Born in Nepal to Tibetan refugees, I came to the United States 7 years ago for higher education, the only family member to attend a university. Compassion and helping others are philosophies that my Buddhist family instilled in me as a child. So, I grew up wanting to be of help; my interest in caring for the sick and a desire to improve healthcare in Nepal led me to become a nurse. After completing a year of nursing prerequisites in New Mexico, I moved to Washington State and graduated from ____ University with a BSN.
To express my profound appreciation and gratitude to a country that has given me countless opportunities, I signed up to serve in the US as an Army Reservist for the next six years. Following the earthquake in 2015, I returned to my native country Nepal as an educated American nurse, where I assisted in relief missions in rural villages needing medical help. The decision to become a CRNA was a natural result of witnessing casualties undergoing surgeries and the way that anesthesia helps to relieve their suffering. This was when I made it my purpose to pursue a career in Nurse Anesthesia, and to make my contribution to my community here in the USA and Nepal. During the mission, I had the opportunity to work in the operating room with several international healthcare volunteers and enjoyed every moment in the OR. I especially appreciated how the anesthesiologists presented the right balance of backbone and flexibility as they orchestrated the patient’s course through induction, maintenance, and emergence.
After returning from Nepal, I started preparing for a career in nurse anesthesia by working at a Cardiovascular ICU. This is where I fell in love with managing critically ill patients on life support: pressors, therapeutic devices, ventilators, recognizing early signs of degradation, and intervening to prevent complications all at the same time. Caring for immediate post-op patients requires similar promptness as in perioperative settings controlled by a CRNA. Thinking independently to solve a problem serves to train and enhance my critical thinking skills.
One of my shadowing experiences at the University of XXXX Medical Center with a CRNA was enriching and eye-opening. During the initial stages of a prostatectomy, our patient’s SpO2 was 92% despite 100% ventilator support, leading to interventions such as probe changing, recheck ETT positioning, a branch, and insertion of A-line for ABG. The CRNA I shadowed portrayed a leader's vital traits by promptly and comfortably identifying the problem and taking charge of the situation by initiating the interventions while collaborating with team members for the best patient outcome. Working at an outpatient surgery center alongside the sole anesthesia provider, a CRNA, allows me to learn first-hand about the profession regularly. After every interaction with a CRNA, I feel more inspired and driven.
I also attended a Diversity CRNA Information Session & Airway Simulation lab workshop where we had the opportunity to get a hands-on introduction to different airway management systems, intubation using glideslope, bronchoscope, gas machine, epidurals, and spinal in the sim lab. The keynote speaker, Paul Santero, CRNA and past president of AANA, spoke about the Economics and Business of Anesthesia, independent practice, billing, and career advocacy for the CRNA profession. My long-term goals entail serving as an advocate for patients and our profession and practicing with a high degree of autonomy.
I have prepared for a career in nurse anesthesia by taking on challenges and going outside my comfort zones, keeping academic skills current, and maintaining a full-time position that required me to learn new skills. I have stayed current with evidence-based practice from the AACN, attended NTI conferences, obtained the CCRN, participated in hospital-based research, and completed graduate coursework to establish my ability to handle graduate-level work. I could not be more dedicated to pursuing a career in nurse anesthesia.
Compassion, lifelong learning, and community service are my core values. After earning a degree in Nurse Anesthesia, I hope for a lifetime of mentoring, since I have been a tutor and enjoy it very much, and now serve as a preceptor in my unit. As I will be one of the few CRNAs in the Tibetan/Nepali community, I look forward to serving as a guide to other minority nurses. I intend to share my expertise acquired from XXXX University. Since I am fluent in Nepali, Tibetan, and Hindi, I hope to distinguish myself in nursing missionary opportunities to help speakers of these languages. I look forward to decades more to come attending to the needs of soldiers and their families as a CRNA. Nothing excites me more than the prospect of going on to teach future nurse anesthetists, because of my devotion to education and professional advancement.
The determination and perseverance cultivated through years of self-reliance in a new country helped me become adaptable, handle stress, pay attention to detail, and remain grounded. I am confident that I will be able to distinguish myself in your program due to arduous work, two years of experience in the CVICU, and working alongside a CRNA at a plastic surgery center. I bring a keen sensitivity to social and moral issues, with a comprehensive approach stemming from a Jesuit education at ____ University. I am the best fit for the DNAP Program in Nurse Anesthesia at ____ University since it is a Jesuit university, and I share their values. I very much look forward to putting those values into practice as a globally inspired CRNA with a profound sense of mission to the underserved.
Thank you for considering my application to the DNP in Nurse Anesthesia Program at ____.
The following statement is especially noteworthy as far as the applicant is the child of two refugees, and born in Nepal, an impoverished country in Central Asia. This speaks to making diversity work for the applicant, and the capacity to overcome adverse circumstances for a lifetime of upward mobility undeterred by humble origins. This leads quite naturally to one's desire to give something back by helping the underserved.
CRNA Personal Statement Sample