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how long should an nhs personal statement be

How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example

how long should an nhs personal statement be

What’s Covered:

National honor society: four pillars and essay, five tips for writing your nhs essay, nhs essay example, time well spent.

What do former first lady Michelle Obama, actor Chadwick Boseman, singer-songwriters Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. have in common?  They were all members of the National Honor Society (NHS).

As you apply for membership in this national organization, remember NHS membership is based on meeting criteria in four areas that the NHS calls its four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character .  

Scholarship 

The first pillar, scholarship , requires that a student earns a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent. Many high schools set a higher GPA bar for their school’s chapter. If you meet your school’s academic requirement, congratulations, you’ve passed the first hurdle. 

Now it’s important that you carefully complete the application and write a compelling essay.  Most high schools require students to write a 300-500 word essay that showcases their commitment and accomplishments in the other three pillars.

Service refers to the contributions you make to your school and or community on a volunteer basis, without receiving any compensation. For your most significant service activities, be sure to explain why you choose to support certain organizations and why you chose specific roles. 

Showcase your leadership in your school and or community while working with or for others. Remember, stating that you are the captain of a team, president of a club, or supervisor of a shift does not prove that you are a leader. A leader makes things happen, sets a good example, and inspires others to give their personal best. Clearly state why you were selected to hold a leadership position and how you effectively lead. There are many successful leadership styles. Communicate your unique brand of leadership. 

Character is how you conduct yourself with high standards of honesty, reliability, and respect for others. Many attributes define good character, and they all reflect a personal commitment to ethical and compassionate interactions with others as well as how you treat yourself. Results are only part of the story.  How you achieved them is critically important to communicate.

Think about how many NHS applications your school counselor reviews each year. Not every student who completes an application is selected for the honor. So how do you make your essay stand out?  Here are five strategies:

1. Make it Personal and Individual  

Your application form provides the facts about the scope and range of your involvement and contributions to your communities. Be sure that you write your essay in a way that brings this data to life. A compelling essay enables the reader to feel a strong connection to you. Express your unique values, aspirations, and priorities. State the motivation behind your choices and the trade-offs you’ve made. Be honest about challenges and what you have learned through your mistakes. And be sure the tone of the essay sounds like you and nobody else. 

2. Share Your Stories

People love to hear and remember stories, not simply facts and figures. Express themes and points that you want to share by relaying stories that bring these concepts to life. Stories can be poignant, funny, suspenseful, or surprising. Any approach that makes a reader want to continue reading is a great one.

3. Be Humble and Bold

Many students find it hard to express their hard-earned accomplishments without sounding boastful. Proudly stating your achievements without sounding brash is possible and important. Clearly state your motivations, your challenges, your vulnerabilities, and your mistakes to mitigate any concerns.  

4. Follow Tried and True Essay Guidelines

Channel all the advice you’ve received over the years about how to write a great essay. Do you have a clear thesis around which you have organized your thoughts? Compelling topic sentences to hook your reader? Strong supporting sentences to back up your reasoning? Have you avoided clichés? Do you vary your sentence structure and word choice? Does the text flow and keep the reader engaged? Last, but not least, have you checked and double-checked your grammar, punctuation, and spelling?

5. Draft, Edit, Edit, Edit, Polish

Writing is an iterative process so give yourself the time necessary to land on the best approach for explaining why you are deserving of the NHS honor. There are many ways to tackle an essay. Try a few to determine which is the most effective. Then, when you determine the best approach and are satisfied with your latest draft, share it with someone whose opinion you value. 

Looking for someone to read over your essay? Check out Collegevine’s free essay help ! Our peer review system will help you get feedback from other students so that you can improve your NHS essay and college essays.

While there is not a single template for a strong essay, here is an example of an NHS essay written by an 11th-grade student who was accepted into NHS.

Success is not only about improving yourself, but also about improving life for others. While my GPA shows my commitment to academics, how I spend my time and conduct myself outside of school reveal my commitment to making the world a better place, consistent with the values of the National Honor Society. 

For the two years my grandfather lived in a nursing home, each weekend I took my dog EJ to visit him. I witnessed first-hand the healing power of animals as EJ lifted his and the other residents’ spirits. Because of this experience and because monkeys are my favorite animal, when I heard about Helping Hands (HH), the only organization in the world that raises capuchin monkeys to be live-in assistants to people with spinal cord injuries, I reached out to volunteer. 

Both in the summer and during the school year, I assist the trainers. Monkeys begin training when they are teenagers. It typically takes three to five years until they are ready to be placed with a person. My first job is to clean the cages of 60 monkeys. (Not my favorite responsibility.) I also prepare meals and construct and distribute dexterity “toys.” 

While not glamorous, my work is critical to the success of the initiative. The physical support the monkeys provide is unbelievable. They turn pages of books, scratch itches, pour water, and retrieve dropped items… Most importantly, I have seen the life-changing impact a monkey’s companionship has on a partner, including a college-age student confined to a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury from hockey. 

In the spring, summer, and fall I also volunteer at Gaining Ground (GG), a non-profit that grows organic produce to donate to food pantries, shelters, and meal programs. When I volunteered at a local food pantry, it struck me that recipients receive mostly canned and packaged food. I think it is important that people in need receive fresh fruits and vegetables, and I enjoy the physical work of weeding, harvesting, cleaning, and packing produce.

Soon after I began volunteering at GG, my rabbi gave a sermon about the working conditions of tomato farmers in Florida. (It reminded me of Grapes of Wrath, and I couldn’t believe inhumane practices continue.) Her sermon motivated me to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by distributing postcards urging Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop to only buy tomatoes from farms that agree to fair wages and human rights. Both chains have now agreed, showing that a little effort by many people makes a difference.

Last, I believe a story is the best way to explain my “behind-the-scenes” leadership. At the annual nighttime football game, one of my soccer teammates (not someone I hang with) was drunk. When our principal came over to the bleachers, my teammate’s friends fled. Concerned that my teammate would fall and hurt herself, I brought her outside the stadium, called her parents, and waited with her until they came — without worrying about social retribution. Despite getting grounded, she thanked me for my help.

I would be honored to be recognized by NHS for my service, leadership, and character. Thank you for your consideration.

The time you invest in composing an effective NHS essay will help you when you’re ready to write your college essays! Essays are important components of applications to selective colleges. Getting into NHS is also an honor that may boost your application at some schools. Remember, you can estimate your chance for acceptance using Collegevine’s free chancing calculator . This tool will factor in your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and more to calculate your odds of admission at hundreds of schools across the country.

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Writing a National Honor Society Personal Statement

Table of Contents

A  national honor society personal statement  is an important document to submit when seeking membership in this prestigious organization. This document allows you to highlight your accomplishments and aspirations and share why you are interested in joining the National Honor Society.

With guidance from the right sources, you can create a statement that will stand out. This article discusses what makes an excellent personal statement and how to write one. We also provide some tips and examples to help you get started.

What Is the National Honor Society (NHS)?

The National Honor Society honors high school students who have achieved excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Membership is open to juniors and seniors at public and private schools across the country. More than one million students are members of the NHS. 

The society was founded in 1921 in America to recognize outstanding high school achievers. It encourages student involvement in community service. Today, NHS chapters promote five core values: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Character, and Citizenship.

Importance of a National Honor Society Personal Statement

A personal statement is a brief and well-crafted essay about one’s life, experiences, and goals . It is often used for college applications or job applications. Personal statements serve as a way of providing a better understanding of who you are as a person. 

Your personal statement is an essential part of your application to the National Honor Society. Your statement tells the selection committee why you’re interested in joining the NHS. The statement shows how you’ve led and served and what you want to gain.

The personal statement is also your chance to stand out from the other applicants. It is crucial to take time to write a thoughtful, well-crafted statement that showcases your strengths and accomplishments.

Components of a National Honor Society Personal Statement

five human hands on brown surface

A personal statement for a national honor society should explain why you are worthy of membership. It should highlight your academic achievements, community service, and leadership experience.

A personal statement for a national honor society typically includes the following: 

  • Show how you imbibe the National Honor Society four pillars of Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
  • Personalize the statement.
  • Share your story.
  • Be humble and bold. 

How to Write a Personal Statement for the National Honors Society (NHS)

Your statement should reflect your academic and extracurricular achievements, as well as your interests and goals. It’s essential to be specific and personalize your statement to make it stand out.

Here are the steps to follow: 

  • Plan your personal statement. 
  • Start by brainstorming the key ideas of your personal statement.
  • Highlight your academic achievements. 
  • Discuss your leadership. 
  • Show how you have been of service. 
  • Highlight your character. 
  • Show that you are a good citizen. 
  • Edit your personal statement.

Tips for Writing a Strong Personal Statement

1. Make sure it is well written . Edit it multiple times so that there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. 

2. Be specific about your experiences and accomplishments. Don’t just say, “I am hardworking” – explain how you have demonstrated this characteristic in your past endeavors. 

3. Stay positive! Your personal statement should be an upbeat reflection on your life rather than a list of struggles and hardships endured. 

4. Keep it concise – 800 words maximum (not including the header/title). Brevity is key when writing any type of essay, but especially so in regard to personal statements.

What is the best way to conclude an NHS essay?

The following would make a solid National Honor Society essay conclusion:

  • A lasting impression of high morals, 
  • Restating the thesis, summarizing the main points.
  • Leaving the readers with a thought-provoking question
  • Persuading the selection committee that they are not only reading an achievements list but a statement from a determined & devoted person.
  • Providing a call to action.

No matter what conclusion you choose, make sure it is well-written and reinforces the main points of your essay.

National Honor Society (NHS) Personal Statement Examples

I have always wanted to join  the National Honor Society, so  I have worked hard to achieve this goal. Since the beginning of high school, I have demonstrated hard work and competitiveness.  I’m sure I’ll be able to contribute to  the National Honor Society as an academically sound, trustworthy, and motivated student.

Through hard work, I have consistently maintained good grades and made stellar academic achievements while taking AP classes. When I don’t understand a concept, I never hesitate to seek clarification. When preparing for tests or exams, I leave no stone unturned. I am a work-hard, play-hard kind of person, and I know I will thrive once I am in the National Honor Society.

My academic success is due in part to my practice of going the extra mile when preparing. This practice of going the extra mile to achieve my academic goals is one of several proofs of my possession of initiative. I try to learn from both my mistakes and those of others. This proves that I am passionate about growing and improving myself.

As a high school student, I have volunteered for over 110 hours in both my school and my community. This cost me the time I could have spent on something else, but it was well worth it. At Davidson Community Center, I organized various community programs. This event taught me how to demonstrate leadership and delegation.

My abilities, values, and convictions all point to my desire to actively participate in improving my community and favorably influencing younger generations. Because of this prominent characteristic, I was nominated to be a teen mentor at my church’s young mentors program.  My leadership abilities make me a strong contender  for membership in the National Honor Society.

I appreciate the consideration for membership of the National Honor Society as a hardworking student. I have worked hard to maintain outstanding grades throughout my academic career and give back to my school.

The National Honor Society embodies the qualities that are important to me: scholarship, leadership, service, and character.  These principles are fundamental to both my intellectual and personal lives.  In everything I do – whether it is participating in extracurricular activities or volunteering at a local shelter – I strive to uphold these traits.

Joining NHS would be a privilege and honor that would motivate me to be an outstanding member of our school community and society. Being part of the NHS would allow me to continue developing as an individual while helping others, which is very important to me. The sense of camaraderie within NHS is also appealing as it provides opportunities for collaboration and support among members.

I feel privileged to be considered for the National Honor Society. This esteemed group upholds the highest ideals of leadership, service, and scholarship. I pledge to live up to these ideals and work diligently both inside and outside of the classroom.

I have always strived for excellence in my academic pursuits, and I firmly believe that the NHS will help me continue this trajectory. The fantastic faculty mentors at my school have helped me develop my leadership skills. NHS will provide me the opportunity to give back by helping others on campus and in the community. I eagerly anticipate working with like-minded peers who share my commitment to Scholarship, Leadership, and Service—the three cornerstones upon which NHS is built.

Joining the National Honor Society is a privilege. Since I heard of this prestigious society, I have worked diligently to be accepted. The NHS represents excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. These four pillars are integral to who I am as a person, which is why joining the NHS feels like such an accomplishment. 

Scholarship is the result of hard work both at home and out of the classroom. Serving others puts others above yourself, and leadership is the act of acting morally even when no one is watching. “Character” means having integrity at all times. To uphold these values proudly, I will maintain my grades while also becoming more involved on campus and serving the community whenever possible .

The National Honor Society is a respected organization that honors outstanding students’ academic excellence and exceptional service. It is important to have a strong personal statement if you want to be considered for membership.

Your  national honor society personal statement  should highlight your accomplishments and goals, as well as your commitment to community service. Your personal statement will aid you in differentiating yourself from the competitors and improve your prospects of being accepted into the National Honor Society.

Writing a National Honor Society Personal Statement

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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May 1, 2023

How to Write an Impressive National Honor Society Essay: Examples and Tips

Membership in the National Honor Society is a prestigious achievement that recognizes exceptional academic achievement, leadership, service, and character. But to earn this distinction, students must first write an impressive essay that demonstrates their qualifications and sets them apart from the competition. If you're ready to take on this challenge and earn your place in this esteemed society, you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll provide you with expert tips and real-world examples of successful essays that will help you craft an essay that showcases your unique strengths and accomplishments.

Are you a high school student with a passion for excellence, a track record of leadership , and a burning desire to make a difference in your community? Are you ready to join the ranks of the best and brightest students in your school and beyond? If so, the National Honor Society may be the perfect fit for you. But before you can don that coveted NHS sash, you'll need to write an essay that will knock the socks off the selection committee. 

No pressure, right? Well, don't worry, because we've got you covered. In this article, we'll provide you with expert tips and real-world examples of successful National Honor Society essays that will help you craft an essay that's worthy of your many talents.

 We'll cover everything from the essential elements of a strong NHS essay to tips for effective writing and editing. And hey, if all else fails, you can always bribe the selection committee with cookies. (Okay, maybe not. But it's worth a shot, right?) So grab a pen, fire up your laptop, and let's get started on your path to NHS greatness!

What is the National Honor Society?

National Honor Society (NHS) is an organization that recognizes and encourages academic achievement while developing the essential qualities of leadership, scholarship, service, and character in high school students.

NHS is an invitation-only organization that recognizes students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, service, and character. Membership in NHS is a significant achievement and serves as recognition for students who have worked hard to excel in their studies and to make a positive impact in their school and community.

In this essay, we will discuss the importance of leadership, scholarship, service, and character, how to apply for the NHS, and tips for writing an impressive NHS Essay.

Leadership is an essential quality that the NHS recognizes in its members. Leadership involves the ability to motivate others, take initiative, and work collaboratively towards a common goal.

Leadership can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, such as leading a team, organizing an event, or advocating for a cause. NHS values leadership because it is essential for achieving success in academics, personal growth, and community involvement.

To demonstrate leadership, NHS requires that applicants have held leadership positions in their school and community. This can include serving as a team captain, organizing a community service project, or leading a school club or organization.

However, it is important to note that leadership is not limited to formal positions of authority. Leaders can emerge in any situation, and the NHS recognizes that leadership can be demonstrated in many different ways.

Scholarship

Scholarship is another important quality that the NHS recognizes in its members. Scholarship involves a commitment to academic excellence, a desire for knowledge, and a willingness to engage in intellectual pursuits. Scholarship is essential for success in higher education and for developing the skills and knowledge needed to make a positive impact in society.

To demonstrate scholarship, NHS requires that applicants have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. However, NHS values scholarship beyond just grades. NHS recognizes that scholarship involves a desire for learning and intellectual curiosity. This can be demonstrated through taking challenging courses, pursuing independent research projects, or participating in academic competitions.

Service is another essential quality that NHS recognizes in its members. Service involves a commitment to giving back to the community and making a positive impact on the lives of others. Service is essential for developing empathy and compassion, and for building strong and supportive communities.

To demonstrate service, NHS requires that applicants have completed a minimum of 40 hours of community service. However, NHS values service beyond just the number of hours completed. NHS recognizes that service involves a commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

This can be demonstrated through volunteering for organizations that align with personal values, initiating community service projects, or engaging in advocacy work.

Character is the final quality that NHS recognizes in its members. Character involves a commitment to ethical behavior, honesty, and integrity. Character is essential for building trust and fostering strong relationships with others.

To demonstrate character, NHS requires that applicants have a positive disciplinary record and a recommendation from a teacher or school administrator. However, NHS values character beyond just avoiding negative behaviors.

NHS recognizes that character involves a commitment to doing the right thing, even when it is difficult. This can be demonstrated through acts of kindness, ethical decision-making, and demonstrating honesty and integrity in all aspects of life.

Application and Membership

To apply for NHS, students must meet the minimum requirements for leadership, scholarship, service, and character. In addition, students must complete an application, submit a personal statement, and provide letters of recommendation.

The application typically includes basic information such as name, address, and GPA. It may also ask for information about leadership positions held, community service activities completed, and academic achievements. The application may also include short essay questions to allow students to showcase their strengths and accomplishments.

NHS Essay Guide

If you are looking to write an NHS essay, here is a guide that can help you craft an impressive and professional essay:

Understanding the NHS pillars

The National Honor Society is based on four pillars: leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Before you begin writing, it is important to understand what each of these pillars means and how you have demonstrated them in your life.

Brainstorm your accomplishments

Once you understand the pillars, make a list of all the activities and accomplishments that you have achieved in each of the pillars. This could include things like holding a leadership position in a club, achieving academic excellence, volunteering in your community, or demonstrating integrity and honesty in your personal life.

Write a rough draft

Once you have your list of accomplishments, begin drafting your essay. Start by introducing yourself and explaining why you are interested in joining the NHS. Then, use specific examples to demonstrate how you have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Be sure to use strong, descriptive language and avoid vague statements.

Edit and revise 

Once you have a rough draft, take the time to edit and revise your essay. Read it out loud to catch any awkward phrasing or grammatical errors. Make sure that your essay is well-organized and that each paragraph flows smoothly into the next. Make sure to remove any unnecessary information or repetition.

Be Humble and Bold

Many students find it hard to express their hard-earned accomplishments without sounding boastful. Proudly stating your achievements without sounding brash is possible and important. Clearly state your motivations, your challenges, your vulnerabilities, and your mistakes to mitigate any concerns.

Get feedback

Once you have edited and revised your essay, get feedback from others. Ask a teacher, parent, or mentor to read your essay and give you their honest feedback. Use their feedback to make any necessary changes and to strengthen your essay.

Write a strong conclusion

End your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your achievements and explains why you would be a good fit for the NHS. Thank the reader for considering your application and expressing your excitement about the opportunity to join the NHS.

By following these steps, you can write an impressive and professional NHS essay that demonstrates your commitment to leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Remember to be specific and use strong language, and get feedback from others to ensure that your essay is the best it can be.

Tips for Writing NHS Essay

The National Honor Society (NHS) is a prestigious organization that recognizes high school students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, service, and character.

Being a member of NHS is a significant achievement and can provide many opportunities for personal and professional growth. To become a member of NHS, students must apply and write a personal statement. In this section, we will discuss some tips on how to write an impressive NHS essay.

Step 1: Understand the Purpose of the NHS Essay

The purpose of the NHS essay is to demonstrate to the selection committee that you possess the qualities of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. The essay is an opportunity for you to showcase your achievements, skills, and experiences that align with the NHS values. The essay should also highlight your personal goals and how being a member of NHS can help you achieve them.

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Before writing the essay, take some time to brainstorm ideas. Think about your achievements, experiences, and skills that align with the NHS values. Consider examples of how you have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, service, and character in your school, community, or personal life. This will help you to organize your thoughts and create a clear and concise essay.

Step 3: Structure Your Essay

The NHS essay should have a clear structure that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should provide a brief overview of the essay and grab the reader's attention. The body of the essay should focus on the four NHS values: leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Use examples and anecdotes to demonstrate how you have demonstrated each of these values. 

