3rd Quarter, 2006
Nursing Scholarship Winner
Chrystal Solis
“I have always had an interest in the medical field; as a young girl, I would “doctor” my stuffed animals and little brother. As I grew older, I learned the importance and value of helping others. My parents were a tremendous influence, teaching me that compassion for others was very important. Most of all, my faith in Christ showed me to love others and care for them. These factors helped inspire me to serve people and become a nurse.”
A Portion of Chrystal’s Winning Essay:
The call to nursing is not for the weary-hearted, it is for those who can undertake a duty with passion and give a service to others and their needs above their own. The numerous qualifications required of a high caliber nurse, I have; I can reach.
I have always challenged myself academically, eager to go beyond what the standard was and succeed in the difficult classes I took. I studied vigorously, and I persevered in pursuing any academic course that would quench my thirst to learn. If I want to go to the medical field, where a person’s life was in my hands, I need to be knowledgeable and prepared. I have taken advanced courses, especially in the math and sciences, to help prepare myself for the rigorous courses I would take. But I have worked diligently to excel in all areas of my studies which prepare me for nursing school, for as a nurse, I must be knowledgeable in several different areas in order to offer the best care and service.
I possess the intellectual caliber to study and succeed in this prestigious nursing school. I have the dedication to further my education to work towards receiving my Master’s degree and after that to hopefully work in the pediatrics department.
Knowledge and critical decision making are necessary qualities for a high caliber nurse, but I believe the most important is compassion. I want to make a difference in people’s lives, I want to ameliorate their pain, I want to help them, I want to save them. It is compassion for people that drives me to become a nurse. My compassion for them came from my own struggles.
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As a younger child, I suffered from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis in my knees. I remember the sharp pains, the waiting, the discomforts and the fear of being in a hospital. I commiserate with those hurting since I went through a similar experience. Kindness can do a great amount of healing. I remember the nurses who worked with me at the hospital. They greeted me with a smile, cheered me up, and when I was afraid, they held me.
In time of pain, people need to feel a human connection, and I felt such concern from these nurses. I was more than a patient, to them I was a person. I felt like a normal person, more than a patient, more than an illness, and it gave me so much hope. As a nurse, I would also see more than an illness. I would see a person who needs genuine care, and I would instill in them the hope for a better future.
I wanted some hands on experience in nursing so I decided to volunteer at a hospital. Volunteering at Whittier Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital these pasts seven months has been an enjoyable and discovering experience. I perform several tasks; one of my duties is to take blood work, labs and urine samples from the Critical Care Unit to the Laboratory. I enjoy this particular assignment because it allows me to see how these samples are tested. I quietly observe the nurses in their work: how they interact with patients, inserting an IV or lending an open ear.
During discharges and admitting, I am able to interact with people the most while I am taking people out of the hospital in a wheelchair or pushing them within it. Every time without fail, they leave smiling, waving and continually thanking the nurses. I see their family members call them by name, and they warmly hug to show their appreciation. In their eyes, as the nurses wave goodbye, you can see that they truly cared for these people. I want to be a part of that.
People are usually emotional when they are being admitted to a hospital. They need more than to be treated for their physical ailments. All aspects of a patient needs to be considered, not just their disease. Sympathizing with a person gives them consolation and can ease some fear.
Once, I was admitting a 64 year-old white haired lady, who broke down and cried when I took her to her room. I sat with her and held her hand so she would not be alone, reassuring her all would go well. When she had stopped crying, I continued to stay with her, and we talked of other things to put her at ease. When I left the room, she gave me the friendliest hug and warm thanks. I had been there when she needed me, and it was a great feeling because I had made a difference. This is when I realized that nothing would give me as much pleasure in life than helping others.
I have always enjoyed working with people, and I have found I really enjoy working with children. It’s what I would like to do with my life. I realized that I can impact others in several positive ways– by offering my community a knowledgeable nurse, dedicating myself to people’s physical healing and most importantly giving others my genuine concern and care.
I am captivated by the duty of a nurse. I love to help others, and when I am working at the hospital I am happy to be there. I enjoy it because I have passion and concern for these people whom I know nothing about except that they need some assistance. I have the drive, and I have the passion. This is why I want to be a nurse.
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