SIUE Nursing Students Selected for Vanderbilt Residency

EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing (SON) students Casey Ernfelt and Ania Szyfer have been selected for the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Nurse Residency Program. The duo was among a group of 300 selected from an applicant pool of 5,000.

“Ania and Casey were both confident and dedicated students, who provided quality care for their patients in the various clinicals,” said Melodie Rowbotham, PhD, RN, associate professor and director of the SIUE Regional Program in Carbondale. “They are engaged and enthusiastic about learning.”

Szyfer, a senior from Herrin, will be working on an acute medical unit, while Ernfelt, a senior from Marion, will be on an acute surgical unit.

“The VUMC Nurse Residency Program is highly competitive, so for the SIUE School of Nursing to have two of its students selected speaks volume for the caliber of our graduates,” said SON Dean Laura Bernaix, PhD, RN. “We are so proud that Ania and Casey were selected for this opportunity, and know that they will positively represent our program and the School.”

The VUMC Nurse Residency Program offers track options to allow nurse residents to work in areas that match their interests and career goals. New grads hired into the residency program are full-time employees who are eased into the role of professional nurse through didactic learning sessions and hands-on clinical training, all under the guidance and support of VUMC’s professional nursing staff and nursing education specialists.

The VUMC guides new nurses through their transition to professional practice by supporting their orientation and ongoing professional development needs. Throughout the year, residents focus on delegation and time management, patient engagement, diversity, nursing quality and safety, research and evidence-based practice, ethical decision making, and building an emotional toolkit.

The SIUE School of Nursing’s programs are committed to creating excellence in nursing leadership through innovative teaching, evidence-based practice, quality research, patient advocacy and community service. Enrolling nearly 1,400 students in its baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders in pursuit of shaping the nursing profession and impacting the health care environment. SIUE’s undergraduate nursing programs on the Edwardsville campus and the regional campus in Carbondale help to solve the region’s shortage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and enhance the quality of nursing practice within all patient service venues. The School’s graduate programs prepare nurses for advanced roles in clinical practice, administration and education.