Step 4: Be Specific and Concise

When writing your NHS essay, be specific and concise. Use specific examples and anecdotes to demonstrate your achievements and skills. Avoid using general statements that could apply to anyone. Also, be concise and avoid using unnecessary words or phrases. The essay should be clear and easy to read.

Step 5: Show, Don't Tell

When writing your NHS essay, it is essential to show, not tell. Instead of saying that you have demonstrated leadership, provide an example of a time when you led a team or organized an event. Use descriptive language to paint a picture of the situation and show how you demonstrated leadership.

Step 6: Be Honest and Authentic

When writing your NHS essay, be honest and authentic. Don't exaggerate your achievements or skills, but also don't be too modest. Be genuine and let your personality shine through in the essay. This will help the selection committee get to know you better and see why you would be an excellent fit for NHS membership.

Step 7: Proofread and Edit

Before submitting your NHS essay, make sure to proofread and edit it carefully. Check for grammar and spelling errors, and make sure the essay is well-organized and easy to read. You may also want to have someone else read the essay and provide feedback. This will help you to identify areas that need improvement and ensure that your essay is as impressive as possible.

Writing an impressive NHS essay requires careful planning, organization, and attention to detail. By following these tips, you can create an essay that showcases your achievements, skills, and experiences and demonstrates why you would be an excellent candidate for NHS membership. Remember to be specific, concise, honest, and authentic, and to show, not tell your achievements and skills.

Personal Statement

Here is an example of a personal statement for your NHS: “I am thrilled to submit my statement for consideration as a potential member of the National Honor Society. As a student who is deeply committed to the ideals of leadership, scholarship, service, and character, I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for this prestigious organization.

In addition to my academic and extracurricular pursuits, I believe that my personal qualities make me an ideal candidate for the National Honor Society. I am a natural leader who can inspire others and work collaboratively toward a common goal. I am also highly organized, disciplined, and self-motivated, which allows me to juggle multiple responsibilities and stay on top of my commitments.

Above all else, I believe that my commitment to character is what sets me apart as a candidate for the National Honor Society. I believe that integrity, honesty, and respect are the foundation of all meaningful relationships, and I strive to embody these values in everything that I do.

Whether I am working on a group project with my peers or volunteering in my community, I am always mindful of the impact that my actions have on those around me.

In conclusion, I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for the National Honor Society based on my academic achievements, extracurricular activities, personal qualities, and commitment to service and character. I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to apply for membership in this esteemed organization, and I look forward to contributing to the National Honor Society in a meaningful way.”

NHS Essay Examples

Essay example 1.

As a dedicated student, committed volunteer, and aspiring leader, I have always strived to make a positive impact in my university and community. The National Honor Society has always been an organization that I have admired and respected, and I am excited about the opportunity to join such a prestigious group of individuals.

Throughout my bachelor studies, I have been actively involved in various extracurricular activities and clubs, including serving as the president of the university sports society. In this role, I have organized numerous fundraising events, community service projects, and volunteer opportunities for my peers, inspiring them to take action and make a difference in our community.

I have also served as a mentor and tutor to underclassmen, providing guidance and support to help them achieve their academic and personal goals.

Academic excellence is something that I have always prioritized, and I have worked hard to maintain a good GPA throughout my university career. I have taken on challenging coursework, including honors and Advanced Placement courses, to further develop my intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills. 

As a member of the National Honor Society, I hope to continue to challenge myself academically and inspire others to do the same.

I believe that giving back to my community is not only a responsibility but also a privilege. I have volunteered at various local organizations, including the food bank, animal shelter, and community garden, and have helped to raise money for numerous charities.

Additionally, I have been involved in a peer mentoring program that offers guidance and support to students struggling academically or personally.

Integrity, honesty, and respect are values that I hold dear, and I strive to demonstrate these qualities in everything that I do. I have participated in various character-building programs, including the school’s conflict resolution program and the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, which have helped me to develop strong communication and problem-solving skills.

I believe that my commitment to these values will make me a valuable member of the National Honor Society.

As a well-rounded student and active member of my community, I am excited about the opportunity to join the National Honor Society. I am confident that I have demonstrated excellence in leadership, scholarship, service, and character, and I look forward to further developing these qualities as a member of this prestigious organization. Thank you for considering my application.

Essay Example 2:

Dear National Honor Society Selection Committee,

I am honored to apply for membership in the National Honor Society, as I believe that this prestigious organization aligns with my values of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. I am confident that my academic achievements, community service, and leadership experiences demonstrate my commitment to these values and make me a strong candidate for membership.

Throughout my high school career, I have demonstrated leadership skills in various extracurricular activities and organizations. I have served as a captain of my school’s varsity basketball team for two years, where I have not only led my team to multiple championships but also served as a role model for my teammates by demonstrating a strong work ethic, positive attitude, and sportsmanship

Academic excellence is a top priority for me, and I have consistently maintained a high GPA throughout my high school years. I have taken on challenging coursework, including Honors and Advanced Placement classes, to further my intellectual curiosity and challenge myself.

Furthermore, I have actively participated in academic competitions, including the National Science Olympiad, where I have won multiple medals and awards.

I have always been passionate about serving my community and making a positive impact on the lives of others. I have volunteered at various local organizations, including the food bank, homeless shelter, and community garden, where I have helped to feed the hungry, care for the less fortunate, and create a sustainable future.

Furthermore, I have served as a mentor and tutor to younger students, providing guidance and support to help them achieve their academic and personal goals.

Integrity, honesty, and respect are values that I hold dear, and I strive to demonstrate these qualities in everything that I do. I have participated in various character-building programs, including the school’s peer mediation program, where I have learned effective communication and problem-solving skills.

In summary, I believe that my leadership, scholarship, service, and character make me a strong candidate for membership in the National Honor Society. I am excited about the opportunity to further develop these qualities and contribute to the mission of this esteemed organization.

I thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the opportunity to represent the National Honor Society with honor and distinction

In conclusion, the National Honor Society is an esteemed organization that recognizes high-achieving students who demonstrate excellence in the pillars of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Writing a brilliant NHS essay requires thoughtful reflection on your accomplishments and an ability to effectively communicate how you embody these pillars in your life.

By following the tips and guidelines provided in this article, you can craft an impressive and professional essay that showcases your dedication to these pillars and your potential as a valuable member of the National Honor Society.

If you're ready to take the next step in your academic and personal journey, we encourage you to apply to the National Honor Society. As a member, you will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful service projects, connect with other high-achieving students, and further develop your leadership skills. 

Don't let this opportunity pass you by - take the time to write an exceptional NHS essay and join the ranks of some of the most accomplished students in the country.

So what are you waiting for? Start crafting your NHS essay today and take the first step towards achieving your goals. We wish you the best of luck in your application and hope to see you among the distinguished members of the National Honor Society.

With the help of essay writing tools , writing an NHS essay can be made easier and quicker. Jenni.ai's AI-powered writing tools can help you develop a strong thesis statement and produce high-quality articles. 

By utilizing these tools, you can save time and energy while still producing top-notch work. By following the steps outlined in this blog and using the features offered by Jenni.ai, you can master the art of writing NHS essays and achieving academic and professional success.

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  • HEE Applicant Guide
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Using the supporting information section to your best advantage

This section is critical to complete well. It’s your chance to really sell yourself as a suitable applicant and get that invitation to interview.

As an external applicant you have up to 1500 words for this section to persuade and influence the recruiting manager that you could do the job and that you deserve an interview.

So how do you do this?

By tailoring your application i.e., by matching your skills, knowledge, and experience to the job requirements. You need to connect your current and past work experience to the requirements of the role you are applying for. This means you can’t just cut and paste any old thing. You need to make it specific to the job in question.

In the Employment History section of your application, you will have listed your previous jobs and the main duties and responsibilities of each. This will have given you some ability to link your skill set with the job in question, by one job at a time. However, the Supporting Information section of your application is where you can sell yourself and really stand out from the crowd.

You have the freedom to organise this section how you want, so you can do this by grouping your skills and work experience into broader themes and strengths that match the job you are applying for.

Using bullet points and subheadings is good. Long paragraphs and essays are not so good. Make it as easy as possible for the recruiters to find the information you need and want them to see.

The critical thing to do here is to pay close attention to the requirements of the role you are applying for and give good examples of your achievements for each. Remember that now with NHS Jobs the shortlisting criteria are included with the advert. Recruiters will be scoring your application against these. So, make sure you cover these.

What makes a good example?

This will be covered in more detail in section 2 on Having a Successful Interview. A helpful framework to use here is the STAR example.

What is a STAR example?

STAR stands for:

  • S ituation or T ask – what was the context and what were you being asked to do
  • A ction – what you did to achieve this
  • R esult – what was the outcome or result, e.g., money or time saved, better customer service, patient care, staff morale etc

In a good STAR example, you address all three elements concisely by writing about your previous experience.

For example:

“At Acme Ltd, as Trainee Accountant, I was asked by my manager, towards year end, to make savings from the budget. This was crucial to the business as we were overspending. I set up a team involving key people from across the business, such as department heads. I asked people to share their ideas and we then prioritised the best ones. For example, I decided to change our electricity supplier to a lower tariff and reduced our stock levels by 10% which improved our working capital. Overall, I achieved £20k in savings, almost 3% of the budget, and we hit the year-end target. My manager was really pleased, and I got a letter of recognition from the Managing Director.”

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Writing the Personal Statement

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This handout provides information about writing personal statements for academic and other positions.

The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two categories:

1. The general, comprehensive personal statement:

This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often prepared for standard medical or law school application forms.

2. The response to very specific questions:

Often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the question being asked. Some business school applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions.

Questions to ask yourself before you write:

  • What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?
  • What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants?
  • When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained?
  • How have you learned about this field—through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field?
  • If you have worked a lot during your college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for example), and how has that work contributed to your growth?
  • What are your career goals?
  • Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?
  • Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life?
  • What personal characteristics (for example, integrity, compassion, and/or persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics?
  • What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?
  • Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school—and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants?
  • What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?

General advice

Answer the questions that are asked

  • If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar.
  • Don't be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case, be sure your answer fits the question being asked.

Tell a story

  • Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.

Be specific

  • Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.

Find an angle

  • If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital.

Concentrate on your opening paragraph

  • The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.

Tell what you know

  • The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you will have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgment.

Don't include some subjects

  • There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).

Do some research, if needed

  • If a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.

Write well and correctly

  • Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written skills and command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.

Avoid clichés

  • A medical school applicant who writes that he is good at science and wants to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.

For more information on writing a personal statement, see the personal statement vidcast .

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  • How to write National Honor Society essay
  • How to Write the Best National Honor Society Essay

How to Write the Best National Honor Society Essay

Why write the National Honor Society essay?

What are the national junior honor society essay requirements, how to write national honor society essay, national honor society essay outline example, how to start a national honor society membership essay, national honor society membership essay conclusion, national honor society membership essay sample, do you need extra free academic help and assistance.

If you discover your passion for writing, reading, leadership, and overcoming new challenges, there are some organizations that can support your enthusiasm. To join them, you need to submit a winning application. It is free to participate. 

Your National Honor Society essay is an effective tool that will let you become a member of a highly prestigious organization in the US. To write the best National Junior Honor Society essays, read this online article with brilliant tips and examples provided by the best writers that will make this task less hard. Also, you can get admission essay writing services  from our professional writers.

Many students put their time and effort in writing successful National Junior Honor Society essays every year to get access to unlimited opportunities. The NHS is the organization that chooses exceptional students who excel in social services, school activities, volunteering, scholarships, internships, and so on. It is a good place where you can find many opportunities. 

You don’t need to have an excellent GPA, which courses you take or be a perfect student in order to be able to write it. The admission committee will pay attention not only to those things. NHS membership essay will allow you to show your personality and skills you have. It can also help you go to the college of your dream. If you know that this is a place where you want to be, then you will be able to achieve what you want. 

The main purpose of your National Honor Society essay is to show the admission committee you from the best side and help you prove that you’re eligible to become a member of this authoritative organization. It’s important to meet the National Junior Honor Society essay requirements for those who want to become one of the NHS members. Here is a list of them:

  • Format, structure, and compose your National Honor Society application essay correctly and with clarity;
  • Add a personal story to show that you’re ready to take a leader’s role and highlight your major achievements;
  • Include your high ethics and morals , exceptional character traits, participation in volunteer programs, and other relevant details.

If you strongly believe that you possess the traits required by this organization, find out how to write a National Honor Society essay. Use a few basic tips to succeed. Here are some recommendations that will provide you with the chance to write a top-quality and outstanding academic essay:

  • Conduct your in-depth research on the chosen topic. You should use academic resources in order to gather interesting and useful information for your essay. Don’t forget to cite the used sources later. 
  • Analyze your catchy and unique subject. Even if you know a lot of information about the chosen topic, still it would be great if you have analyzed the subject more deeply. You never know which ideas might come to your head. 
  • Brainstorm relevant ideas. Brainstorming can help you find more good topics that you can discuss in your writing. It will take only a few minutes of your time, but as a result, you will come up with great ideas that you can use. 
  • Create an outline of your thoughts. Every paper should have its plan so you would be able more understandable. You can use a sample of an outline to know how the essay should be written.
  • Write and proofread your National Honor Society personal essay to fix some common mistakes. If you are not sure how to do that or don’t have enough time, you can trust the team of experts to help you with that.

Did you write a letter of intend for graduate school ? It may help with your NHS essay.

To make the process of writing easier, you should create an outline. Here is a list of things you should write about in your essay. Use these tips to ease the writing process: 

  • Write your intro.
  • Talk about the reasons why you want to become one of the NHS members.
  • Discuss social initiatives in your community or school.
  • Talk about the organization and why it inspires you and makes you feel motivated.
  • Share your achievements.

If you wonder how to start a National Honor Society essay , there are several effective ways that you can use to write a relevant, concise, and catchy introduction. Here is a list of them: 

  • State your primary reasons to become its member;
  • Stress your biggest advantages;
  • Describe what you know about the NHS to show your interest;
  • Include some excellent hooks to make the audience want to read your entire paper.

A concluding paragraph should leave a positive impression on the committee and persuade them to choose you. How to write a strong National Honor Society essay conclusion? Highlight the main reasons why this organization will benefit from choosing you. Here is a list of the things that differentiate you from other candidates by mentioning these factors:

  • Your grade point average;
  • Professional skills and personal qualities;
  • The main purpose of your application;
  • Leadership experiences;
  • A call to action.

We also advise our students to read and find out college admission secrets to be ready how to impress every member from the beginning.

The NHS is a great organization that makes it possible to take care of kids, non-profit organizations, and aged people. The best part is that students do that. I dream of becoming its member because I want to help people and learn more about this world. I know the organization has unlimited opportunities and being its member will enable me to develop my professional and academic skills in social services. I hope that my scholarship achievements will help me join it. It’s a privilege that my tutors and other leaders chose me to become the NHS member, and I’m very happy because they recognized my dedication and willingness to contribute to the community. I’ll keep serving the community to change the world. I can categorize all of my goals into a few groups. My basic long-term academic goal is to get into a prestigious college with excellent learning conditions and I also want to become a political scientist in the future. I consider creativity and power of observation to be my greatest strengths. They’re important to create all political theories. I’m very confident in the future success of my debate and interview and I expect to take part in social study programs this summer. This is where I’ll prepare for this occupation academically and mentally. I have my personal goals too. I strive to succeed in everything, including typing, writing academic papers, playing sports, playing music, passing my exams, and gaining a deeper understanding of actual information. That’s because I have my determination to excel. There are many activities that interest me. I also want to accomplish life goals by earning the respect of other people around me because it’s an important element. I have many personal goals, both short-term and long-term. They all deal with pursuing excellent in different fields. I realize that it’s possible to accomplish all of these goals with enough determination for success and a strong character. I also understand that life will throw many obstacles and challenges in my path of achieving these goals, and I feel I am ready to push through them all. I know my weak and strong sides. I keep using them to achieve important goals. I have strengths in listening, observing, being patient, understanding, using my creativity, leading other people, and these are only a few of my positive characteristics. They all shape my personality and make me who I am. I lead other people well due to my ability to analyze and understand their unique situations and be patient with them. I can evaluate and learn their weaknesses and strengths, such as willingness to work, and I take them into account when making my decisions. Being a good leader means being a good servant. I will always follow others regardless of my position of power. I realize the amount of studying necessary to get into a prestigious college that fits my professional and personal interests. I can excel in different areas of interest in my high school, and I will retain my personal strengths and keep improving them for the rest of my life.

National Honor Society essay samples and tips will guide you in writing a top academic paper and increasing your chance to impress the committee and avoid common mistakes. Get professional assistance provided by a team of writers who work online if writing the National Honor Society essay is still a challenge for you. 

Every student can feel free to write this type of paper and participate in the competition. No need to have a perfect GPA for that: just read the article and learn all the tips from professional writers. The writers who are experts will provide the best tips and recommendations on writing.

Writing your graduate school personal statement may seem like a waste of your free time if you aren’t familiar with this type of academic paper or admissions essay format. It’s important because it sets the tone of your application. Although all personal statements are different, looking at some exa...

Students who graduate schools need to create a statement of purpose or a letter of intent. In this article, our college admission essay writing service has gathered the most important hints on writing this paper as well as selected some good examples of statements of purpose.This paper demonstrates ...

A letter of intent for graduate schools is an important part of the university admission process every student must know how to write, especially for research-oriented and science grad programs. Here, I want to share my personal experience to help others learn what to avoid.I know that not everyone ...

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How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example

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What do former first lady Michelle Obama, actor Chadwick Boseman, singer-songwriters Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. have in common?  They were all members of the National Honor Society (NHS).

As you apply for membership in this national organization, remember NHS membership is based on meeting criteria in four areas that the NHS calls its four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character .  

Scholarship 

The first pillar, scholarship , requires that a student earns a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent. Many high schools set a higher GPA bar for their school’s chapter. If you meet your school’s academic requirement, congratulations, you’ve passed the first hurdle. 

Now it’s important that you carefully complete the application and write a compelling essay.  Most high schools require students to write a 300-500 word essay that showcases their commitment and accomplishments in the other three pillars.

Service refers to the contributions you make to your school and or community on a volunteer basis, without receiving any compensation. For your most significant service activities, be sure to explain why you choose to support certain organizations and why you chose specific roles. 

Showcase your leadership in your school and or community while working with or for others. Remember, stating that you are the captain of a team, president of a club, or supervisor of a shift does not prove that you are a leader. A leader makes things happen, sets a good example, and inspires others to give their personal best. Clearly state why you were selected to hold a leadership position and how you effectively lead. There are many successful leadership styles. Communicate your unique brand of leadership. 

Character is how you conduct yourself with high standards of honesty, reliability, and respect for others. Many attributes define good character, and they all reflect a personal commitment to ethical and compassionate interactions with others as well as how you treat yourself. Results are only part of the story.  How you achieved them is critically important to communicate.

Think about how many NHS applications your school counselor reviews each year. Not every student who completes an application is selected for the honor. So how do you make your essay stand out?  Here are five strategies:

1. Make it Personal and Individual  

Your application form provides the facts about the scope and range of your involvement and contributions to your communities. Be sure that you write your essay in a way that brings this data to life. A compelling essay enables the reader to feel a strong connection to you. Express your unique values, aspirations, and priorities. State the motivation behind your choices and the trade-offs you’ve made. Be honest about challenges and what you have learned through your mistakes. And be sure the tone of the essay sounds like you and nobody else. 

2. Share Your Stories

People love to hear and remember stories, not simply facts and figures. Express themes and points that you want to share by relaying stories that bring these concepts to life. Stories can be poignant, funny, suspenseful, or surprising. Any approach that makes a reader want to continue reading is a great one.

3. Be Humble and Bold

Many students find it hard to express their hard-earned accomplishments without sounding boastful. Proudly stating your achievements without sounding brash is possible and important. Clearly state your motivations, your challenges, your vulnerabilities, and your mistakes to mitigate any concerns.  

4. Follow Tried and True Essay Guidelines

Channel all the advice you’ve received over the years about how to write a great essay. Do you have a clear thesis around which you have organized your thoughts? Compelling topic sentences to hook your reader? Strong supporting sentences to back up your reasoning? Have you avoided clichés? Do you vary your sentence structure and word choice? Does the text flow and keep the reader engaged? Last, but not least, have you checked and double-checked your grammar, punctuation, and spelling?

