Vanderbilt Nurse Residency 2024

[Abby Suh]

NICU Guy said:

I had a bad experience with applying to Vanderbilt Residency nine years ago. I was wait-listed. I had an in-person interview set-up with another hospital on Friday four hours away. On Thursday, Vanderbilt recruiter calls me and says that they have a 10:45 slot open for the next day. I tell them that it is a 6 hour drive on short notice and I have another interview on Friday. I asked if there was another slot they have available. She said no, that is the only spot they have. I said "I was wait listed and you want me to drop everything to drive 6 hours with less than 24 hrs notice and you don't have another slot available. Are you actually interested in me or just trying to fill a slot and waste my time?" She said "That is the only slot I have". I told her that I decline. She was taken back that I would actually say no to Vanderbilt.

I had another interview on Monday for Vident in NC. They paid for airfare, two nights hotel, and rental car to interview a new grad. That indicated to me that they were interested in me and not just a body to fill a slot, like Vanderbilt. 

I'll be real, granted this was during COVID, the only company I have ever applied for an interviewed with that was out of area for me, they video interviewed me and I know from watching people's videos before COVID, they paid for airfare/hotels. I think the issue with Vanderbilt is they have a massive amount of local applicants. This company probably has more out of state and even international applicants than they do local applicants. Like there is a ton of state community colleges (and now they accept ADN nurses into their residency), a ton of state and private universities, and private for profit colleges in metro Nashville and around it. From their stand point, they got so many people applying and their point "if you want it bad enough, you will figure it out, if not we get a ton of people lined up". Luckily even now... they conduct video interviews for everyone, and this is even coming from someone who lives in Nashville. 
 

In all honesty, my ideal world would be go home, but I can't, my partner refuses to move to California. For me career wise Vanderbilt is the best option for me because they are a level 1 and they have the most thorough Perioperative residency (I have talked to pretty much every hospital in the area). I definitely know I need at least 2 years, but long term I don't know how long I can drive downtown, even if it means transferring internally in Vanderbilt's system.