Serendipity: DNP Admission Essay

As Robert A. Heinlein put it in Time for The Stars: “Serendipity is when you dig for worms and strike gold.” This is what happened this morning as I was cleaning out my laptop files looking for a concept paper, but found my DNP admission application essay instead.  My nursing network has grown significantly in the past year and a number of folks are planning or in the process of applying to programs. While mine is psych/mental health focused, it might help provide inspiration for potential applicants. 

UTHSC DNP Application Essay 2009

“I’m not taking that disrespect medicine! And get these f*cking rent-a-cops out of here.”

“I respect you. These gentlemen are here for all of our safety. Please take the medicine.”

“Don’t you tell me what to do little girl. I know you just want to control my mind.”

“I just want you to rest and relax so you can speak to the doctor and get you home.”

“Bullsh*t!”

“Please make the good decision. If you take the medicine you can lie in bed and wait for the doctor. If you refuse we will have to put you in seclusion and maybe restraint. Which one do you think is more disrespectful?”

“Fine – give me the medicine.”

“Thank you.”

            When I relate this and similar encounters to my BSN students, they usually respond with a shudder and ask why I would ever want to work in a place like emergency psychiatry or in the psych field at all. They feel nervous around the unpredictability and worry about violence, sexual advances, and suicidal revelations. They are uncomfortable that the diagnosis of psychiatric illness cannot be confirmed with a lab value or imaging study and that there are no tactile tasks as there are in the medical setting. I tell them these are the exact reasons why I love working with this patient population and being a psychiatric and mental health nurse.

            After I came out of my accelerated BSN program in 2005, I took the advice of some nursing professors and began in the emergency department. It was not a good fit. I wanted to spend more time with patients than what was considered suitable for a department whose priorities were to stabilize and ship off. I had family ask if I could be their loved one’s nurse when they were transferred to ICU and I had individuals who had mania remember me as the nurse who took time to get to know them instead of locking them in a seclusion room just because they had “Bipolar” written in their history.

            I made the switch and took a position as a second shift nurse at Ten Broeck, a private psychiatric facility that catered to adults, children ages 3-12, and active duty military personnel. I also worked with the psychiatric assessment team that went to ER’s all over Louisville to determine level of care and initiate disposition to the appropriate facility. After two years I craved a higher acuity environment and more diverse patient population and took a position in emergency psychiatric services at University of Louisville Hospital. I also became certified through the ANCC as a psychiatric and mental health nurse and began teaching psychiatric clinical for Bellarmine University.

            In 2008 I began the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Bellarmine. I chose the FNP because, while I love working in psych, I also wanted professional diversity. In addition to prevention, management and education of health conditions across the lifespan, a large percentage of primary care involves treatment of depression, anxiety, ADHD and PTSD and screening for substance abuse and domestic violence. Although I wanted more medical experience, I planned on obtaining my Psych NP certification even prior to beginning my FNP, and this resolve was strengthened during my educational clinical experience. While I enjoyed primary care in pediatric and adult settings, when I got to the psych portion of the rotation is was like a sigh of relief. With the new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree becoming a requirement in the next five years, I also feel it is important to continue my education while I am still in the flow of academia rather than waiting or being grandfathered in.

            In addition to nursing, I have also been an acupuncturist and Doctor of Oriental Medicine for the past ten years and have focused my practice in pain management, women’s health, and mental/emotional disorders. I have had the opportunity during my training and professional practice to work with chemical dependency, depression, anxiety, stress management and PTSD using a combination of modalities including acupuncture, herbal therapy, nutrition, Tui Na, exercise, and mediation. I was also involved in development of a research project that compared the effectiveness of CBT with and without acupuncture intervention in patients with PTSD.

            My professional goals include integrating my specialties to develop a holistic approach to education, prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders. While other disease processes such as bipolar, schizophrenia, and personality disorders are also of interest to me, in the higher levels of education I feel it is important to narrow the field of concentration. I have had experience in Internet blackboard courses and working at an accelerated learning environment while maintaining employment throughout my educational career. The ability to obtain the dual certification in mental health with the DNP allows me to have more freedom and a greater variety of choices to peruse my goals.