Application for Associate Health Trainees Program as a Nurse Practitioner

I am applying for the associate health trainee program at the VA, an institution that I have always admired and would very much like to be a part of. Becoming a nurse practitioner at the VA will be my way to make a living and to make a life by providing relief, encouragement, consolation and support to patients who have served their country and deserve to be served by it.

My desire to become a nurse practitioner, and continue in advanced practice nursing, for the VA is both personal and professional. I am passionate to understand the diseases that I saw earlier in my career as an emergency nurse and to help treat and comfort those who suffer from them. Even beyond personal concern, I am interested in observing and working diseases and the different ways they manifest in different individuals. This experience will help me gain the knowledge and practice the medical and interpersonal skills to constantly be a better nurse practitioner.  Working at the VA offers a chance to treat and interact with many different age groups and many different kinds of conditions, a diversity that would be difficult to find under one roof anywhere else.

My education and training up to this point have been preparing me for this next step. I have completed seventy hours of clinical practicals in the Emergency Department at Fountain Valley Regional Medical Center and Concordia University Wellness Center. I have also served a variety of patients (male and female, adult and children). Different clinical settings have equipped me with diverse experiences and chances to enhance my knowledge and clinical reasoning skills. Throughout my education and training, I have developed advanced assessment skills, took part in comprehensive and challenging physical exams, analyzed and interpreted assessment findings from both qualitative and quantitative research, and developed critical thinking basing on the analysis of assessment findings.

As a staff nurse in the United States Navy, I gained a great deal of experience working with active duty armed forces personnel of all ages, ranks, and occupations. While serving, I was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.  The achievements that earned me this honor included a history of treating over 3,300 patients, the implementation of a neonatal/obstetrical emergency cart, and maintaining over 95% compliance with the National Institute of Health’s asthma protocols.  I also attained my national certification in emergency nursing while serving, after which I participated in the orientation and training of 14 staff members including students, graduate nurses, and other new members of the medical care team. My commendation also cited exceptional attention to patient care and essential contributions to error reduction in deliveries. Having served with armed forces personnel of all kinds, I know the needs and values of those who come to the VA for treatment and care. It is my greatest ambition to serve them again.