Vanderbilt MSN 2018

Published

Hi! I'm starting a thread for Vanderbilt MSN Fall 2018. Anyone else applying too? Please comment!

no interviews except psych and midwifery

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Congratulations on completing your interviews!

I just got an email asking me to choose a time to interview for the PNP primary care specialty! I'm shocked and excited! What sorts of questions did you ask faculty in your interviews? I attended the most recent open house and feel like I gained a good understanding of the program through that experience.

My interview was confirmed for next Wednesday. Good vibes to all!

These are some of the questions that I asked, but keep in mind some of these are specific to my chosen specialty (CNM/FNP) and the things that were important to me as an applicant that I wanted to know when deciding on which school I want to attend if I were to be granted admission:

1) How is the progress on the new nursing building?

2) I asked about STEPP and VPIL

3) Why CNM/FNP and not CNM/WHNP since it would seem a more logical choice as a dual specialty?

4) Diversity questions, racist flyers by a white supremacist group were distributed on campus at the end of Oct 2017. As a minority student and male person of color (POC) how is diversity on campus and what is the impact on student life for students like me? As a minority/POC student midwife that has the possibility of being sent to OTA for clinicals and practicum how will this impact my education, will the population that I will be serving be receptive? Will I have a say on where I am sent for clinicals?

5) The current discussion with regards to the removal of gendered terms within the midwifery sphere and replacing them with more inclusive terms for those individuals who are non-binary. What are your thoughts as a professor and midwife? How does Vanderbilt as an institution and the SON feel about the elimination of gendered terms in the midwifery practice?

6) How many male midwives have graduated from your program? How many male applicants to the midwifery specialty have applied and/or accepted in the last few years?

I had others questions on top of the ones above but these were the primary questions that were important to me to ask before deciding where I want to attend graduate school.

Hope that helps!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Tango, love love love your questions! So important. I hope we're in a cohort together!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Anyone who applied to AGACNP heard any updates?

Pre-specialty AGACNP applicant here. No update, just the email that said my application was under faculty review. Fingers crossed!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Tango, love love love your questions! So important. I hope we're in a cohort together!

Thanks @Moonpom! I hope we are in a cohort together as well. Where else did you apply besides Vandy?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Tango - Vanderbilt, Yale, Boston and MGH are where I've applied - my background is Interdisciplinary Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies, so you're speaking my language in your previous post. I felt really great about my interview, but I wish I had asked more questions after reading your fabulous ones; I asked about whether we would be learning to do early aspiration abortions, because it's really important for me to serve people with the full spectrum of reproductive health needs and basically we will be learning didactically and it's up to our clinical experience to allow us more in terms of actual practice. Vanderbilt is where I want to be for many reasons, and I am very interested and concerned reading about the racist incidents. But also makes me know that people with our analysis are needed there even more. I am really excited at being exposed to midwives who identify as men, and the implications of that positionality for gender non conforming folks and transmen birthing experience, and how that midwife could be so meaningful for folks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Tango - Vanderbilt, Yale, Boston and MGH are where I've applied - my background is Interdisciplinary Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies, so you're speaking my language in your previous post. I felt really great about my interview, but I wish I had asked more questions after reading your fabulous ones; I asked about whether we would be learning to do early aspiration abortions, because it's really important for me to serve people with the full spectrum of reproductive health needs and basically we will be learning didactically and it's up to our clinical experience to allow us more in terms of actual practice. Vanderbilt is where I want to be for many reasons, and I am very interested and concerned reading about the racist incidents. But also makes me know that people with our analysis are needed there even more. I am really excited at being exposed to midwives who identify as men, and the implications of that positionality for gender non conforming folks and transmen birthing experience, and how that midwife could be so meaningful for folks.

