families.
• Analytical: Analyze the critical role nurses play in patient recovery and healthcare outcomes.
• Comparative: Compare the impact of nurses in different specialties, such as pediatric and geriatric nursing.
• Argumentative: Argue the importance of empathy and compassion in nursing.

Societal Impact

• Narrative: Narrate an experience where you saw the societal impact of nursing during a public health crisis.
• Descriptive: Describe how nurses contribute to community health and wellbeing.
• Analytical: Analyze the role of nurses in addressing public health issues.
• Comparative: Compare the healthcare systems in different countries and the role of nurses in each.
• Argumentative: Argue why nursing is crucial for societal health and stability.

Educational Journey

• Narrative: Share your journey through nursing school and the experiences that reinforced your career choice.
• Descriptive: Describe the educational path and the skills required to become a nurse.
• Analytical: Analyze the challenges and rewards of nursing education.
• Comparative: Compare different nursing programs and their approaches to training future nurses.
• Argumentative: Argue the importance of practical experience in nursing education.

Future Aspirations

• Narrative: Write a narrative about your future goals as a nurse and how you plan to achieve them.
• Descriptive: Describe your vision for your nursing career and the impact you hope to make.
• Analytical: Analyze the future trends in nursing and how you plan to adapt to them.
• Comparative: Compare your short-term and long-term career goals in nursing.
• Argumentative: Argue why continuous professional development is essential in nursing.

Choosing a topic for a "Why I Want to Be a Nurse" essay involves reflecting on personal experiences, considering broader themes related to nursing, and selecting an essay type that best fits your narrative. Whether you focus on personal experiences, professional motivations, or the societal impact of nursing, it is important to provide a thoughtful and engaging exploration of your reasons for pursuing this noble profession. By carefully selecting and researching your topic, you can create a compelling essay that highlights your passion for nursing and your commitment to making a difference in the healthcare field.

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My Interest in a Career in Adult Nursing

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"Why I Want to Be a Nurse" is a common essay or personal statement topic where individuals express their motivations, inspirations, and goals for pursuing a career in nursing. It typically covers personal experiences, values, and the desire to make a positive impact on others’ lives through healthcare.

• Nursing is one of the fastest-growing professions, with a high demand for skilled nurses worldwide due to an aging population and increasing healthcare needs.
• Nursing offers various specializations, including pediatric, geriatric, emergency, and surgical nursing, allowing individuals to tailor their careers to their interests.
• Nurses have the opportunity to work in diverse environments, from hospitals and clinics to international humanitarian missions.
• Nursing provides flexible career paths, including roles in education, administration, and advanced practice, such as nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists.
• Nurses often form strong bonds with patients, providing essential emotional support and significantly impacting patients' lives and recovery.

The topic "Why I Want to Be a Nurse" is important because it highlights the personal motivations and aspirations behind choosing a career in nursing. Understanding these motivations can inspire others, promote the nursing profession, and emphasize the critical role nurses play in healthcare. Exploring these reasons through "Why I Want to Be a Nurse" essay topics can lead to a deeper appreciation of the dedication and compassion required in nursing, encouraging a new generation to join this vital field.

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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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Published on: May 6, 2023

Last updated on: Jan 29, 2024

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Many nursing students struggle with writing effective nursing essays, which are an essential part of their education and professional development.

Poor essay writing skills can lead to low grades and an inability to effectively communicate important information.

This blog provides a comprehensive guide to writing nursing essays with examples and tips for effective writing. Whether you are a nursing student or a professional looking to improve your writing skills, this blog has something for you. 

By following the tips and examples provided, you can write compelling nursing essays that showcase your dedication to the field.

Let’s get started.

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What is a Nursing Essay?

A nursing essay is a type of academic writing that aims to explore a particular topic related to nursing. It also presents a clear and concise argument or viewpoint supported by evidence. 

Nursing essays can take many forms, including:

• Descriptive essays
• Reflective essays
• Analytical essays
• Persuasive essays

What is the Importance of the Nursing Essay?

Nursing essays are important for several reasons. First, they help nursing students develop critical thinking skills by requiring them to analyze and evaluate information.

Second, they help students develop research skills by requiring them to locate and use credible sources to support their arguments. 

Third, nursing essays help students develop communication skills by requiring them to present their ideas clearly and concisely in writing. Finally, nursing essays are important for nursing education because they prepare students for the types of writing.

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To help students better understand how to write nursing essays, it can be helpful to review examples.

Below are some examples of nursing essays.

