Doctor of Nursing Practice—Personal Statement
The purpose of this personal statement is to provide insight into the professional goals and expectations of the applicant, congruence
of topic area with practice expertise, and an opportunity to evaluate the applicant’s written communication skills.
Guidelines for the Personal/Academic/Professional Statement
Compose a personal statement of 600 to 800 words single-spaced in 12 point, Times New Roman font explaining why you wish to
pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
Your personal statement should support your rationale for pursuing the DNP degree and the program at Purdue University Global.
Before writing your statement, you are encouraged to research the role of the DNP-prepared nurse and the program’s plan of study.
Your personal statement should include a focus on how the DNP fits your professional and educational goals.
You may also identify any information about past achievements in nursing, including professional organization memberships,
nominations, certifications, and scholarly publications that support the nursing profession. The personal statement should not
be a summary of your education and work history, nor should it focus on why you became a nurse and/or your undergraduate
coursework/clinical experiences.
Include the following topics when composing your statement:
• Describe personal strengths, skills, and aptitudes that will contribute to your success in a DNP program.
• Explore the alignment of your professional career goals and the DNP program outcomes.
• Discuss DNP practice-based project ideas or topics and your current or past experiences that make the topic relevant in
practice today.
• Identify challenges you anticipate in meeting the program outcomes and address how you will manage these challenges.
• Explain the impact of the DNP-prepared nurse in social change.
• Provide an example of how the DNP degree can transform your current or future practice.
• Reflect on how your DNP project will commit to equity and inclusion in health care and working toward eliminating
disparities in health care for all populations.
• Identify information about past achievements in nursing including professional organization memberships, nominations,
certifications, and scholarly publications that support the nursing profession.
Submit your final essay along with all admissions paperwork to your Admissions Advisor. Be sure to include your full name, email
address, and Student CVUE ID number on your final essay. Your Student CVUE ID number can be found in your enrollment information
or can be provided by your Admissions Advisor