How is Vanderbilt's WHNP/ANP?

danceluver · Jun 3, 2012

would love to join this discussion as well! Anything you have learned about it OP?

mammac5 · Jun 4, 2012

I completed the ANP at Vanderbilt and one of my best friends did WHNP/ANP dual program. I feel like I can speak for her that she felt very prepared on the WHNP side, maybe not quite as prepared in ANP - but easily passed both certification exams. She had some outstanding clinical sites for WHNP and did not have great experiences in her ANP sites, which is likely what made her feel she might not be ready for certification, but she did fine.

She is now working in a women's clinic, which is exactly the position she wanted when she originally decided to go back to school. She's loving it and doing great.

As for professors...that's a lot like clinical sites. Hit or miss. Some instructors you're going to connect with, others you will endure. I will say that all the Vanderbilt professors are imminently qualified and experienced in their fields. You may like them or not, but they KNOW what they're teaching.

As for employment, my friend graduated in December and started her dream job ~March. I graduated in August and had a great ANP job by October.

danceluver · Jun 4, 2012

@mammac5: Where did you get placed for your ANP clinicals? What types of sites? Is it feasible to be able to use both in the real world to maintain both certifications? Thanks!

What sort of clinical WHNP setting is your friend working in if i may ask?

mammac5 · Jun 5, 2012

I arranged all my own clinicals since I was living away from Nashville at that point. Those living in the Nashville area will have clinical sites arranged by the school of nursing. I had friends who remained in Nashville for clinicals - some drove very long distances for one rotation but then would be placed closer to home for the others so that they weren't overly burdened. The clinical sites VUSN works with are within a 2-hr drive from metro Nashville; some people never drove that far to a site. A couple of my friends found places to stay close to their clinical sites for 3 or 4 nights/week and then returned to their own homes on the weekends.

My WHNP/ANP friend is working in a setting where she treats only females and mostly only for reproductive-type issues. Since she is both WHNP/ANP she can treat the entire woman; WHNP focuses largely on reproductive, hormonal, breast disease, etc., while ANP gives her the ability to diagnose and treat acute and chronic illnesses that have nothing to do with reproduction. And she can treat males as well, of course.

TNnursehopeful · Jun 6, 2012

@mammac5 Thanks for the information! It was encouraging to hear :) I also wonder if it is really possible to use both certifications in the real world. Do you think having the dual certification (as opposed to just ANP or just WHNP) helps in finding employment and landing a job? Also, have you found any loan repayment? Vanderbilt is obviously expensive and I am prepared to spend many years paying off loans.