ESSAY OVERVIEW:
Submitting an essay is one of the items required to complete your application for the Online MSN
program. This tool is to provide clarity regarding what the content of that essay should be, as well as
some helpful tips in order to submit a well-written essay that addresses all elements the review
committee looks for in a MSN application essay.
Your essay is a personal statement that needs to describe your interest in becoming a nurse practitioner
Please write specifically to your chosen concentration: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Family Care,
Pediatric Care, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (MSN only), orAdult-Gerontology Acute
Care. Additionally, the essay needs to include an explanation of how you plan to use your education to
affect patient outcomes.
Below is a basic outline on how to arrange your essay with the key elements to include:
I. Introduction
II. Interest in becoming a nurse practitioner
a. Explain why you chose your specific concentration
b. Include any specific experiences if applicable
III. Affecting patient outcomes
a. Describe how you plan to use your education to impact the patients you will care for and their
outcomes
IV. Finding a Preceptor
a. It is important for you to think about who your preceptors might be for your clinical hours. Please
write a paragraph to tell us about your proposed strategy for finding a preceptor.
V. Conclusion
*Write approximately 2 paragraphs on your interest in becoming a nurse practitioner and 2 paragraphs on your plan to use
your education to affect patient outcomes.
FORMAT
The essay should be written using the following specifics:
Times New Roman – 12 Point Font
Total of 500 Words (approximately 1.5 – 2 pages)
Double Spaced
BE SURE TO:
Write in a professional, scholarly tone
Proof-read your essay
Spell check!
Include an introduction and a conclusion
The use of “I, me, my” is appropriate
Use appropriate grammar and punctuation
Address all required parts of the essay (see outline)
Assume your reader is new to nursing jargon
Avoid the use of a lot of acronyms
