NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A set of triplets, who grew up in Nashville, return to the city after college all as nurses to begin their careers at Vanderbilt hospitals.
Setareh, Sousan and Sohayla Yazdani are 22 years old and said they have been best friends ever since they can remember.
The oldest, Sousan, explained they are "incredibly close."
"Ever since we were babies, and now it's nice that we get to keep staying close, and if you saw one of us you usually saw all of us. We were in the same friend group, we were very connected and we like to keep it that way," said Sousan.
The sisters told NewsChannel 5 they did most things together until they left for different colleges.
"I went to Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Setareh, she went to, she stayed here, she went to Belmont University here in Nashville. And then Sousan went up to University of Pittsburgh," explained Sohayla.
Even though they were apart, they all three said they were still very connected as they were all studying to be nurses.
"In high school, we were exposed to a few health classes, and we were NICU babies when we were born," explained Sousan, "So knowing that, how we had that history and hearing about [how] we were in a NICU, I always knew to be a NICU nurse... they decided to also choose nursing."
The sisters aspirations stayed high throughout their studies, so when it came time to apply for a nursing job, one hospital system stood above the rest in their minds.
"Being the youngest of a triplet I was always very sick, and I always had to come to Vanderbilt, to get care, especially special care. So I knew since I was younger that I wanted to be in the medical field but not until high school, when I had to come here more frequently, that I wanted to come to Vanderbilt," Setareh explained.
They said working in the same hospital was not the plan but in the end, it worked out better than they could have imagined.
"We've always kind of had our eyes on Vanderbilt so I think it was the end goal at that point we realized it and then we applied and got accepted," said Sohayla. "I think it was probably one of the most memorable things that we've had together."
The sisters began at Vanderbilt in the summer of 2021: Sousan as a NICU Nurse, Setareh as a Surgical ICU Nurse and Sohayla as a COVID Unit Nurse.
Not only was working together not the plan but neither was starting the long-hour job amid a pandemic, where they are each working three 12-hour shifts a week.
"Jumping into it now as a nurse, it's scary. But after being here for a couple months and stuff, I've seen that like, I've had so much support [from the staff and my sisters]," explained Sohayla.
Each of the nurses explained even though they recently started, the job has not been easy but being able to relate with each other has carried them through.
Setareh said, "I'm really glad to work at Vanderbilt and I'm glad to be here, especially with my sisters, where it's a very tough profession here, but we're all together in it so we got it."
Among the hospital staff at Vanderbilt, the sisters say many have been surprised to learn of their connection.
"Whenever I tell people that we're triplets, they'll always be surprised and then I'll tell them we're nurses and then they'll be even more surprised," Setareh smiled and said.
The sisters explained they often are mixed up among hospital staff, especially in the era of wearing masks.
"I feel kind of proud saying that I'm a triplet in a way and that my sisters and I, we’re all nurses and stuff like, we worked really hard to get where we are," said Sohayla. "We couldn't have done it without each other."
