Palliative Care NP program Vandy?

mammac5 · Apr 26, 2011

Mammac5, I did the GRE today. I totally bombed the math portion. I ran out of time on #24. I ended up with a 430 in Math, total 1000. I feel so sick I could vomit. I usually get As/B+s in math but I am usually one of the last to complete the test. I studied lots of geometry (I felt I had forgotten a lot of that) and verbal but guess I should of worked more on quadratic equations and the like. I did much better on the practice test and finished the math portion in time on the practice test. I think not finishing all of the ?s cost me a good 100 pts.
I have a good GPA, strong recommendations and I am CCRN certified. I think I did pretty well on the essays but time will tell. Do you think I still have a shot at being accepted? Do you think I need to retake the test?

I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't know. You could contact VUSN and see if they have a minimum score for entrance OR plan on taking it over. Surely you would do better on a 2nd try now that you know exactly what to expect. Sorry it didn't go well; I know you were nervous about it. Shake it off now that it's over and come up with a plan to move forward.

CCRNDiva, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2011

I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't know. You could contact VUSN and see if they have a minimum score for entrance OR plan on taking it over. Surely you would do better on a 2nd try now that you know exactly what to expect. Sorry it didn't go well; I know you were nervous about it. Shake it off now that it's over and come up with a plan to move forward.

Their website says they require a combined score of at least 1000 and 4.5 on the writing analysis. I don't know if I'll have time to retake it for Fall admission. They told me I was cutting it pretty close taking it this month. I would have to wait anothr month to retake the test. I do think I would do better on it though.

I'll try calling tomorrow. Thanks so much for the encouragement and advice.

Nole · Apr 26, 2011

Thanks for all the info Mammac5!! Was looking at the block schedules for this past year and wanted to know what CELA and Surrogate exams are? Are the observed head to toe assessments stressful?

Besides the GRE, I am most anxious about those exams. In my BSN program the instructors made it so stressful and almost unbearable. Its been 9years since but must have PTSD:)

mammac5 · Apr 27, 2011

CELA is the Center for Experiential Learning and Assessment which is located at the med school at Vandy. It's a lab set up with several fully-stocked exam rooms. The rooms have cameras so the exam is recorded for the instructors to use when evaluating the students...and then we get to watch our own as well.

Both the CELA head-to-toe assessment and the surrogate exams are done at that facility. The head-to-toe is just as it sounds...paid "patients" come in for an exam. Students get their med/surg history, family history, habits/risks, meds/allergies, etc. and then do a basic clothes-on exam. It's all written up and both the exam and the write up are graded.

The surrogate exam is NOT recorded! There is a company that supplies trained professional surrogates who teach us about and then allow us to perform exams on them...male genital and prostate exams and female pelvic and breast exams. Although it sounds creepy, it's actually very educational and really helps get you past those first exams and get more comfortable with the whole thing.

Is it stressful? Heck yeah! Not unbearably so, but stressful.