As an aspiring NICU nurse, my mission is to provide holistic, nonjudgmental, high-quality care, to patients and their families through even the smallest of interactions. I plan to do this by continuing a path of life-long learning to further develop my skills and be the best nurse I can be for my patients. My nursing philosophy involves providing individualized care to every patient. The goal is for my patients and their families to feel comfortable and respected, and as their advocate, I want them to feel confident that I have their best interests in mind. As a senior nursing student in the Accelerated Nursing Program at Texas A&M, I have been able to provide patient-centered care by:1. Using effective and therapeutic communication in formal and informal interactions with clients, colleagues, and other members of the health care team.2. Utilizing the nursing process in the holistic care of diverse individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations in various healthcare settings.3. Collaborating with other interprofessional healthcare team members to provide health promotion and disease and injury prevention across the lifespan for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.4. Demonstrating accountability for lifelong learning and professional growth.I have fulfilled these learning outcomes through my experiences as a student nurse, Student Ambassador, and my job as a Nurse Extern. With the completion of 300+ clinical hours solely in the hospital setting, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with healthcare professionals in Med-Surg, Telemetry, Neuro, NICU, PICU, and L&D units. This involved interacting with patients of all ages which further allowed me to expand my critical thinking skills in various settings. As a Student Ambassador, I have the opportunity to grow as a professional by participating in school events where I interact with peers, faculty members, and other respected individuals. This experience has fostered an interest in professional development and continued growth as a future nurse. In my role as a Nurse Extern in a Level IV NICU, I am able to participate in an environment that encourages high-quality, patient-centered care, safety, teamwork, collaboration, and evidence-based practice. Having a child in the NICU is one of the scariest things that a parent can go through and simply by implementing therapeutic communication, I can help ease fears and anxieties. I have opportunities to not only care for our tiny patients but also for their families.