The Vanderbilt Advantage

High-quality programs for every interest. Stellar faculty who also practice in their fields. Clinical experiences second to none. Active engagement with world-renowned experts and health care resources. Research and scholarly activity that are leading the nursing discipline forward with evidence-based education and patient care.

Ask students what makes our School of Nursing special, and you're likely to get additional insights. Some say it's the exposure you get to vast diversity of thought and experience, among both our faculty and our students. Our School of Nursing is a place where a variety of practice specialties, entry options, clinical experiences, degree programs, research initiatives, and people with many ideas, perspectives, and background create the learning environment.

Vanderbilt University is ranked the 8th largest research university in the US by the 2007 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index and is ranked 19th overall in the 2008 U.S. News & World Report. Vanderbilt University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Our Purpose

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing values excellence and innovation in preserving and advancing the art and science of nursing in the scholarly domains of education, practice and research. These values are pursued through personal interactions and the integration of technology, while embracing cultural and academic diversity.

We have a four-fold mission in the areas of Teaching, Practice, Research, and Professional Environment.

Teaching
To educate lifelong learners who have knowledge and skills relevant to rapidly changing environments, by offering dynamic curricula built upon a foundation of multi-disciplinary research and scholarly practice that are relevant, futuristic, and responsive to health care trends.

Practice
To establish innovative scholarly advanced practice models that define and respond to health care trends, by continuing to establish inter-and multi-disciplinary practice partnerships both internal and external that are replicable in a variety of health settings.

Research
To engage in scholarly work that develops nursing knowledge, and synthesizes from multiple disciplines to enhance the discipline of nursing, improve the quality of care, and achieve desired outcomes of healthcare for individuals, families, communities, and populations, that will ultimately result in:

• Increasing the visibility of the School research mission in the School, and throughout the Medical Center;
• Medical Center;
• Increasing the visibility of the School research mission in the state, region, nation, and world.

Professional Environment
To provide a professional environment that integrates our mission by:

• Enhancing the professional development of faculty and students
• Recruiting a high quality, diverse body of faculty
• Increasing the quality and diversity of students
• Strengthening the on-line learning environment
• Strengthening the learning laboratory environment
• Enhancing the infrastructure that supports the vision of the school.
• Promoting a culture of excellence and innovation in informatics solutions.

Vanderbilt University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.