Nursing School Essay Examples

College Nursing Essay Examples

Graduate Nursing Essay Examples

Nursing Scholarship Essay Examples

Nursing Essay Conclusion Examples

Nursing Essay Examples of Different Fields

Nursing is a diverse field with many different specialties and areas of focus. As a result, nursing essays can take many different forms and cover a wide range of topics. 

Given below are some examples of different types of nursing essays:

Personal Philosophy Of Nursing - Essay Examples

Cal State Fullerton Nursing Essay Examples

Evidence Based Practice Nursing In Medical Field - Essay Examples

Leadership In Nursing And Healthcare Professionals - Essay Examples

Principles Of Professional Practice Of Nursing Professionals And Pharmacists

If you're seeking additional examples of nursing essays, you're in luck! 

Below are some more examples that can help you gain a better understanding of nursing essays:

Health Care And Reflective Models For Nursing - Essay Examples

History Of Nursing Essay Examples

Ethical Dilemma In Nurses Work - Essay Examples

Mental Health Nursing Essay Examples

Why I Want To Be A Nurse Essay

Working In A Team And Collaboration In Nursing

How to Write a Nursing Essay

Writing a nursing essay can seem daunting, but with the right approach, it can be a rewarding experience.

Here are the key steps involved in writing a nursing essay:

Understanding the Topic and Question

The first step in writing a nursing essay is to carefully read and understand the topic and question. 

This will help you determine what information you need to research and include in your essay. Make sure you understand any key terms or concepts related to the topic. Consider different perspectives or viewpoints that may be relevant.

Researching the Topic

Once you have a clear understanding of the topic and question, it's time to research. 

Start by gathering information from credible sources such as academic journals, textbooks, and government websites. 

Consider both primary and secondary sources, and make sure to take detailed notes as you read.

Organizing and Outlining the Essay

Once you have completed your research, it's time to organize your ideas and create an outline for your essay. 

Start by identifying the main points or arguments you want to make, and then organize them into a logical order that flows well. 

Your outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Writing the Essay

With your outline in place, it's time to start writing your essay. Make sure to follow your outline closely, and use clear and concise language that effectively communicates your ideas. 

Use evidence from your research to support your arguments, and cite your sources appropriately.

Editing and Revising the Essay

Once you have completed a first draft of your essay, take some time to edit and revise it. Look for any errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation, and make sure your essay is well-organized and flows well. 

Consider asking a peer or instructor to review your essay and provide feedback.

What To Include In Your Nursing Essay

When writing a nursing essay, there are several key elements that you should include. Here are some important things to keep in mind:

• Introduction

Your introduction should provide a brief overview of the topic and purpose of your essay. It should also include a clear thesis statement that presents your main argument or point of view.

• Background Information

Provide some background information on the topic to help the reader better understand the context of your essay. This can include relevant statistics, historical information, or other contextual details.

• Evidence and Examples

Use evidence and examples from your research to support your arguments and demonstrate your knowledge of the topic. Make sure to cite your sources appropriately and use a variety of sources to strengthen your argument.

• Analysis and Evaluation

Provide analysis and evaluation of the evidence and examples you've presented. This can include discussing strengths and weaknesses, comparing and contrasting different viewpoints, or offering your own perspective on the topic.

Your conclusion should summarize the main points of your essay and restate your thesis statement. It should also offer some final thoughts or suggestions for further research or action.

Nursing Essay Topic Ideas

Choosing a topic for your nursing essay can be challenging, but there are many areas in the field that you can explore. Here are some nursing essay topic ideas to consider:

• The role of technology in nursing practice
• The impact of cultural diversity on healthcare delivery
• Nursing leadership and management in healthcare organizations
• Ethical issues in nursing practice
• The importance of patient-centered care in nursing practice
• The impact of evidence-based practice on nursing care
• The role of nursing in promoting public health
• Nursing education and the importance of lifelong learning
• The impact of nursing shortages on healthcare delivery
• The importance of communication in nursing practice

These are just a few ideas to get you started. You can also explore other topics related to nursing that interest you or align with your academic or professional goals. 

Remember to choose a topic that is relevant, interesting, and feasible to research and write about.

Tips for Writing an Effective Nursing Essay

Writing a successful nursing essay requires careful planning, research, and attention to detail. Here are some tips to help you write an effective nursing essay:

• Writing Concisely and Clearly

Nursing essays should be written in clear and concise language, avoiding unnecessary jargon or technical terms. Use simple language and short sentences to help ensure that your ideas are communicated clearly and effectively.

