Vanderbilt Nurse Magazine

It’s a centuries-old practice: A more experienced practitioner guides a nursing student in how to apply the classroom education they have acquired. As days go by, the student learns from their preceptor and gains expertise in patient care and communications. Eventually, after hundreds of hours of experience, the student becomes a colleague.

“The role of data science and technology continues to grow exponentially in health care delivery,” says School of Nursing Dean Pamela Jeffries, PhD, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, the Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing. “New methods and discovery have the potential to impact large groups of patients, health care providers and health systems. You only need to look at the role data has played in forecasting and tracking the pandemic to see its value.” 

When U.S. Navy nurse Stacey Rokas, MSN’22, filled out her application to Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, she was in South Korea, embedded with the U.S. Marines on a training exercise with an international joint force. She was the officer in charge of medical care. 

Erin Miller, one of only two pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE-P) in the state of Florida, is on a mission to encourage more nurses to dedicate their careers to helping child sexual abuse survivors feel “brave and safe.”

Certified nurse-midwives from three top universities have teamed up to improve pregnancy outcomes for Black women by creating a specialized training program for doulas, persons who support birthing mothers and families.

When Frank and Ethel Battle moved to Nashville from Louisiana to start a new chapter as newlyweds, neither knew that the move would set Ethel on a path that not only changed her focus as a nurse but would also lead to expanded psychiatric care for thousands of American veterans.

Dear alumni, colleagues and supporters, Just a few weeks ago, I celebrated my one-year anniversary as dean of Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. What a year it has been! In the past 12 months, the School of Nursing has developed and announced a new master of nursing degree, launched a leadership program for emerging nurse…

Nine VUSN faculty have been announced as fellows in several prestigious nursing and health care organizations, honoring their hard work and contributions to their professions. The Society of Critical Care Medicine elected Associate Professor Brian Widmar, PhD’12, FAANP, FCCM, as a fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine, and named Professor and Independence…

Assistant Professor Megan Simmons, DNP’13, PMC’13, MSN’05, has been named academic director for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, effective August 1.

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing has launched a master of nursing degree to help meet the high demand for registered nurses in health care settings throughout the nation. The program aims to attract people looking for a career change or those with a bachelor’s degree in another field. Applications are open and will be accepted through August 2022. The program will begin in spring 2023.

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Assistant Professor Alvin Jeffery is one of 12 nurse scientists accepted into the third cohort of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators. The fellowship program, funded by a $37.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, recognizes early- to mid-career nursing scholars and innovators with high potential to accelerate leadership in nursing research, practice, education, policy and entrepreneurship.

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing celebrated Commencement and Investiture Friday for those graduating in summer and fall 2021 and spring 2022. In total, 385 Master of Science in Nursing and 62 Doctor of Nursing Practice students graduated. An additional eight PhD in Nursing Science students received their degrees from Vanderbilt Graduate School.

Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver honored 36 scholars from across the university at an endowed chair investiture ceremony on campus March 30. Dean Pamela Jeffries received the Valere Potter Distinguished Chair in Nursing and Professor Julie Barroso received the Julia Eleanor Blair Chenault Chair in Nursing during the celebration.

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing continues to be ranked as one of the nation’s top schools by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Graduate Schools Rankings. Vanderbilt’s master of science in nursing program was ranked No. 8 and its doctor of nursing science was ranked No. 7 in the 2023 rankings released today….

Nursing educators challenged with incorporating nursing informatics into their curriculum in accordance with the new AACN Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education can get a jump start at a three-day conference offered by Vanderbilt University School of Nursing this summer. The Vanderbilt Informatics Summer Teaching Academy (VISTA) will be July 20-22, 2022, at Vanderbilt’s park-like…

Sharon Jones, assistant professor of nursing, and David G. Schlundt, associate professor of psychology, are participating in a collaborative research project to address health disparities and advance health equity in Nashville. The five-year project—Engaging Partners in Caring Communities (EPICC): Building capacity to implement health promotion programs in African American churches—is being supported by a $4 million National Institutes of Health grant through…

Assistant Professor Colleen Reilly Moss, BS’00, MSN’01, DNP, NNP-BC, has been named academic director for the neonatal nurse practitioner specialty at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Moss had been interim co-director with assistant professor Patricia Scott, DNP, NNP-BC, C-NPT. “Colleen has a passion for teaching and mentoring new neonatal providers,” said Mavis Schorn, PhD, CNM,…