5. Draft, Edit, Edit, Edit, Polish

Writing is an iterative process so give yourself the time necessary to land on the best approach for explaining why you are deserving of the NHS honor. There are many ways to tackle an essay. Try a few to determine which is the most effective. Then, when you determine the best approach and are satisfied with your latest draft, share it with someone whose opinion you value. 

Looking for someone to read over your essay? Check out Collegevine’s free essay help ! Our peer review system will help you get feedback from other students so that you can improve your NHS essay and college essays.

While there is not a single template for a strong essay, here is an example of an NHS essay written by an 11th-grade student who was accepted into NHS.

Success is not only about improving yourself, but also about improving life for others. While my GPA shows my commitment to academics, how I spend my time and conduct myself outside of school reveal my commitment to making the world a better place, consistent with the values of the National Honor Society. 

For the two years my grandfather lived in a nursing home, each weekend I took my dog EJ to visit him. I witnessed first-hand the healing power of animals as EJ lifted his and the other residents’ spirits. Because of this experience and because monkeys are my favorite animal, when I heard about Helping Hands (HH), the only organization in the world that raises capuchin monkeys to be live-in assistants to people with spinal cord injuries, I reached out to volunteer. 

Both in the summer and during the school year, I assist the trainers. Monkeys begin training when they are teenagers. It typically takes three to five years until they are ready to be placed with a person. My first job is to clean the cages of 60 monkeys. (Not my favorite responsibility.) I also prepare meals and construct and distribute dexterity “toys.” 

While not glamorous, my work is critical to the success of the initiative. The physical support the monkeys provide is unbelievable. They turn pages of books, scratch itches, pour water, and retrieve dropped items… Most importantly, I have seen the life-changing impact a monkey’s companionship has on a partner, including a college-age student confined to a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury from hockey. 

In the spring, summer, and fall I also volunteer at Gaining Ground (GG), a non-profit that grows organic produce to donate to food pantries, shelters, and meal programs. When I volunteered at a local food pantry, it struck me that recipients receive mostly canned and packaged food. I think it is important that people in need receive fresh fruits and vegetables, and I enjoy the physical work of weeding, harvesting, cleaning, and packing produce.

Soon after I began volunteering at GG, my rabbi gave a sermon about the working conditions of tomato farmers in Florida. (It reminded me of Grapes of Wrath, and I couldn’t believe inhumane practices continue.) Her sermon motivated me to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by distributing postcards urging Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop to only buy tomatoes from farms that agree to fair wages and human rights. Both chains have now agreed, showing that a little effort by many people makes a difference.

Last, I believe a story is the best way to explain my “behind-the-scenes” leadership. At the annual nighttime football game, one of my soccer teammates (not someone I hang with) was drunk. When our principal came over to the bleachers, my teammate’s friends fled. Concerned that my teammate would fall and hurt herself, I brought her outside the stadium, called her parents, and waited with her until they came — without worrying about social retribution. Despite getting grounded, she thanked me for my help.

I would be honored to be recognized by NHS for my service, leadership, and character. Thank you for your consideration.

The time you invest in composing an effective NHS essay will help you when you’re ready to write your college essays! Essays are important components of applications to selective colleges. Getting into NHS is also an honor that may boost your application at some schools. Remember, you can estimate your chance for acceptance using Collegevine’s free chancing calculator . This tool will factor in your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and more to calculate your odds of admission at hundreds of schools across the country.

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how long should a personal statement be nhs

  • HealthJobs Ltd
  • 27 June 2018

How To Write A Personal Statement For Your Next Job In Healthcare

how long should a personal statement be nhs

  • Matt Farrah Nurses.co.uk Founder & CEO
  • Save for later

An excellent personal statement is the key to success in every healthcare job application you make and in this article we look at the steps to follow in order to create the ideal one.

how long should a personal statement be nhs

Your personal statement should add a dimension to your application that a list of jobs and qualifications cannot. It should speak directly to the recruiter about who you are, and why you are suitable for this particular healthcare job.

Whether you’re an experienced healthcare professional or applying for your first job in healthcare, your personal statement needs to reflect your passion and suitability for this particular job.

If you’ve written a personal statement before for a previous job application or university course application, you can use ideas and themes from that but you can’t simply use the same one again.

A personal statement must be tailored for each situation, and when you’re applying for healthcare jobs you need to tailor it according to the person specification and job description of the vacancy you’re interested in.

Start with a brainstorm of ideas

If you try to sit down and write your personal statement from scratch by starting with the first sentence, you could find your finished personal statement has no coherence and does not follow a logical order.

By brainstorming your ideas first you can prioritise the points you want to make and assemble all the evidence you want to mention that will back up the claims you’re going to make.

In order to avoid repetition in your personal statement, pick out a couple of points you want to make in your opening statement that really establish you as a serious contender for the job; for example, your qualification or current employment.

Then move on to the centre section where you should elaborate on the all the reasons why you are perfect for the job! Use the person specification and job description from the vacancy advert as a reference and try to check off the points you’re making with the requirements of the employer.

Your closing section should summarise the main points you want the employer to remember you for, especially your professional expertise if you applying for a doctor job , dentist job or any other senior healthcare professional job.

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Put words around your ideas

As you begin to put your ideas into sentences, be mindful of the length of your personal statement. It’s easy to write too much, but you are more likely to be successful if you are succinct and coherent.

It’s essential as you’re writing that you use a variety of examples from your experience to illustrate each point you’re making because you want to demonstrate the range of your experience.

It will also help to make your personal statement as memorable as possible because the employer will have a really good insight into your history and how your experience can make you ideal for their job vacancy.

Proof-read and edit your personal statement several times

When you think you have your personal statement completed go back and proof read it to spot any spelling errors, and to check that the information you have given is accurate.

Your personal statement forms part of your job application so you can be sure that when you apply you are required to confirm all information is correct to the best of your knowledge.

Whether you’re an experienced healthcare professional in a particular field, or you’re applying for your first healthcare assistant job , the personal statement is an essential part of the job application.

It’s your only opportunity to talk directly to the employer before they decide whether or not you are suitable for the job and therefore should be offered an interview.

Try to imagine the questions they will be asking themselves when reading your personal statement and provide clear, concise answers to as many of those questions as you can anticipate.

Once your personal statement has secured you an interview, you'll be wanting advice on how to smash your interview, right? Take a look at how to successfully prepare for interviews in healthcare to find out how to do just that.

Looking for a job in medicine or health care? Next Steps... Create an account. We will help you build a CV as part of that process. This will get you ready to start searching for jobs.

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I believe people should be able to choose to enjoy work. That is, choose an employer who reflects their values and provides them with a sustainable career.

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  • Work for us
  • HEE Applicant Guide
  • Making a Successful Application

Using the supporting information section to your best advantage

This section is critical to complete well. It’s your chance to really sell yourself as a suitable applicant and get that invitation to interview.

As an external applicant you have up to 1500 words for this section to persuade and influence the recruiting manager that you could do the job and that you deserve an interview.

So how do you do this?

By tailoring your application i.e., by matching your skills, knowledge, and experience to the job requirements. You need to connect your current and past work experience to the requirements of the role you are applying for. This means you can’t just cut and paste any old thing. You need to make it specific to the job in question.

In the Employment History section of your application, you will have listed your previous jobs and the main duties and responsibilities of each. This will have given you some ability to link your skill set with the job in question, by one job at a time. However, the Supporting Information section of your application is where you can sell yourself and really stand out from the crowd.

You have the freedom to organise this section how you want, so you can do this by grouping your skills and work experience into broader themes and strengths that match the job you are applying for.

Using bullet points and subheadings is good. Long paragraphs and essays are not so good. Make it as easy as possible for the recruiters to find the information you need and want them to see.

The critical thing to do here is to pay close attention to the requirements of the role you are applying for and give good examples of your achievements for each. Remember that now with NHS Jobs the shortlisting criteria are included with the advert. Recruiters will be scoring your application against these. So, make sure you cover these.

What makes a good example?

This will be covered in more detail in section 2 on Having a Successful Interview. A helpful framework to use here is the STAR example.

What is a STAR example?

STAR stands for:

  • S ituation or T ask – what was the context and what were you being asked to do
  • A ction – what you did to achieve this
  • R esult – what was the outcome or result, e.g., money or time saved, better customer service, patient care, staff morale etc

In a good STAR example, you address all three elements concisely by writing about your previous experience.

For example:

“At Acme Ltd, as Trainee Accountant, I was asked by my manager, towards year end, to make savings from the budget. This was crucial to the business as we were overspending. I set up a team involving key people from across the business, such as department heads. I asked people to share their ideas and we then prioritised the best ones. For example, I decided to change our electricity supplier to a lower tariff and reduced our stock levels by 10% which improved our working capital. Overall, I achieved £20k in savings, almost 3% of the budget, and we hit the year-end target. My manager was really pleased, and I got a letter of recognition from the Managing Director.”

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Please note the new timesheet release dates for the December 2023 and January 2024 bank holiday period .

How to wite your CV

how long should a personal statement be nhs

How to write your CV

Doctors Direct has years of practice in recruiting the best candidates and as a result has a wealth of knowledge to pass on when it comes to writing a CV that will get you noticed, for all the right reasons.

Knowing what to include in your CV and in what order can be quite daunting. This guide aims to help you on your way to creating a CV that provides succinct and impactful information, that best represents you and your achievements.

Getting started

TIP: Use a confident tone and positive language when writing your CV.

Your CV should be no more than 1 -2 pages long and only communicate the information you feel is most relevant or important to the role for which you are applying. Keeping your CV short and sharp will help to hold the attention of the reader.

At the top of your CV you need to provide your full name, home address, email address and telephone number.

Most people then like to add a short bio, or ‘personal statement’ summing up your current personal situation, and your career aspirations. This should only be a few sentences long but should highlight your skillset enough that the reader wants to know more about you.

TIP: Look at the key information that the role rquires and tailor your personal statement to highlight the skills you have that match what they are looking for.

Your Experience

Next you need to add your work experience [1] in reverse-chronological (most recent at the top). You will want to confirm where the experience took place (organisation and location) and the duration.

TIP: Update your CV regularly. Sending an old CV will look unprofessional, so make sure that yours is up to date to meet the requirements of any roles you see advertised.

It can be helpful to differentiate between paid and voluntary work. The areas of expertise and skills you used during this time need to be included along with any projects you worked on. It can be easy to overcomplicate your CV with too much detail on the role, as often this will have been copied from a job description. In your CV you want to get across transferable skills and personal strengths that will be of interest. CV’s should detail specific skills, systems and processes you have used.

Your Education

Again, this is ideally displayed in reverse-chronological order. This section often takes up valuable space on your CV but try to include the most relevant information here. You will want to add the dates you were studying, the establishment name, location, course and grades achieved.

Gaps in your CV

If you have had any time during study or employment it is useful to explain this on your CV.

For example

‘X date to X date – travelling round South America’

‘X date to X date – volunteering with “Charity name” providing basic infection control information to young families in remote villages in Africa.

Closing your CV

At the end of your CV it’s good to add any additional information that is relevant to your application but does not necessarily fit in to any of the other sections.

It may be that you have some interests, hobbies, experience or short courses that you want to share, here would be the best place for them.

TIP: Ask someone to look through your CV to check for any mistakes you may have overlooked.

Your can download our CV writing guide by clicking the button below

https://nhspbank.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/How_To_Write_Your_CV.pdf

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  • 18 December 2018

How to write a nursing personal statement for your first nurse job application

how long should a personal statement be nhs

  • Chloe Registered Mental Health Nurse

Your personal statement could be the difference between getting your first nursing job and just missing out, so make sure yours is as good as it can be.

how long should a personal statement be nhs

So long as you pass your degree, very little consideration will be given to the classification you achieve by potential employers.

In fact, many employers will offer you a position before they even know what classification you will end up with.

This is because they know that how well you can write essays and take exams does not necessarily reflect the kind of nurse you will be.

While there are academic elements to being a nurse, it’s the hands-on patient contact that really makes a difference.

So if potential employers aren’t looking at your grades, what are they looking for?

The answer to that is your personal statement.

What is a personal statement I hear you ask?

It’s essentially exactly what it says on the tin, it’s a statement that you write about yourself to include in a job application, telling the employer why you’re right for the job.

Employers will usually have to read several personal statements in the course of recruiting for just one newly qualified staff nurse, so its vital that yours is well written to make you stand out from the rest.

Be sure to engage your reader right from the start to ensure they want to read your statement in full and get a thorough picture of who you are and how you could fit into the role they are recruiting for.

How to begin your nursing personal statement

Draw attention to your personal achievements, but avoid repeating things like your grades, as these will likely be included elsewhere in your application.

You would be much better off focusing on extra-curricular achievements at this point to show them you are good at much more than just academic things.

Mention the skills you have that are relevant to the job you’re applying for but try to avoid listing.

Anyone can list off qualities like ‘good people skills, hard working, good team player’ etc.

You’re much more likely to be successful if you can give examples of when you’ve put these skills into action.

For example, a time when your communication skills allowed you to deal with a particularly difficult situation, or when you played your role within a team effectively and got a good result.

Draw attention to relevant placements you’ve had as a student nurse and the learning outcomes you achieve that would benefit you working in this role.

Reflect upon how you overcame a particular challenge and state why this would benefit you in your future career.

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Draft everything together

Once you have a rough idea of everything you want to include, get it down on paper.

Don’t worry about length or organisation of the statement at this stage, just get down everything you think you want to say.

Carefully read the job description to make sure you’ve highlighted how you fit those requirements.

If you’re applying for a job where you don’t quite meet all the requirements, explain how you’re going to ensure you are able to meet this element of the job if they give you the position.

Revise and edit

Your first draft is likely to be a mess as you include things as they spring to mind. So this is your opportunity to rework it into a more cohesive piece.

Make sure it flows and group similar talking points together so that you’re not jumping back and forth talking about different things.

Have an objective, experienced and motivated voice throughout.

Ensure that you sound confident and professional.

Make sure you’ve addressed all the essential criteria and any desirable ones that you fulfil. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you aren’t experienced just because you haven’t worked as a fully qualified nurse before.

You’ve just spent the last 2-3 years training and learning, so you do have some knowledge and experience.

Once you’re happy with it the next step is to proof read. Ask a friend or family member to do this for you if you can, as they’re more likely to spot mistakes that you might have missed.

Or you can always take a couple of days away from it, then come back to read it again with fresh eyes.

Be strict with yourself. Ask yourself if this is necessary and relevant to mention.

Chop out any unnecessary words or parts where you’re repeating a point you’ve already made.

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What Do You Think?

Ask questions, comment and like this article below! Share your thoughts, add your opinion in the comments below.

Personalise your statement to the role

Unless you’re applying for multiple very similar roles, you should always seek to change up your statement for each application.

Even very similar roles might have slightly different criteria for different employers, so its worth checking that your statement is relevant for each job you are applying for.

Once its written it won’t take you long to tweak it each time for different roles.

It will be easy for employers to spot a generic personal statement that isn’t tailored to their role, and it doesn’t exactly display commitment to the role if you haven’t even bothered to re-write your personal statement.

To look at how to sharpen your CV for your job search, check out a blog I wrote on how to build your nursing CV . This will ensure you stand out amongst other candidates when applying for nursing jobs .

Looking for a nursing job?

Next steps..., create an account., we will help you build a cv as part of that process., this will get you ready to start searching for jobs., about the author.

I qualified as a Mental Health Nurse (RMN) in August of 2018 and started as a newly qualified nurse shortly after. On top of nursing I juggle creating content for both my YouTube channel and blog.

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The Complete Guide To Answering Nursing Interview Questions

  • Matt Farrah
  • Nurses.co.uk Founder & CEO

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Common Midwifery Interview Questions And How To Answer Them

  • Louisa Lewis

how long should a personal statement be nhs

Community Nursing Interview Questions And How To Answer Them

  • Lillie McGuinness
  • Student Nurse

how long should a personal statement be nhs

  • Studying medicine
  • Making an application
  • Personal statement

In addition to high academic achievement, medical schools will look for certain skills and attributes which they believe make an ideal candidate for medicine. Medical schools will look for evidence of these attributes in your personal statement, which is part of your UCAS application. The following points in the dropdown bar have been agreed by the medical schools as the skills and attributes they are looking for.

Skills and attributes of an ideal candidate to medicine

  • Motivation to study medicine and genuine interest in the medical profession
  • Insight into your own strengths and weaknesses
  • The ability to reflect on your own work
  • Personal organisation
  • Academic ability
  • Problem solving
  • Dealing with uncertainty
  • Manage risk and deal effectively with problems
  • Ability to take responsibility for your own actions
  • Conscientiousness
  • Insight into your own health
  • Effective communication, including reading, writing, listening and speaking
  • Ability to treat people with respect
  • Resilience and the ability to deal with difficult situations
  • Empathy and the ability to care for others

Keep these in mind while writing your personal statement. Rather than simply stating that you embody these attributes, give examples of how you have demonstrated them in the past, for instance while on work experience or through extracurricular activities.

Medical schools vary in how they assess personal statements. Some score them while others do not. They commonly use personal statements as a basis for conversation during interview, so it is a good idea to write things which you would be prepared to expand on if asked.

For more on these attributes, see the   Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine .

Writing your personal statement for medical school

Many students get very concerned about what to write in their personal statement. The most important thing is that it is written by you, it reflects you as a person, and is an honest reflection of your thoughts, skills and interests. Watch the video below to find out how medical schools use personal statements.

What makes a good doctor? 

Medical schools want students who have commitment, perseverance, initiative, concern for others and the ability to communicate. There is a list of  core values and attributes   needed to study medicine, and this list has been endorsed by all medical schools. It sets out what medical schools are looking for so they can recruit and train students to make good doctors.

Further reading

  • The UCAS application - guide for teachers
  • Personal statement  - i nfosheet
  • Course types
  • Entry requirements for 2024 start
  • Work experience
  • Admissions tests
  • International applicants

Values and attributes needed to study medicine

The ucas application.

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How to write a personal statement for a NHS assistant psychologist

By jayne thompson / in family.

A job as an assistant psychologist can be varied and rewarding.

A personal statement, sometimes called a profile or career summary, is the section at the top of your CV or a pro-forma job application which summarises your career skills and experience and sets out your ambitions for the future. It is a standard part of any National Health Service (NHS) application. The function of a personal statement is to enable a recruiter to quickly identify whether you are suitable for interview, so it needs to be punchy. If drafted carefully, a personal statement can give your application a dynamic impact.

  • A personal statement, sometimes called a profile or career summary, is the section at the top of your CV or a pro-forma job application which summarises your career skills and experience and sets out your ambitions for the future.

Get hold of the NHS assistant psychologist (AP) general person specification. This specification is common to all AP jobs across different specialities and sits alongside the job specification which differs between roles. Read the general person specification and spend some time covering off the requirements. That way you will have done a lot of the groundwork before you come to apply for specific roles. Refer to the Guide to Core Competencies published by The British Psychological Society (see Resources) for assistance.

Read the individual job specification carefully. The purpose of your personal statement is to describe how you meet the exact specifications of the job description. Describe how your skills and experience match each requirement.

Decide whether you are writing in the first or third person. There are no hard and fast rules about this and everyone has their own preference. Try writing your statement both ways to see what flows. Do not interchange the two.

  • Read the individual job specification carefully.
  • Try writing your statement both ways to see what flows.

Show, don't tell. Explicitly state your experience against each criteria in the job and person specification and then explain what you have learnt from your experience. Saying that you're "adaptable" is forgettable - describing a situation where you filled in a gap in a skill set at short notice is impressive. Phrases like "passionate about" and "interested in" are fluff. Chances are the recruiter will have read them a hundred times before and you don't have room to ramble.

Keep it short. While the NHS does not have a word limit on personal statements, other industries expect a good statement to have impact in just 200 words. NHS job specifications tend to be lengthy, and this requires a lengthier response, but you should still aim to deal with everything in a single page.

