Furdiki Sherpa

Nursing, '16

Nursing, a time-consuming yet rewarding degree, taken on by dedicated individuals, is challenging enough in your native language. Furdiki Sherpa, a Nursing major and Health minor all the way from Nepal, has navigated her way through the nursing field and clinical studies all in a second language.

The decision to pursue a career in healthcare came easily to Sherpa, who would watch her aunt care for an uncle who dealt with multiple health issues while living in Nepal.

“I always wanted to help and make a difference in people's lives. After high school, I realized that nursing was my calling and in 2008, I came to Vermont from Nepal to pursue my career as a nurse,” said Sherpa.

After earning her LPN from Vermont Technical College in 2011 she moved her studies to Castleton in 2014 to achieve her RN.

“I knew nursing at Castleton would be a difficult and very time-consuming program, and it has been exactly like that,” she said. “I always strive for challenges, experiences, and new adventures in life, and coming to Castleton has been a great experience that has helped me grow personally and professionally.”

Castleton requires its nursing students to complete clinical hours at various health care sites, an experience that provided Sherpa the opportunity to work with different groups of patients. From pediatric, psych, geriatric, and the general population, she found hands-on work at facilities such as the Rutland Regional Medical Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock, and the University of Vermont Medical Center.

“My college experience in Vermont has been interesting and difficult mostly because English is my second language. Besides learning new nursing terms, I also had to learn English grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation,” explained Sherpa, “Also, learning about the culture of western medicine and the healthcare system in the U.S. was both challenging and rewarding to me.”