• Stating a Clear Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement should clearly state your main argument and provide a roadmap for the rest of your essay. It should be clear, concise, and located at the end of your introduction.

• Using Proper Citation and Referencing

Citing and referencing your sources is crucial in any academic writing, including nursing essays. Make sure to use proper citation and referencing styles, such as APA or MLA. Include a reference list or bibliography at the end of your essay.

• Seeking Feedback and Revising

Before submitting your nursing essay, seek feedback from peers, professors, or writing tutors. Use their feedback to revise and improve your essay. Make sure that it is well-structured, coherent, and effectively communicates your point of view.

By following these tips, you can write a nursing essay that demonstrates your knowledge and skills in the field.

In conclusion, writing a successful nursing essay requires careful planning, research, and attention to detail. 

To showcase your knowledge in the field of nursing, it is important to have a clear understanding of the topic at hand. When writing your nursing essay, be sure to include relevant examples, incorporate current research, and use proper citation and referencing. 

And remember , seeking feedback and revising your essay is key to ensuring that it effectively communicates your ideas and arguments.

If you need help with your nursing essay or any other type of academic writing, consider using our AI essay writer . 

Our nursing essay writing service can provide personalized support to help you succeed in your academic goals.

So, why wait? Contact us to get college essay writing help today! 

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Why Do You Want To Be a Nurse? 15 Reasons to Choose a Career in Nursing

If you’ve started submitting applications to nursing schools or told people that you want to be a nurse, you’re probably hearing the question, “Why do you want to be a nurse?” a lot.  

To be honest, it’s a fair question, and each person has their own reasons for wanting to become a nurse. If you’re reading this blog post and wondering if a nursing career is for you, here are the 15 top reasons to choose a career in nursing .

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Why Do You Want to Be a Nurse? 15 Reasons

Becoming a nurse is a great career choice with many advantages, including plenty of opportunities for growth and development. Here are the top 15 reasons why you should consider a career in nursing:

1. High Demand for Nurses

Nursing is an increasingly relevant and sought-after career path in today's world. With the aging population, there’s an increasing demand for nursing professionals due to the increased need for both medical and assisted living services. 

On top of this, a shortage of physicians has also increased the demand for primary care providers putting nurse practitioners in much higher demand as well.

2. Ability to Start Working Fast

Nursing is an amazing career choice for many reasons, one of them being that you don't necessarily need an extensive education in order to get started. 

Becoming a CNA or LPN only requires a 1-2 year associate degree and the starting pay is decent too. 

Even if your goal is to become an RN, there are now accelerated BSN programs available at most universities that offer nurses the opportunity to obtain their Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) quickly so they can begin their careers. 

And most of these programs can be completed online (except for some lab and/or clinical components).

3. Great Pay and Benefits

Another awesome advantage of being a nurse is that most nurses earn a really good salary and have excellent benefits. Although nursing salaries vary widely from state to state, the median annual registered nurse salary in 2022 was $81,220, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Licensed practical nurses earn an average salary of $94,538 a year in 2023 , according to Glassdoor.com.

Nurses also receive a number of benefits that can’t be found in other occupations, such as access to excellent health insurance options, retirement savings plans, flexible hours or shifts, paid vacation time, and even educational assistance programs that can help make continuing your education more affordable. 

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4. Incentives to Work in Many Different Areas

Besides a great salary and benefits, nurses are also offered special incentives such as higher pay, relocation assistance, hefty sign-on bonuses, and nursing tuition reimbursement to work in high-need areas. 

And there are many places offering these incentives for nurses, from busy urban medical centers to under-served rural and remote communities.

5. Job Security

When it comes to job security, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a job that is more secure and in higher demand. 

Currently, there is a nursing shortage , and this shortage is expected to increase over the next decade due to the aging population of Baby Boomers and a growing need for healthcare services related to chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

6. Professional Respect 

An important part of having a great career is knowing that you’re respected for your skills and the work you do. And when it comes to respect and trust, there is no one more trusted than nurses. 

For the last 20 years, Gallup has found that the public ranks nurses the highest in terms of their honesty and ethics of any occupation or profession, even higher than physicians. Nursing is an incredible career choice due to the tremendous respect you receive from patients, family, peers, and other medical professionals. 

7. Growing Opportunity for Flexible Scheduling

Another important factor when it comes to having a great job and career is a flexible schedule. In fact, a whopping 9 out of 10 employees surveyed said offering flexible scheduling is one of the most important things employers can do to retain employees. And 47.8% said a flexible schedule is even more important than salary.