  • Explicitly state your experience against each criteria in the job and person specification and then explain what you have learnt from your experience.
  • NHS job specifications tend to be lengthy, and this requires a lengthier response, but you should still aim to deal with everything in a single page.

Proof read. It goes without saying that your spelling and grammar should be perfect. Your spell check should be in British (rather than US) English.

The personal statement is not just about previous employment experience. Include anything relevant, such as practical work you have undertaken, voluntary work, conferences you have attended, community events and articles you have read or contributed to.

Avoid tired phrases. It goes without saying that you're a good team player.

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Medicine Personal Statement

Get advice on your Medicine Personal Statement, including what to include, how to structure it, and how you can get help with this vital part of your application.

  • Learn what a Medicine Personal Statement is
  • Understand how long it needs to be
  • Find out what it should include
  • Discover how to structure your Personal Statement
  • Explore how to get help with it

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Your Personal Statement for Medicine is your chance to tell Medical Schools why you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor. With a successful Medicine Personal Statement, you’ll really stand out from the pool of other applicants.

What is a Medicine Personal Statement?

Your Personal Statement supports your UCAS Application. It’s designed to help Medical Schools choose the best candidates.

It gives you the chance to tell Admissions Tutors about the skills or qualities you have that are relevant to studying Medicine and being a Doctor – and write about your motivation to study Medicine .

Have a look at our Medicine Personal Statement examples from current Medical School students to get an understanding of the content and structure.

How Important Is It?

Medical Schools use Personal Statements in different ways.

You’ll find that some Medical Schools won’t pay much attention to it, while some will use it to shortlist candidates for interview . Some will also use it to form the basis of interview questions , so make sure your PS is interview-proof and doesn’t include anything you can’t justify or elaborate on.

If a Medical School is struggling to decide between two candidates, they may use the Personal Statement as a deciding factor.

You can learn more in our guide to how Medical Schools use your Personal Statement .

Make Sure You Stand Out

Get The Best Personal Statement Advice

How Long Should My Personal Statement Be?

Your Medicine Personal Statement needs to be 4,000 characters – which is around 500 words – over 47 lines.

What Should My Personal Statement Include?

Medicine Personal Statements should cover the following elements, so that Medical Schools can get to know you.

  • Motivation — Why do you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor?
  • Exploration — What have you done to learn about Medicine? For example: work experience , volunteering , wider reading or research
  • Suitability — Why are you a good fit for Medicine?

Reflection should be a big part of your PS. When you’re writing it, don’t just list your work experience placements, academic achievements and extracurricular activities — reflect on key learning points and link everything back to qualities that are important for Medicine.

For more specific advice about what to include when you’re applying for Graduate Entry Medicine, check out this blog .

What Should My Personal Statement NOT Include?

When you’re writing your Personal Statement, try to keep it concise and avoid unnecessary information. After all, you only have a limited number of words!

Some common PS mistakes include:

  • Giving a generic or clich éd reason for wanting to become a Doctor
  • Writing about what you did for work experience, without offering any reflections on what you actually learned from the experience
  • Claiming that you have a certain quality (e.g. empathy ) without backing it up
  • Listing all of the extracurricular activities you do, without mentioning the skills they helped you to develop which are relevant to Medicine

Of course, it’s also important to check your PS for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Get it checked by someone else for a second opinion too.

When Should I Start Writing My Personal Statement?

Personal Statements need to be submitted before the UCAS deadline, which is typically a date in October for Medicine.

Don’t leave it until the last minute! It’s a good idea to start working on it during the summer break – perhaps after you’ve got your UCAT out of the way. If you leave it all until September or October, remember that you’ll be writing it alongside A-Level work and BMAT revision if you’re planning to sit the BMAT.

Start by reading some Medicine Personal Statement examples for inspiration. Then note down everything you can think of to cover your Motivation, Exploration and Suitability for Medicine. Perhaps check this content plan with someone like a parent to see if you’ve missed out anything important. After you have a clear plan, you can start writing your first draft.

How Should I Structure My Personal Statement?

The structure of your Personal Statement is a matter of personal preference, but we advise you to follow a format that covers the following points:

  • Why you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor (Motivation)
  • Work experience and/or volunteering – and what you learned from it (Exploration)
  • Wider reading and study beyond your school curriculum (Exploration)
  • Skills from extracurricular activities which are relevant to a Doctor’s skill set, e.g. leadership skills, communication skills, teamwork, etc (Suitability)
  • Conclusion (Motivation)

The Ultimate UCAS Support

Make Your Application Amazing

What Is Changing In The Future?

UCAS has announced that Personal Statements will be changing in the future. To make the writing process more structured, there are plans to provide applicants with a series of questions to answer.

These questions have not been confirmed yet, but UCAS says they are likely to cover areas such as:

  • Motivation for the course
  • Preparation for the course through learning and through other experiences
  • Preparedness for student life
  • Preferred learning styles
  • Extenuating circumstances

According to UCAS, the changes will be introduced no earlier than 2024, for candidates applying for 2025 entry. Find out more here.

How Can I Get Help?

Getting feedback on your Personal Statement for Medical School is incredibly important.

You could ask a relative to read it, give you feedback on how it reads, and let you know if you’ve forgotten any big accomplishments that they can remember. Another option is to ask a friend or a teacher to have a read and tell you if it makes sense and gives a good impression.

You might also like to get professional help with your medical Personal Statement, since it’s such an important piece of writing.

Of course it’s important that you write it yourself, but getting advice and getting it reviewed can be incredibly beneficial. Some of the best options include:

  • Get a Personal Statement Review by an Admissions Tutor
  • Join a Personal Statement Workshop to get help crafting an excellent statement
  • Focus on one-to-one help with Personal Statement Tutoring for your Medical School application

UCAS Preparation

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Get your Personal Statement reviewed by a Medical School Admissions Tutor or high-flying medic. You'll receive detailed feedback in just a few days - with clear action points on how to improve.

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  • Personal Statement
  • International Students
  • What is UCAT?
  • What Is a Good UCAT Score?
  • How Long Should a Personal Statement Be?

How Long Should a Personal Statement Be?

You have likely come across this blog as a medical school personal statement on your to-do list. With just over 7500 UK medical school places available in 2023 , there is no denying that the process is a highly competitive one.

When asked how to write a personal statement for medicine , one of the key pieces of advice we share is the word count. Why? This is probably the most important information, as your entire writing needs to be planned around the limits.

Keep reading to determine how much you must write in a medical school personal statement.

Do Personal Statements Have Word Limits?

The purpose of a personal statement is to add personality and insights to a broader academic application. Giving prospective students a chance to get noticed for their unique talents and experience is sometimes the only opportunity to have your say creatively.

In the UK, all medical school applications go through UCAS. Unless your course specifies otherwise, the official word limit is 4,000 characters for an undergraduate application . You do not have to write to the maximum amount, but it is recommended that you make wise use of your available word count to make the biggest impact. That is why it is important to learn what a successful medical personal statement includes .

That may sound like a lot of words to work with, but we can assure you that it really isn’t. 4,000 characters offer between 571 to 1000 words which is less than half of this entire blog post! The words will quickly diminish because you need to fit in lots of information. Our advice is always to plan efficiently and assign word limits to each section to perfectly craft your message.

How Do I Use My Word Count for a Personal Statement?

How Do I Use My Word Count for a Personal Statement?

Now that you know how many words you must work with, it’s time to think about how to use them. Your personal statement needs to include lots of information, with a nice blend of factual statements and storytelling sections.

The general rule is that introductions and conclusions should feature equal weighting. They need to open and close the statement with clear points without repeating any information in the body text.

Your body content should be the heaviest in weighting, with the word count used wisely to take the reader through your skills, experiences, and passions. If you are unsure how to use your word count best, we recommend speaking with a team member , as we know exactly what goes into the perfectly balanced personal statement.

What Structure Should I Follow?

Word count will determine how you write and share information. When thinking about what should be in a medical personal statement , you need to touch on each of the below points:

  • Personal information and background which is not outlined in any other areas of your application.
  • Experiences that showcase your suitability for a career in medicine. These don’t have to be based in the field but instead, ones that show your personality traits and transferable skills.
  • You also need to tell the admissions officer why you deserve a place. This shouldn’t be cliche but should give them enough food for thought as to what you would bring to their institution.
  • Any skills and extracurricular activities that are not included within your formal academic grades.

All of this information should be broken down into the following sections.

Introduction

You should use between 10-15% of your character on an impactful opening paragraph.

During this section, you need to find a balance of introducing your statement without repeating any information you plan on including later on. Word limits can rapidly disappear when too much text is used to tell readers what they can expect to come across.

In a medical school personal statement, the beginning statement should be strong, with clear direction outlined and a powerful opening comment.

Most of your word count should be used here, where you need to include points, evidence, and explanation.

A strong personal statement should have direction and purpose. Each section should relate to a new point but still lead on from the last one. If you have a certain topic that would really anchor how passionate you are, use more characters for this. Otherwise, keep things uniform to stop you from babbling on about information that is not relevant.

The exact amount of characters used within the introduction should then be given to the closing statement. In this passage, you need to summarise your entire statement concisely.

If you craft a personal statement designed to amaze, you can point the reader to new ideas in this section. We don’t mean giving a new point. Instead, this should leave the admissions officer with a lasting impression of your statement. You want them to be integrated enough to offer you an interview at the next stage of the application process.

Will I Be Marked Down if I Don’t Use My Personal Statement Word Count Wisely?

There is a genuine possibility that if your personal statement does not make a positive impact, your dreams of studying could be put on the back burner. Your writing is being assessed in several ways, all of which say something about you and your suitability to study.

If you don’t find the right balance of information, you could miss out on including points that would make you stand out from everyone else. Many people will have the same passions and motivations for wanting to study, so you need to use characters sensibly to get your point across.

Alternatively, if your personal statement is not well written, it could leave the admissions team with the impression that your academic skills are not up to scratch. Literature is not one of the A-levels needed to study medicine, but it is a skill you will use daily. Communicating effectively and articulating yourself professionally in written form says a lot about how you will handle yourself in the real world.

You will also not make the best impression if your personal statement comes under the word limit. It can be hard to write about yourself, especially for those with introverted personalities. However, this is one of the most important sales pitches you will ever make, so get confident in your writing! If you don’t write enough, it could look like you don’t have more to you or didn’t spend enough time crafting a stellar statement.

The rule is that admissions teams are looking to read between the lines.

How Should I Approach Writing a Personal Statement?

how long should a personal statement be nhs

  • Do your research into the content you need to include. Also, familiarising yourself with what not to have a medical personal statement is a great idea as it eliminates the chance of unnecessary information creeping in.
  • Plan everything in detail. Your structure, messaging, tone of voice, vocabulary, and word count usage should be decided upon before you start typing.

This allows you to stick to character limits more closely and ensures that every single word has a purpose.

  • Engage the support of a professional personal statement reviewer. They will be able to direct the writing process and give you honest feedback on how your word count is being used. Click here to learn about our own personal statement support services.

Choose Personal Statement Support From the Future Medic

Personal statement word limits are not in place to catch you out. They instead make the admissions process fair and encourage applicants to think more rationally about their statement.

We think it’s a positive thing as it ensures that you have drilled down the detail needed to be authentic in every stage of the application process. To learn more, contact us today. You can also find out more about our complete mentorship programme here which encompasses each stage of the application process.

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https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/03/physician-and-anaesthesia-associate-roles-in-the-nhs-fact-sheet/

  • Physician and Anaesthesia Associate roles in the NHS - fact sheet

This fact sheet sets out our position on the Physician and Anaesthesia Associate roles in the NHS.

What are physician associates and anaesthesia associates?

  • Physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) are healthcare professionals, trained to the medical model. They have been practising in the NHS since 2002 and 2004, respectively.
  • PAs who work alongside doctors providing medical care as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team. PAs can work autonomously, but always under the supervision of a fully trained and experienced doctor
  • AAs are qualified to administer anaesthesia under the supervision of a medically qualified anaesthetist.

What sort of tasks do they carry out?

  • Their role and clinical duties are very different to those of a doctor. Like Allied Health Professionals, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Health Care Scientists, and other healthcare roles, PAs and AAs deliver specific aspects of patient care, increasing the capacity of clinical teams and reducing the workload of other clinicians, including doctors - increasing the capacity of the medical team to deliver care to patients.
  • PAs are trained to do clinical duties such as taking medical histories, carrying out physical examinations, and developing and delivering treatment and management plans.
  • AAs work within the anaesthetic team under the supervision of a consultant anaesthetist, with responsibilities such as reviewing patients before surgery, initiating and managing medications, administering fluid, and blood therapy during surgery and ensuring there is a plan for patients following their operation. AAs can therefore contribute to reducing operating theatre downtime, leading to more efficient use of operating lists.

Can they carry out surgical procedures or prescribe medication?

  • PAs are not trained to operate on patients, but they do work in surgical settings performing tasks such as monitoring patients or supporting assessment clinics.
  • PAs and AAs cannot currently prescribe medication as this is only considered for roles that are statutorily regulated. Alongside the work to regulate PAs and AAs, we are working with representatives from the professions, NHS England, the other UK countries and professional bodies to develop the case for extending prescribing responsibilities to these roles. The case will then need to be considered by the Commission on Human Medicines, an advisory non-departmental public body, which must recommend the change to Ministers before any amendments can be made to legislation.

What evidence is there of the benefits of this role?

  • A study published by the National Institute of Health and Care Research in 2019 found that PAs positively contributed to the medical and surgical team, patient experience and flow, and to supporting the clinical teams' workload, and have potential to add further with an expansion of their role.
  • The review also found that PAs undertook significant amounts of ward-based clinical administration related to patients’ care and were reported to be safe.

What training do they have?

  • PAs usually undergo a three-year undergraduate degree, in a health, biomedical science or life-sciences subject followed by two years postgraduate training, gaining significant clinical experience. Some universities now offer an undergraduate degree PA course that includes an integrated Master of Physician Associate Studies (MPAS). These courses take four years to complete.
  • AAs also undertake a two-year postgraduate training programme.
  • The course curriculums overlap with undergraduate medical degrees in certain areas but offers a more focused and less extensive training compared to what medical students receive.
  • Their training involves supervised practice with real patients. The dedicated medical supervisor is responsible for the supervision and management of a student’s educational progress throughout the clinical placements of the course.

How many are there in the NHS?

  • As of June 2023, Electronic Staff Record (ESR) data suggests there are 73 full time equivalent (FTE) qualified Anaesthesia Associates and 1,508 FTE qualified Physician Associates working in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. There are a further 1,707 FTE Physician Associates working in GP practices and primary care networks.
  • This is relative to the almost 134,000 FTE doctors working in hospitals and other core organisation and the almost 36,000 FTE GPs at the same point in time.

Are they replacing doctors?

  • No, the role of medical associates is to work with and support doctors and not to replace them.
  • This supports the government’s plans to grow the multidisciplinary NHS workforce, as set out in the first-ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. This means recruiting and training more doctors, nurses, allied health and other professionals and ensuring every team member can contribute their skills, experience and education.
  • The plan sets out how we will grow the number of PAs to establish a workforce of 10,000 and increase the number of AAs to 2,000 by 2036/37.
  • This is alongside the biggest training expansion in history which, taken with retention measures, could mean the health service has at least an extra 60,000 doctors, 170,000 more nurses and 71,000 more allied health professionals in place by 2036/37.

Do other countries have similar roles?

  • The Physician Assistant/Associate movement began in North America and Africa in the mid-1960s. The adoption of PAs has spread globally across a variety of health systems and, as of 2022, at least sixteen countries including the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, have been in various stages of expansion of PA-like medical workers that function under the supervision of a doctor.
  • The AA role is relatively new to the UK, but is common practice in Scandinavia, northern Europe and the United States.

Why are you legislating to regulate them?

  • As we grow the PA and AA workforce, we plan to lay legislation before Parliament at the end of 2023, which will allow the General Medical Council (GMC) to start regulation by the end of 2024 at the latest.
  • Regulation will give the GMC responsibility and oversight of doctors, PAs and AAs, allowing it to take a holistic approach to the education, training and standards of the roles. This will enable a more coherent and coordinated approach to regulation and, by making it easier for employers, patients and the public to understand the relationship between these roles and doctors, help to embed them in the workforce.
  • Once regulation is in place, the GMC will ensure that PAs and AAs remain up-to-date and fit to practice through a process of revalidation. Both in training, and subsequently qualified practice, PAs must work with a dedicated medical supervisor which will be consultant, GP, or other senior medical personnel.

What are the current safeguards around PAs and AAs?

  • The Faculty of Physician Associates at the Royal College of Physicians currently provides professional support to PAs across the UK.  The Faculty reviews and sets standards for the education, training and national certification of PAs. The Faculty also oversees and administers the running of a Managed Voluntary Register. This is a register of fully qualified PAs who have been declared fit to practise in the UK. The majority of qualified PAs are on this register.
  • Following successful completion of the AA training programme, a qualified AA can register and add their names on the AA Managed Voluntary Register (MVR) which is currently held with the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA). The GMC encourages all qualified anaesthesia associates to join the register. The RCoA has written to all NHS Trusts advising them to employ only AAs on this voluntary register.
  • We strongly recommend that employers only consider recruiting PAs and AAs who are on the Voluntary Registers. It enables supervisors and employers to check whether an individual is qualified and safe to work in the UK.

Is the Physician Associate job title misleading?

  • No. PAs have been practising in the UK since 2002 and the title Physician Associate is therefore well-established among the NHS workforce.
  • Regulation by the GMC will help to embed this further by making it easier for employers, patients and the public to understand the relationship between this role and that of doctors. Earlier this month, the Faculty of PAs issued guidance for PAs, supervisors, employers and organisations, which helps to provide a structured and standardised way of using the title.

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One-year waits reduce for patients as record demand for NHS emergency care continues

  • Patient care
  • Patient safety
  • Urgent and emergency care
  • Virtual wards

NHS staff are managing record demand across emergency care ahead of winter, with new data showing Type 1 A&Es and ambulance services experienced their busiest month this year in October.

New data published today shows more than 2.2 million people attended A&Es last month (2,219,618), making it the busiest October on record, and the busiest month so far this year for Type 1 attendances (1,413,560). There were 547,586 emergency admissions – the highest number since January 2020 (559,058).

Ambulance services also saw their busiest month this year for category 1 (83,326) and category 2 (393,724) ambulance callouts, while more than 850,000 calls to 999 were answered last month – the highest figure this year so far.

Figures show that despite facing higher demand, the most serious ambulance response times were more than one minute faster in October (8:40) compared with the same month last year, and Category 2 response times were almost 20 minutes faster (41:40) last month compared with 1:01:19 in October 2022.

Despite this pressure and industrial action in September, NHS staff are continuing to reduce long waits for patients with year-long waits down by 5,500 in September (391,122, down from 396,643 the month before), while waits of more than 65 weeks have more than halved since their peak in June 2021 (from 233,051 to 109,138). Waits of over one year are now down to 5% of the waiting list.

For the first time, the NHS is publishing the number of individual patients on the waiting list – 6.5 million – in addition to the total number of appointments and treatments currently on the waiting list – 7.77 million.

The NHS is treating more people than before the pandemic, with 25,256 more elective appointments and procedures carried out in September compared with the same month in 2019 – this is despite contending with the first joint strike action in NHS history by junior doctors and consultants, which saw 129,913 appointments rescheduled.

Winter preparations have been well underway since the urgent and emergency care recovery plan was published earlier this year, with measures to help boost capacity and resilience across the NHS, including care ‘traffic control’ centres to speed up discharge, additional ambulance hours and extra beds.

This week, the NHS launched its annual 111 campaign ahead of winter with ads running across catch-up TV, radio, social media and online until the end of March, reminding people to continue to use NHS 111 services when they need urgent, but not life-threatening, medical advice.

The campaign highlights how people can get advice from a range of NHS staff, including clinicians, nurses, and GPs – all from the comfort of their own homes. In a life-threatening emergency, people should continue to call 999.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “Today’s figures are a stark reminder of the ongoing pressures the NHS is facing, particularly in emergency care with significant demand for ambulances and A&E, as we head into what we are expecting to be another challenging winter in the health service.

