Nursing Program Alum Encourages Latest Cohort

Swosthani Paudyal was quick to express confidence that each would succeed.

Paudyal, who completed the MSN program in December, gave a brief keynote address to the latest cohort of students during the School of Nursing’s White Coat ceremony March 7 at the Farragut Inn Ballroom on campus.

Paudyal says she enjoyed the event and her return to campus, although she admits to being a bit nervous since it was her first time speaking to a larger audience.

Return to Touro’s Mare Island Campus

“I was honored to be part of the White Coat ceremony,” she says. “It was amazing.”

Paudyal encouraged members of the cohort to embrace the challenges they’ll encounter during the program: courses that are presented in a fast-paced environment, the expected stress that comes from the rigor of the curriculum, and the challenge of completing top-notch quality improvement projects.

She urged the assembled MSN students to collaborate, to learn from one another, and to “cherish the wealth of knowledge that comes from this shared experience.”

“Never underestimate the power of resilience. Nursing is not just a profession: It’s a calling that demands persistence in the face of adversity,” she says. “There will be moments of doubt and exhaustion, but it is precisely in those moments that you’ll discover the strength within yourself that you never knew existed.”

Paudyal encouraged members of the current MSN cohort to connect frequently with their professors, preceptors, and clinical advisers, who she described as “the main resources for your clinical practice and QI project.”

“Embrace this journey with an open heart and a hungry mind. Believe in yourself – I believe in you!” Paudyal says. “I was once sitting where you are today, but here I am, standing in front of you as a proud nurse and TUC graduate.”

Ceremony Includes Family as Part of Educational Milestone

The White Coat ceremony serves as a celebration of the two dozen-plus program participants and the family members and friends who support the students throughout the course of the Master’s degree program.

Those present to mark the milestone included University officials Dr. Tami Hendriksz, Interim Chief Academic Officer and Dean and CAO of the College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO Class of 2006); Newman Hoffman, Interim CEO of the University; Dr. Lisa May Norton, Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences, which is home to the School of Nursing; Dr. Prabjot “Jodie” Sandhu, Assistant Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences and Director of the School of Nursing; and Rabbi Elchonon Tenenbaum, who leads the Office of Student Jewish Life on campus.

“You are now part of a community dedicated to excellence, compassion, and innovation,” Paudyal says of the nursing program. “Your impact on the world of health care starts now.”

Program Alumnae Jennifer Veler (MSN Class of 2019) and Vivian Chu (MSN Class of 2020) invited the current cohort to consider joining the local Sigma nursing honors society, which encompasses the greater Solano County area and is based at Touro University California.

Paudyal serves as a nurse at NorthBay Health’s NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield. She previously served with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Vacaville.

She also served as the student speaker for the School of Nursing during Commencement for the College of Education and Health Sciences on May 21 in Sacramento.