2012 Residency
Online PhD in Nursing Program
July 9 - 12, 2012
MUSC College of Nursing
Charleston, South Carolina Welcome
Greetings to the Next Generation of Nursing Leaders! Our faculty and staff are eager to get to know you personally. So, we anxiously await your arrival in July.
Purpose of Residency
The purpose of residency for new students is to become oriented to the program, the faculty, your peers, campus resources, and the MUSC online learning environment. We want each student to know how to access the appropriate resources necessary to support his/her learning; and begin relationships with faculty, staff, and peers that will grow over the next several years of learning, and hopefully lifelong. We want students to feel oriented to their course work for the first year, to know their faculty advisor, and leave with a trajectory for the whole program.
Residency Schedules
Each cohort of students has a slightly different schedule during residency week. The schedule allows time for getting and giving information, but also for meaningful social interaction with others. Some evenings offer social events and others will be free for exploration in lovely downtown Charleston or local beaches. Click here for the tentative schedule. For your planning of transportation to and from Charleston we will start on Monday, July 9th at 9:00am and finish on Thursday, July 12th by 4:00pm. Traditionally, residency has lasted through Friday, but this year we are condensing the week into Monday through Thursday. Students who wish to stay over to Friday may use the day for facult or staff appointments, but Friday is not required.
Airport
The Charleston International Airport is located at 5500 International Blvd in North Charleston. This is about a 20 minute drive to MUSC's campus in downtown Charleston. Students should plan their own transportation between the airport and hotel. There are rental car agencies available at the airport as well as taxi and shuttle service. The average taxi ride will cost about $30 to downtown Charleston. There are plenty of hotels near the airport as well as Tanger Outlet Malls. Visit the airport's website for information.
Hotels
You are responsible for your own lodging arrangements. There are a variety of hotel options to choose from. There are hotels closer to the airport in North Charleston as well as hotels within walking distance to MUSC that will provide a MUSC student rate. If you plan to make this a vacation for yourself, there are also many hotels in the downtown historic area. If you are interested in sharing a room with someone, please email Yolanda M. Long at morrisym@musc.edu. She will keep a running list of students who wish to share a hotel room. Please click here for a detailed list of hotels.
Parking
Students are expected to provide their own transportation to the MUSC campus. Students staying at hotels near the MUSC campus should plan to walk to campus or take the MUSC shuttle bus if the pick-up location is near the hotel. Students traveling to campus via car are allowed to park at the Hagood Parking Lot. This is free, but gets full quickly. In order to get a parking space, you would need to get there by 7:30 a.m. You would also need to take a MUSC shuttle bus which operates throughout the mornings and afternoons. The shuttle bus will make several stops, including the Jonathan Lucas Street stop which will drop you off in front of the College of Nursing building. Students who plan to have a car and need a parking space should notify Yolanda M. Long at morrisym@musc.edu. She will mail you a parking pass and a map ahead of time. This pass must be placed on the window dashboard. Please click here for shuttle bus schedule.
Food
Breakfast is on your own. If staying in a hotel, breakfast options may be provided. Bottled water and coffee will be provided throughout the week in the College of Nursing Historical Library. If you get to campus early, the MUSC cafeteria across the street from the College of Nursing has breakfast foods available to purchase. Except for Monday, lunches are on your own. The MUSC cafeteria provides many options, including Chick-fil-a and a salad bar. There are also some restaurants nearby: Hominy Grill, Five Loaves, Wickliffe House, and Halo. Note: Some students need a break in the evening and others enjoy being out and about, so while socialization with your peers is recommended, your participation in evening events is entirely optional. On Tuesday evening your classmates of other cohorts will hold a evening social (more into to follow). On Wednesday evening Dean Stuart hosts all students and faculty to her home for dinner. Click here for directions to her home. For dinner on other evenings, Charleston has a variety of restaurant options with the menu and cost to suit your range of tastes. Also, check out the restaurant listings on the Charleston Visitor's Bureau website.
Local Attractions
Charleston is a beautiful city that captures the hearts of many. We hope that while visiting Charleston for orientation you will have the opportunity to visit some of our local attractions. To learn about things to explore in Charleston, please check out these web sites- www.dreamcharleston.com and www.charlestonsfinest.com. You can also check out the Charleston City Paper that is published every Wednesday and includes the most up-to-date happenings around town.
Weather and Dress
Charleston climate is hot and humid in July with typical temperatures in the high 80's and 90's. Dress is nice casual and comfortable. Walking shoes are recommended for a stroll downtown or if your hotel is a walkable distance to the College of Nursing. Sunglasses and sunscreen are good to have. The College of Nursing air conditioning in the buildings can be chilly, so a light sweater or jacket is recommended for the daytime meetings.
Campus Map
Residency will begin on the first day at the College of Nursing at 99 Jonathan Lucas Street. Throughout orientation you may be traveling to different locations on campus depending on your schedule. Please click here to print out the MUSC Campus map. It is good idea to print this map out (in color, if possible) and bring with you to residency. You can also take a tour of MUSC from your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad with the Explore MUSC app available in the Apple App Store. Click here for more details.
Computing
You will need acess to a high speed internet connection for your course work as well as a camera and headset. Many of the newer computers have both the camera and microphone built into the computer, but external cameras and headsets work just fine. If you own a laptop, you are encouraged to bring it to residency for your convenience. (Note: It is not a requirement to have a laptop.) You will have access to the wireless internet within the College to check email and can load SPSS software.
Software Standards for the University
Software standards ensure access for students to the University's education and information resources, as well as enhance communications and the sharing of documents. These minimum standards are defined by the University Education Infrastructure Committee and may be found here. Although users may choose other software applications, they may not be supported by the campus or College of Nursing technology staff.
Moodle Access
Moodle is the application that offers all of your courses. Moodle can be accessed at http://moodle.musc.edu using your MUSC username and password. On first access you will experience two log-ins and also an agreement policy. Once in Moodle, you should see two courses available to you, located in the blue menu box on the left: the "Orientation to Moodle" module and the course "NRPHD 870 Residency I".
First, complete the Moodle Orientation modules. Your sign-in to the course stimulates an attendance feature that helps us know you have logged into the course. This orientation must be completed before you can start classes, and should be completed before you attend residency. Learning to navicage the Moodle system is your responsibility, but we will always be available for unanswered questions. Second, use your Moodle skills to navigate around the NRPHD 870 Residency I course. Access the syllabus, the handouts, and post a discussion statement about yourself. You can begin to know each other through this course before you start residency. Familiarizing yourself with the uploaded resources will greatly improve your residency week experience. SPSS
For the statistics courses and for data analysis in mentored research and/or the dissertation, you need the SPSS software. You can download SPSS free of charge from the links in the NRPHD 870: Residency I module and begin orientation to the software.
Skype
We highly recommend skype for free or cheap long distance phone calling and electronic chat http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/
Technology Help
Please email Bernie Jansen at jansenb@musc.edu or call at 843-792-0213 if you have unanswered questions that cannot wait until Residency Week. You will meet the Technology Team during Residency to learn how and when you can access computer support. If you have specific problems with configuring your computer they will set up an appointment during the week to assist you. They an also be reached from a distance, by appointment, so that you can solve computing problems from your home.
Course Registration
Fall courses begin Friday, August 24, 2012. The Office of Student Services will register you for your first semester. Students will need to personally check the courses they are registered for in WebAdvisor to ensure it matches the courses indicated on their plan of study.
Books
The booklist for Fall 2012 will be posted on July 24 on our College of Nursing intranet site. Students usually order their books through online publishers like Amazon or they can be purchased through the MUSC bookstore online or on campus while at residency. There will be plenty of time to order them before the start of classes.
Advisement
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor. Advisors were selected for you based on your initial research interest and also faculty workload. Faculty are committed to good mentorship and feel it is one major element of success in your progress. You will meet your advisor at residency and spend time plotting your program of study, based on your desire to attend full time or part time. Your faculty advisor will serve as your mentor and advocate throughout the program and will possibly sit on your dissertation committee, should you so choose. Sometimes students "migrate" towards a different faculty during their program for a variety of reasons and choose to switch advisors, and this is perfectly fine. Your assigned advisor is listed next to your name on the residency schedule.
Important New Student Items: Please contact your faculty advisor by email or phone to introduce yourself and set up an appointment time during residency week. Contact information for your advisor can be found in the Faculty Directory.
New students have a schedueled block of time for faculty advisement on Wednesday, July 11th, from 8:30 am - 10:30 am. If your faculty advisor cannot be available during that time, please schedule an alternate time and day. Except for Monday, the lunch hour is an option or also early morning or after 4:00 pm on Monday - Thursday. Friday is also fine for advisement if you decide to stay. PhD Foundations Course
In addition to the on-campus residencey, you will be required to complete an online PhD Foundations Course that will help prepare you for coursework. You will have access to it after the on-campus residency and it will need to be completed by August 22. "Completed" means completing the small assignments after each lesson to let us know you reviewed the information and understand it. Students who do not complete this prep course will not be allowed access to their fall classes on August 24. More details will be discussed at residency . Health Policies
Students are expected to abide by established health services policies of the Medial University. For local students, the Student Health Services office is located at 30-A Bee Street, telephone (843) 792-3664. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm. After hours emergencies are handled in the One West Treatment Center, (843) 792-3826. Note: Students are not eligible to participate in classes if they are not in compliance with Student health Services requirements. Online students that are unable to get their Student Health Services clearance on campus may comply by providing all proof of immunizations/tests that are required by all MUSC students prior to registration. Each immunization must be dated and signed or stamped by a Health Care Professional/Office. Parental signatures are not acceptable. The student needs to send the records to Medical University of South Carolina, Student Health Services, 30-A Bee Street, Charleston, SC 29425. Students opting to comply outside of MUSC Student Health Services cannot have the fee deleted.
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