Dickinson State University Student Nurse of Year to pursue career in geriatrics

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International student Namrata Luitel, 23, of Nepal was recently selected as the Dickinson State University 2012 Student Nurse of the Year.

“I’ve been motivated in nursing since the fourth or fifth grade,” Luitel said. “I started learning about Mother Theresa and what she did. I wanted to do something like that.”

A native of Kathmandu, Luitel attended a school where the curriculum was taught in English. She went on to study nursing three years in Nepal, and received a diploma in nursing. She worked as a staff nurse in a medical oncology unit.

Luitel learned about the DSU nursing program from her brother, Binaya, who was a student here.

“Starting as a freshman, they really encouraged me, and that encouraged me to do better,” Luitel said.

As a junior nursing student, Luitel works as a charge nurse at St. Benedict’s Health Center in Dickinson.

“I supervise the certified nursing assistants and carry out the orders of the physicians,” she said.

After graduation from DSU, Luitel plans to attend graduate school, pursuing a degree in geriatric nursing.

Luitel credits her grandmother for her interest in a geriatrics career.

Returning to Nepal, she wants to improve the care provided to the elderly.

“Even while my grandmother got good care, I felt something was missing,” she said.

Selection of the Student Nurse of the Year starts with the DSU nursing faculty. The faculty nominates six sophomore or junior nursing students involved in the Nursing Students Association of North Dakota, said Joanne Lindemann, assistant professor of nursing and NSA advisor.

The NSA members narrow the search to three candidates, who are interviewed by three judges. The winner is selected by the judge’s panel after the interviews are completed, she said.

The state Nurse of the Year will be announced Feb. 2 during a conference in Fargo.

Tags: lifestyle, dickinson, local, nursing, nepal