A Veteran Serving Veterans:
Personal Statement for Gonzaga University Graduate Admissions
Jennifer Parache
The servant-leader is servant first… Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first… The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and the most difficult to administer, is this: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
–Robert Greenleaf

Practicing nursing at a Veterans Affairs hospital affords me an immersion in adult and geriatric nursing care. I am a veteran, committed to continuing to serve my former brothers and sisters in arms. Obtaining a Masters of Science in Nursing in the Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner track will allow me to meet a dire need within the Veterans Affairs health system, while pursuing my dream of serving veterans in a primary care provider capacity. The Veterans Affairs health system serves adults, specifically geriatrics (as of 2011, less than one in twenty veterans were under the age of 30). The effects of poorly managed chronic illnesses in aging veterans are keenly visible within my practice in the intensive care unit, and on the hospital wards. I want to lend myself to helping veterans manage their health and decrease their need for hospital admissions.
The Masters of Science in Nursing – Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner track will provide me with the initial skills and knowledge necessary to build a practice of exemplary evidence based care, within the context of the limitations of those I care for and their resources. I expect learning opportunities that will teach me how to manage challenging cases, to lead these veterans to the best possible health outcomes, and to assist them to maintain their health and independence for as long as possible.
My greatest strengths towards this goal are my personal and professional experiences. I began nearly 20 years ago as a United States Army medic, spent several years after my military service working in primary care as I saved for and worked through nursing school, and have spent the past seven years working with veterans at the Portland VA Medical Center. My experiences have taught me patience, kindness under duress, how to notice the minor changes that indicate more serious underlying problems, and how to work with a team to manage each veteran’s needs. One particular instance involved a transplant patient whose antirejection medication levels were unpredictable; he was alternately at risk for rejection, then supratherapeutic and at risk for developing renal failure. I spoke to the attending physician and the pharmacist about various reasons the blood levels of this medication would fluctuate so wildly, then spoke to the patient and his caregiver about his diet and how he took his antirejection medication. Every two to three days the caregiver was bringing this patient a grapefruit to eat. I explained the effects of grapefruit on the metabolism of his medications, something that neither patient nor caregiver had remembered from their pre-transplant education. The patient’s care team appreciated the stabilization of his antirejection medication within therapeutic range, and the patient discharged to transplant lodging within weeks.
The transplant patient’s situation reminded me how important it is not to assume that the people we educate in the hospital remember all we have taught them. They are under great amounts of stress, which has a profound effect on their ability to assimilate new information. Patients, clients, need multiple learning opportunities over several encounters to truly learn how to manage their chronic illnesses. I have a deep value of each patient’s right to choose their own path, and a commitment to educating them about the risks and benefits of their choices. Education is a passion of mine. I love to spend the extra minute teaching a patient or student, to see that “Aha!” moment when they understand.
Professionally, I am working towards an advanced practice nursing position in a community based outpatient clinic within the Veterans Health Administration. I would prefer a rural, underserved community, similar to the small-town environment in which I was raised. I will pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice after establishing myself in practice. On a personal level, I am building the endurance and skill to participate in multi-day hikes. I enjoy the solitude and reconnection to the natural world that comes with a long, well planned excursion, and want to expand upon my prior experiences.
Planning is integral to success. I have been planning, researching, and waiting for the right time to pursue a graduate degree. Through reading numerous online reviews and speaking with Gonzaga University alumni, I began to trust Gonzaga’s claims of commitment to student success. I have heard and read about the challenging student coursework, community service projects, and have seen firsthand how well Gonzaga graduate students do professionally. Initially, online programs seemed daunting. However, Gonzaga has over 30 years of distance education. I trust in experience, and feel that I can be successful in an online program with the guidance Gonzaga University provides. Beyond rankings and reviews, Gonzaga’s commitment to service and social justice resonates with me. I believe that the best leaders are those who serve; earning my Masters of Science in Nursing from Gonzaga will empower me to lead and to serve among those who have borne the ultimate sacrifices for our nation.