Vanderbilt Pre-specialty Fall 2011

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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Hi all!

I just wanted to get a thread started for those who plan on applying to Vanderbilt's prespecialty (for non-nurses) MSN program. I only recently discovered this program about 2 months ago and am absolutely enamored with it! I plan to apply to 8 schools for this cycle, but Vanderbilt is at the very top of my list. I am looking into FNP, which has the distance option. I am not sure whether or not I would prefer to stay at Vanderbilt for the whole program, but I do like that there is the option.

Aside from finishing up micro this summer and taking the GRE in a month, I am fully ready to apply. Just need the application for 2011 to open up!:lol2:

Anyone else?

HELLO,

I am confused, During the second year of the program, does the student have to attend school (physically)each day or just come in a few days during semster? thanks for you response!

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hmm... I'm a little confused as well. So first year is at , on campus. Then second year can be done where ever (providing there are clinic sites)? Can the clinical rotations of the 2nd year be done in Nashville if space permits? ... How often does one have to return to Vandy during the 2nd year?

Thanks for anyone's help!

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hmm... I'm a little confused as well. So first year is at Vandy, on campus. Then second year can be done where ever (providing there are clinic sites)? Can the clinical rotations of the 2nd year be done in Nashville if space permits? ... How often does one have to return to Vandy during the 2nd year?

Thanks for anyone's help!

hey guys are you in the PNP track? I'll be able to explain it to you if you are. I've had 2 face to face meetings with the program director about this.

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Molls,

You do have access to the same stuff that the undergrads do, but there are a few stipulations that come with it. The gym for instance limits you to four visits per week, above that I think they charge you a fee (?) Kind of silly, but I've always just gone walking/running around campus, which is a very popular activity around here. I believe you can get a season pass to football games for around $25-- could be wrong on the price but in any case it's cheaper than paying for tix game-to-game like an outsider would have to do. The counseling center is 100% free! We're told nursing students are their biggest client base, lol.

As far as the program goes, it is accelerated; you're essentially taking a full load of traditional-style nursing courses plus one extra each semester, and cramming in all the clinical hours (hospital and community health activities) that are required by the powers that be. We take the NCLEX in September or October, and I'm told Vandy has an excellent first-time pass rate, so statistically their students must be prepared for it quite well-- I have no concerns about passing it. It's a bit difficult to gauge the "readiness to practice" factor in terms of the specialty year since we haven't started that yet. I would imagine that all the specialties would be ready to practice upon graduation, however, in my specialty in particular (Acute Care) I think it would be difficult to get an NP position straight out of school with ZERO staff nursing experience; thus, I am planning to work as an RN for at least 1-2 years after I graduate to get more comfortable with the job, etc. I think you'll find that you are much more respected and trusted by your colleagues as an NP if you start out with some staff nursing experience. For some of the other specialties more focused on primary care, I don't think you'd have any trouble finding a starting position as an NP, as they are in high demand, and don't necessarily have to handle the higher-acuity patients. Make sense?? Hope this helps, but let me know if you have any further questions. Back to studying... :lol2:

to clear up any information on the gym and other campus access spots, this is the deal (and it is also in the financial aid information packet you may have received in january) for an entire YEAR (fall, winter, and summer semesters) gym membership is $456 (which I don't think is accurate according to the student rec center's website) http://www.vanderbilt.edu/campusrecreation/member/memberships.html

I know on the website it states: Graduate and Professional students are assessed through tuition a Student Recreation fee that entitles them to one-half the use time of undergraduates.

But, from experience, this is not the case. I'm in there all the time with medical students who are in there all the time too. there is no limit. you swipe your card to enter the turnstile, and then that's it. medical school students apparently have the gym membership built into their tuition, so you may want to call and ask the rec center. but as far as i know, you are not limited by any means.

However, in the summer months, they have day camp at the rec center, so the hours are weird and you cannot go while camp is in session, i don't think.

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Kate,

Yes, I would definitely recommend the Bellevue area. Check out the Lexington, the Madison, Grande View, etc. If you cruise down Old Hickory and Highway 70 in the Bellevue area you'll find plenty of places to look at. I would probably stay away from the Mission Bellevue Ridge though (ick). You'll find rent to be in the $750 plus range, which might sound a bit high until you see what some of the lower rent places in Nashville look like :lol2: Let me know if I can help you out with anything else.

bellevue is not that close, people! trust me. i work out there every day right on the cusp between old belle meade and bellevue, and it is still a good 20-25 minutes with minimal traffic.

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hey guys are you in the PNP track? I'll be able to explain it to you if you are. I've had 2 face to face meetings with the program director about this.

Not in the PNP track... but tell me how it works in your track. At least that should give me some idea.

Thanks very much!

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hmm... I'm a little confused as well. So first year is at Vandy, on campus. Then second year can be done where ever (providing there are clinic sites)? Can the clinical rotations of the 2nd year be done in Nashville if space permits? ... How often does one have to return to Vandy during the 2nd year?

Thanks for anyone's help!

