workshop
Exercise 1.1: Laying Your Foundation
Open Section 1: Foundation – Understanding the Committees’ Lens in your workbook. Write one to two sentences for each of the three prompts:
- How does my background show readiness?
- I worked as a travel nurse in multiple ICUs, including SICU, CVICU, CCU, MICU
- I’ve taken on sick patients with multiple pressors coming from a helicopter transfer so I’m used to high stress situations
- I worked w/multiple interdisciplinary teams to achieve improved patient outcome, whenever possible, and gave a thorough report during rounds, including suggestions to further the patient’s progress as well as advocating for them
- I have experience with ECMO/eCPR and have formal training for it as well
- My critical care background is broad since I’ve picked up shifts in PACU, ED, and other floor RN assignments to gain multiple perspectives
- I worked as a travel nurse in multiple ICUs, including SICU, CVICU, CCU, MICU
- Where have I demonstrated resilience?
- During my tenure in the military as a medic (Hospital Corpsman), I learned to be autonomous in the combat and garrison field which transitioned into civilian practice
- The military also taught me to think critically, and advocate aggressively for my patients, even when other more higher ranked personnel would berate and belittle me to try to back down. This transferred over well to the ICU where I have had conflicts with physicians and other advanced providers but with a more subtle professional demeanor
- I am a first generation college graduate student as the offspring of immigrants who started their lives from scratch with little to no support from outside family because they were simply not available. I had to navigate the academic & professional system while tending to my own finances and caring for my own family unit
- Having travel RN experience helped me create a welcoming and warm environment to a new set of nurses that I try to assimilate with in order to gain their trust through competence and pre-emptive friendliness. This is something I’ve had to learn as emotional intelligence because I was initially a severely shy & introverted kid due to my immigration status
- What specifically motivates me toward CRNA (beyond clichés)?
- The autonomy and lifestyle. My husband is Latino and I would like to extend my practice to patients who are primarily Spanish speaking. I’ve hired a tutor to polish my Spanish to help me make the patients feel more safe and at ease
- I want to be able to work autonomously as an anesthetic provider and gain full-time employment as a locum tenens CRNA to be able to gain a wide breadth of clinical skills and then utilize whatever months I have free to spend with my in-laws and retired parents overseas
- I want to support and encourage future and hopeful SRNAs of color to show them that this path is feasible
Don’t overthink this exercise. Your answers don’t need to be polished. The goal is simply to capture your first, honest thoughts. These reflections will become the building blocks for your personal statement.