That is wonderful! I asked a similar question to your question about hands on learning that I didn't include in my original post but it is also important to me to have practical skills to provide a full spectrum service to my patients which you put so eloquently above. So to add to your list (and to provide addition colour to other midwives and future posters on this thread) and this was confirmed by my interviewer, we follow the ACNE core curriculum for midwives so we will be learning how to provide pap smears, IUD insertion and nexplanon services as well. I didn't ask about abortion so I'm glad you did. So we will learn about abortions and how to provide such a service? Unfortunately, we don't get to learn how to conduct sonograms or how to read them but UPenn does in their curriculum. Vandy said if we wanted to learn it is a seperate certification that we will have to learn and obtain on our own. I actually wished they included that in their curriculum even though I know from reading research it is best to keep sonogram readings to a minimum but that time between patient and provider is a good time to discuss her health history and develop a rapport with the birthing patient which I don't want to give up to a sonogram tech.

If you don't mind my asking, is there a reason you didn't apply to UCSF? Looking at what you have written, UCSF would have been a good match as a school for you as a provider given your area of interest?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Unfortunately, I am graduating with my Bachelor's degree next week, and UCSF requires that you have a bachelor's degree before application : \ I am 33, and I am ready to practice and I did not want to wait another year to apply/start my graduate studies. But I have stepkids in the midwest and so my goal has always been to get closer to them. Nashville is directly in between the kids, so location wise and beyond, it is perfect for me. Yes, I definitely wish the sonogram component was included! Basically what was shared is that we will be taught about early aspirations, but will not have the hands on training provided directly from Vanderbilt, but I plan to seek out facilities that will allow that training. I will get it one way or another! Rural healthcare is where my background and experience is grounded in (I ran a rural reproductive health clinic for a decade before returning to school for my undergrad degree) and the full spectrum of services is necessary for the work, IMO.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Unfortunately, I am graduating with my Bachelor's degree next week, and UCSF requires that you have a bachelor's degree before application : \ I am 33, and I am ready to practice and I did not want to wait another year to apply/start my graduate studies. But I have stepkids in the midwest and so my goal has always been to get closer to them. Nashville is directly in between the kids, so location wise and beyond, it is perfect for me. Yes, I definitely wish the sonogram component was included! Basically what was shared is that we will be taught about early aspirations, but will not have the hands on training provided directly from Vanderbilt, but I plan to seek out facilities that will allow that training. I will get it one way or another! Rural healthcare is where my background and experience is grounded in (I ran a rural reproductive health clinic for a decade before returning to school for my undergrad degree) and the full spectrum of services is necessary for the work, IMO.

Congratulations Moon! It is always a big deal to obtain a degree. Thank you for the information with regards to the aspirations. Will keep it in mind when it comes time to select places for clinicals. We definitely need more providers in rural areas, the majority are currently underserved if I remember my stats correctly.

Darn, I was hoping that you also applied to UCSF as well. UCSF is one of the schools that I applied to which is why I thought of you when you talked about where your interests lie and what your degree is in. But I understanding wanting to be closer to your family. I also applied to Yale as well; I think I saw you on a few of the threads.

I feel you on wanting to start to practice. I have spent almost 3 years as a doula and I am eager to get started on the road to becoming a midwife and NP.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.

@Moon, I hope you also read about the Shade Tree Clinic and STEPP as well? It purely voluntary clinic run by students with a experienced MD or NM attending but if I am accepted and decide to attend Vanderbilt, I am definitely going to try and be in the clinic as much as possible as time allows to be able to learn within the clinic setting and work collaboratively with other providers.

Shade Tree and STEPP is one of the reasons why I decided to apply to the program because of the hands on component provided by the clinic. I am very excited about it. They also have a volunteer doula program as well which is why Vandy is high on my list of schools that I would like to attend.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I just applied for the Women's Health NP track. I already have my BSN. Praying for the best since i already missed the November 1st deadline and cant take my GRE until January 9, 2018

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Prespeciality/PMHNP applicant interview update (had my application materials in by October 15)- my phone interview was Wednesday afternoon and went well, was about 25 minutes. It consisted of them asking questions clarifying application material and then 4 standard interview questions they apparently ask everyone. It was conversational in nature and seemed to go well. I didn't know who I was interviewing with ahead of time. They stated that admissions notices go out first or second week of February.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion