mbw5680

Hello, I am also a May 2009 grad who's applied to the VA in Nashville. I have talked to nurses who worked at the VA in Nashville and in Denver and they love it, and they both said new grads starrt at $19-23/hour, depending. My question is: How long is "awhile" for the application process to take? The VA in Nashville told me not to apply until close to graduation, so I'm worried that I might not get hired for months. Anyone willing to share how long they had to wait to get an interview, etc? Thanks!

Nashville is LEAN right now. We are all struggling to find jobs (stupid economy!) We have a professor who is very knowledgeable about the job market nationally, and she tells us that things look tough all over. My hometown of Denver, CO is hiring big time though, if you're willing to go that far!

I have to add to Sunshine1879, I am also a new May grad, and yes, there is a dearth of jobs right now. Centennial and Vanderbilt are done hiring their new grads for the summer, and St. Thomas has only posted a few possibilities. I'm waiting to hear back from the VA, so if they're hiring I'll pass it on!

Just to add to the rumor mill--a classmate of mine works at Vanderbilt as well, and informed me that all the nurses there just got a $3/hr raise, so starting pay would be $20.50. Vandy does have lots of fringe benefits and is a great place to work for (my husband works there doing medical research.) Big downside--PARKING! You will have to park at a garage (pay for a pass) and walk to the hospital, which can take 10-15 minutes. It's not like most hospitals where you park and walk in.

I didn't see where in TN you are. If you're in the nashville area, Belmont U has an accelerated program. It's one year + one semester, and you take classes in the summer. They only accept students for the accelerated program in the Fall. Belmont has a 100% NCLEX pass rate, I highly recommend it! (http://www.belmont.edu)

Hey everyone, Here's some more news about credits being transferred. The school I'm going to in Tennessee (I just found out today that I was accepted!) lauded DSN as a "great school" and said they'd probably take most credits. The ones they had special conditions for were: Patho and Pharm--if you get a "C" you have to retake it, and if you get a "B" you have to audit (which I'm doing), if you get an "A" it's recommended you audit. Fundamentals of Nursing--since our school doesn't have a clinical portion, they're having me take just that portion of the class for a grade. They gave me the option of auditing the class/lecture portion, which I'll probably do if my schedule allows. Oh, and for those who don't know--auditing is MUCH easier than taking the class. You show up and take notes, but you are not graded. You don't take tests, you don't have to pay for the class (or you pay a lower fee.) It's just a low-stress way to review if you have the time. Hope that helps with the accerditation issue. Belmont wasn't interested in that aspect, they just wanted copies of my class syllabi to see what was covered, and which Steve readily provided (thank you!)

As a Colorado native, I should warn you that all the ski towns have a fairly high cost of living. Avoid Aspen, it's the worst, because that's where all the celebs go. Lots of people live in Golden, which is in the foothills.

I think they just started. My class was the first "added" class, and that was in Oct. DSN decided not to have an LPN program, and to focus on the RN and BSN programs instead.

Since their enrollment is always open, the waitlist is per semester. I was #34 on the list and got in that semester. DSN does not have more than a 3-6 month wait at most, and probably not even that since they're enrolling 4X a year.

Er..um...I'm not sure. I had some pre-reqs that were being completed that semester. I would e-mail Jeff Johnson ([email protected]) and ask, or call him. He's the director of admissions there.

DSN doesn't have enrollment deadlines per se. You apply for the quarter you want, and if it's full (and you don't make it off the waitlist), you'll be automatically enrolled in the following quarter. At least, that's how it worked when I applied.

DSN has open enrollment, so it's more of a waitlist thing. If you'd applied now, they'd probably stick you on the waitlist for Oct (but maybe not if the class isn't full), and then if you didn't get in, you'd automatically be enrolled the following quarter. DSN accepts students Jan, April, July, Oct, I think.

Emily Griffith has a 1 year program, and I think you can take all your pre-reqs through them (there's about one semester's worth.) My mother did the program with SIX children at home, and she said it was managable.

When a school is in the process of accreditation, they are not allowed to publish the status (it's dumb, but those are the rules. They're REALLY not allowed to talk about it.) The school is only two years old (their first graduating BSN class was June 2006), so it's probably not going to be until 2007 or 2008. As for the 69% pass rate--that is only the first time they take it. I'm sure lots of people retook the NCLEX and have passed the second time. Also, the school is revamped a lot of classes (added an IV class, etc.) They have another graduating class Oct 2006, so hopefully those numbers will go up next time. Finally, remember that accreditation is not the be-all-end-all of class transferring. I spoke with Belmont University (in Nashville, where I'll be moving to), and they told me that they'd evaluate credits from DSN the way they would from any other nursing school. If you have student loans you want to defer, Nelnet won't let you and Direct Loans will (I just found this out. )

The first semester was very tough. Again, I would encourage my classmates to post and discuss later quarters and their experiences. The waitlist is very short--DSN now is enrolled BSN students four times a year, so if you don't get in the quarter you want, you'll get in the next quarter. I would highly recommend e-mailing the school and asking them if they think that's going to change. (And mention my name--Mary West--'cause if you enroll I get a referral bonus. ) Jeff(head of admissions) said when the school becomes eligible for financial aid, the waitling list will get much longer. I'd see how early you can get on the list. Are you sure you want to move back here? There is at least a foot of snow outside my house right now!!