With an ever-growing demand for healthcare professionals, employers are placing greater emphasis on accommodating remote workers or those who are interested in part-time work. 

In addition to regular hospital or clinic settings, nurses can now take advantage of more per-diem nursing opportunities that fit into their busy lives as well. 

This opens up the field to those who don’t have the necessary time to commit to a full-time nursing position while still allowing them to contribute meaningful work. 

8. Opportunity for Student Loan Forgiveness

Going to school costs a lot of money, even if you go the community college route. Tuition, books, transportation, nursing uniforms and equipment, accommodation, meals, healthcare expenses—the list goes on of the expenses a student has. However, the good news is, many nurses may be eligible for student loan forgiveness programs for nurses . 

9. Job Options Across Various Fields

Unlike many other professional fields, nursing offers a huge amount of variety in terms of the type of work you can do and the types of settings you can work in. 

If you’d like to work with kids, you can be a school nurse , a pediatric nurse , or work in a PICU with sick children. 

Prefer to work with people of all ages for even more variety? Then you can work in a community clinic, emergency department, or as a home care nurse .

And if you have the travel bug and want more adventure, you can be a travel nurse and work almost anywhere you can imagine from large cities to extremely remote locations once you gain some initial nursing experience.

10. Opportunities for Career Advancement

If you’re wondering about opportunities for career advancement, nursing is an excellent career choice for that as well. 

As a nurse, there are many ways to work your way up the career ladder through advanced education in Master’s in Nursing and DNP programs. 

These programs prepare you to specialize as a nurse—which means a nice boost in salary (usually into the 6-figure category)—and often more autonomy. 

And the good news is, there’s high demand for nurse practitioners in a number of different specialties. There are also career paths for nurses who want to pursue healthcare or nursing management, nursing informatics , research or teaching as well.

11. Ability to Make a Difference

If you want a career where you can help people and change their lives, nursing definitely fits the bill. In fact, nursing is an incredibly rewarding career choice because you have the privilege of supporting people when they need your help the most. 

As an example, a nurse may help bring a life into the world for new parents or assist someone in managing a chronic condition who would otherwise be lost without a nurse’s teaching and expertise. 

In the eyes of those they help, nurses truly are everyday heroes.

12. Transferable Skill Set 

The nursing profession is highly marketable and transferable. So those entering the field can expect their experience and training to be valuable from job to job. 

For example, the fundamental medical knowledge and expertise that goes hand-in-hand with being a nurse applies no matter where you go or work. 

Although certain local regulations, technology, and even cultural norms may have slight variations, having a background as a nurse will still apply no matter where you go.

13. Opportunity for Entrepreneurship

The dream of owning your own business is also a real possibility when you become a nurse. Whether it’s starting your own private practice as a nurse practitioner or consultant, publishing medical research, freelance writing, launching a medical-based app or blog, or developing a new medical product, nurses can capitalize on their expertise and hard work by starting their own company.

Ownership over your career and the ability to create lasting change makes nursing an extremely attractive option for those seeking more than a traditional employment position.

14. Opportunity for Autonomy and Independence

One of the best aspects of nursing as a career is that it encourages autonomy and independence, allowing you to make many decisions on your own. 

This is because nurses are given various levels of responsibility depending on their experience and skill level. As a result, this makes nursing an ideal job for those looking for autonomy and independence while still having access to support from their peers, supervisors, and managers. 

15. Highly Satisfying Career

Last but not least, nursing is an extremely satisfying career. Despite how difficult the recent pandemic was for nurses, a 2021 career satisfaction survey of 10,788 nurses (including LPNs, RNs, and NPs) found that more than 90% of the nurses surveyed said they were “glad they chose” to be a nurse.

As you can see, there are many great reasons to choose a career in nursing. So what are you waiting for? Jump online and start applying today!

Leona Werezak BSN, MN, RN is the Director of Business Development at NCLEX Education. She began her nursing career in a small rural hospital in northern Canada where she worked as a new staff nurse doing everything from helping deliver babies to medevacing critically ill patients. Learning much from her patients and colleagues at the bedside for 15 years, she also taught in baccalaureate nursing programs for almost 20 years as a nursing adjunct faculty member (yes! Some of those years she did both!). As a freelance writer online, she writes content for nursing schools and colleges, healthcare and medical businesses, as well as various nursing sites.

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Why Major in Nursing at New York Tech? 

