Vanderbilt Fall 2010 ACNP

Published

Roll call!!

yes, keep it positive and you WILL do great!!!

did you guys do ATI? I used a saunders + their calendar to organize + LaCharity's Prioritization and Delegation- really felt prepared!

I am very excited- I am a RN now so next yr is prespecialty-little nervous about work+kids+ classes/workload- do you know if we have each class for the entire semester or are some only done during blocks? I'm coming for Aug block w another RN from NC, where should we stay?

You're from NC? ME, TOO! And I'll be coming over for blocks. The first block in August is (I believe) the same date for

everyone in 2nd year, but then they are all scattered around after that depending on specialty.

What part of NC you coming from?

Where to stay depends on a couple of things -- first, how much you want to spend and then second, how far from campus are you willing to be? After seeing the traffic around NVL, I want to be very close to campus. I plan to stay at either the Extended Stay America which is on West End (cheaper but the beds aren't at comfy) or The Hampton Inn on either Elliston or 21st (both are very close to VUSN). Hampton is more comfy and they have breakfast. Any of these have free parking. The Extended Stay is less than $100/night and The Hamptons are right around $130/night.

As for whether classes run the whole or only partial semester, you can tell by the course number. If the number is (for example) N 405 that class will run the whole semester. If it's N 405a it will run during the first part of semester; N 405b will run the second part of semester.

ATI is not used at Vandy. Instead we take HESI tests (you can find their info online at Elsevier). Since I'm not an RN yet, your tests may vary. We take one toward the end of each semester; the scores don't count into our grades but we must remediate if we don't meet a minimum score. Then we take an exit HESI at the end of the program (mine will be in about one month) and that one counts into our final semester grade. They are supposed to be indicative of how one will score on the NCLEX so, for you, there may be an entirely different system.

LaCharity is what we're using for a class I'm in right now. It's been a very eye-opening experience to work through some of those case studies; delegating is HARD for control freaks...many of whom just happen to go into nursing!

Let me know if you want to swap email addresses.

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Hello my future Vandy-ites! :D I'm putting out a call to yall for help in finding a good place to live. Have any of you found good apartments that are clean, affordable, and in a safe area of town? I have a very long list of properties, some of which I believe I will eliminate based on location (I've been told by a fellow alum of my college who currently lives in Nashville to steer clear of Antioch--high crime, not safe at night, etc.). I am looking for a studio or one-bedroom pet-friendly place for myself and my one (possibly soon to be two!) feline companions/ partners in crime :devil: I'm flying into ATL next month to meet up with my cousin; the two of us are then going to drive up to Nashville to look at apartments. Any input/ advice would be seriously appreciated! I'll feel soooo much more relaxed once I get a place to live and hammer out the financial aid stuff :eek:

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Hello my future Vandy-ites! :D I'm putting out a call to yall for help in finding a good place to live. Have any of you found good apartments that are clean, affordable, and in a safe area of town? I have a very long list of properties, some of which I believe I will eliminate based on location (I've been told by a fellow alum of my college who currently lives in Nashville to steer clear of Antioch--high crime, not safe at night, etc.). I am looking for a studio or one-bedroom pet-friendly place for myself and my one (possibly soon to be two!) feline companions/ partners in crime :devil: I'm flying into ATL next month to meet up with my cousin; the two of us are then going to drive up to Nashville to look at apartments. Any input/ advice would be seriously appreciated! I'll feel soooo much more relaxed once I get a place to live and hammer out the financial aid stuff :eek:

Hey, Meredith! How close to campus do you want to be? Do you want to drive every day from the outer limits of NVL (cheaper) or from in town (more expensive)? Or do you want to leave the car parked as much as possible and be within walking limits of VUSN and a couple of the hospitals where you're likely to have clinicals? Do you want to live in a "college-y" place with lots of young grad students or a place where you will find more diversity as far as age, occupation, etc.?

I can help you narrow down some areas if you've thought through those questions. I live in a place that is not geared toward students, in a very nice neighborhood (I was focused on safety), and an easy drive to the parking garage we can use on campus. I have friends who live within walking distance to campus. For me, I was pretty sure I didn't want to be walking anywhere for clinicals since we had to be there at 6:15 a.m. in the winter time and it was C-O-L-D here this past winter! Let me know your preferences and I'll be happy to help.

Most of the apartment complexes are pet-friendly, but it's going to cost you! It would've cost me $500 pet fee (read: nonrefundable) for my little 9 lb dog so I chose to leave him back at home. I think the charge for 2 pets would've been $750.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Meredith,

Me and DH found several pet-friendly apartments within a 15 minute drive to campus. If you are interested I will send you links/information. We looked at several apartment complexes but we ended up buying a townhouse in the Donelson area because it was a bigger house for less $$. We had originally thought we would live close to campus but after looking around the area, we decided to live a little bit out of the city.

