Vandy's travel requirments?

[rse3]

Does anyone know about Vandy's "out of state" travel requirements? It mentions it several times on their website, and I'm wondering if these periods or travel are days? Weeks? Months? I love Nashville, and my family and I are willing to relocate there, but having a young family could make the travel requirements nearly impossible depending on length of time. Also, do you know if you have any say where you go? Thanks so much!

[queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I know a few Vanderbilt alums.

There are limited options for clinical sites in/near Nashville. So many SNMs have to relocate each semester to complete their clinical rotations. Sometimes (often) this is to another state.

Chapter 3 of the nurse-midwifery student handbook provides a pretty clear overview of clinical site selection.

http://www.nursing.vanderbilt.edu/msn/pdf/nmw_studenguide.pdf

[mamagui]

I read somewhere on AN that one Vandy student had to relocate to California for clinicals....

[pro-student]

At Vanderbilt they consider a "local" clinical site one within 3.5 hours of Nashville. Most clinical preceptors are alums so they expand the placement options as experienced alums become available. During the clinical placements away from Nashville there are weekly clinical conferences done via webcam. You also use a remote proctor device to take exams at home.

1st semester you only do a clinical day at the faculty practice.

2nd semester you'll have two 6 week placements at one of these "local" sites.

3rd semester you do 3-4 weeks of "boot camp" at the beginning of the summer and then might go anywhere in the country (or they have a site in Germany but only if someone requests to go there)

4th semester you do two weeks on campus at both the beginning and end of the semester, the rest you can be placed anywhere in the country

That being said, they ask for input from each student like if you have friends or family you could stay with near (with 3.5 hours) of one of there sites. They also try and give everyone a site in Nashville at least once but with the size of the program, I don't think that always happens.

It's a great program if you don't mind putting your life on hold until graduation. Best of luck in picking a program!

[heart_and_hands]

I'm totally available to move around the country for placements from a logistics perspective, but I'm wondering what the living arrangements are for off-site clinicals that aren't near a friend or family member. Do students sub-let apartments, or rent rooms from an alum, or... ? I'm especially curious about what students have done in the past if placed 3-4 hours away from Nashville. Would you keep an apartment in Nashville and then live near the site? I'm thinking about this from a financial point of view- I can't exactly afford to rent two apartments, and I'd like my partner to move to Nashville with me but I can't leave him stranded with paying for an apartment on his own while I rent out an extra apartment for my off-site placement. Any insight or experience with how this works?

[pro-student]

Housing is completely up to students. For the summer and second fall (integration) sites, students have mostly sublet or stay in an extended-stay hotel. For the days on campus in Nashville they are usually able to stay with other students or there is a hostel within walking distance of the nursing school.

As for finances, all I can say is that financial aid is available to cover modest living expenses. It certainly wouldn't be enough to maintain two residences but might help out. Unfortunately, the program isn't well suited for people who aren't independently mobile or wealthy enough to meet travel requirements.