Welcome to the Master of Nursing Program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing! We are excited you chose nursing as your career path and grateful you selected VUSN for your nursing education. Admission to the program is your first step to becoming a highly skilled registered nurse.

The VUSN faculty and staff continuously work to provide an inclusive, supportive learning environment that facilitates your development of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for the provision of safe, evidence-based, person-centered nursing care. We invite you to join with faculty and staff, peers in your cohort, and students ahead of you in their journey, to cultivate a learning environment where every unique individual, background, and perspective belongs.

The Master of Nursing program employs a dynamic, participatory curriculum that builds upon your previous education, career, and life experiences to facilitate your transformation into a competent, confident generalist nurse. In this curriculum, you will engage in a variety of active, engaged learning activities both as an individual and collaboratively with peers and faculty. Your self-directed, reflective learning, coupled with frequent assessment and feedback from faculty and peers, will support your development into a skilled registered nurse able to make sound decisions to promote the health of diverse individuals, families, and communities. Upon successful completion of the four semester Master of Nursing program, you will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to become a registered nurse.

VUSN Requirements

In preparation for the Master of Nursing program, you must complete several important time-sensitive tasks. Information on all requirements will be available on the Admitted Students Webpage. Please review the site on the 1^st and 15^th of each month for updates. The first tasks to complete include:

1. Claiming your VUNetID
2. Register for Multi-Factor Authentication (DUO) on mobile devices
3. Completing the New Student Compliance Requirements
4. Completing the University Required Training Modules

All New Student Compliance Requirements and University Required Training Modules must be completed by November 1, 2023 in order for you to register for spring 2024 classes.

Hospital Clinical Training Requirements

All Master of Nursing program students will have hospital clinical placements at multiple facilities over the course of the program and must complete Clinical Site Training Requirements for each site. Soon after you complete your VUSN Requirements (New Student Compliance Requirements and University Required Training Modules), you will receive email requests to complete Clinical Site Training Requirements. All students will need to complete online clinical site trainings for multiple health systems in preparation for clinical experiences for the year.

These training requirements must be completed as soon as the requests are received so that students are cleared for clinical experience participation. Completion of these Clinical Site Training Requirements is separate from the VUSN requirements and does not influence your registration for classes. However, failure to complete these requirements as directed will prevent you from beginning clinical experiences and will delay your program of study. If you have specific questions regarding the email requests for Clinical Site Training, please contact Rita Tejeda at rita.tejeda@vanderbilt.edu.

Class and Clinical Experience Schedule

All Master of Nursing program students follow the same full-time curriculum. The class schedule will be available on the Admitted Students Webpage by September. Generally, didactic course sessions are scheduled on Monday and Friday, and clinical experiences are scheduled Tuesday-Thursday and/or Saturday. Each student will be assigned hospital clinical placements, community interprofessional experience placements, and a community agency clinical placement. Students have the opportunity to indicate preferences for community clinical agency placement. Please see the Clinical Experience Information section of the Master of Nursing webpage for details about clinical experiences and watch the Admitted Students Webpage for more information.

Uniforms and Equipment

Our clinical uniform requirements include a lab coat, black scrubs, and white, black, or brown solid leather or vegan leather shoes with a full heel. More information about scrub and lab coat requirements is available on the Admitted Students Webpage. Students should also have shorts and a tank top or sports bra for assessment laboratory sessions during which students will practice assessment skills with peers.

A stethoscope and pen light must be purchased prior to the start of classes. We suggest a lightweight, single tubing stethoscope with a chest piece that incorporates both a bell and a diaphragm. You should test the sound quality of several stethoscopes before purchase. If you purchase online, please read the customer reviews for guidance. A basic stethoscope may cost you $50-$150 depending on your preference.

Technology, Text, and Resource Requirements

A laptop and exam proctoring software are required for examinations. The system requirements can be found here. Required learning resources (text and online resources) and costs for these requirements for the Master of Nursing program will be available in September. Please check the Admitted Students Webpage for updates.

If you have questions regarding the program, please feel free to contact me via email at mary.a.jessee@vanderbilt.edu. I look forward to meeting you in January. Thank you for choosing VUSN!

Mary Ann Jessee, PhD, RN, ANEF
Associate Professor of Nursing
Assistant Dean for Academics, Generalist Nursing Practice
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, 544 
461 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240 
Office (615) 343-1629 mary.a.jessee@vanderbilt.edu