“Despite these ongoing pressures, including 10 months of strikes, the NHS has made progress on its three recovery plans, and it is important to recognise the incredible efforts of staff who are seeing and treating many more people than pre-pandemic – delivering record numbers of diagnostic tests and checks, treating more people for cancer at an earlier stage, and completing thousands more routine procedures.

“But these strikes have had a significant impact on patients and staff, and created unavoidable financial costs – this is why we have set out actions for local areas to take to protect patient safety, and prioritise urgent and emergency services so that patients receive the best possible care this winter, while the primary focus for elective activity should be on long waits and patients with urgent care and cancer needs.

“And as ever, the public can help play their part this winter by getting their flu and Covid-19 vaccinations when eligible, using services like NHS 111 to get urgent advice on the best NHS service for their needs without leaving the comfort of their homes, and by calling 999 in life-threatening emergencies.”

On each day last month, an average 12,493 patients who were medically fit to be discharged spent more time in hospital than needed.

Delayed discharges put considerable pressure on the NHS including the flow of patients from A&E through to wards, which is why the health service has been working closely with colleagues in local authorities and community settings on a range of initiatives to send more patients home when they are medically fit to leave, as well as expanding the use of out-of-hospital care including more virtual ward beds and acute respiratory infection hubs ahead of winter.

Today’s data shows the NHS continues to increase the number of virtual ward beds available, after meeting its ambition to roll out 10,000 virtual ward beds by the end of September – there are now 10,737 virtual ward beds across the country.

Politics latest: Rishi Sunak considers whether to sack Suella Braverman after controversial article - as he's warned to 'tread carefully'

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to sack Suella Braverman after she defied Downing Street by publishing an article accusing the Met Police of bias over protests in support of Palestine.

Friday 10 November 2023 21:38, UK

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman during a visit to a hotel in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, for a meeting of the Grooming Gangs Taskforce. Picture date: Monday April 3, 2023.

  • Number 10 reiterates PM has full confidence in Braverman
  • Home secretary gave 'full backing' to police in meeting with Met Police chief today
  • Rob Powell:  Whether Braverman's softening of tone today will be enough to keep her in post remains to be seen
  • Recap: What home secretary said in her controversial article
  • Sunak warned he needs to 'tread carefully'
  • 'We can't continue like this,' senior minister tells  Beth Rigby
  • Ali Fortescue:  A number of potential flashpoints loom
  • Braverman ignores questions as speculation about future continues
  • Chancellor declines to back home secretary's language
  • Pledge tracker:  Is the PM keeping his promises?
  • Live reporting by Ben Bloch and (earlier) Faith Ridler

Thank you for joining us on the Politics Hub for another busy day in Westminster.

Here's what happened:

  • Westminster held its collective breath in anticipation of a potential decision from Rishi Sunak on Suella Braverman's future as home secretary after she accused the police of bias - but one never came;
  • Instead, there was a shift in tone with a source close to the home secretary saying she gave the police her "full backing" in a meeting with the Met Police commissioner ahead of the weekend's protest;
  • But before that, a government minister repeatedly refused to confirm that he has confidence in Ms Braverman - and the chancellor distanced himself from her comments as well;
  • But others including Tory party vice-chair Lee Anderson defended her, saying she is "guilty of saying what most of us are thinking and saying";
  • Polling by YouGov showed that 49% of the British public think the home secretary should be sacked, while 22% disagree;
  • Elsewhere, official figures showed there was no growth in the UK economy between July and September;
  • And Scotland's health secretary said he will pay back £11k in roaming charges incurred on holiday on his parliamentary iPad.

We'll be back on Sunday from 7am for the very latest political news.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has come under fire for making controversial statements about Israel-Hamas war protests in the UK.

In the Times, she described pro-Palestinian protesters as "hate marchers". She also likened the protests to scenes from the past in Northern Ireland, prompting politicians there to accuse her of "deliberately stoking division".

Ms Braverman has also publicly slated the Metropolitan Police, which is allowing a pro-Palestinian march to go ahead on Armistice Day. She said the force was guilty of "double standards" and favouring left-wing protesters over those on the right of politics.

So, how do the Conservatives solve a problem like Suella?

The Sky New Daily’s Niall Paterson is joined by David Blevins , our senior Ireland correspondent , to find out why her comments haven’t gone down well there.

Plus, Sir Peter Fahy, former chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, explains how the home secretary's comments are a serious breach of operational independence.

And our deputy political editor Sam Coates looks at the fallout in Downing Street.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

By Jenness Mitchell , Scotland reporter

A Scottish government minister has agreed to pay back almost £11,000 after racking up a hefty data roaming bill on his parliamentary iPad while on a family holiday in Morocco.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson was said to have been using the device for work but had not switched over from the parliament's old mobile contract to a new one.

The roaming charges - for the iPad and not phone calls - totalled £10,935.74.

Officials at Holyrood challenged the bill over the scale of the data fees and the late warning over the rising cost, but previous provider EE declined to waive it.

Mr Matheson agreed to pay £3,000 towards the cost from his expenses budget. As the data use was reportedly for parliamentary business, the Scottish parliament agreed to pay the rest.

The incident sparked a public outcry, with both Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives calling for Mr Matheson to foot the "eye-watering bill" instead of taxpayers. The Tories branded the cost "absolutely scandalous".

Read the full story here:

Suella Braverman and Tory critics of the police are undermining public confidence in law enforcement and eroding trust in Britain's system of democracy, according to heated WhatsApp exchanges among Conservative MPs leaked to Sky News.

The true scale of the civil war between Tory MPs over the policing of pro-Palestinian marches and behaviour of the home secretary is tonight revealed in dozens of private messages between them which lift the lid on a far greater scale of discontent in the party than is currently playing out in public.

The angry WhatsApp debate has led to angry exchanges between figures who both back and oppose Ms Braverman, with some accusing her Tory critics of helping Labour, while others are accused of inflaming the far right.

Watch below as our deputy political editor Sam Coates analyses the messages - and what they say about the state of the Conservative Party:

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today refused to back Suella Braverman's divisive op-ed, saying: "The words that she used are not words that I myself would have used".

He added that the PM has "said that he has full confidence in her", and "I have nothing to add".

It came in the wake of controversy over Ms Braverman's comments in The Times, in which she accused the Met Police of "playing favourites" with pro-Palestine demonstrators.

Mr Hunt was also asked about news there was no growth in the UK economy between July and September.

He said that "high inflation is the single greatest barrier to economic growth".

More than 2,000 officers from the Metropolitan Police and other UK forces will be on duty for a "significant" operation across Remembrance weekend.

The Met says its plan covers both Armistice and Remembrance events as well as a significant march by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

A political row erupted this week over comments made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who criticised the Met over its decision to allow the pro-Palestine protests to go ahead.

Ahead of meeting the Met commissioner earlier this week, Rishi Sunak said he would hold the force accountable for allowing the demonstrations to go ahead.

But in a statement released on Friday, the prime minister said he had been "assured" by police that Remembrance services would be "safeguarded from any protests".

Read the full statement here:

While we haven't yet heard directly from Suella Braverman, the language being used by a source close to the home secretary this evening suggests something of a climbdown and an attempt to make amends with the Metropolitan Police.

After accusing officers of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protestors earlier this week, we're now told she has "emphasised her full backing" for the force and "expressed confidence that any criminality will be dealt with robustly".

That is a marked change in tone from the broadside levelled at the Met just days ago.

So what's going on?

Downing Street and the broader government machine have made no secret of their unhappiness with the home secretary's latest intervention.

While the prime minister is said to still have confidence in Mrs Braverman, senior ministers have distanced themselves from their colleague and No 10 has pointedly briefed that it did not sign off the article.

In other words, there was a distinct impression that this time she may have gone too far and, as such, put her job at risk.

Could the threat of being sacked have forced this change in tone?

But there’s also the practical context to this.

The home secretary's controversial remarks risked undermining officers and inflaming tension at protests tomorrow.

So this could also be a somewhat belated attempt to calm the situation down.

Whether it will be enough to actually keep Suella Braverman in her post remains to be seen.

By Sam Coates , deputy political editor

Suella Braverman and Tory critics of the police are undermining public confidence in law enforcement and eroding trust in Britain's system of democracy, according to heated WhatsApp exchanges among Tory MPs leaked to Sky News.

The angry WhatsApp debate has led to angry exchanges between figures who both back and oppose Mrs Braverman, with some accusing her Tory critics of helping Labour, while others are accused of inflaming the far right.

In one exchange the Tory MP Karl McCartney attacked Bob Neill, the Tory MP who went public with his criticism of Mrs Braverman, saying he and other critics of the home secretary would be getting Christmas cards from the Labour shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper.

You stretch our patience," Mr McCartney declared.

On the other side of the debate, Jackie Doyle-Price said that Tory MPs should not ignore the fact there is a legitimate right to protest and added: "Colleagues making noise about them are simply advertising them and make them bigger as a consequence."

Read the leaked WhatsApp messages in full here:

In the last few minutes, the prime minister has issued a statement ahead of remembrance weekend and the controversial pro-Palestine protest set to go ahead tomorrow.

Rishi Sunak said the "act of remembrance is fundamental to who we are as a country and I want to reassure those wishing to pay their respects, attend services and travel that they can and should do so".

He then said that following his meeting with Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Met Police, "the police assure us they are taking all steps to ensure Remembrance services are safeguarded from any protests".

He went on: "Protests will only be permitted far away from Remembrance events, and the Cenotaph in Whitehall - the abiding symbol of Remembrance - has been placed in an exclusion zone and will be guarded around the clock to protect it for those travelling to pay their respects.

"We have also taken steps to ban a number of protests planned for train stations, which were only designed to disrupt and intimidate."

The PM concluded by saying that it is "because of those who fought for this country and for the freedom we cherish that those who wish to protest can do so, but they must do so respectfully and peacefully".

"Remembrance weekend is sacred for us all and should be a moment of unity, of our shared British values and of solemn reflection. Above all, this weekend should be about the selfless bravery of our armed forces. We shall remember them."

 The home secretary held a meeting this afternoon to discuss the policing of the planned pro-Palestine demonstrations on Armistice Day tomorrow.

A source close to Suella Braverman said she offered her "full backing" to the police - which follows her controversial opinion piece on Wednesday evening that accused police of bias.

The source said: "The commissioner [Sir Mark Rowley] outlined plans to continue working to maintain public order, ensure compliance with the law and maintain the safety of participants, police officers and the general public.

"The home secretary emphasised her full backing for the police in what will be a complex and challenging situation and expressed confidence that any criminality will be dealt with robustly."

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how long should a personal statement be nhs

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how long should a personal statement be nhs

  • Health and social care
  • Social care
  • Independent Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews: government response, 2023
  • Department of Health & Social Care

Letter from Maria Caulfield MP, Women’s Minister (GEO) and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy, to Baroness Hollins, Chairperson of the Independent Care (Education) and Treatment Review

Published 8 November 2023

Applies to England

how long should a personal statement be nhs

© Crown copyright 2023

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-care-education-and-treatment-reviews-government-response-2023/letter-from-maria-caulfield-mp-womens-minister-geo-and-parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-for-mental-health-and-womens-health-strategy-to-ba

8 November 2023

Dear Baroness Hollins

I want to first thank you and members of the Oversight Panel for your commitment to improving the lives of people with a learning disability and autistic people. Since the Independent Care (Education) and Treatment Review ( IC(E)TR ) programme was set up in 2019 you have all worked incredibly hard to use your extensive expertise to help reduce the use of long-term segregation ( LTS ) in mental health hospitals. While the impact of COVID-19 extended the length of the programme, I am pleased that we were able to adapt during this period, and the programme as a whole has enabled us to gather considerable evidence to make long lasting changes. 

Over the last 4 years, the IC(E)TR programme has brought welcome attention to the reasons why people with a learning disability and autistic people are being placed in LTS and understanding of the impacts that people have experienced as a result. I am appalled by the poor and unacceptable outcomes that were found for a number of people. I agree with your finding that the IC(E)TR programme has highlighted that LTS is being overused and we have seen that when people are discharged from LTS , all too often someone else takes their place. I note that IC(E)TRs have, in some cases, identified instances of such concerning care that regulatory action was taken.  

I am pleased that IC(E)TRs have helped to make a difference for some people, with 48 out of the 114 people who had an IC(E)TR in the second phase having moved out of LTS by 31 May 2023 (which was the final data collection for this phase of IC(E)TRs ). Nonetheless, the numbers remaining in LTS is hugely concerning.  

The evidence you have presented to us, in your interim and final reports and through regular Oversight Panel meetings, have demonstrated a continued need to focus on reducing restrictive practices through learning and culture change. I am absolutely clear that we must significantly reduce the use of LTS and if used, it should only ever be in a way that respects human rights, where the environment is of the standard set out in the Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice and is no more restrictive than is necessary for people’s safety. All care and treatment plans should aim to end LTS as soon as possible and patients must have access to therapeutic interventions, with regular review of their wellbeing. Urgent action should be taken when this does not happen to protect the people in LTS . 

I have read your recommendations with great interest and it is important we take action now wherever we can, if not already doing so. In particular, you highlighted the importance of the continuation of interventions designed to support individuals with a learning disability and autistic people in LTS . I am pleased to announce that my department will provide funding to the Care Quality Commission ( CQC ) to continue IC(E)TRs for an additional 2-year period, with CQC leading on their delivery, with support from NHS England. This will help to preserve the positive impacts of the IC(E)TR programme, including the greater oversight and understanding of the use of LTS it has given us and adopt learning from the programme to date including improvements to the approach. The continuation of IC(E)TRs will ensure that some of the most vulnerable people in society can continue to benefit from this enhanced scrutiny of their care. As part of their delivery of IC(E)TRs , CQC will be considering how best to report on the progress made through IC(E)TRs .

You also recommend that any use of LTS must be notified to the CQC . We recognise the importance of reporting the use of LTS to improve accountability and enhance safety of patients. I can confirm we are considering changes to the CQC regulations (which would be subject to Parliamentary approval) to improve reporting and notifications by providers to CQC on use of specified restrictive practices. Once in place, the intention is that this will provide a better flow of information, supporting CQC to convene an IC(E)TR as soon as possible where someone is moved into LTS . The IC(E)TR will make recommendations to support safe care and treatment in the least restrictive setting. 

Your report also identifies that culture change is needed across the health system to reduce the use of long-term segregation and improve outcomes for people with a learning disability and autistic people. I agree and am pleased that we are acting on this through NHS England’s Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme which was established in 2022. This programme aims to make improvements in quality and safety, so that all patients experience good and meaningful care. The programme is co-produced with stakeholders, especially people and their families, and has a strong focus on cultural change and supporting staff to reduce restrictive practices. This programme will complement and further support NHS England’s existing commitments to improve the quality of care for people. 

Several of your recommendations require further work before they can be delivered. This includes the continuation of interventions such as the Senior Intervenor pilot which has been independently evaluated and the HOPE(S) programme which is being piloted until December 2024. We will need to consider the findings from their evaluations to understand the effects and best models for future delivery. I have asked my officials to continue to work closely with NHS England and CQC , using your report to inform this work. 

As you know, some of the recommendations will require consideration of more significant reforms, at the relevant time. For example, we will use your report and accompanying framework code of practice to inform updates to the Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice when it is next reviewed. This will allow us to consider changes to the definition and standards of LTS which are currently set out in the code of practice. I have requested that your report is used to inform this work at the relevant time. I can also confirm that we have considered all of your recommendations in turn, not just those highlighted here, and our response is set out in annex A.  

Once again, I thank you for your tireless commitment to improving the quality of lives of people with a learning disability and autistic people. All of the invaluable knowledge you and the Oversight Panel have shared will continue to shape the ongoing work to address the over-use of LTS and support people with a learning disability and autistic people to receive safe and high-quality care that is right for them.

Maria Caulfield MP Women’s Minister ( GEO ) and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health

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how long should a personal statement be nhs

Here are five strategies: 1. Make it Personal and Individual. Your application form provides the facts about the scope and range of your involvement and contributions to your communities. Be sure that you write your essay in a way that brings this data to life.

How long should the "statement in support of application" ideally be when applying for NHS jobs? Thanks Reply 1 10 years ago A Philbert Depends on the job. I've submitted applications with between 500 and 1000 words, for different jobs that I've been invited to interview for.

Minimum requirements When to seek a reference Factual references should be routinely sought as part of the selection process for all appointments in the NHS. Reference requests should be made after the interview process has taken place and once a provisional offer of appointment has been made.

Updated 18 April 2023 You may need to submit a personal statement with your other application materials to get into a nursing course. A good personal statement can convince a nursing course to admit you. It's important that your personal statement shows admissions committees why you're a good candidate and highlights your unique credentials.

The 'personal statement' on the NHS application form The personal statement on the NHS application form comes in the form of the following question: 'From the Job Description provided please give details of relevant skills, experience and knowledge demonstrating how you meet the requirements of the position for which you have applied.

Put words around your ideas. As you begin to put your ideas into sentences, be mindful of the length of your personal statement. It's easy to write too much, but you are more likely to be successful if you are succinct and coherent. It's essential as you're writing that you use a variety of examples from your experience to illustrate each ...

An excellent personal supporting statement is the key to success in every healthcare job application you make and in this we we look at the steps to follow i...

Before applying for any job, you should have a comprehensive understanding of what the role entails, the skills needed and the responsibilities you would have. The NHS is heavily driven towards picking the right candidates. In most cases, if an applicant doesn't fulfil the essential requirements, it won't be taken any further.

8 steps to applying for a job in the NHS . To apply for a job in the NHS you need to follow these steps: 1. Visit the NHS Jobs website www.jobs.nhs.uk and search through the jobs currently being advertised. 2. If you find a job you like the sound of, or would like to be sent details of future

This will have given you some ability to link your skill set with the job in question, by one job at a time. However, the Supporting Information section of your application is where you can sell yourself and really stand out from the crowd. You have the freedom to organise this section how you want, so you can do this by grouping your skills ...

At the top of your CV you need to provide your full name, home address, email address and telephone number. Most people then like to add a short bio, or 'personal statement' summing up your current personal situation, and your career aspirations. This should only be a few sentences long but should highlight your skillset enough that the ...

Personal statement advice: nursing | Undergraduate, Postgraduate | UCAS Qualifying as a nurse opens up a wide and diverse range of career paths. However, the selection criteria will be quite rigorous and you need to show you fit the bill.

54617 Your personal statement could be the difference between getting your first nursing job and just missing out, so make sure yours is as good as it can be. 'It's your opportunity to talk directly to the employer about your experiences, your skills and most importantly why you're the right nurse for the job.'

01. Edit your nhs personal statement template online. Type text, add images, blackout confidential details, add comments, highlights and more. 02. Sign it in a few clicks. Draw your signature, type it, upload its image, or use your mobile device as a signature pad. 03. Share your form with others.

Writing your personal statement: Your personal statement is your opportunity to stand out and shine. You have to be able to convince the employer that you are the right person for the job. The following booklet will aim to give you a helping hand. Don't forget that the employer doesn't want to hear that you have completed a range of

Mention any skills and experience you have that are relevant to the job. Finish off with a summary of your professional goals. The structure to adopt when writing a personal statement is: Use an active voice. Keep sentences brief and paragraphs short. Make it unique to the role you're applying for. Ensure correct grammar and punctuation is ...

Insight into your own health. Effective communication, including reading, writing, listening and speaking. Teamwork. Ability to treat people with respect. Resilience and the ability to deal with difficult situations. Empathy and the ability to care for others. Honesty. Keep these in mind while writing your personal statement.

While the NHS does not have a word limit on personal statements, other industries expect a good statement to have impact in just 200 words. NHS job specifications tend to be lengthy, and this requires a lengthier response, but you should still aim to deal with everything in a single page.

section The personal statement is your opportunity to talk about you, and why you want to enrol on a particular course. Use these easy-to-digest bullet points to help you decide what you should and shouldn't include in your personal statement. Shona Barrie - Director of Admissions, University of Stirling

Your Medicine Personal Statement needs to be 4,000 characters - which is around 500 words - over 47 lines. What Should My Personal Statement Include? Medicine Personal Statements should cover the following elements, so that Medical Schools can get to know you. Motivation — Why do you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor?

