what do you think of my personal statement (applying for adult nursing)?

I aspire to be an adult nurse as I would love to care for adults and see them benefit from my care. Nursing seems like a rewarding and demanding career, I have always realised this growing up with my mother as a nurse. My mother has often spoken about her job, and has inspired me to go into nursing.

I work as a health care assistant in a nursing home, caring for elderly adults with dementia. I feel that I bond well with the residents in my care and my job has given me good caring skills. It feels rewarding caring for the residents and making a difference to their and their families’ lives. I have also gained communication skills through being a health care assistant, especially overcoming communication barriers. I work in a multidisciplinary team with other health care professionals. Being of all different levels, we work as a team and each have our different duties. I look forward to further working in a multidisciplinary team in my anticipating future career as a nurse. I have Double Distinction* in Level 3 BTEC National Diploma Health and Social Care, and the units in this course that I studied have prepared me for the caring profession. I would be able to apply this valuable theory to practice in my in the future. I have already been able to apply this theory to practice in my job as a health care assistant and the placements I went on as part of my BTEC. I did placements in a primary school one afternoon a week, and as a young leader at a local Brownies pack. This shows my experience with a wide age range, and also my interpersonal skills gained from talking to groups of children. During my placement as a young leader I was sometimes asked to plan meetings, from which I developed my planning and organisation skills. My placement in the primary school gave me the opportunity to work with a child with SEN, I was able to recognise how his condition affected his learning and social skills, and support him and help him to reach his full potential. The staff in the primary school commented on my excellent performance and professionalism, and my caring attitude with the children; I was awarded commendation at college for this.

A close friend of my mum’s has a son with autism, whom I have grown up with. Seeing him growing up with autism, I have been aware from an early age how his condition has affected his socialisation, and how it brings difficulties to his life, and seen how his family care for him. I am used to the barriers in communication caused by his autism, and ways to overcome the barriers, and it feels rewarding that I have formed a relationship with him despite the limitations due to his condition. Growing up with him has made me more understanding to other adults with learning disabilities, and the difficulties in their life and socialisation that their condition causes for them.

My hobbies include street dance and drama, and I have an A Level in Drama and Theatre Studies. These interests have developed my confidence and I have performed in front of audiences of people I am not familiar with. I also have an A Level in English Language, from which I have developed my high standard of written English.

When I was in Year 13, I was appointed as student mentor at college, where my duties where to support the new Year 12 students, showing them around college and helping them to settle in. This shows that I am able to sympathise with people and support and reassure them when they are in anxious situations.

With a degree in adult nursing, there would be a wide range of opportunities available to me. I would like to further work with elderly people. Other areas that I could particularly see myself working in in the future are district nursing, health visiting, on a ward, or in Accident and Emergency department.