This blog post examines the essential activities and mindset to include in a nursing academic plan, introducing methods to write persuasively with concrete examples.
Learning Experience and Reflections
I first encountered Pender’s Health Promotion Model (HPM) while researching various nursing-related theories during biology class. This model fascinated me because it is closely tied to modern health concepts. Pender’s Health Promotion Model is based on the premise that an individual’s characteristics and experiences influence health behaviors, and that these behaviors can be modified through cognitive and affective factors.
The cognitive and affective factors referred to here include ‘perceived benefits’, ‘perceived barriers’, ‘perceived self-efficacy’, ‘affect related to the behavior’, ‘interpersonal influence factors’, and ‘situational influence factors’. Initially, these concepts felt somewhat challenging, but I gradually understood them by researching biology-related papers and nursing textbooks. Through this process, I learned that these factors are fully intervenable and modifiable through nursing interventions, ultimately enabling the attainment of the ultimate goal: health promotion behaviors.
I was particularly struck by how nursing providers can promote health-enhancing behaviors in individuals, leading to actual behavioral change. In modern society, where life expectancy continues to rise, I strongly felt the necessity for nurses to actively participate in health promotion, moving beyond merely treating illness. My research also confirmed that the field of health promotion within nursing has steadily grown over the past decade.
In current clinical practice, health promotion education is integrated. I also learned that Pender’s Health Promotion Model is highly suitable for nurses because it is a theory applicable across the entire lifespan and diverse situations, moving beyond a simple treatment-centered approach. Particularly, while exploring modern concepts of health and life, I was able to reflect anew on the purpose and meaning of health promotion and delve deeper into practical nursing methods for enhancing patient health.
Furthermore, by reviewing various studies that applied Pender’s Health Promotion Model regardless of gender or age, I gained a concrete understanding of its effectiveness and applicability. Particularly striking was Pender’s assertion that “the 21st century should prioritize health promotion over treatment,” a view I wholeheartedly endorse. This experience made me realize that nurses must play a more proactive role in helping people of all ages access health promotion services.
Through this learning experience, I developed the goal of someday conducting nursing research that can widely communicate the importance and value of health to many people. It was a meaningful time that went beyond simply acquiring knowledge, allowing me to explore theories applicable to actual nursing practice and reflect on their significance.
Major School Activities and Reflections
Volunteer Activity Story
During high school, I discovered many friends dreamed of becoming nurses. Yet, few truly understood the profession. Since I too was only personally researching nursing, I founded the self-directed club ‘NurseScape’ to create a structured learning opportunity for like-minded peers.
Nursing is a highly specialized profession requiring extensive study even after entering university. I believed that studying and understanding basic nursing knowledge starting in high school would make continuing nursing studies in college much smoother. After discussing with club members, we formed a self-directed study group focused on foundational nursing.
As the leader of this study group, which included eight aspiring nurses, I worked with members to set specific learning goals, create schedules, and foster an efficient learning environment. A key focus was accurately performing core nursing skill protocols within designated time limits.
Our study topics were diverse. For instance, we studied diet composition and precautions for diabetic patients, as well as the necessary attitudes when interacting with pediatric patients in a children’s ward. We didn’t stop at theoretical learning; we also developed a realistic sense by role-playing various situations we might encounter as actual nurses. Additionally, we watched YouTube videos featuring nursing career experiences together, allowing us to envision our future more concretely.
After the study sessions, we gathered in the science lab to review areas each of us needed to improve, explaining unfamiliar terms or concepts to one another and providing mutual feedback. Through open Q&A sessions, we enhanced mutual understanding. After each study session, we developed the habit of writing reports to organize what we learned and note areas for improvement. This entire process greatly aided our individual study time, and ultimately, our study group earned the honor of being selected as an outstanding study group within the school. All members achieved satisfying grades, proving the effectiveness of our learning.
Above all, the time spent advancing toward the same goal with like-minded friends was profoundly meaningful. Furthermore, activities that involved envisioning future scenarios as a nurse served as an opportunity to solidify my passion and resolve for my career path.
Volunteer Work Caring for Seniors with Dementia
During my senior year of high school, I volunteered for approximately six months at a nursing facility where seniors suffering from stroke and dementia resided. This volunteer work was not merely about providing assistance; it was a valuable experience where I grew through genuine human connection.
Due to frequent turnover among volunteers at the facility, the seniors were hesitant to open up to strangers. Initially, I too felt a sense of distance, and building rapport felt challenging. However, I made a conscious effort to actively engage during each visit through activities like assisting with bathing and providing companionship. I frequently asked if they had any discomfort and approached them with genuine care to help them gradually open their hearts.
Though their memory often failed, and they didn’t recognize me, I consciously smiled more often and greeted them warmly during those moments. Over time, seeing them remember me and slowly open up was truly moving. Particularly, the scene where an elderly person who was usually sensitive and demanding shed tears while saying goodbye to me on the last day of volunteering remains deeply etched in my heart.
