CRNA School Personal Statement

CRNA School Personal Statement Background

It would be a special honor for me to be selected to complete the DNP Program in Nurse Anesthesia at XXXX University because of its sheer excellence and location. My mother is a first-generation immigrant from Haiti. Thus, while I was born and raised in America, I learned to become a native speaker of Haitian Creole as well as English. I spent the first ten years of my professional life as a NYC police officer. I have no regrets about this decade because it prepared me well on several levels for making my ultimate contribution to my society as a nurse. Now, I am applying for your distinguished program to become a CRNA. As a police officer, I often put my Haitian Creole to good use and look forward to continuing to do so as a nurse.  

I was sworn in as a police officer at 20, one year after 911. I left the police force in 2015 for a career change to nursing.  I now seek a total immersion experience in Nurse Anesthesia in preparation for practicing as a devoted CRNA for at least the next quarter of a century. I am also extremely enthused about becoming a highly competent researcher. I loved my work with the police force, but a career change to nursing stole my heart. My entire family and community are from Haiti. I have been there and to the Dominican Republic with my church, on many occasions, providing medical goods, clothes, school supplies, toiletry items, and food to the community, especially the orphanages. At 27, pregnant, a terrible earthquake struck Haiti, and I agonized for those thousands of injured.  A few years later, I left the police force to devote myself full-time to Nursing. Most of my volunteer work has been with Autism Speaks and the Autism Spectrum Center at University Boston Children's Hospital. This speaks to my focus and dedication to sustainably helping the most vulnerable among us. I hope to one day use my education and experiences to mentor other aspiring CRNAs and minority nurses as they pursue their dreams.  

As the eldest of three children, we didn’t have many luxuries, but having access to an education was a privilege I enjoyed. Some of my earliest memories were when I was the teacher's assistant in helping my classmates with lessons learned. After graduating from high school in 2001, I took a leap of faith and moved to New York. I feared I would not be able to attend college due to economic issues. Life at home had become increasingly difficult because my mother fell ill, resulting in my failure to graduate with my class. These adversities helped me to mature quickly, however. So did becoming a police officer. I began my studies toward a career in nursing while a police officer, and it was not long before I set my sights ultimately on Nurse Anesthesia. It was during this time, as an undergraduate student, where I found my passion to become a CRNA. I became a CNA, and then an LPN, earning my BSN.  

I have shadowed a CRNA for approximately 40 hours to get an in-depth look at the role of a nurse anesthetist. I also attended a Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Workshop at the University of Miami in 2019, and Samuel Merritt University in 2022.  I participated in the Diversity CRNA Virtual Boot Camp in 2021 and attended two Interview Prep Sessions via Zoom. For the last two years I have been immersed in Nurse Anesthesia in my free time and my level of motivation has skyrocketed, studying daily about the evolution of the field that I hope to make my own. The knowledge and understanding I have gathered fuel my motivation to keep pressing forward to my goal of becoming a CRNA, as I have watch Nurse Anesthesia evolve – from legislative changes to CRNAs influencing change on a systemic level.

I look forward to undertaking extensive research about the role of the CRNA in fighting opioid addiction which is plaguing our society. My experience as a police officer will be helpful for my making important contributions to this struggle. 

CRNA School Personal Statement