Just start by showing your enthusiasm for the subject, showcasing your knowledge and understanding, and sharing your ambitions of what you want to achieve. Avoid cliches! Remember, this opening part is simply about introducing yourself, so let the admissions tutor reading your personal statement get to know you. Keep it relevant and simple.

2. Write about why you want to study that course. Think about why you want to study the course and how you can demonstrate this in your written statement: 'Your interest in the course is the biggest thing. Start with a short sentence that captures the reason why you're interested in studying the area you're applying for and that ...

You have likely come across this blog as a medical school personal statement on your to-do list. With just over 7500 UK medical school places available in 2023, there is no denying that the process is a highly competitive one.. When asked how to write a personal statement for medicine, one of the key pieces of advice we share is the word count.Why? This is probably the most important ...

This supports the government's plans to grow the multidisciplinary NHS workforce, as set out in the first-ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. This means recruiting and training more doctors, nurses, allied health and other professionals and ensuring every team member can contribute their skills, experience and education.

One-year waits reduce for patients as record demand for NHS emergency care continues. NHS staff are managing record demand across emergency care ahead of winter, with new data showing Type 1 A&Es and ambulance services experienced their busiest month this year in October. New data published today shows more than 2.2 million people attended A&Es ...

Ohio Election Results 2023 — live updates >> https://www.10tv.com/elections

*Reproduced from Brand et al. (2015), Learned Publishing 28(2), with permission of the authors. Sample CRediT author statement. Zhang San: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software Priya Singh.: Data curation, Writing- Original draft preparation.Wang Wu

But in a statement released on Friday, the prime minister said he had been "assured" by police that Remembrance services would be "safeguarded from any protests". Read the full statement here: 19: ...

8 November 2023. Dear Baroness Hollins. I want to first thank you and members of the Oversight Panel for your commitment to improving the lives of people with a learning disability and autistic ...

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NHS England. NHS long term workforce plan. 2023. https://tinyurl.com/muw8c9aw (accessed 3 October 2023)

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Creating an effective personal statement for RNAs

Director of Nurse Education, School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton

View articles · Email Jo

how long should an nhs personal statement be

Organisations are starting to redesign services to meet the changing health needs of the local community and align with the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan ( NHS England, 2023 ). These changes are creating new roles within a variety of settings, opening up the job market for the registered nursing associate (RNA). Applying for a new job can be a daunting and competitive process; standing out from the crowd is an essential criterion for success. When marketing yourself to potential employers, it is important to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills and attributes they require, to convince them that you are the best person for the job.

Do your research

In the first instance when considering a new job, it is important to be sure it is what you want and where you want to work. If it is with a new employer, do your research: find out about its values and culture. As a health or social care provider, review its most recent Care Quality Commission report; review the latest news and developments shared on both its website and social media platforms. This will not only give an insight into it as a potential employer but also help with tailoring your personal statement and preparing for interview. More specifically, when considering the role, consider the job description and the person specification – is it clear what the role involves and what skills are required to undertake the role?

Adverts often include a contact person for an informal discussion; this is a great opportunity to interview them as a potential employer and get answers to questions about the organisation or the role. As an RNA, enquire about RNA roles in other departments and see how the role is being used across the organisation; it may even be possible to speak with an RNA already in post.

Applying for a role

The application form will consist of standard questions on previous employment and education. It is the personal statement section that provides the opportunity to showcase your skills and experience and to explain why you are the best candidate for the role. It is important to keep it concise and focused on the requirements of the role and to highlight how your skills and experience match these requirements.

Throughout the personal statement, reference should be made to the requirements of the job description and the personal specification. Take words and phrases from these to make it easier for the employer to see clearly how you are demonstrating the requirements of the role. Highlight your achievements and provide examples of how you have added value to previous roles. Use specific, measurable examples that demonstrate your skills and experience.

When looking to demonstrate performance in relation to professional practice, reflect on your previous studies, current and previous practice and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of Proficiency for Nursing Associates ( NMC, 2018 ). By taking the time to reflect, you will naturally start to realise the skills and qualities you possess and identify examples that can be quoted to support a claim that you have the experience or skills required.

‘Examples of how you have used your teamwork and collaborative skills could include taking the lead in a project or activity, resolving conflicts, or encouraging others to achieve a common goal’

Demonstrate your skills

Some of the skills you will identify will be specific; for example, recording 12-lead ECGs if working in a cardiology department. However, other skills will be non-specific; these are equally important and often referred to as transferable skills.

Transferable skills are identified within the NMC standards for RNAs ( NMC, 2018 ) but can often be overlooked by people focusing on practical skills. The modern job market values individuals who can adapt to changing circumstances and continuously learn and develop. The journey from health or social care support worker to RNA will have supported this development. As an RNA, the journey through academia will have exposed you to various subjects, teaching methods, and learning environments, developing your ability to adapt and acquire transferable skills.

Whether through considering case studies, research projects or practical assignments, you will have encountered and resolved various challenges, therefore developing strong problem-solving abilities. Providing examples will demonstrate analytical thinking and the ability to consider creative solutions. These could include an instance where you identified a problem, developed a strategy, and implemented it effectively within your practice or your studies. Linked to this may be how you have honed your teamwork and collaborative skills through completing group projects on your academic journey.

Many job roles within health and social care require employees to work effectively in teams. Examples of how you have developed and used your teamwork and collaborative skills could include taking the lead in a project or activity, resolving conflicts, or encouraging others to achieve a common goal.

Demonstrating excellent organisational and time management skills will strengthen the examples of transferable skills already identified. During your studies, you would have balanced multiple assignments, exams, and extracurricular activities simultaneously. In addition, if you completed your Nursing Associate Foundation Degree as an apprentice you would have been working at the same time as studying. Ensure you identify instances where you have effectively managed your time and prioritised tasks to achieve desired outcomes. These examples will demonstrate your ability to meet deadlines and handle the demands of a professional role.

Underpinning all of this is demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively and professionally. Communication skills will clearly be shown through the personal statement, not only via the examples used for all the other transferable skills but also in the presentation of the personal statement. Ensure that what has been written is presented in a professional manner in the chosen writing style and terminology used, that there is clarity of thought and proofreading has been employed.

Submitting your application

The last stage in the application process is the submission of the application. Different organisations use different approaches to this, so ensure you have checked the closing date and time and that you have left yourself sufficient time to make the application. Make sure you keep a copy of what you have written; this will be useful when preparing for interview. Interviewers may want to explore the examples you have given with you, and it is helpful if you can remember what you wrote.

A strategic approach

Selling yourself via your application and, more specifically, your personal statement involves strategically highlighting the skills you have acquired through your academic and professional journey. Research the organisation and the role, communicate clearly, demonstrate problem-solving abilities, emphasise adaptability, showcase teamwork skills, discuss time management, and express your passion.

By effectively communicating how your values and skills align with the department's needs, you can leave a lasting impression and increase your chances of securing the job. Box 1 provides some top tips on writing your personal statement. Remember, an application is not just an assessment of your qualifications, it is also an opportunity to showcase your unique strengths and potential contribution.

Box 1.Personal statement top tips

  • Tailor your personal statement to the job description
  • Think about transferable skills, not just practical ones
  • Use active words to give impact
  • Give examples, not just sweeping statements
  • Highlight positive things that only you can bring
  • Proofread for errors, clarity and fluency

How to write a personal statement for a NHS assistant psychologist

By jayne thompson / in family.

A job as an assistant psychologist can be varied and rewarding.

A personal statement, sometimes called a profile or career summary, is the section at the top of your CV or a pro-forma job application which summarises your career skills and experience and sets out your ambitions for the future. It is a standard part of any National Health Service (NHS) application. The function of a personal statement is to enable a recruiter to quickly identify whether you are suitable for interview, so it needs to be punchy. If drafted carefully, a personal statement can give your application a dynamic impact.

  • A personal statement, sometimes called a profile or career summary, is the section at the top of your CV or a pro-forma job application which summarises your career skills and experience and sets out your ambitions for the future.

Get hold of the NHS assistant psychologist (AP) general person specification. This specification is common to all AP jobs across different specialities and sits alongside the job specification which differs between roles. Read the general person specification and spend some time covering off the requirements. That way you will have done a lot of the groundwork before you come to apply for specific roles. Refer to the Guide to Core Competencies published by The British Psychological Society (see Resources) for assistance.

Read the individual job specification carefully. The purpose of your personal statement is to describe how you meet the exact specifications of the job description. Describe how your skills and experience match each requirement.

Decide whether you are writing in the first or third person. There are no hard and fast rules about this and everyone has their own preference. Try writing your statement both ways to see what flows. Do not interchange the two.

  • Read the individual job specification carefully.
  • Try writing your statement both ways to see what flows.

Show, don't tell. Explicitly state your experience against each criteria in the job and person specification and then explain what you have learnt from your experience. Saying that you're "adaptable" is forgettable - describing a situation where you filled in a gap in a skill set at short notice is impressive. Phrases like "passionate about" and "interested in" are fluff. Chances are the recruiter will have read them a hundred times before and you don't have room to ramble.

Keep it short. While the NHS does not have a word limit on personal statements, other industries expect a good statement to have impact in just 200 words. NHS job specifications tend to be lengthy, and this requires a lengthier response, but you should still aim to deal with everything in a single page.

  • Explicitly state your experience against each criteria in the job and person specification and then explain what you have learnt from your experience.
  • NHS job specifications tend to be lengthy, and this requires a lengthier response, but you should still aim to deal with everything in a single page.

Proof read. It goes without saying that your spelling and grammar should be perfect. Your spell check should be in British (rather than US) English.

The personal statement is not just about previous employment experience. Include anything relevant, such as practical work you have undertaken, voluntary work, conferences you have attended, community events and articles you have read or contributed to.

Avoid tired phrases. It goes without saying that you're a good team player.

How to Write a National Honor Society (NHS) Essay

8 August 2023

last updated

The National Honor Society (NHS) is an American organization that offers students numerous academic and professional opportunities. To gain membership in this prestigious institution, young individuals write essays for consideration by the admission committee. In this case, writing a national honor society essay is an activity that allows students to make a case for why the committee should give them the NHS membership. To achieve this aim, applicants should satisfy the committee’s evaluation standards and expectations. In turn, these aspects include formatting, structuring, and composing the paper in line with academic standards, and ensuring the essay is free of any grammatical and other errors. Hence, students need to learn how to write a national honor society essay to provide well-organized academic papers.

General Guidelines for Writing a National Honor Society (NHS) Essay

Writing is an essential discipline that creates opportunities for students in various areas of professional endeavor. For example, writing is one of the essential requirements of getting admission to the National Honor Society (NHS). Ideally, students who wish to be affiliated with the organization write essays that, in essence, provide them with unlimited opportunities. Through these essays, the NHS chooses exceptional students – those who excel in social services, school activities, volunteering, scholarships, and internships, among other fields. Even without an excellent GPA (grade point average), a student can still write a national honor society essay and access unlimited opportunities. Hence, NHS essays allow students to demonstrate their personality and skillset.

How to write a national honor society essay

Definition of a National Honor Society Essay

A national honor society essay is an exercise that provides students with access to membership in a highly prestigious American organization. In particular, the essay’s primary purpose is to demonstrate to the admission committee that a student is fit to access advanced learning opportunities. Basically, the organization sets specific standards that help to evaluate the most exceptional membership candidates. Consequently, the organization spells out certain expectations for students writing an admission essay. In turn, one can argue that writing a national honor society essay is an activity that students undertake to increase their exposure to academic and professional opportunities.

Evaluation Standards

Evaluation standards that underscore an effective national honor society essay include formatting, structuring, and composing the NHS essay as per established standards; incorporating a personal anecdote in writing to demonstrate one’s achievements and capability and readiness to take up leadership roles; and capturing one’s ethical and moral commitments, as well as exceptional character traits.

Expectations

On expectations, the NHS requires a national honor society essay to exhibit an in-depth analysis of the subject matter through a critical examination of diverse points of view. In this case, students have to rely on scholarly texts, such as journal articles, to gather information. Then, another expectation is that NHS essays must be free of mistakes: spelling and grammatical errors and inconsistencies in arguments. Therefore, students should proofread their work and correct such mistakes before submitting academic papers to the admission committee.

Writing a National Honor Society (NHS) Essay: Step-by-Step Guide

Based on the preceding section, writing a national honor society essay requires a student to conduct in-depth research on the chosen topic. Basically, this aspect means using academic sources , such as online databases, to gather useful information for an essay. In this case, the use of scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles as sources of evidence is advisable. Then, brainstorming on relevant ideas helps identify good essay topics that writers can use for a discussion in their texts. Consequently, creating an essay outline enables students to organize their thoughts for a more comprehensive and understandable paper. Lastly, authors must proofread their works to make sure it is free of grammatical and other errors.

Step 1: Preparation

Preparation is the first step in writing a national honor society essay. Basically, it is the stage where students plan their work by defining the chosen topic and arranging their ideas with their audience in mind. In essence, writers use external credible sources to find the best topic, one that they can find information about through research. Deciding on the topic allows authors to brainstorm ideas that resonate with the target audience. In essence, preparing to write NHS essays is all about getting the topic that resonates with the target audience and ensuring that there is enough evidence to back up the writer’s claims and arguments.

Step 2: Setting Up

Set up is the second step in writing a national honor society essay. Here, writers use reliable sources identified through research, such as journal articles, to make notes and create an outline and an annotated bibliography, as applicable. Basically, note-making is about taking the information relevant to the topic and defining how it would advance the writer’s thesis statement . Moreover, the outline provides students with a plan on how to go about writing the essay. In other words, it gives the paper its structure. Regarding the outline, authors set out their introduction and highlight reasons for wanting to join the NHS membership. In turn, they discuss some of their accomplishments, such as social initiatives they have participated in, whether at school or in the community. Also, students explain why they think the NHS is good for them and why it inspires them.

Annotated Bibliography

While not many instances of academic writing require an annotated bibliography, students need to make one. Basically, an annotated bibliography serves to provide writers with a summary of sources that they would use or have used to gather the information that enriches their claims and arguments. Therefore, when writing a national honor society essay, students can prepare an annotated bibliography as an overview of arguments that they would make in their papers.

Step 4: Writing the First Draft of a National Honor Society Essay

Like in most academic texts, including theses and dissertations, writers must start with a first draft. Basically, this paper ensures that students have an opportunity to go through their work and make improvements. In this case, authors organize their thoughts to make papers have a logical flow of ideas. In turn, the most critical aspect of the draft is the definition of the thesis statement, which becomes the central argument that writers focus on in academic papers. Hence, every paragraph in the main text should use this statement as the referent point.

Step 5: Wrapping It Up

After completing the draft, students should take the time to go through it to ensure that it is free of mistakes. In writing academic texts, authors make various kinds of mistakes, including grammatical errors and inconsistencies in arguments. Basically, the former makes it harder for readers to understand the text, while the latter undermines the logical flow of the paper. In turn, both kinds of mistakes make academic papers unexciting to read, which can deny students to get their NHS membership. Therefore, authors of NHS essays must read through their drafts and revise documents to correct any mistakes.

Structure of a National Honor Society Essay

1. topic sentences.

When writing a national honor society essay, students should start every paragraph in the main text with a topic sentence, which draws the reader’s attention to the thesis statement. Basically, topic sentences serve as an introduction to the content of the paragraph, which should be focused on proving the thesis. What follows the topic sentence is evidence from an external source backing up the writer’s claim, which authors should cite in parentheses or the sentence. Then, the third element is an explanation, which means that students connect the claim made in the topic sentence with the evidence offered.

2. Concluding Sentences

Every paragraph in national honor society essays, like any other academic texts, should have a concluding sentence. Here, students should provide concluding thoughts about the content in the paragraph, linking the topic sentence with the thesis statement. More importantly, writers should prepare readers for the following paragraph by using a transition. In short, concluding sentences should create a logical flow of ideas or arguments from one paragraph to another.

3. Transition

Transition is the element that creates a logical flow of thought, ideas, and arguments in academic writing. Generally, writers should use transitionary words within the paragraph or in the concluding sentence of a paragraph. In turn, examples of transitionary words include: consequently, furthermore, hence, thus, equally important, moreover, and so on.

4. Peer Review

In academic essay writing, writers need to ensure their texts pass the test of credibility and reliability. Indeed, it is what qualifies them to be scholarly, academic texts. An example is journal articles. For an article to be published in a journal, it must undergo rigorous scrutiny to ensure it is of high quality. Then, what determines this quality is being free of grammatical errors and lacking inconsistencies in arguments. When writing a national honor society essay, students should give the first draft and even the final draft to a friend, instructor, or mentor to assess its quality. In turn, these individuals would help review academic papers for quality before submission to the admission committee.

4. Final Draft

As discussed previously, a student must start a national honor society essay by writing the first draft. Basically, it is only after submitting this draft to a rigorous review that a student should write the final draft. In essence, the final draft is a refined paper, usually free of grammatical mistakes and other errors, such as inconsistent opinions, claims, and ideas. Although the final draft should be an improved version of the first draft, a writer should reread it to be confident it is of high quality. After being satisfied with its quality, a student can submit this draft to the NHS admission committee.

Writing Each Part of a National Honor Society Essay

Generally, academic texts, including research essays, admission essays, theses, and dissertations, have structures that students should strictly observe. For essays, this structure involves having three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. In turn, research-themed papers, such as theses, usually have additional parts, such as abstracts, literature review , methodology, findings, and discussion. Therefore, when writing a national honor society essay, students should be keen to capture essential details in the introduction part, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

1. Introduction

The introduction part of a national honor society essay sets out the intent of the writer. Since the purpose of the essay is to convince the NHS admission committee of the suitability of the candidate for NHS membership, the introduction should be relevant, concise, and catchy. In this case, students should concisely state their primary reasons for wanting to become a member of the NHS community and mention the advantages that they bring to the table. Also, they should give their understanding of the NHS to indicate their interest and provide some excellent hooks to make the audience interested in reading the entire essay.

2. Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs provide authors of national honor society essays with an opportunity to tell their whole story to convince the admission committee on why they should be members of the organization. Basically, the story should be concise, meaning that the content should focus on why a student is best qualified to join the NHS membership. Moreover, writers can describe their recent activities to give the audience a clue about the advantages that they would bring to the organization. When giving this story, students should use a strict writing style. In other words, they follow the exemplary model of an academic paper by avoiding exaggerations. Nevertheless, authors should show some creativity in their writing, such as telling the audience how they can affect the present world. Also, the content should be of high quality, meaning that there are no grammatical errors.

3. Conclusion

While the introduction and body paragraphs are essential in laying out the case of why students want to become members of the NHS, the conclusion offers them an opportunity to make the final impression. Here, writers should not focus on giving the committee new information but on leaving the members with a positive impression, which is essential in persuading them to grant them NHS membership. In this case, students should make a brief statement as to how the organization would benefit from their membership. In general, authors should reiterate what they have already stated in the introduction and body paragraphs. For example, these elements include the purpose of the text, professional and personal skill set, leadership experience and qualities, and a call to action. In turn, the call to action is about asking the committee to consider students in their application and grant them NHS membership.

Techniques for an Effective NHS Essay

The focus of any admission essay is to convince the audience of the writer’s suitability for membership in the institution or organization. In this case, students must use a writing technique that makes their case strong. Regarding the national honor society essay, students should focus on satisfying the admission committee’s evaluation standards and expectations. Basically, the technique includes formatting, structuring, and composing the NHS essay as an academic text. To make essays more powerful, authors should provide a personal story in which they give the audience an insight into their strengths and weaknesses. Also, writers should use academic sources to back up their claims. In turn, it is essential to convince the audience that they take the matter seriously and research specific issues, including the NHS itself.

