Nursing-Registered Nurse (RN)

Overview

River Valley Community College’s Associate in Science in Nursing (ASN-RN) Degree requires 4 semesters of focused nursing and core Liberal Arts courses designed to prepare students to graduate with an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing and be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensing exam.

We offer several RN pathways:

1) Traditional ASN-RN Program (4 semesters: Fall/Spring/Fall/Spring)

2) Accelerated ASN-RN Program (4 semesters: Fall/Spring/Summer/Fall)

3) For existing LPN’s (see “Current LPN’s) header below for more information.

• LPN-RN Bridge Program
• LPN-RN Direct Entry Program

Program Updates

Why Choose RVCC’s Nursing Program?

• Affordable tuition: $21,000 for entire program (in-state)
• Low faculty-to-student ratios
• In-person education with online components
• Approved by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (NHBON)
• Accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
• Clinical placements at both critical access hospitals and Dartmouth Health
• 2 geographic options: Claremont and Keene
• 2 new RN pathways for current LPN’s (see “Current LPN’s” below)

Everything you need to know about RVCC Nursing!

View our online presentation here:

 2025/2026 RN Informational Packet

If you have additional questions, click on the light blue-colored “Request Information” button.

Current LPN’s

Are you an LPN that wants to continue your education? Note our 2 new LPN-RN pathways:

LPN to RN Direct Entry Program:

• For RVCC graduates only who have graduated with LPN certification within 2 years from program entry.
• Two semesters (Fall, Spring)
• Application deadline: March 1st of each calendar year.
• LPN to RN Direct Entry Program

LPN to RN Bridge Program:

• For LPN’s who have graduated with LPN certification (from RVCC or alternate school) greater than 2 years from program entry.
• 3 semesters (Summer, Fall, Spring)
• Application Deadline: March 1st of each calendar year.
• LPN to RN Bridge Program

RVCC also offers a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program.

Printable Program Sheet

Application Process & Details

The TEAS test is presently offered only online. Students must register at least 48 hours prior to a testing date in order to be eligible.

• • TEAS Registration
    • Step-by-step TEAS registration instructions.
  • Select “River Valley CC Teas”
  • You will need to have free proctoring software installed on your computer prior to testing. Details are here: Proctorio Software and Quick Start Guide 
    

2025/2026 TEAS testing dates are as follows: 

• Testing begins at 9:00AM.
• ATI TEAS test is REMOTE Proctored.
• Estimated cost: $120

Selection Criteria for Admission

Achievement of a TEAS composite score of 66.0 or greater.

Applicants are ranked using a point system for individual TEAS scores, completed science courses, and courses taken at RVCC.

Additional Requirements

Upon acceptance into the Registered Nurse program, students must provide proof of the following:

• CPR Certification – American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers
• Criminal Background Check
• Drug Test
• Current physical examination with immunizations and vaccinations
• Medical Insurance

All documents must be submitted by set deadlines in order to begin the nursing program.

Program Goals

The goal of the nursing program at River Valley is to provide the upcoming workforce with well trained, effective and prepared nurses to care for populations within a community.

End-of-Program Outcomes

NCLEX-RN Pass Rates

Pass rate 80% or greater for all for all first-time test-takers annually.

Program Completion Rates

75% of students will complete the program on time

(2 years Full Program students)

(1 year Advanced Placement students)

End-of-Program Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the RVCC Associate in Science in Nursing Program will be proficient in the following End-of-Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Patient-Centered Care: Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and a full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for the patient’s preferences, values, and needs.

Teaching-Learning: Serve as a nursing educator to patients and their families in order to provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Evidence-Based Practice: Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.

Safety: Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.

Integrate knowledge, judgement, and skills to practice nursing safely and competently within structured health care settings.

Clinical Judgement: Engage in an iterative multistep process using nursing knowledge to observe and assess presenting situations, identify a prioritized client concern and generate the best possible evidence-based solutions in order to deliver safe client care.

Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and interprofessional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision making to achieve quality patient care. Collaborate with the patient and family using effective communication to develop patient-centered, goal-oriented, culturally appropriate plans of care.

Quality Improvement: Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care.

