Nurses have the power to change other people’s lives for the better.

Shandon Halland learned this lesson firsthand as an outreach worker at a homeless shelter. Like many before him, Halland had tried and failed to connect with a schizophrenic man who spent his days by himself in the same small corner of the shelter. Aside from the occasional angry flare-up caused by his hallucinations, the man wouldn’t engage with anyone—even those like Halland who were there to help.

After several unsuccessful attempts to reach out to the man, Halland started giving up hope that he would ever recover. But then he met Adele, a retired nurse who volunteered at the shelter. Adele managed to persuade the man to visit a health care clinic and, within a few visits, had put the man on the path to recovery. He began taking medications that quieted his hallucinations and was soon able to move into a transitional housing facility.

Halland tells this story in an entry he submitted for “I Believe This About Nursing,” an essay contest in which participants share personal stories about how they came to the field of nursing and what they have learned about the profession.

The nurse “afforded the man with the unrelenting hallucinations hope and a peace of mind,” Halland writes in his prize-winning essay. After witnessing the nurse’s work, Halland himself “came alive with hope” and enrolled in the nursing school at Boston College. He expects to graduate next year. 

The essay contest is modeled after a radio program featuring essays about the personal philosophies of Americans from all walks of life. The program first aired in the 1950s and was hosted by Edward R. Murrow. A repeat version marking the program’s 50^th anniversary aired on National Public Radio from 2005-2009.

The nursing version of the essay contest was launched this year by New Careers in Nursing Scholarship program, an initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that aims to expand enrollment in the nation’s nursing schools and increase diversity in the nursing workforce. The hope is that the essays will encourage more people to enroll in nursing education programs. Training more nurses is a key way to reverse a predicted shortage of nurses in the coming decades that threatens to undermine patient care.

Five Essays Selected as Winners Each Month

Through the program, up to five of the most compelling entries are selected as winners every month. The first round of winners was announced in June.

One winner describes her decision to join the profession while caring for her toddler and her 100-year old great-grandmother at the same time. For four years, Anna Campbell helped her great-grandmother battle repeated bouts of pneumonia and fight infections—a challenging but rewarding experience that inspired her to become a professional nurse. Campbell’s great-grandmother passed away last year.

“I believe that being called to serve others is an honor, and I take this responsibility very seriously,” she writes. Campbell has since enrolled in nursing school at California State University in Fresno and expects to graduate in 2010.

Other winning entries tell the stories of a woman who made a mid-career decision to follow her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse after jobs as a nurse’s aide and as an educator. Another decided to become a nurse after witnessing the emotional and physical supports offered by nurses who helped her friend cope with Hodgkin’s disease. Yet another was inspired to pursue nursing after a chance encounter with a military veteran who told her she was desperately needed in the profession.

Winners earn prizes for their work and will see their entries featured on the New Careers in Nursing Web site here.

Essays should be fewer than 500 words and can be submitted electronically. Up to five entries will be selected each month. More information can be found here.