Gain boots-on-the-ground training in diverse clinical placements, and ready yourself for a career as a leader in the nursing field. Learn to practice with patients across their lifespan while respecting individual variations, complexities, and resources needed for individualized care. 

During the program’s clinical phase, work in rotations in our affiliated network of private healthcare institutions, major New York area hospitals, ambulatory community clinics, and extended care facilities. Students may also have the opportunity to participate in outreach programs that help underserved populations, from refugees in Athens to patients in Costa Rica. The program also leverages the latest educational technology—everything from avatar programs to high-fidelity simulations. 

Experienced faculty provide expertise in numerous areas—including community-based health practice, maternal child care, mental health, critical care, asthma education, and pharmacology—offering mentorship across a broad spectrum of fields. Work directly with these experts—all full-time faculty hold doctorate degrees—throughout your course work and in the development of teaching materials that could be distributed to large patient populations. 

Upon graduation, receive qualifications to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing NCLEX-RN licensing exam and be ready to serve as a patient advocate, baccalaureate nurse generalist, and caregiver. Graduates have taken on positions as hospital nurses, health educators, and more. 

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Based on a foundation of theory, research, practice, and policy advocacy, the Nursing, B.S. program at New York Tech addresses individualized needs from a holistic perspective that promotes excellence in nursing care, patient dignity, and patient safety through the use of evidence-based practice and information technology.

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Take your healthcare skills to the next level with courses in community health, management, health administration, health information management, health policy, and health economics.

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Gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art facilities and high-tech labs to prepare you for a successful career in the healthcare industry.

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New York Tech partners with several clinical sites and affiliations to provide a variety of real-world opportunities for nursing students.

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With a combination of real-world experience, state-of-the-art technology, and a global perspective, New York Tech prepares nursing students for successful and diverse careers.

Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032 (BLS).

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Where you finish is more important than where you begin. Our generous transfer credit policy and dedicated transfer advisors make it easy to continue your journey at New York Tech and maximize your career opportunities.

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New York Tech offers scholarships based on your academic achievements and potential. Most awards are renewable if you continue to meet eligibility requirements, making a significant difference in your total cost of attendance.

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The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at New York Tech is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education . 

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We were able to apply evidence-based practice from our background in nursing research and the knowledge we have accumulated at our clinical rotations. Pegah Shahbazi (B.S. ‘17) NP, RN, Northwell Health Learn More About Pegah

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Tim Walz's military career: What we know and what we don't know

• Sen. JD Vance and other Republicans say Gov. Tim Walz is misrepresenting his military background.
• Some also say that Walz retired and ran for office to avoid active combat.
• Here's what we know about Walz's military service, which spanned over two decades.

When Vice President Kamala Harris chose Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate, his military history seemed like an asset .

But now, Republicans are using his military tenure as a point of attack. They have resurfaced claims that Walz misrepresented his military history, retired from the Army to avoid fighting in the Iraq War, and broke promises to his unit.

Walz served in the military for more than 24 years, in both the Nebraska and Minnesota National Guards, according to documents shared with Business Insider by Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, a public affairs officer at the Minnesota National Guard.

He retired in 2005 to run for Congress. About two months later, after his retirement, his unit, the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery, was ordered to mobilize.

Walz's opponent in the presidential race, Sen. JD Vance, says Walz left the military to avoid active combat. During a campaign event on Wednesday, Vance accused his opponent of "stolen valor."

Other Republicans are piling on. In a video posted to X , Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida and a veteran, compared the situation to a star quarterback leaving his team before the Super Bowl.

Republicans have also accused Walz of misrepresenting his rank and experience in the Army. Walz presents himself in videos, which the Harris campaign is circulating, as a "retired command sergeant major" who advocated for stricter gun control policies by arguing that civilians should not have access to weapons "that I carried in war."

"He has not spent a day in a combat zone," Vance said on Wednesday. "I'd be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did."

These criticisms aren't new. When Walz first ran for governor in 2018, two retired Army veterans posted a letter on Facebook saying he had "embellished" his military career and had ditched his unit just before it was deployed to Iraq.

That's not the whole story, however, and some veterans have defended Walz.

Related stories

"Hey @JDVance, did you forget what the USMC taught you about respect?" Sen. Mark Kelly, a Navy combat veteran, said on X. "Tim Walz spent DECADES in uniform. You both deserve to be thanked for your service. Don't become Donald Trump. He calls veterans suckers and losers and that is beneath those of us who have actually served."

Here's everything we know about Walz's time in the US Army.