Major Mistakes and Problems in Writing a National Honor Society Essay

There are several mistakes that students make when writing a national honor society essay. For example, the first one involves neglecting a thesis statement. Basically, this statement is critical in shaping the writer’s arguments in the entire essay. Also, failing to state the thesis creates problems for authors. These problems include writing a directionless paper, thus complicating the reading experience. In turn, the best way to solve this problem is to capture the thesis statement in the introduction and make it catchy to make the audience interested in reading the entire essay. Besides, placing the thesis in the concluding sentence helps to blend the introduction with body paragraphs. Then, the second mistake that students make is writing an essay being too detailed with information and facts, which creates the problem of burdening the audience. As a result, the solution is to make the writing precise – stick to the thesis statement.

Example of Writing a National Honor Society Membership Essay

I. introduction sample of a national honor society essay.

Membership in a professional entity is essential in exposing individuals to numerous professional and personal opportunities. For a long time, I have desired to become a member of the National Honor Society (NHS). I have read so much about the entity and have come to learn that it was at the forefront of creating change in our present world. I am writing this essay to convince you of my desire to become a member of this prestigious organization. For me, joining the NHS membership is not only a destination but also the start of a journey to more excellent work that ultimately leads to personal and professional fulfillment.

II. Examples of Body Paragraphs for a National Honor Society Essay: The Case for Membership

A. description.

The National Honor Society (NHS) is an organization of great value and importance in society. I understand that it is an entity that helps students become agents of change in their communities in diverse areas, including taking care of children and senior citizens and giving voluntary service in non-profit organizations. In this case, I have always dreamed of being a member of the NHS because of my passion for helping people and making a change in my world. Since the organization exposes students to immense opportunities, I believe that being a member will provide me with access to opportunities that allow me to pursue and accomplish my passion. Moreover, I firmly believe that, as I pursue this passion, I will contribute positively to the organization by putting into use my professional and personal skillset. I am delighted that my tutors and select community leaders have chosen me to become a member of the NHS. Hence, I consider this gesture an honor that society has bestowed upon me, and I confirm my dedication and willingness to contribute to the community.

B. Strengths

In essence, becoming a member of the NHS is not a destination for me, Basically, it is the beginning of a challenging future. I perceive this future as a service to the community. In this case, I look forward to exploiting my skillset to attain specific goals. Moreover, my one short-term academic goal is to join an Ivy League higher learning institution, while my long-term goal is to become a political scientist. Then, creativity and keen observation are my greatest strengths, and I believe they are vital in developing a great political career. As a people-person, I consider myself easy to relate to, and I believe this to be an essential attribute in service delivery at NHS and my future career. I have a personal drive to succeed, and that is why I have always participated in various professional activities, such as essay writing competitions and competitive sports. My impressive GPA is a testament that I am self-driven and keen on excellence.

C. Weaknesses

However, I am also aware of my weaknesses. I tend to be too observant and committed to details. In particular, these habits tend to limit my viewpoint by making me too focused on perfection and failing to see opportunities. Therefore, I believe being a member of the NHS will expand my viewpoint and help me turn my weaknesses into strengths.

III. Conclusion Sample of a National Honor Society Essay

Joining the NHS membership has been a lifelong dream for me. Given the organization’s role in exposing students to numerous professional opportunities, I seek membership to exploit these opportunities. However, I come with the mentality that I should give and not just take. In this sense, the NHS membership is a platform for a more exceptional contribution to society.

Summing Up on How to Write a National Honor Society Essay

A national honor society essay is a critical tool for students wishing to become members of this prestigious organization. Like any other essay, students should write a national honor society essay by observing academic writing conventions. For greater effectiveness, the focus should be on the evaluation standards and committee expectations. Here, authors should pay attention to the paper’s format and structure. Doing so helps to compose a paper that meets the standard of an academic text. Also, students should also use external evidence to support claims, observations, and arguments.

In summary, students should master the following national honor society writing tips:

  • Start the essay by writing the first draft of a national honor society essay.
  • Create an outline to organize thoughts.
  • Be precise about the purpose of the essay by creating a thesis statement in the concluding sentence of the introduction part.
  • Give a clear picture of yourself, such as a high school student.
  • Talk about your professional and personal skill set, including personal attributes.
  • Highlight your scholarship achievements.
  • Indicate your short-term and long-term goals.
  • Include an introduction part where you mention reasons for wanting to become a member of the NHS. Include the significant advantages you bring to the table. Ensure the thesis is precise and catchy.
  • Include body paragraphs where you outline your short- and long-term academic goals. Here, students should give details of their scholarship, leadership qualities, and personal attributes. The focus should be on convincing the admission committee to grant the NHS membership.
  • Include the conclusion section to reiterate the purpose of the essay, the thesis statement, and all other essential details. In turn, the conclusion should be a summary of the content in the introduction and the body paragraphs. Also, ensure that the concluding remark leaves an impression on the audience.
  • Mention your weaknesses and state how being a member of the NHS would help you to turn them into strengths.

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Medicine Personal Statement

Get advice on your Medicine Personal Statement, including what to include, how to structure it, and how you can get help with this vital part of your application.

  • Learn what a Medicine Personal Statement is
  • Understand how long it needs to be
  • Find out what it should include
  • Discover how to structure your Personal Statement
  • Explore how to get help with it

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Your Personal Statement for Medicine is your chance to tell Medical Schools why you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor. With a successful Medicine Personal Statement, you’ll really stand out from the pool of other applicants.

What is a Medicine Personal Statement?

Your Personal Statement supports your UCAS Application. It’s designed to help Medical Schools choose the best candidates.

It gives you the chance to tell Admissions Tutors about the skills or qualities you have that are relevant to studying Medicine and being a Doctor – and write about your motivation to study Medicine .

Have a look at our Medicine Personal Statement examples from current Medical School students to get an understanding of the content and structure.

How Important Is It?

Medical Schools use Personal Statements in different ways.

You’ll find that some Medical Schools won’t pay much attention to it, while some will use it to shortlist candidates for interview . Some will also use it to form the basis of interview questions , so make sure your PS is interview-proof and doesn’t include anything you can’t justify or elaborate on.

If a Medical School is struggling to decide between two candidates, they may use the Personal Statement as a deciding factor.

You can learn more in our guide to how Medical Schools use your Personal Statement .

Make Sure You Stand Out

Get The Best Personal Statement Advice

How Long Should My Personal Statement Be?

Your Medicine Personal Statement needs to be 4,000 characters – which is around 500 words – over 47 lines.

What Should My Personal Statement Include?

Medicine Personal Statements should cover the following elements, so that Medical Schools can get to know you.

  • Motivation — Why do you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor?
  • Exploration — What have you done to learn about Medicine? For example: work experience , volunteering , wider reading or research
  • Suitability — Why are you a good fit for Medicine?

Reflection should be a big part of your PS. When you’re writing it, don’t just list your work experience placements, academic achievements and extracurricular activities — reflect on key learning points and link everything back to qualities that are important for Medicine.

For more specific advice about what to include when you’re applying for Graduate Entry Medicine, check out this blog .

What Should My Personal Statement NOT Include?

When you’re writing your Personal Statement, try to keep it concise and avoid unnecessary information. After all, you only have a limited number of words!

Some common PS mistakes include:

  • Giving a generic or clich éd reason for wanting to become a Doctor
  • Writing about what you did for work experience, without offering any reflections on what you actually learned from the experience
  • Claiming that you have a certain quality (e.g. empathy ) without backing it up
  • Listing all of the extracurricular activities you do, without mentioning the skills they helped you to develop which are relevant to Medicine

Of course, it’s also important to check your PS for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Get it checked by someone else for a second opinion too.

When Should I Start Writing My Personal Statement?

Personal Statements need to be submitted before the UCAS deadline, which is typically a date in October for Medicine.

Don’t leave it until the last minute! It’s a good idea to start working on it during the summer break – perhaps after you’ve got your UCAT out of the way. If you leave it all until September or October, remember that you’ll be writing it alongside A-Level work and BMAT revision if you’re planning to sit the BMAT.

Start by reading some Medicine Personal Statement examples for inspiration. Then note down everything you can think of to cover your Motivation, Exploration and Suitability for Medicine. Perhaps check this content plan with someone like a parent to see if you’ve missed out anything important. After you have a clear plan, you can start writing your first draft.

How Should I Structure My Personal Statement?

The structure of your Personal Statement is a matter of personal preference, but we advise you to follow a format that covers the following points:

  • Why you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor (Motivation)
  • Work experience and/or volunteering – and what you learned from it (Exploration)
  • Wider reading and study beyond your school curriculum (Exploration)
  • Skills from extracurricular activities which are relevant to a Doctor’s skill set, e.g. leadership skills, communication skills, teamwork, etc (Suitability)
  • Conclusion (Motivation)

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Make Your Application Amazing

What Is Changing In The Future?

UCAS has announced that Personal Statements will be changing in the future. To make the writing process more structured, there are plans to provide applicants with a series of questions to answer.

These questions have not been confirmed yet, but UCAS says they are likely to cover areas such as:

  • Motivation for the course
  • Preparation for the course through learning and through other experiences
  • Preparedness for student life
  • Preferred learning styles
  • Extenuating circumstances

According to UCAS, the changes will be introduced no earlier than 2024, for candidates applying for 2025 entry. Find out more here.

How Can I Get Help?

Getting feedback on your Personal Statement for Medical School is incredibly important.

You could ask a relative to read it, give you feedback on how it reads, and let you know if you’ve forgotten any big accomplishments that they can remember. Another option is to ask a friend or a teacher to have a read and tell you if it makes sense and gives a good impression.

You might also like to get professional help with your medical Personal Statement, since it’s such an important piece of writing.

Of course it’s important that you write it yourself, but getting advice and getting it reviewed can be incredibly beneficial. Some of the best options include:

  • Get a Personal Statement Review by an Admissions Tutor
  • Join a Personal Statement Workshop to get help crafting an excellent statement
  • Focus on one-to-one help with Personal Statement Tutoring for your Medical School application

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Frequently asked questions

How long is a personal statement.

The typical length of a personal statement for graduate school applications is between 500 and 1,000 words.

Different programs have different requirements, so always check if there’s a minimum or maximum length and stick to the guidelines. If there is no recommended word count, aim for no more than 1-2 pages.

Frequently asked questions: Graduate school

In the US, most graduate school applications require you to include:

  • Transcripts from previous educational institutions
  • Standardized test scores (such as the GRE or MCAT)
  • A graduate resume
  • 2–3 letters of recommendation
  • A statement of purpose

Some programs may ask you to write a personal statement in addition to, or instead of, a statement of purpose. You may also be asked to an interview .

Always carefully read the application instructions for the specific program you’re applying to.

Most medical school programs interview candidates, as do many (though not all) leading law and business schools.

In research programs, it depends—PhDs in business usually do, while those in economics normally do not, for example.

Some schools interview everyone, while others only interview their top candidates. Look at the websites of the schools you’re applying to for more information on whether they conduct interviews.

In addition to thinking about your answers for the most commonly asked grad school interview questions , you should reach out to former and current students to ask their advice on preparing and what sort of questions will be asked.

Look back through your resume and come up with anecdotes that you could use for common questions, particularly those that ask about obstacles that you overcame. If you’re applying for a research program, ensure that you can talk about the previous research experience you’ve had.

You should also read as much research in your field as possible. Research the faculty at the schools you’re applying to and read some of their papers. Come up with a few questions that you could ask them.

Graduate schools often ask questions about why you are interested in this particular program and what you will contribute.

Try to stay away from cliche answers like “this is a good program” or “I got good grades in undergrad” and focus instead on the unique strengths of the program or what you will bring to the table. Understand what the program is looking for and come up with anecdotes that demonstrate why you are a good fit for them.

Different types of programs may also focus on different questions:

  • Research programs will often ask what topics you’d like to research and who you would like to work with, as well as specific questions about your research background.
  • Medical schools are interested in your personal motivation, qualities such as integrity and empathy, and how you’d respond to common ethical dilemmas.
  • Business schools will focus on your past work experience and future career prospects, and may be particularly interested in any experience you have managing or working with others.

Some students apply to graduate school straight from undergrad, but it’s also common to go back to school later in life. The ideal time to do so depends on various financial, personal, and career considerations . Graduate school is a big commitment, so you should apply at a time when you can devote your full attention to it.

Your career path may also determine when you should apply. In some career fields, you can easily progress without a graduate degree, while in others—such as medicine, business, and law—it’s virtually impossible to move up the career ladder without a specific graduate degree.

Most graduate school applications for American graduate programs are due in December or January for a September start.

Some types of programs, especially law school, are rolling applications, meaning that the earlier you apply, the earlier you’ll hear back. In this case, you should aim to apply as early as possible to maximize your chances.

Medical school follows a completely separate timeline with much earlier deadlines. If you’re applying for medical school, you should speak to advisors at your university for more information.

A good starting point to aim for is about 18 months before you would start the program, or 6–9 months before the applications are due.

In the first few months of the process, research programs and study for any standardized exams you might need.

You can then begin writing your personal statements and statements of purpose , as well as contacting people to write your letters of recommendation . Ensure that you give recommenders plenty of time to complete their letters (ideally around 2–4 months).

In the US, the graduate school application process is similar whether you’re applying for a master’s or a PhD . Both require letters of recommendation , a statement of purpose or personal statement , a resume or CV , and transcripts. Programs in the US and Canada usually also require a certain type of standardized test—often the GRE.

Outside the US, PhD programs usually also require applicants to write a research proposal , because students are expected to begin dissertation research in the first year of their PhD.

A master’s degree usually has a higher upfront cost, but it also allows you to start earning a higher salary more quickly. The exact cost depends on the country and the school: private universities usually cost more than public ones, and European degrees usually cost less than North American ones. There are limited possibilities for financial aid.

PhDs often waive tuition fees and offer a living stipend in exchange for a teaching or research assistantship. However, they take many years to complete, during which time you earn very little.

This depends on the country. In the United States, you can generally go directly to a PhD  with only a bachelor’s degree, as a master’s program is included as part of the doctoral program.

Elsewhere, you generally need to graduate from a research-intensive master’s degree before continuing to the PhD.

This varies by country. In the United States, PhDs usually take between 5–7 years: 2 years of coursework followed by 3–5 years of independent research work to produce a dissertation.

In the rest of the world, students normally have a master’s degree before beginning the PhD, so they proceed directly to the research stage and complete a PhD in 3–5 years.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

It’s best to ask in person if possible, so first reach out and request a meeting to discuss your graduate school plans.

Let the potential recommender know which programs you’re applying to, and ask if they feel they can provide a strong letter of recommendation . A lukewarm recommendation can be the kiss of death for an application, so make sure your letter writers are enthusiastic about recommending you and your work!

Always remember to remain polite. Your recommenders are doing you a favor by taking the time to write a letter in support of your graduate school goals.

This depends on the program that you are applying for. Generally, for professional programs like business and policy school, you should ask managers who can speak to your future leadership potential and ability to succeed in your chosen career path.

However, in other graduate programs, you should mostly ask your former professors or research supervisors to write your recommendation letters , unless you have worked in a job that corresponds closely with your chosen field (e.g., as a full-time research assistant).

Choose people who know your work well and can speak to your ability to succeed in the program that you are applying to.

Remember, it is far more important to choose someone who knows you well than someone well-known. You may have taken classes with more prominent professors, but if they haven’t worked closely with you, they probably can’t write you a strong letter.

The sections in your graduate school resume depend on two things: your experience, and the focus of the program you’re applying to.

Always start with your education. If you have more than one degree, list the most recent one first.

The title and order of the other sections depend on what you want to emphasize. You might include things like:

  • Professional experience
  • Voluntary and extracurricular activities
  • Publications
  • Awards and honors
  • Skills and certifications

The resume should aim for a balance between two things: giving a snapshot of what you’ve done with your life so far, and showing that you’re a good candidate for graduate study.

A resume is typically shorter than a CV, giving only the most relevant professional and educational highlights.

An academic CV should give full details of your education and career, including lists of publications and presentations, certifications, memberships, grants, and research projects. Because it is more comprehensive, it’s acceptable for an academic CV to be many pages long.

Note that, outside of the US, resume and CV are often used interchangeably.

No, don’t include your high school courses and grades. The education section should only detail your college education.

If you want to discuss aspects of high school in your graduate school application, you can include this in your personal statement .

A resume for a graduate school application is typically no more than 1–2 pages long.

Note, however, that if you are asked to submit a CV (curriculum vitae), you should give comprehensive details of all your academic experience. An academic CV can be much longer than a normal resume.

Always carefully check the instructions and adhere to any length requirements for each application.

If you’re applying to multiple graduate school programs, you should tailor your personal statement to each application.

Some applications provide a prompt or question. In this case, you might have to write a new personal statement from scratch: the most important task is to respond to what you have been asked.

If there’s no prompt or guidelines, you can re-use the same idea for your personal statement – but change the details wherever relevant, making sure to emphasize why you’re applying to this specific program.

If the application also includes other essays, such as a statement of purpose , you might have to revise your personal statement to avoid repeating the same information.

A statement of purpose is usually more formal, focusing on your academic or professional goals. It shouldn’t include anything that isn’t directly relevant to the application.

A personal statement can often be more creative. It might tell a story that isn’t directly related to the application, but that shows something about your personality, values, and motivations.

However, both types of document have the same overall goal: to demonstrate your potential as a graduate student and s how why you’re a great match for the program.

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Scribbr specializes in editing study-related documents . We proofread:

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The Scribbr Citation Generator is developed using the open-source Citation Style Language (CSL) project and Frank Bennett’s citeproc-js . It’s the same technology used by dozens of other popular citation tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.

You can find all the citation styles and locales used in the Scribbr Citation Generator in our publicly accessible repository on Github .

What type of statement you'll get

Each year, you'll get either a Total Reward Statement (TRS) or an Annual Benefit Statement (ABS).

The type of statement you'll get is based on your circumstances.

What TRS is 

Total Reward Statements are available to NHS Pension Scheme members working in NHS organisations who use the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR).

What you'll get

A TRS summarises an individual employee’s employment package, including:

  • pensionable pay
  • estimated pension benefits

Some NHS organisations also provide other benefits included in the statement, such as:

  • health and wellbeing programmes
  • learning and development
  • flexible working opportunities
  • childcare vouchers
  • cycle to work schemes

How to access your statement

You'll be able to access your statement online using  Electronic Staff Record (ESR)  for organisations that use the facility.

Your current statement will only be available to view until the next data refresh. You should print or save a copy for your records.

You can get  help with accessing your statement via ESR Employee Self Service or contact your local ESR administrator for help.

What ABS is

Annual Benefit Statements (ABS) are available to NHS Pension Scheme members working in:

  • Direction Bodies
  • approved non-NHS organisations
  • smaller NHS organisations, such as GP practices
  • NHS organisations who do not use ESR

Annual Benefit Statements are also available to members who are not currently contributing to the NHS Pension Scheme or not working in the NHS but are entitled to benefits. These members are known as deferred members.

An ABS is different to a Total Reward Statement (TRS) because it does not include employment or local benefits information. ESR provides this additional information.

An ABS will still provide a pension statement for NHS Pension Scheme members and an estimate of your pension benefits. We base this estimate on information provided to NHS Pensions by your employer on or before 31 March each year.

It will include information such as:

  • estimated pension
  • estimated lump sum (if applicable)
  • estimated adult dependants pension
  • membership and pensionable pay as provided by your employer on each update
  • contributions
  • estimated death benefits
  • nominations

Statements will be accessible online via ESR . If your organisation doesn’t currently use ESR, or you used to use GOV.UK Verify to access your statement, you can contact us to get a copy of your statement:

Email:  [email protected]

Online: select service 'My NHS Pension' on our  online form

Statements are updated annually. The next update will take place in August 2023.

GOV.UK Verify has closed

GOV.UK Verify closed on 30 March 2023.

We'll be introducing new digital access to annual benefit statements to replace GOV.UK Verify. In the meantime, if you'd like to access your statement and you do not have access to ESR, get in touch using the contact details.

Statements are updated annually and the next update will take place in August 2023.

Additional information

Retirement age.

