Application Essay
The purpose of the application essay is to demonstrate to the Admissions Committee your understanding of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) role, justifications for the PMHNP role in delivering high-quality and cost-effective mental health care, and how the WGU PMHNP programs might prepare you to meet the mental health care needs of your local community or population of interest. This is an opportunity for you to communicate directly with the admissions committee, highlighting how your life and professional experiences have prepared you for the transition from the role of registered nurse to psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
Directions
Use your personal and professional preparation to answer the following questions in your application essay for your WGU PMHNP program:
- Why do you want to become a nurse practitioner at this time in your life?
- What type of clinical practice will you pursue upon graduation from the WGU nurse practitioner program (ex. oncology, family practice, etc.)?
- What is the role of nurse practitioners in delivering high quality, cost-effective healthcare?
- How do you plan to balance the demands of a rigorous nurse practitioner program with other personal or professional commitments? Please provide specific strategies you have used to manage your time effectively.
- If you have a significant life change, how will you adjust your time and priorities to ensure you are dedicating the time necessary to be successful in the NP program?
As you answer the questions above, we will examine your application essay to ensure your writing meets the following criteria:
- Plagiarism will result in an automatic decline during the competitive selection process.
- Originality and uniqueness are expected. Writing is self-reflective, creative, innovative, and diverse.
- Writing directly addresses all five application essay questions.
- Writing is clear and appropriate for the purpose of the assignment.
- All evidence and examples are used effectively and are specific and relevant.
- Ideas are coherently and logically organized with well‐developed paragraphs and effective transitions.
- All sentences are well written with varied sentence structure and are free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Maintains appropriate tone, diction, and vocabulary for various modes of writing.
- Work demonstrates clear understanding of the target audience.
CV/Résumé
The purpose of the CV/résumé is to directly tie your previous and current life and professional experience, as noted in your résumé or CV, to the WGU PMHNP program.
CV/Résumé Criteria
- Audience and purpose of the résumé are strong and clear.
- Format of the résumé is clear. Each major section includes required information (names, dates, locations, etc.).
- Résumé shows a very professional appearance, tone, and style.
- Writer follows all guidelines for spelling, grammar, usage, mechanics, etc. Sentences are strong and have a varied structure.