Walz served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades

At the age of 17, Walz enlisted in the Nebraska Army National Guard, where he served as an infantry senior sergeant and administrative specialist. In 1996, he transferred to the Minnesota National Guard and held various field artillery positions, including firing battery chief, operations sergeant, first sergeant, and command sergeant major.

In 2003, Walz was sent abroad as part of Operation Enduring Freedom , stage one of America's war on terror, which primarily took place in Afghanistan. He was on active duty in Italy until 2004 but he never went to Afghanistan or Iraq.

Records show that Walz submitted paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission on February 10, 2005. A month later, in March 2005, the National Guard announced the potential partial mobilization of troops from the Minnesota National Guard. In a statement from that time, Walz said he didn't know if his artillery unit would be mobilized but said he did not intend to drop his election bid.

"As command sergeant major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on," he said in a press release from March 2005. "I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington, DC or Iraq."

A couple of months later, on May 16, 2005, Walz retired from the Army. It's not clear when he first filed for retirement. In August, the Army ordered his former unit to mobilize. A few months later, it was deployed to Iraq.

During his decades in the Army, Walz never faced active combat

Though Walz said in his defense of stricter gun control policies that "we can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war" in a widely circulated video, he never saw active combat during his time in the Army. He has never been in a conflict zone or been to war.

During his service, Walz helped respond to disasters like floods and tornadoes. His only time abroad was his stint in Italy. While running for Minnesota governor in 2018, Walz acknowledged to Minnesota Public Radio that he never faced combat firsthand.

"I know that there are certainly folks that did far more than I did," Walz told the outlet. "I willingly say that I got far more out of the military than they got out of me, from the GI Bill to leadership opportunities to everything else."

Walz achieved the rank of command sergeant major

According to his biography on the Minnesota government website  and public comments, Walz has identified   himself as a "retired command sergeant major." ABC News reported that Walz earned the rank, which is the highest enlisted one for his unit, in September 2004 .

The Harris campaign website identified him that way until Wednesday afternoon. It now says that Walz served in the Army, "rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major."

That's because although Walz did hold the title at one point, he retired as a master sergeant, a lower rank. The Army reduced his rank in May 2005, when Walz retired, because he never finished the required coursework for the US Army Sergeants Major Academy, according to Minnesota National Guard records.

To retire as a command sergeant major, Walz would also have had to hold the title for three years.

• Main content

Watch CBS News

Tim Walz's military record under scrutiny as he joins Kamala Harris on Democratic ticket

By James LaPorta

Updated on: August 9, 2024 / 12:40 AM EDT / CBS News

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz 's military record has come under renewed scrutiny following Vice President Kamala Harris' announcement of Walz as her running mate on the Democratic ticket. 

On Wednesday, former President Donald Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who is an Iraq War veteran, seized the opportunity to target his opponent's military record, resurfacing claims about his deployments and his retirement from the guard.

Walz served honorably in both the Nebraska and Minnesota Army National Guards, earning medals and deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. But his final days of service have been called into question, centering on his rank and if he retired to avoid a 2005 deployment to Iraq. 

A CBS News review of Walz's military record and statements from the Minnesota Army National Guard show Walz achieved the rank of command sergeant major but was reduced in rank to master sergeant after retirement since he had not completed coursework for the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. 

On Iraq, records show Walz had retired before his battalion was mobilized and deployed to Iraq. A 2005 statement from his website indicates Walz was initially prepared to deploy to Iraq amid his bid for Congress. CBS News has asked Walz for comment on when he decided to retire. 

A snapshot of Walz in the military

Walz retired from the Minnesota Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery in 2005 after more than 24 years in service, the Minnesota Army National Guard told CBS News. 

Walz first enlisted in the Nebraska Army National Guard in April 1981, serving as an infantry senior sergeant and administrative specialist. In 1996, Walz transferred to the Minnesota Army National Guard, where he first worked as a cannon crewmember and field artillery senior sergeant. 

Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Kristen Augé told CBS News that Walz "held multiple positions within field artillery such as firing battery chief, operations sergeant, first sergeant, and culminated his career serving as the command sergeant major for the battalion." 

Walz earned several Army commendation and achievement medals during his more than 24 years of service. 

Walz deployed in August 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Minnesota National Guard told CBS News the battalion supported security missions at various locations in Europe and Turkey. Walz was stationed at Vicenza, Italy, at the time and returned to Minnesota in April 2004. 

Controversy over a 2005 Iraq deployment

On Wednesday, Vance resurfaced claims that Walz retired from the National Guard to avoid deploying to Iraq. 