Through this experience, I learned that sincerity is the most crucial element in opening another person’s heart. I also realized that the nursing profession requires not just being a ‘healer,’ but an active, warm companion who cares for the patient’s life and empathizes with them. It was a precious time where I personally felt how crucial an active approach of reaching out to patients first and a sincere attitude truly are.
These two activities were the process through which I seriously contemplated a career as a nurse and actually began preparing for that path. They were valuable experiences that allowed me to deeply understand, beyond the simple ‘activity’ itself, the attitude towards people, the mindset for preparing for the future, and the meaning of growing together through shared study.
Cases of Care, Sharing, and Cooperation and My Reflections
Participating in a Knitting Campaign for Overseas Children
As a nurse, I believe my greatest asset is recognizing the preciousness of life. This realization went beyond a simple professional calling; it led to a genuine desire to contribute to saving lives. During this time, I learned that many newborns in Africa lose their lives due to the cold. To help these children, I joined a ‘Newborn Hat Knitting Campaign’ organized by a domestic welfare organization.
Truthfully, I had never knitted before, so starting was a huge challenge in itself. I felt frustrated many times, having to unravel and reknit the yarn repeatedly due to my lack of skill. However, the knowledge that the little hats I made could protect someone’s life gave me strong motivation. I learned knitting techniques through YouTube to steadily build my skills without giving up. Seeing the hats gradually take shape one by one filled me with pride and a deep sense of fulfillment.
The warmth and care I poured into my hats eventually reached newborns in distant Africa, and I heard that one of them actually helped save a life. This experience went beyond simple volunteering; it became a moment where I fully grasped the value of respecting life, something I must hold as a nurse. I also felt with my whole being how a small act for someone else can hold such great meaning, and the true happiness that sharing brings.
Through this campaign, I realized how precious it is to live a life where “another’s happiness is my own,” and I resolved that even after becoming a nurse, I would continue to serve neighbors in need through various medical volunteer activities. I felt that a life lived alongside others, a life of mutual consideration and cooperation, is the crucial value I pursue in life. Based on this value, I was able to meaningfully conclude my school life.
Since my first year of high school, I have consistently served as a member of the RCY (Red Cross Youth) volunteer club, practicing service for marginalized communities. As an RCY officer, I planned overseas child sponsorship activities and proactively led volunteer efforts, striving to contribute to society in any small way. Though these acts of sharing were modest and seemingly insignificant, the experience of serving together with a united heart allowed me to relearn the importance of cooperation and the value of warm sacrifice.
These diverse experiences hold even greater significance for me as I pursue a major in nursing. After enrolling in the Nursing Department at ○○ University, I will strive to become a nurse who prioritizes the patient’s life above all else. By practicing the spirit of consideration, sharing, and cooperation, I wish to contribute to making our society brighter and warmer.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation and Career Plans
I aspire to grow as a nurse at ○○ University Hospital, providing excellent care services.
Since childhood, I have dreamed of becoming a nurse who provides appropriate medical services to those in need, enhancing patients’ happiness and quality of life. In particular, ○○ University Hospital, located near my home, is one of the top medical institutions in the country. I grew up seeing it constantly filled with patients. Every time I passed that hospital, I would resolve in my heart that someday I wanted to work there as a nurse from the ○○ University School of Nursing.
I believe nursing extends beyond merely assisting with treatment; it is a specialized field that prioritizes the patient’s care and recovery above all else. Achieving this requires the harmonious integration of the best medical environment, excellent equipment, and a systematic healthcare system. I believe ○○ University fulfills all these requirements. In particular, the presence of its affiliated hospital allows for the organic connection between theory and practice, which I believe forms the foundation for providing more effective and satisfying nursing services. For these reasons, I am confident that the Nursing Department at ○○ University is the most suitable choice for me.
During high school, to solidify my dream of becoming a nurse, I personally founded an independent club called ‘NurseScape’ and served as its president. Together with friends who also aspired to nursing, we studied various materials to familiarize ourselves with basic nursing knowledge and nursing terminology. Furthermore, I consistently read nursing-related papers, academic journals, and the latest nursing trends to broaden my knowledge, sharing this information with my friends.
Alongside this, I actively participated in volunteer programs at local senior welfare facilities and children’s welfare facilities to personally experience the values of sharing and love that a nurse must practice. Through these experiences, I deeply felt the fulfillment that comes from practicing the value of care and the meaning of holistic healing. These experiences were precious time that went beyond simple volunteering, constantly prompting me to reflect on and prepare for the role and attitude of a nurse.
If I am admitted to the Nursing Department at ○○ University, I will fill in my knowledge gaps through systematic professional education and dedicate myself to my studies to grow into a professional with expertise in the nursing field. After graduation, I aspire to join ○○ University Hospital, where I will put the excellent nursing services I have learned into practice on the front lines and become a nurse who widely promotes our university’s reputation and value. My ultimate goal is to grow into a senior nurse who serves as a role model for junior colleagues.
Today, I continue to take one step at a time toward becoming a nurse who prioritizes the patient’s life above all else. I sincerely hope to take that first step together with the Nursing Department at ○○ University.