If you are a Scheme transition member and have Special Class or MHO status with entitlement to retire at age 55, this may not be shown on your ABS.

Your retirement age may show as 60 in the 1995 Section. It does not mean you have lost your status. The correct retirement age will be used when you retire.

Scheme pays

If you have an election for scheme pays then this deduction is not considered in your ABS.

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  • Visit our knowledge base

How Total Reward and Annual Benefit Statements are produced

  • TRS Timeline infographic (236.31kB)

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  • View our TRS videos on YouTube

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how long should an nhs personal statement be

  • Health and social care
  • Public health
  • Health protection
  • Immunisation
  • Childhood varicella vaccination programme: JCVI advice, 14 November 2023
  • Department of Health & Social Care

JCVI statement on a childhood varicella (chickenpox) vaccination programme

Published 14 November 2023

how long should an nhs personal statement be

© Crown copyright 2023

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-varicella-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-14-november-2023/jcvi-statement-on-a-childhood-varicella-chickenpox-vaccination-programme

Recommendation

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation ( JCVI ) recommends a universal varicella (chickenpox) vaccination programme should be introduced as part of the routine childhood schedule. This should be a 2-dose programme offering vaccination at 12 and 18 months of age using the combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccine.

As has been shown in other countries which include varicella in their routine vaccination schedule, a 2-dose schedule is predicted to decrease the number of cases of varicella seen in childhood rapidly and dramatically. The programme will prevent severe cases of varicella, and other serious complications of varicella, which while rare may have otherwise resulted in hospitalisation or other serious outcomes.

A catch-up programme should also be initiated following implementation of a programme to prevent a gap in immunity.

Background and epidemiology

The JCVI is an expert scientific advisory committee which advises the UK government on vaccination and immunisation matters.

Varicella (commonly known as chickenpox) is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. Infection is characterised by the presence of an itchy, spotty rash with spots appearing then blistering and scabbing over. Other typical symptoms of varicella that may appear one or two days before the rash develops, may include a fever, muscle aches and pains and generally feeling unwell.

Varicella is very common and affects most children during childhood, although it can be caught for the first time at any age. It’s transmitted through direct contact between people, or indirectly through airborne droplets. Most varicella cases in children are relatively mild and the illness resolves without any need for treatment from a medical professional, though most children are unwell for several days and will miss 5 or more days from school or nursery. Parents may have to take time off work to care for them. However, some children will go on to develop complications from varicella including bacterial infection of skin lesions (including group A streptococcus) and in rare cases, encephalitis, pneumonitis and stroke. These complications can result in hospitalisation and very rarely may result in death.

Varicella is often more serious in very young infants (under 4 weeks) and adults, in particular in pregnancy when it may cause complications in both the mother and the foetus, and in adults who are immunosuppressed.

Recent sero-epidemiology data from the UK Health Security Agency ( UKHSA ) indicates that approximately half of children have had varicella by the time they are 4 years old, rising to 90% by the time they are 10 years old ( UKHSA , unpublished). During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on social mixing led to fewer cases of varicella in younger age groups compared with before the pandemic, therefore leaving a larger pool of children susceptible to varicella.

Herpes zoster (commonly known as shingles) is caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus in a previously infected person, a risk because the virus remains dormant in the body following an initial varicella infection. People with herpes zoster can transmit the virus to susceptible people to cause chickenpox, but herpes zoster is not acquired from coming into contact with someone who has varicella. Herpes zoster is characterised by a blistered rash and pain. In some cases, this pain persists for more than 3 months, known as post-herpetic neuralgia. The severity of herpes zoster increases with age, with post-herpetic neuralgia rare under 55 years of age in otherwise healthy individuals.

The UK has had a universal shingles vaccination programme in place since 2013 in older adults. This programme was updated in September 2023 to use Shingrix® recombinant zoster vaccine, which is considered to be more effective than the live zoster vaccine (Zostavax®) previously used. The programme has also been expanded to include:

  • adults turning 65 years of age (from 1 September 2023)
  • those aged 70 (from their 70th birthday)
  • those aged over 50 years with a severely weakened immune system

As this programme rolls out over the next 10 years, the recombinant zoster vaccine eventually will become part of a routine programme offered to all adults aged 60 years.

Previous considerations

In 2009, the JCVI considered vaccination strategies for protection against varicella and herpes zoster and made recommendations based on the evidence at the time. The committee considered both the possibility of a combined varicella and herpes zoster vaccination programme, or a herpes zoster only programme.

The committee did not recommend that varicella vaccination should be implemented ( JCVI meeting minutes, October 2009). Cost-effectiveness modelling (Van Hoek and others) at the time indicated that a varicella vaccination programme could be cost-effective but only after a long period of time (80 to 100 years), and in the medium term (30 to 50 years) was not likely to be cost-effective. This was driven mainly by a predicted increase in cases of herpes zoster in middle-aged adults, who are not old enough to be vaccinated and rely on exposure to circulating varicella to maintain immunity (exogenous boosting).

The exogenous boosting hypothesis postulates that those who have previously had varicella have their immunity boosted by exposure to circulating varicella zoster virus, thereby inhibiting reactivation of the varicella virus and the development of herpes zoster. It was theorised that a varicella vaccine programme would prevent exogenous boosting by preventing cases of varicella, and that this would therefore lead to a significant increase in cases of herpes zoster in middle-aged adults as immunity would not be boosted. At the time of this analysis, it was thought that this effect on exogenous boosting could last for as much as 20 years.

At the time, the JCVI did recommend a herpes zoster vaccination programme should be implemented in older adults aged 70 to 79 years to prevent cases of shingles and its complications in this population.

It was agreed at the time that this recommendation should be reviewed when further information relating to varicella epidemiology, vaccination and exogenous boosting were available.

Updated evidence reviewed

The varicella zoster JCVI sub-committee met multiple times during 2022 and 2023 to review the updated evidence including:

  • varicella disease burden
  • potential impact on exogenous boosting
  • updated seroprevalence data
  • modelling cost-effectiveness and real world data from countries who have already implemented a programme

This was then discussed by the main JCVI committee in their October 2023 meeting.

Disease burden

A study was carried out by the University of Bristol to better capture the impact on quality of life for children hospitalised with varicella. This study also considered cases within the community and the impact on children and their caregivers (Marlow and others).

The true extent of hospitalisations caused by varicella is underestimated through routine data sources due to errors in coding. This is because hospitalisations are frequently due to secondary complications of varicella infection including cellulitis, invasive group A streptococcal infection or childhood stroke, and therefore are not always recorded as a hospital admission related to varicella. It was also thought that there may be other secondary complications from varicella infection which are not currently well understood or captured.

The community arm of the study estimated the quality adjusted life year ( QALY ) loss in cases which would not be captured in any medical datasets. Primary care datasets will capture those cases where medical attention has been sought (moderate cases). This study aimed to assess the impact of mild varicella on quality of life, healthcare use and the financial and health impact on the family unit.

Results from both the hospitalisation and community arms of the study were presented to the JCVI sub-committee and these findings were used to parameterise the model. The results from the community study estimated the mean QALY loss per case of varicella, as well as the average time off work for both primary and secondary caregivers and the days at nursery missed.

The hospital surveillance study identified all paediatric admissions over a given time period to assess the relative contribution of varicella among paediatric hospital admissions. The study concluded that complications from severe varicella were common, costly and placed a burden on health services. Uncomplicated varicella can also cause hospitalisation in very young children and those with underlying medical conditions (unpublished data, University of Bristol).

Real world experience

Varicella vaccination is included in the routine vaccine schedules of several countries either as a 2-dose or single-dose strategy including the USA, Canada, Australia and Germany. Countries that have introduced programmes have observed significant impact on cases of varicella and resulting hospitalisations. In countries introducing a 2-dose schedule, indirect effects on the younger cohort not eligible for vaccination have also been observed (Marin, Leung and others, Marin, Lopez and others, Wormsbecker and others, Waye and others, Sheel and others), with no evidence of a rebound in rates of infection among those missing out on vaccination following introduction of a programme.

A varicella vaccination programme was first introduced as a single-dose strategy in the USA in 1995 with a second dose added in 2007. In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) published data from the first 25 years of experience from this programme including the impact on herpes zoster cases (Journal of Infectious Diseases). Herpes zoster cases had been increasing in the USA prior to the implementation of a varicella vaccination programme and continued at the same rate once the programme was introduced but have now levelled off - the reason for this increasing trend was unclear. CDC has concluded that this data does not support predictions that the varicella vaccination programme would increase herpes zoster incidence (Leung and others).

The data from the USA was reviewed by the sub-committee and it was agreed that this should be incorporated into the modelling work, fitting the model to the USA data to investigate further the true extent of the potential effect of vaccination on exogenous boosting.

Cost-effectiveness modelling

The JCVI sub-committee reviewed and provided the input parameters for the modelling work carried out by the University of Cambridge (currently unpublished). Real world data from the USA had been applied to the transmission dynamic model. The updated model was then refitted to UK data including updated data on seroprevalence, quality of life impact and data on primary care consultations for chickenpox.

It was agreed that based on the updated real world data and study data on exogenous boosting, the previous assumptions on the duration of protection from herpes zoster though exogenous boosting (20 years) was too long. From reviewing the model which had been fitted to the new data, it was agreed that the duration was likely to be around 3 years, with sensitivity analysis using durations of 1 and 5 years included to account for uncertainty.

Unlike the previous model used in 2009, the updated model did not show a rebound of varicella cases following the initial sharp decline. This was considered to be due in part to the short period of time between the first and second dose, but also was consistent with data seen in countries which have implemented vaccination already.

Cost-effectiveness analysis showed that a routine childhood programme would be cost effective, and may be cost saving depending on the vaccine price obtained. The main driver of the cost-effectiveness analysis was the price of the vaccine, followed by the estimated QALY loss from varicella.

Vaccination programme

Vaccine to be used.

Varicella vaccination is available as a varicella-only product, or as a combination with measles, mumps and rubella ( MMR , as MMRV ). The proposed schedule is to give a dose at 12 and 18 months. As per the planned upcoming changes to the routine infant schedule , this would be at times already reserved for the MMR vaccine doses. 

Using the combined MMRV vaccine as a first dose has been associated with a slightly increased rate of febrile seizures when compared with using separate MMR and varicella vaccines at the same visit. This increased rate has not been observed when using the combined MMRV vaccine as a second dose.

Using a combined vaccine for both the first and second dose would mean that fewer injections would need to be given in a single immunisation visit. Previous attitudinal work has suggested that having fewer injections is preferred among parents, and a recent study (Sherman and others) among UK parents indicated that a combined varicella vaccine was preferred to separate vaccines.

Febrile seizures are usually benign and self limiting, and are unlikely to cause long-term effects or harm. Febrile seizures usually affect children aged between 6 months and 6 years old. Febrile seizures can occur as a result of infection including varicella but are also an established side effect of both the MMR and varicella vaccines. 

Although there is an increased risk of febrile seizures occurring when using the MMRV as the first dose, the absolute risk is very low. The CDC estimates that one additional febrile seizure is seen for every 2,300 doses given compared with using separate vaccines. The combined MMRV vaccine is offered as a first dose in other countries including the USA and Canada. The JCVI considered that this very small increased risk was not of clinical concern and that there was a considerable benefit from giving fewer injections across all eligible children.

It is the view of the committee that both doses given in the varicella programme should be as the combined MMRV vaccine.

Catch-up programme

The JCVI discussed the potential for a catch-up vaccination programme. Most countries following the implementation of a routine programme have offered some form of catch up.

Real world data from other countries has shown that implementation of a universal routine varicella vaccination programme leads to a significant and dramatic decrease in the number of cases seen. Due to the larger pool of varicella-susceptible children following the pandemic restrictions and, as vaccination is predicted to significantly decrease circulation of varicella, susceptible people may continue to be vulnerable to catching varicella as they head into adulthood. Therefore, the committee considered that it would be beneficial to ensure that a catch-up programme is implemented to prevent a gap in immunity.

Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of potential catch-up vaccination scenarios are underway. Initial findings suggest that a universal catch-up vaccination programme using a single dose of vaccine is likely to be cost-effective for children up to 5 years. Further work is needed to understand whether a targeted catch-up programme could be cost-effective for children ages 6 to 11 years.

JCVI meeting minutes 14 October 2009 (published on The National Archives). Accessed 27 October 2023.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases. The varicella vaccination program in the United States: 25 years of saving lives and preventing illness . 2022, volume 226, supplement 4, pages S375 to S477.

Leung J, Dooling K, Marin M and others. The impact of universal varicella vaccination on herpes zoster incidence in the United States: comparison of birth cohorts preceding and following varicella vaccination program launch . The Journal of Infectious Diseases (2022), volume 226, issue supplement 4, pages S470 to S477.

Marin M, Lopez AS, Melgar M and others. Decline in severe varicella disease during the United States varicella vaccination program: hospitalisations and deaths 1990 to 2019 . Journal of Infectious Diseases (2022), volume 226, issue supplement 4, pages S407 to S415.

Marin M, Leung J, Anderson TC and Lopez AS. Monitoring varicella vaccine impact on varicella incidence in the United States: surveillance challenges and changing epidemiology 1995 to 2019 . Journal of Infectious Diseases (2022), volume 226, issue supplement 4, pages S392 to S399.

Marlow R, Roderick M, Oliver J and others. Epidemiology of hospitalisations due to chickenpox and quality of life lost in community and hospital settings: protocol for a prospective cohort study across 2 countries . BMJ Open (2023), volume 13, e068611.

Sheel M, Beard F, Quinn H and others. Australian vaccine preventable disease epidemiological review series: varicella-zoster virus infections, 1998 to 2015 . Communicable Diseases Intelligence (2018), volume 42, e-publication.

Sherman SM, Lingley-Heath N, Lai J and others. Parental acceptance of and preferences for administration of routine varicella vaccination in the UK: a study to inform policy . Vaccine (2023) volume 41, pages 1438 to 1446.

Van Hoek AJ, Melegaro A, Zagheni E and others. Modelling the impact of a combined varicella and zoster vaccination programme on the epidemiology of varicella zoster virus in England . Vaccine (2011), volume 29, issue 13, pages 2411 to 2420.

Waye A, Jacobs P and Tan B. The impact of the universal infant varicella immunisation strategy on Canadian varicella-related hospitalisation rates . Vaccine (2013), volume 31, issue 42, pages 4744 to 4748.

Wormsbecker AE, Wang J, Rosella LC and others. Twenty years of medically-attended paediatric varicella and herpes zoster in Ontario Canada: a population-based study . PLOS One (2015), volume 10, issue 7, e0129483.

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Politics news - live: Chancellor says he 'wants to lower tax burden' as he prepares to deliver autumn statement

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt addresses reports of possible tax cuts, as he prepares to deliver his autumn statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday. You can watch the interview in the stream below.

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  • 'The tax burden is too high': Hunt tells Sky News 'everything is on the table' for autumn statement
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Thanks for following for a busy day of news from the heart of Westminster.

We'll be back from 6am with all the latest, but until then you can scroll through the stories below to catch up on politics with Sky News.

In January this year, Rishi Sunak made five pledges for voters to judge him on.

The prime minister could well be on track to meet at least one of them - halving inflation by the end of the year.

One thing to bear in mind is prior to him making the pledge to halve inflation, most economists predicted it would drop to 5% anyway. 

Sky News has developed a tool to track the government's progress in delivering these pledges - and you can see the progress for yourself below.

An MP found guilty of racial abuse has announced he will stand down at the next election.

Bob Stewart, who has represented the London constituency of Beckenham since 2010, revealed his decision in a brief statement on X, formerly Twitter, which made no reference to the recent court case.

Following his conviction, the 74-year-old surrendered the Conservative whip while he considered a possible appeal.

He currently sits as an independent MP in the House of Commons.

Mr Stewart said in a post on the social media platform: "Serving Beckenham as its member of Parliament for 13 years has been an honour and privilege.

"I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has given me this opportunity.

"However, it is time for a new candidate, so I will not be seeking re-election at the next election."

The geographical boundary of his Beckenham constituency is expected to be changed at the next general election following a review aimed at equalising population sizes across the seats at Westminster.

A new constituency of Beckenham and Penge has been proposed.

Earlier, Sky News spoke to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as he visited a synagogue in the wake of division in his party over the Israel-Gaza conflict.

See what he had to say in the clip below...

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators who have vandalised offices and sent threats to MPs have "crossed the line from protest to intimidation", Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has said.

The party has been split over its approach to the Israel-Hamas war, with a number of MPs calling for a ceasefire, while the leadership instead demands "humanitarian pauses" to get aid into Gaza.

The division came to a head on Wednesday, when 56 MPs rebelled against the party's position in the Commons to back an SNP amendment calling for an immediate ceasefire - including eight frontbenchers, who quit their posts as a result.

But speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said there still remained "great unity" on his benches as every member was doing "everything they can to alleviate the suffering we are seeing".

Read more from Sky News in the link below:

As Labour eyes a return to power 13 years on from when it last held office, speculation is growing about when the next general election could be.

Sir Keir Starmer - who has set his sights on two terms in office to "rebuild Britain" - revealed at his party's annual conference in Liverpool that he is preparing for a contest as soon as May.

But Rishi Sunak, who has spent recent weeks trying to reset his faltering premiership with major announcements on HS2 and net zero, has insisted a general election is "not something the country wants" at this moment.

UK general elections have to be held no more than five years apart, with the maximum term of a parliament five years from the day it first met.

The current parliament first met on 17 December 2019 and will automatically dissolve on 17 December 2024, with polling day expected to take place 25 days later (not counting any bank holidays or weekends).

This means the next election will take place by the end of January 2025 at the absolute latest.

You can read more from Sky News in the link below:

The experts at Sky's Data and Forensics team have updated our poll tracker with the latest surveys.

The tracker aggregates various surveys to give an indication of how the UK currently feels about different political parties.

Currently, Labour sits on an average of 44.9%, compared with the Tories on 24.8% - a roughly 20-point lead.

In third are the Lib Dems on 10.8%, followed by Reform on around 7.8% and the Greens on 6.2% - with the SNP on 3.3%.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker  here .

The government's Rwanda plan, devised to tackle illegal migration, has been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court, ending more than 18 months of legal battles in the UK.  

The prime minister has now hinted at a law change, telling MPs: "If it becomes clear that our domestic legal frameworks are still frustrating us... I am prepared to revisit them."

On this episode of the Sky News Daily , Jayne Secker sits in for Niall. She's joined by political editor Beth Rigby to unpick the fallout.  

Plus, Nicolas Rollason, the head of business immigration at Kingsley Napley, digs into the legal aspects of the case, and Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory, joins Jayne to discuss the policy implications.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Humza Yousaf has said he was not misled by Michael Matheson in the revelations over his iPad data roaming bill, but the minister "should have handled the situation better".

Scotland's first minister defended Mr Matheson as a "man of integrity" as a possible motion of no confidence in him looms at Holyrood.

Mr Matheson claims his teenage sons used data from his Holyrood-issued iPad to watch football matches while on holiday in Morocco, running up a roaming bill of almost £11,000.

Despite initially insisting the device was used for parliamentary work during the family trip in December and early January, he revealed he had recently discovered his family's involvement but did not initially disclose the information to "protect" his children.

In his personal statement to the Scottish Parliament, he said he informed the first minister of the truth on Tuesday.

Mr Yousaf today said: "There's a legitimate question that people have asked, and Michael addressed last week, around whether he at that point should have been upfront publicly around the fact that was the reason that he was choosing to repay the entire bill.

"He was trying to protect his children."

He continued: "For me, Michael - who I've known for well over 15 years - is a man of integrity, honesty."

Here's more from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who has been on a packed media round today.

He said lower taxes are "not going to happen overnight" as he spoke about working to lower the UK's tax burden.

Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Hunt added: "We want taxes to be lower, we will do so in a responsible way.

"I want to show people there's a path to lower taxes. But we also want to be honest with people. This is not going to happen overnight. It requires enormous discipline year in, year out.

"The difference between Conservatives and Labour is in 13 years under Labour, they put up taxes in every single budget.

"Conservatives cut taxes when we responsibly can."

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