First draft, unusual applicant
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:45 pm
Coming from nursing I am kind of an unusual applicant. Let me know what you think.
“You can’t do this! I’m going to sue you!” he screamed as his foot broke loose and connected with my shoulder. Luckily he had lost his shoe in the preceding scuffle and was unable to get a clear shot at me, a few days later I would notice a small bruise on my arm, but no significant damage. “I’m going to sue your ass” he bellowed again, as the restraints were applied and we stepped away from the patient. Working on a psychiatric unit you didn’t expect the patients to be rational, but I was always surprised at how often they threatened us, the hospital, their doctors, and sometimes even God himself with a lawsuit. Most patients didn’t understand that it was the law itself that enable us to take care of them when they were mentally unable to. Every staff member had spent countless hours learning the details of mental health law. It should not come as a surprise that someone who spent that much time learning and working within law should want to apply to law school. Yet everyone who knows I’m a nurse says the same thing “why law?” my response is always the same “Why not?” Nurses and lawyers are actually very similar. We both work under stressful circumstances, we advocate for those we work for, we have to think on our feet, and most of the time we both put in 12 hour days.
Even as a child I loved debate. I don’t know if it was inherited by my grandfather who was a lawyer in suburban Wisconsin, or the fact I grew up in a family that fostered debate, but I often found myself shaping my values through discussion. Much to the frustration of my family and friends not only do I enjoy debate but I frequently change my position mid discussion. This has led to more than a few people say I could argue with myself. My ability to see a position from multiple viewpoints allows me to understand and argue against any position, a quality I believe to be important to anyone in the law profession.
Graduating from nursing school the only thing I knew about law was the old adage “If it wasn’t documented it didn’t happen.” I started becoming interested in law when I realized how much it impacted everything nurses do, from how many patients we can care for at a time to which patients stay in the hospital and for how long. While law has affected nurses, it affects patients even more. This was the most apparent when I cross trained for the job of utilization review. My job was to work with healthcare companies coordinating care for their patients in the hospital. I negotiated on behalf of the patient with the insurance companies. This experience taught me the importance of working relationships. What worked with one person did not work with others. Sometimes I was straight to the point explaining the patient’s symptoms and the doctors plan of care, sometimes it helped to chat with the insurance reviewer first. The most important attribute I learned from this experience was that building working relationships could have a positive impact on the people I was advocating for.
As a psychiatric nurse I had to think on my feet. When I showed up for work I never knew what was going to happen. Often I was a negotiator working to defuse tense situations. In a single moment our unit could go from quiet and easy to two guys physically fighting and an old demented lady deciding to take her clothes off in full view of two visitors. Sometimes patients would be admitted with minimal information unable to provide information due to their psychotic state. I had to be a detective calling the ED, family, and doctors to compile the patient’s history.
The most important role I played as a nurse was being a patient advocate. Advocating for my patients was the best part of my job, helping people who are unable to help themselves is why I became and nurse and what I plan to do as a lawyer. Unlike most people I know how to tell somebody something they do not want to hear. When faced with a difficult conversation I think about how I would like to be approached if someone was to tell me the same thing.
I love nursing but I miss working on big projects that will have a significant affect in the world for good. My experience as a nurse and EMT uniquely qualify me for law school. I am already able to think on my feet, advocate, and work long hours. I hope to combine these skills with those I will learn in law school to better serve those that are unable to represent themselves.
“You can’t do this! I’m going to sue you!” he screamed as his foot broke loose and connected with my shoulder. Luckily he had lost his shoe in the preceding scuffle and was unable to get a clear shot at me, a few days later I would notice a small bruise on my arm, but no significant damage. “I’m going to sue your ass” he bellowed again, as the restraints were applied and we stepped away from the patient. Working on a psychiatric unit you didn’t expect the patients to be rational, but I was always surprised at how often they threatened us, the hospital, their doctors, and sometimes even God himself with a lawsuit. Most patients didn’t understand that it was the law itself that enable us to take care of them when they were mentally unable to. Every staff member had spent countless hours learning the details of mental health law. It should not come as a surprise that someone who spent that much time learning and working within law should want to apply to law school. Yet everyone who knows I’m a nurse says the same thing “why law?” my response is always the same “Why not?” Nurses and lawyers are actually very similar. We both work under stressful circumstances, we advocate for those we work for, we have to think on our feet, and most of the time we both put in 12 hour days.
Even as a child I loved debate. I don’t know if it was inherited by my grandfather who was a lawyer in suburban Wisconsin, or the fact I grew up in a family that fostered debate, but I often found myself shaping my values through discussion. Much to the frustration of my family and friends not only do I enjoy debate but I frequently change my position mid discussion. This has led to more than a few people say I could argue with myself. My ability to see a position from multiple viewpoints allows me to understand and argue against any position, a quality I believe to be important to anyone in the law profession.
Graduating from nursing school the only thing I knew about law was the old adage “If it wasn’t documented it didn’t happen.” I started becoming interested in law when I realized how much it impacted everything nurses do, from how many patients we can care for at a time to which patients stay in the hospital and for how long. While law has affected nurses, it affects patients even more. This was the most apparent when I cross trained for the job of utilization review. My job was to work with healthcare companies coordinating care for their patients in the hospital. I negotiated on behalf of the patient with the insurance companies. This experience taught me the importance of working relationships. What worked with one person did not work with others. Sometimes I was straight to the point explaining the patient’s symptoms and the doctors plan of care, sometimes it helped to chat with the insurance reviewer first. The most important attribute I learned from this experience was that building working relationships could have a positive impact on the people I was advocating for.
As a psychiatric nurse I had to think on my feet. When I showed up for work I never knew what was going to happen. Often I was a negotiator working to defuse tense situations. In a single moment our unit could go from quiet and easy to two guys physically fighting and an old demented lady deciding to take her clothes off in full view of two visitors. Sometimes patients would be admitted with minimal information unable to provide information due to their psychotic state. I had to be a detective calling the ED, family, and doctors to compile the patient’s history.
The most important role I played as a nurse was being a patient advocate. Advocating for my patients was the best part of my job, helping people who are unable to help themselves is why I became and nurse and what I plan to do as a lawyer. Unlike most people I know how to tell somebody something they do not want to hear. When faced with a difficult conversation I think about how I would like to be approached if someone was to tell me the same thing.
I love nursing but I miss working on big projects that will have a significant affect in the world for good. My experience as a nurse and EMT uniquely qualify me for law school. I am already able to think on my feet, advocate, and work long hours. I hope to combine these skills with those I will learn in law school to better serve those that are unable to represent themselves.