Marlena Fisher

I believe that nursing is a profession that patients’ respect and look to as a very important person in their care.  I chose a career in nursing because I wanted to encompass this role and be able to give my patients some comfort while they are in a concerning situation.  I believe it is extremely difficult to obtain someone’s trust, especially in a short period of time, and that is what nurses are asked to do day in and day out.  Not only are nurses expected to comfort patients, but also do a number of tasks that include medication administration, procedures and much more.  Nursing requires superb time management skills, which is the most challenging part of nursing; you have so many things to do in so little time.  Nursing is a very important profession that makes a large impact on the patient’s hospital experience, and this is why I wanted to become a nurse.     

I would like to continue on these precedents that have been set by so many great nurses and take them a step further by finding ways that I can spend more time with my patients and enrich their hospital experience, so that it is not as scary as it once was.  The way that I believe this can be done is  to increase volunteerism in hospitals so that the volunteers could spend more time with the patients.  Specifically, an internship or externship for nursing students could help greatly.  It would be an unpaid position that allows nursing students to interact with patients and see how a hospital floor is managed, while also helping the nurse by spending time with the patient.  While most volunteer experiences require a screening process to take place, I believe that could be diminished because of the relationship with the nursing school.  Even though nursing school is a very busy and intensive program, I personally would make the time to participate in these programs and I am sure that many of peers would do the same.  It would also create the opportunity for current nurses with years of knowledge to influence future nurses.  It would be a great avenue for mentorship and I believe would be a great resource for me and my fellow nursing students.  This would have the potential to be a relationship that could be extremely beneficial to both parties.

The Robert Wood Johnson Scholarship has enabled me to go to nursing school and to hold a higher standard for myself, as a nursing student.  Specifically focusing on leadership in the nursing field and how to improve upon that role.