"When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America, asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably and I'm very proud of that service," said Vance. 

He added: "When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him — a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people he served with." 

The Harris-Walz campaign responded with a statement saying: "After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he [served as the ranking member] of Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform — and as Vice President of the United States he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families." The statement incorrectly stated Walz chaired the Veterans Affairs committee. 

The campaign also said, "In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American's service to this country -- in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It's the American way."  

The claims raised by Vance first gained prominence when Walz ran for governor of Minnesota in 2018. At the time, retired Army veterans Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr, who both served as command sergeant majors, posted on Facebook a lengthy letter accusing Walz of "embellishing" his military career and abandoning his Army National Guard battalion ahead of a 2005 deployment to Iraq.

In the letter, Behrends and Herr write that in early 2005, Walz's unit — 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery — was slated to deploy to Iraq. At the time, Walz was serving as the unit's command sergeant major. 

Behrends and Herr claimed that from the time the unit was told to prepare for an Iraq deployment and when Walz retired, he told other Army leaders he would be going to Iraq but later resigned his position before the deployment to avoid going to a combat zone. 

Walz has said he left the guard to run for Congress, according to the Star Tribune . In 2006, Walz won his election to Congress against a six-term Republican incumbent. 

Records show Walz officially filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Feb. 10, 2005. 

In March 2005, the National Guard announced a possible partial mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard, according to an archived press release from Tim Walz for U.S. Congress.  

"I do not yet know if my artillery unit will be part of this mobilization and I am unable to comment further on the specifics of the deployment," said Walz in the March 2005 statement . 

The statement continued: "As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington DC or Iraq," said Walz, who indicated at the time he had no plans to drop out of the race. "I am fortunate to have a strong group of enthusiastic support and a very dedicated and intelligent wife. Both will be a major part of my campaign, whether I am in Minnesota or Iraq." 

The Minnesota Army National Guard told CBS News that Walz retired on May 16, 2005. CBS News has asked Walz to clarify when he submitted his retirement papers. 

The Minnesota National Guard told CBS News that Walz's unit — 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery — received an alert order for mobilization to Iraq on July 14, 2005 – two months after Walz retired, according to Lt. Col. Ryan Rossman, who serves as the Minnesota National Guard's director of operations. The official mobilization order was received on August 14 of the same year, and the unit mobilized in October. 

CBS News reviewed the deployment history for the Minnesota Army National Guard which shows that in the fall of 2005, 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery was mobilized in preparation for a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi and deployed to Iraq as a motorized security task force. 

In 2018, Tom Hagen, a military reservist who served in Iraq, wrote a letter to The Winona Daily News claiming Walz was not being candid about his service record and wanted people to know that the future Minnesota governor did not serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

Walz responded in the same newspaper and criticized Hagan as dishonoring a fellow veteran, according to MPR News. Walz wrote: "There's a code of honor among those who've served, and normally this type of partisan political attack only comes from one who's never worn a uniform."

Joseph Eustice, a 32-year veteran of the guard who also led Walz's battalion, told CBS Minnesota that while he doesn't agree with Walz's politics, he does believe Walz's record in the military is sound.

"Tim Walz as a soldier, he was a good soldier. I don't think anyone can honestly say that he wasn't," Eustice said. "...He was a good leader in those 24 years that he served."

Walz's rank as a command sergeant major

Official biographies on the Minnesota government website and Vice President Kamala Harris' website  have described Walz as a "retired Command Sergeant Major." However, documents reviewed by CBS News show this is not accurate; while Walz served at one point as a command sergeant major, he retired at a lower rank. 

Army veteran Anthony Anderson, who routinely obtains military records from the Defense Department using the Freedom of Information Act and has worked with CBS News on similar stories, provided Walz's records for review. CBS News has also requested the documents from the National Guard. 

One of the documents shows Walz reverted back to master sergeant from command sergeant major when he retired from the Minnesota National Guard in May 2005. 

Army soldiers promoted to the rank of sergeant major or command sergeant major are required to attend the Sergeants Major Course, or what was formerly known as the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.  

Lt. Col. Augé, the Minnesota National Guard spokesperson, told CBS News that Walz retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for "benefit purposes" because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.

While Walz can say he served as a command sergeant major in the Minnesota Army National Guard, his official biographies are incorrect in referring to him as a "retired Command Sergeant Major."

