Welcome—and welcome back—to VUSN
The academic year is never really over at the School of Nursing. We pinned 360 students in one of the largest classes in our history on July 31 and within a few weeks, began greeting new faces and welcoming our returning students.
With 879 students, VUSN is one of the largest nursing programs in the country. It’s an exhilarating time for everyone when many of those students are here at once. I never know what I’m going see when I walk around the school. Last week, I discovered a group of PreSpecialty students sitting in the hallway outside my office practicing how to take blood pressure readings on each other. At other times, I walk through the Atrium and stop to talk with students hunched over their laptops or working on group projects at the high-top tables. Activity picks up when our DNP and Ph.D. students are in town for their block/intensives coursework each semester and I make it a point to check in on some of their activities each time.
Other things that mark the start of the new academic year include introducing new faculty, working on collaborative projects with Vanderbilt colleagues in other parts of the university, and preparing for Reunion (only seven weeks away).
Eight new faculty members joined us this year: Stefani Davis, MSN’14, DNP’16; Misty Evans, DNP’15, APRN, CPNP-AC; Virginia Gardner, MSN’05, PMHNP-BC; Tamika Hudson, MSN’12; Mary Lambert, DNP’11, R.N., FAAN; Brandee Madden, MSN’06; Susanna Rudy, MSN’14, DNP’16; and Lucy Tucker, MSN’11. They bring credentials and scholarship that add to the depth and quality of our faculty expertise. I’m sure you’ll hear more about them in the days to come.
On August 30, the school hosted a panel discussion on effectively engaging with policy makers. DNP and Ph.D. students heard Tennessee Sen. Jeff Yarbro, Tennessee Rep. Cameron Sexton, past President of the Tennessee Nurses Association Jill Kinch, MNS, and Senior Associate Dean for Academics Mavis Schorn discuss how to work with legislators and how to advocate for health policy. The event was in collaboration with Vanderbilt State Government Relations.
These are just a few of the interesting things happening at the School of Nursing. You can read about plans for Reunion and other news on this website or in the monthly VUSNews email newsletter. I look forward to sharing more accomplishments and activities with you soon.
Best regards,
Linda Norman, DSN, R.N., FAAN
Valere Potter Menefee Professor of Nursing
Dean
Photo: Susan Urmy
Related News
Student-voted awards recognize faculty teaching and mentoring in DNP and Ph.D. programs
October 19, 2017
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing doctoral students recently honored professors Mary Dietrich and Karen Hande with the school’s student-voted Dean Colleen Conway-Welch faculty awards. Dietrich, Ph.D., professor of Statistics/Measurement, was named the 2017 Ph.D. faculty award recipient. She teaches research design and statistics and supports Ph.D. students with their dissertation research. Student nominations noted that…
VUSN doctoral students honored as Jonas Nurse Scholars
September 1, 2016
The Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare has named 12 Vanderbilt University School of Nursing doctoral students to its 2016-18 cohort of Jonas Nurse Scholars. The groundbreaking Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Program aims to increase the number of U.S. nursing school faculty with doctorates. It supports nursing scholars with financial assistance, leadership development programs…
Diverse degrees and opportunities draw new School of Nursing students
August 31, 2016
The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) has welcomed 478 new students from 45 states and three countries into its Master of Nursing Science (MSN), Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP) and Ph.D. degree programs. Of those, 150 students have degrees in fields other than nursing; these PreSpecialty students spend three semesters in intense, full-time foundational…
