MEGHAN L.

SHALVOY

3031 Park Ave, Apt 6 Richmond, VA 23221 shalvoyml@vcu.edu [631] 332 3713

The door that nobody else will go in, seems always to swing open widely for me.
-Clara Barton
It has always seemed to me that where others were not willing to go would naturally be the place in greatest need. Indifference and fear are mighty in their influence, but I have never had must of an interest to take an easy road or leave others behind on my path. This is most certainly true in my journey to become a nurse, and why this quote from Ms. Clara Barton resonates so strongly with me. I have always been the volunteer to say, Put me wherever you most need me. Every truly good member of the nursing community from nursing assistants or care partners to bedside nurses and advanced practice providers must have this trait passed down from our nursing ancestors. We are there for patients in the darkest of times, to hopefully shed a light of compassion, hope and dignity on the experiences of the individual, family and community. This propensity is indeed what has led me to experiences in the past several years that have truly changed my life. Shortly after I graduated with my first Bachelors degree from Stony Brook University in December 2009, I was working in food service and looking for a full-time job when the tragic earthquake struck Haiti in January of 2010. In the following weeks I searched for a way to help; willing to travel, fundraise, organize whatever would be of use. I was fortunate enough to find a small organization providing medical relief that needed an extra set of hands and cannot put in to words the value of my three trips to Haiti with their organization, including two basic service clinics and one week assisting Haitian and American nurses in a cholera treatment center. Although I was just one pre-requisite shy of applying to nursing school at the time, my resolve was emboldened to say the least. After working as an advocate and organizer for a non-profit in Washington, DC for a year and a half, I have been honored to begin nursing school at Virginia Commonwealth Universitys School of Nursing in the Accelerated Bachelors program. Following my first rotation in the Neuroscience department and successful completion of NURS 201, NUR 202 & NUR 261, I am confident that my skills and knowledge, combined with my spirit and dedication would make me a great candidate for a Care Partner position. My skills and performance to this point are at the top of my class and I am confident that I would be an asset to the VCU Health System. I invite you to browse my professional portfolio on the web at bit.ly/mlsrnportfolio. Thank you in advance for your consideration of my application, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Meghan L. Shalvoy VCU School of Nursing Class of December 2013