On Aug. 8, the campaign website updated its description of his service. It omits his rank upon retirement and now reads, "The son of an Army veteran who served as a command sergeant major, Walz was the ranking member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, where he passed legislation to help stem veterans' suicides."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to address an error in the statement from the Harris-Walz campaign.

Caroline Cummings contributed to this report.

• Minnesota National Guard

James LaPorta is a verification producer with CBS News Confirmed. He is a former U.S. Marine infantryman and veteran of the Afghanistan war.

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Tim Walz's military record: What to know about potential VP's National Guard service

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, choosing a progressive yet plain-spoken VP candidate from America’s heartland to help her win over rural, white voters.

“I’m pleased to share that I’ve made my decision: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will join our campaign as my running mate,” Harris said via text to supporters. “Tim is a battle-tested leader who has an incredible track record of getting things done for Minnesota families. I know that he will bring that same principled leadership to our campaign, and to the office of the vice president.”

We look at Walz, a 60-year-old U.S. Army National Guard veteran, and his military career over the years.

More: Tim Walz is Kamala Harris' VP pick: Minnesota governor named running mate: Live updates

How long was Walz in the military?

Walz served in the military for 24 years, enlisting in the Nebraska National Guard at 17 in 1981 and then transferring to the Minnesota National Guard in 1996. He retired in 2005 to begin his successful run for the U.S. House, representing Minnesota as command sergeant major, among the highest ranks for enlisted soldiers. His battalion went on to deploy to Iraq shortly after Walz's retirement.

Walz specialized in heavy artillery and had proficiency ribbons in sharpshooting and hand grenades.

But during the 21 years that Walz spent working with large artillery pieces, he suffered hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears, Minnesota Public Radio reported. He was allowed to continue his service after undergoing surgery, which partially resolved his hearing loss.

Where did Walz serve, and what did he do in the National Guard?

During his service, Walz responded to natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes in Minnesota and Nebraska, and was deployed overseas for months at a time, according to MPR.

In 2003, he was sent to Italy, where he served with the European Security Force to support the war in Afghanistan. He was also stationed in Norway for joint training with other NATO militaries.

Walz told MPR that he reenlisted in the National Guard after the September 11 attacks but never saw active combat in his years in the military.

Stars and Stripes reported in 2020 that Walz credited his Army experience with helping him steer Minnesota through the COVID-19 pandemic as governor.

As governor of Minnesota, Walz is commander in chief of the 13,000-soldier Minnesota National Guard. “I’m certainly proud of my military service, but it’s one piece of me,” he told Minnesota Public Radio in 2018. “It doesn’t define me.”

Reuters and USA TODAY reporter Tom Vanden Brook contributed to this story.

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Embark on a journey of exploration into the heart of Nursing Professional Governance in our upcoming webinar, “Nursing Professional Governance: Why is it important? Talk with Mayo Clinic Nurses.” Join us for an enlightening conversation that goes beyond the requirements of the Magnet designation, delving into the implementation and significance of Professional Governance within a large healthcare organization.Key Discussion Points:1. Beyond Magnet Requirements:Explore how Nursing Professional Governance extends beyond the expectations of Magnet designation, transcending regulatory obligations to become a cornerstone of excellence in healthcare.2. Implementation Within a Large Organization:Gain insights into the practical implementation of Professional Governance within the context of a large and esteemed healthcare organization like Mayo Clinic. Understand the structures, processes, and collaborative efforts that make Professional Governance an integral part of nursing practice.3. Importance for Your Nursing Career:Uncover why Nursing Professional Governance is not just a checkbox but a crucial aspect as you embark on your nursing career. Learn how this governance model empowers nurses, fosters collaboration, and enhances the quality of patient care.4. Nurse-Led Decision-Making:Discover the impact of nurse-led decision-making on patient outcomes and the overall work environment. Mayo Clinic nurses will share their experiences, illustrating how Professional Governance contributes to a culture of excellence and innovation.5. Career Advancement and Development:Learn how engagement with Professional Governance can serve as a catalyst for career advancement and ongoing professional development. Mayo Clinic nurses will provide practical insights into how involvement in governance activities has shaped their career trajectories.6. Interactive Discussion with Mayo Clinic Nurses:Engage in a dynamic conversation with our panel of Mayo Clinic nurses during an interactive Q&A session. Pose questions, share experiences, and gain firsthand knowledge from professionals who have experienced the impact of Nursing Professional Governance in their careers.Don’t miss this unique opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of Nursing Professional Governance, its practical implementation in a large healthcare organization, and its significance as you embark on your nursing journey. 

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