I believe if you are admitted to the prespecialty program as an out of area student, and there are no openings in the immediate area for MSN rotations sites, you will be required to go back to your home state or to a state where you think you could get a rotation to complete the second year. I think you will be required to come back 3 or 4 times a year (or semester)-can't remember what I was previously told. Most of it will be distanced based. Correct me if I am wrong anyone!

Hope this helps

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Prespecialty students must be in NVL full time since your lectures and clinical sites are all in NVL.

2nd (and subsequent) year students...depends on specialty. ACNP students must stay in NVL (last I heard) full time. I'm in the Adult program; students who already resided in NVL can stay there to do clinicals in their specialty, but their local clinical sites may be and hour and a half drive from NVL. Students who came from elsewhere (like me) go back home and do clinicals in their home area. Block format classes are held for BOTH the locals and the distance students about every month and may last 4-6 days. They are required so distance students must plan their travel and lodging accordingly.

Once you get into the last semester or so, the block classes are less frequent - more like every other month.

When you're at VUSN for block didactic courses you have live lectures in your clinical-related courses. You also have clinical workshops to cover things like procedures, coding for services, and the weightier issues in your concentration. During the rest of the time you have online lectures in 2 or 3 courses/semester.

In other words, it's a great program and can be somewhat flexible to your living situation. But you better keep your calendar handy since there is a LOT going on all the time!

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I talked to the FNP director about the specialty year clinical locations and I got the impression that they would probably not be right in downtown Nashville because there isn't enough available, but they would be in neighboring towns and sometimes up to 2 hours away. I did not get the impression that because you're out of state you have to move back home for clinical. You can if you want to. And you can attend class regularly during the specialty year, but if you are out of state for clinical, you just come back for intensive blocks. It sounded like you had a choice.

My thoughts are that if I am going to Vanderbilt, I want to go to class at Vanderbilt and take advantage of classes and resources on campus. I know they will send us away for clinical rotations, but I do want to go to class on campus as long as I will be moving to Nashville.

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Such great information everybody! Thank you so much!

One last question - Does help the students who choose to go back home find clinical rotations? I would imagine this could be tricky, especially in a city like where I live where there are two other NP programs.

Thanks a million!

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Hey Kate,

I was one of the panelists as well, and I think we might have spoken afterward (there were so many people it was hard to remember names!).

Bellevue is a nice area for sure. It's pretty out there and you are close to Percy Warner Park and Radnor Lake. However, it's a little bit of a drive (20-25 min) from school and VUMC, which can make a big difference when you need to be at the hospital at 6:15AM on clinical days (and with gas $$)!! I know a lot of people enjoy it out there, but if I were you, I would look closer to the Vanderbilt area since so many of your first year activities are centered in that area. Hillsboro Village, Music Row, and West End are all within walking or biking distance. It all depends on what you're looking for though!

Nate

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hmm... I'm a little confused as well. So first year is at Vandy, on campus. Then second year can be done where ever (providing there are clinic sites)? Can the clinical rotations of the 2nd year be done in Nashville if space permits? ... How often does one have to return to Vandy during the 2nd year?

Thanks for anyone's help!

I am SO sorry for the delay, but I still want to answer your question even though you may have already had it answered by another student. So, the PNP track is unique (and remember, this applies to PRE-SPECIALTY students... not direct-entry (those with a RN)). Though it varies year to year, there are always less than 5 spots for PNP students to do their clinicals within the middle Tennessee area. This is primarily due to competing with medical residents, but there are other factors as well. For this reason, the PNP pre-specialty track program was truly designed as a distance-learning program. This year, the pediatrics director literally has zero spots in the middle TN region for pre-specialty students. Only those who are direct-entry can have those spots, and as I said, the number is minimal. Although I currently live in Nashville, I am not considered to be a local student, and will have to do my clinicals elsewhere. However, I will not need to relocate until January 2013 (I'll probably just go live with my parents for that brief period... January-May). Though you are practicing at a distance, you still come back to Nashville fairly often. You come back generally for a period of 5 days, she said fly in on Tuesday and leave on Sunday, and this happens once in January, February, March or April, and then once more in May. During orientation, you will meet with the clinical placement director who will talk to you about where you think you want to be, and if you have any place in mind. For the PNP track since it is primary care, you want to work in a primary care pediatrician's office; not a corporately owned private practice, since with these larger organizations, it takes approximately 6 months to draw up a contract. Unless the clinical placement office already has a contract in place with that facility, you're better off at the smaller community clinical offices.

You complete two clinical rotations, at two different locations. One in the spring, and one in the summer (I believe from May-August). Generally, it is this last clinical placement that leads to a position.

Although I was super nervous about having to leave Nashville and coming back every month, it really does seem to work and runs really smoothly. I have talked to several students who have done it, and they said that the people in the clinical placement office really work with you and your schedule.

I'm not sure how other specialties work, but I hope this information is at all helpful!! And for those of you who are super excited about clinical experiences, we begin working in the hospital during the last 5 weeks of our Fall semester. In the Spring semester, we rotate to different services every 5 weeks at Vanderbilt and the other two popular neighboring hospitals, St. Thomas and Baptist.

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