Vanderbilt Prespecialty 2011 Accepted Forum

Meredith09 · Jun 8, 2011

Cicadas. These only come once every 13 years, so don't worry about them. :lol2: We actually had a kinda rough winter this year--had several snow days, and I remember one particularly scary commute home that turned my 15 minute drive into a 3 hour nightmare. But that kind of weather is rare here. Just be warned that they are not well prepared to manage the road conditions when that wintery weather does strike...that's why it was so nasty last winter. Thunderstorms can be quite nasty in the summer particularly, and of course there are the tornadoes to contend with. Despite what people might tell you, these can strike any time of year. Have a contingency plan for severe weather--I personally have a NOAA weather radio, but I usually only plug it in when we are expecting severe weather. It comes in handy when the weather gets an attitude.

Kate22 · Jun 9, 2011

Oh wow, thanks for the info!!! You know, it's been quieter.. did the cicadas leave? haha

Meredith09 · Jun 9, 2011

Yeah, they're only here for about three weeks, then they die. the larvae chill out underground for the next 13 years...and then we start all over again! :eek:

Kate22 · Jun 9, 2011

Too funny.. :-)

Meredith09 · Jun 23, 2011

Checking in- y'all have been awful quiet!! How are my future fellow 'Dores doing?!

We are 1 week away from being DONE with classes for pre-specialty year! Then it's on to Boot Camp. I'm excited--gonna be on a trauma surgical stepdown unit at Vandy (my happy place!) :lol2:

If you've got questions, keep em coming. I'll do my best to answer them or point you in the right direction.

HeartRN2008 · Jun 23, 2011

Hi there! I'm actually not prespecialty, I'm direct entry, but this thread seems to be more active so I poke in here every once in a while, too!! Any details you have about your clinicals and classes for next year would be great to hear. I have a million questions, but any info in general would be awesome :)

Meredith09 · Jun 23, 2011

Heart- PM me and we'll talk! Most of what I know from my first year here won't apply to you, so let me know what your specialty and background is and I'll try to answer your questions :-)

Rob_RN · Jun 24, 2011

Did anyone get into the PMHNP prespecialty and be willing to share their stats? Any info would be appreciated.

Kate22 · Jun 25, 2011

Meredith, do you know when we'll get info on books and such?

molls11 · Jul 15, 2011

About the shoe requirements: are crocs allowed as long as there are no holes in them? Do we need shoes right away or not till later in the semester when we start clinical? Thanks!

Meredith09 · Jul 23, 2011

@Kate- Sorry I'm late getting back to you- haven't been online in a while. I'm guessing you should have info on them by now though. I seem to recall they were posted online last year, but I'm not totally sure.

@molls- you need shoes right away because you are required to wear the exact same uniform in lab as you are in clinical. I don't really know about the Crocs. I know they told us all/ mostly white full leather upper, closed heel. From what I know of Crocs, that can be hard to find. Danskos are pretty popular around here, but bottom line, long-wear comfort, support, and traction are the most important features in a good clinical shoe. Might I also suggest you look into a good Littmann stethoscope and a nicer penlight--both of those you get from Vandy in your lab packs are CRAP.

Holla at me if you have any more questions.

AnaLong, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Aug 13, 2011

To the people that were accepted (congrats by the way) did you all have stellar GRE scores? Like I only got 1000 and a 4.0 on the analytical writing. So, I am thinking that I should not even apply. Would anyone mind sharing please? I really want to get in, but I don't see the point in the time and energy if there is no way. Thank you guys for any help you can give me.