Letter from the Dean

Dean Pamela Jeffries Dear Students:

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. This is the start of a new time in your life and perhaps even the start of your nursing career. I look forward to greeting all of you with excitement and a strong sense of purpose and optimism.

Whether you are a new or continuing student, you are an important part of our campus community. Your student experience at Vanderbilt will be filled with many diverse and exciting experiences for both professional and personal growth. Opportunities for advanced practice nurses and registered nurses are changing faster than ever before, and you—our graduates—will be leaders and changemakers in increasing access, expanding quality and decreasing costs for patients and systems.

Please familiarize yourself with this handbook, as it will introduce you to our policies, procedures and resources. As a VUSN student, you are responsible for your interactions with the school and the greater Vanderbilt community: this handbook will be your guide. I encourage you to read and understand the information in it, especially our codes of conduct.

Again, welcome to VUSN during this transformational time for nursing, health care and higher education, and congratulations on taking one more step towards achieving your career goals.

Pamela R. Jeffries PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH
Dean and Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing