Falisha Lee

I have been blessed with the many gifts that it takes to be a nurse.  These gifts come from within and are shown on a day to day basis.  Though I may have only been working in the medical field for five years, nursing has been a life process that started from a tiny bud and has begun to blossom into a beautiful flower.  I am very thankful that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing scholarship has given me the opportunity to help nurture my dream of becoming a professional nurse.

In my second year of college, I began working in the health care field.  I started off as a home health aide, which progressed to me wanting to gain more knowledge and experience, which led me to complete training to become an STNA.  I then started working in nursing homes and could see the difference that I made in my patient's lives.  I knew for sure that it was important to become a nurse.  My hunger for learning and gaining hands-on experience grew even stronger.  I knew that I was a vital instrument in the health care field, so upon graduation I applied at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and was hired as a nursing assistant. 

I take the utmost pride in being able to serve the Veterans of America.  Working with veterans has given me an even greater outlook on nursing as a career.  It has helped me to discover the importance of my work and the driving force of my pursuit for a career in nursing.  I see in my patients that I am an important part of their lives and their care.  I have always been a compassionate person and I display compassion toward every patient that I come into contact with.  To work in the nursing field, one must be committed to what they do, even with the overwhelming demands of this profession.  I have shown to be committed to many things and I know that nursing is one that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I will continue on in my studies to become a skilled nurse in geriatrics, continuing to work with veterans to meet their healthcare needs.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing scholarship has helped to launch my start and I will continue my nursing studies to become an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner.  I have endured many obstacles in this journey and I am grateful for my life experiences; they have helped me to become a stronger individual.  I am working towards completing my goals one by one.  If you believe in something for yourself and you work hard enough, you can achieve anything.  I have taken all that I have learned in life and put it towards my life’s pursuit - nursing!