How to Write an Essay about Why You Want to Become a Nurse


If you’re eager to write an essay about why you want to become a nurse, then you’ve arrived at the right tutorial!

An essay about why you want to enter the nursing profession can help to communicate your passion, commitment, and the values that led you to choose this career. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to write such an essay in five easy steps. We’ll also build a sample essay so you can visualize how to implement these steps.

Ready to get started?

Step 1. Plan the word count for your essay’s paragraphs.

The first step to effective essay writing is planning the word count for each of your paragraphs. It’s a simple way to ensure balance in your essay and make your writing process smoother.

Every essay should have the following sections:

  • The introductory paragraph
  • Three body paragraphs
  • The concluding paragraph

So, if you want a 300-word essay, you can distribute the 300 words across five paragraphs this way:

That’s all you need for your essay — five nice paragraphs.

Step 2. Formulate your central idea and supporting points.

This step involves deciding on the central idea that will guide your essay. This involves reflecting on why you want to become a nurse. What has led you to this decision?

For instance, are you compassionate and patient? Do you find joy in helping others? Are you inspired by a close relative who is a nurse? Do you have a desire to work in healthcare?

Whatever the reasons, these will serve as your thesis statement or your essay’s main idea.

Let’s take this as our main idea for our example essay: “My desire to become a nurse is driven by my innate compassion, a significant personal experience, and a desire to contribute to healthcare.”

Next, using the Power of Three, we can divide this main idea into three supporting points.

The Power of Three is a structure that can help you frame your body paragraphs effectively.

Here’s how it works for our sample essay. We’ll use three reasons for someone’s desire to become a nurse:

  1. Compassion is at the core of my personality.
  2. A personal experience influenced my decision to become a nurse.
  3. A desire to contribute to healthcare.

Now we have our foundation for writing our essay. Let’s move to the next step!

Step 3. Write the introductory paragraph.

To write an introductory paragraph, follow this diagram:

Your introduction should contain an opening sentence to set the context of your essay. Next, include your thesis statement and your three supporting points.

Here’s an example:

Introductory Paragraph

“The nursing profession is one that requires compassion, resilience, and a dedication to the service of others. My aspiration to become a nurse is fueled by my natural compassion, a pivotal personal experience, and a deep-rooted desire to contribute to healthcare. My compassion enables me to care for patients empathetically, my personal experience has provided me a profound understanding of patient needs, and my desire to contribute to healthcare constantly motivates me to pursue this path.”

Notice that the introductory paragraph transitions from general to specific, starting with an introduction, followed by the thesis and three supporting points.

Step 4. Write the body paragraphs.

Our essay will contain three body paragraphs, discussing our supporting points.

Each body paragraph begins with a topic sentence summarizing the main point of the paragraph, followed by a detailed explanation and examples. Let’s write our body paragraphs.

Paragraph 1

“Compassion is at the core of my personality, driving my aspiration to become a nurse. It allows me to form connections with patients, understanding their needs and providing empathetic care. I have always found satisfaction in helping others, which I believe will aid in providing quality nursing care to my patients.”

Note that the topic sentence gives the context for the entire paragraph. The subsequent sentences explain the supporting point, and the rest provides an illustration.

Paragraph 2

“A personal experience profoundly influenced my decision to become a nurse. A close family member was hospitalized for a long period, and I observed the exceptional care provided by the nurses, which brought comfort not just to the patient, but to our entire family. This experience demonstrated the positive impact nurses can have on patients and their families, inspiring me to join this noble profession.”

Paragraph 3

“My desire to contribute to healthcare is another driving factor behind my aspiration to become a nurse. The healthcare field is constantly evolving, and I yearn to be a part of the progress, enhancing patient care and healthcare delivery. I want to utilize my skills and knowledge to improve the health outcomes of my patients, contributing to the larger healthcare framework.”

Each body paragraph follows the structure mentioned above, starting with the topic sentence, followed by an explanation and an example.

Excellent! Now, let’s move on to the final step.

Step 5. Write the concluding paragraph.

The easiest way to write a concluding paragraph is to paraphrase the points you’ve already mentioned in the introductory paragraph. Don’t just copy it! Instead, look at your introductory paragraph and write the conclusion based on it.

Here’s how to do this for our sample essay:

Conclusion

“The nursing profession demands compassion, resilience, and a commitment to improving healthcare. My aspiration to become a nurse stems from my innate compassion, a life-changing personal experience, and a strong desire to contribute to healthcare. My compassion forms the basis for providing empathetic care, my personal experience highlights the crucial role nurses play, and my commitment to healthcare propels me to continuously strive for better patient care.”

By paraphrasing the points made in the introductory paragraph, writing the concluding paragraph becomes a straightforward task.

And that’s it! I hope you find this tutorial useful and feel more prepared to write your essay about why you want to become a nurse.

Tutor Phil

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

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