Lisa

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Thanks for the replies! Since I've grown up in an area that required a 25 mile drive to school every day, I really don't see the driving thing as that big of an issue. I would prefer to be within 10-15 miles of campus, but a bit further out isn't really a problem. My critters are definitely a priority; I'm such an animal person to begin with, and since I am once again moving over 1,000 miles from home (hoorah!) it is important to me to have someone (furry and whiskered though they may be!) to come home to. I've noticed the pet fees can be high, but I'm totally willing to put forth the dough to bring them with me. My biggest concern is indeed safety--someplace a single gal like myself can feel totally comfortable living in and leaving my four-legged friends at during the day. I'm interested in any suggestions on apartment complexes you guys looked at. I don't really care too much about who is living around me, young, old, whatevs--so long as I don't get the stink-eye from my neighbors if I have friends over or (slightly) crank the stereo every now and then! :lol2: oh, p.s. I went nurse-shoe shopping today! That was an adventure, lol. Anyhow, let me know what yall think.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Cherry Creek Apartments Hermitage, TN - Apartments for Rent in Hermitage Tennessee

865 Bellevue Apartments in Nashville, TN

The Lexington in Nashville, TN

Here a few links...I have to look through my e-mail and find a few more. Happy apartment hunting!

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mammac-that is crazy!!!! I live in Charlotte! pm me our email! are you on facebook? what specialty are you?

meredith-I love my danskos with thin thorlo socks!

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mammac-that is crazy!!!! I live in Charlotte! pm me our email! are you on facebook? what specialty are you?

meredith-I love my danskos with thin thorlo socks!

Done. I pm'd you with my email addy.

Meredith - I wholeheartedly concur with celclt that Danskos R-O-C-K!

Just FYI - for Vanderbilt you will need white (read: UGLY) shoes for both your into clinical rotation, as well as your adult, peds, OB/GYN, and boot camp. You won't need them for psych, but you will want something close-toe and comfy. Did you get the letter yet about uniform requirements?

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Done. I pm'd you with my email addy.

Meredith - I wholeheartedly concur with celclt that Danskos R-O-C-K!

Just FYI - for Vanderbilt you will need white (read: UGLY) shoes for both your into clinical rotation, as well as your adult, peds, OB/GYN, and boot camp. You won't need them for psych, but you will want something close-toe and comfy. Did you get the letter yet about uniform requirements?

Yup got the letter this weekend. I have two different pairs of Nurse Mates, and one from Keen. I used to wear Dansko clogs all the time until their tendency to roll on me finally caused me to fall down the stairs in my garage a few years back and nearly snap/ severely sprain both ankles, on Christmas Eve no less. Those were promptly deposited in the trash with a few *choice* words of pain and frustration :lol2: I tried some different Danskos on this weekend (the mother parental unit forced me to!), but they weren't a good fit either. On the apartment front...I have appointments at several complexes in the Brentwood and Bellevue areas, and I am in the process of putting one unit on hold at the Lexington-- I'll see all next month when I come out there! Getting more and more nervous and excited every day :D How are y'all holding up?

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I live in the Nashville area as well and would be happy to help anyone with questions about where to live!! I also have my eyes on Danskos!!! My plan is to try them on and compare instore prices with online prices!

Mammac5, quick question(s), :) what kind of book bag would you recommend for lectures? I know we have to walk a couple blocks to and from the parking garage? Should we get one on wheels? Do we carry many books to class or leave them at home for reference? Would you suggest bringing a laptop? Thanks in advance!!!

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RE: Bookbags

There were a few times early on (prior to beginning hospital clinicals when we were just doing labs to learn basic basics) when we carried our clinical texts (HEAVY) but that was only one day a week for a few weeks. In addition, there is one class where we need to bring a small paperback text that we can use to work on open-book case studies - it's not heavy and I can put it into my purse.

So, normally we do not carry any books. Lots of people bring laptops and take notes on the powerpoint lecture slides that way; others print out the ppt lecture sheets and bring them to class to write on with highlighter/pen. Individual choice. I don't like carrying my laptop because it's heavy.

I don't use a book bag at all, per se. Just a totebag or extra-large purse for a pocket folder with notes and my ever-present calendar/datebook. And I carry snacks/lunch with me; there are fridges and microwaves for student use. There is a computer lab in the nursing school where you can go print out whatever ppt you need, you can check email, you can work on your own files from a thumbdrive, etc.

You will be walking from the 25th street garage to VUSN (which you can see on the campus map or Google), which usually takes me about 10 mins. There are tunnels which I used to use a lot in the winter time to be out of the wind for part of the walk. I only have seen one or two people on campus the entire year who used wheeled bookbags. Not really convenient since the auditorium would dictate your leaving it by the backdoor of the lecture hall (you wouldn't have access to all your stuff during class).

As for whether or not to bring you laptop, individual choice I'd say. I've brought mine a few times - frankly when we've had classes where I knew I would have time to do other things. I don't use mine to take notes, but I use printed ppt lectures and then write all over them and transcribe my notes later at home as a way of reinforcing the material. That's usually when I have my textbook open on the counter, too, to look up things that were unclear in lecture and to flesh out the information.

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WOW!!!! Thank you so much for your thorough response. That was really helpful in setting the stage for the year! You Rock!!!!!

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