Use self-reflection for continuous improvement in professional actions, behaviors, and clinical practice.

Revised 09/15/2025

Technical Standards for Nursing Students

All students in the River Valley Community College (RVCC) nursing programs must be able to perform diverse, complex, and specific functions and skills. These attributes include, but are not limited to personal and professional skills, physical agility, medical safety, and other requirements that individuals must possess to be eligible for satisfactory completion of the program of study as well as for the desired field of nursing. 

These attributes must be demonstrated with or without reasonable accommodation as described under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The qualifications established by the faculty include but are not limited to the following essential technical standards:

Motor Skills

• The ability to perform full range of motion of body joints, fine motor movements of the hands, and the ability to stoop and bend.
• The ability to elicit information from patients by inspection, palpitation, auscultation, percussion, and other assessment maneuvers.
• The ability to execute movements required to provide general care and treatment to patients in all health care settings including emergency treatment: e.g., transferring, lifting and turning clients, providing hygienic care, assisting patients in activities of daily living and providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• The ability to lift up to 40 pounds of weight on a daily basis.
• The ability to carry objects weighing up to 40 pounds daily.
• The ability to push or pull an occupied wheelchair, stretcher, or patient bed daily.

Sensory/Observation/Communication

• The ability to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. This requires functional use of the senses of vision and hearing.
• The ability to perceive the signs of disease and infection as manifested through physical examination, including from images of the body surfaces, palpable changes in various organs and tissues, and auditory information.
• The ability to closely examine images or other forms of output created by diagnostic equipment. The ability to observe and appreciate non-verbal communications when performing nursing assessment and intervention or administering medications.
• The ability to use spoken and written English to communicate in a coherent manner with individuals of all professions and societal levels.
• The ability to convey or exchange information at a level allowing development of a health history; identify problems presented; explain alternative solutions; and give directions during treatment and post-treatment.
• The ability to process and communicate information on the patient’s status with accuracy in a timely manner to members of the health care team.

Professional Conduct/Behavioral Expectations

• The ability to utilize intellectual abilities, exercise good judgment, and promptly complete all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients and families.
• The ability to maintain mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients, students, faculty, staff and other professionals under all circumstances.
• The ability to recognize that one’s own values, attitudes, beliefs, emotions, and experiences affect ones’ perceptions and relationships with others.
• The ability to function effectively under stress and to adapt to an environment that may change rapidly without warning and/or in unpredictable ways.
• The ability to learn and abide by professional standards of practice.
• The ability to engage in patient care delivery in all settings and be able to deliver care to all patients including but not limited to children, adolescents, adults, developmentally disabled persons, medically compromised patients, and vulnerable adults.
• The ability to maintain composure when subjected to high stress levels.
• The ability to adapt effectively to changing environments, especially those with high tension levels.
• The ability to respond in an emotionally controlled manner in learning situations and emergencies

The Associate in Science Degree nursing program at River Valley is approved by the State of New Hampshire as an entry-level nursing education program. Details may be located at:

https://www.oplc.nh.gov/entry-level-programs-registered-nurse

The Associate in Science Degree nursing program at River Valley Community College located in Claremont, New Hampshire, is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326; (404) 975-5000.

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN
Board of Commissioners for the Associate in Science Degree nursing program at River Valley Community College is Continuing Accreditation Status through Spring, 2029.

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at:

ACEN accredited programs search link

Questions about accreditation should be addressed to ACEN at the address listed above.

The Associate in Science Degree nursing program at River Valley Community College meets the state education requirements for Registered Nurse licensure in the states of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. River Valley Community College has not determined if the Associate in Science Degree nursing program at River Valley Community College meets the state education requirements in any other state, any U.S. Territory, or the District of Columbia. Contact the state regulatory agency for nursing in any other state for which this information is needed.

Additional Details

The New Hampshire Board of Nursing’s licensing regulations may restrict candidates who have been involved in civil or criminal legal proceedings. Questions about licensing restrictions should be addressed to the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, 7 Eagle Square, Concord, NH 0330

The RVCC Nursing Student Handbook can be found in the hyperlink below, and is updated every summer.

RVCC 2025-2026 Registered Nursing Program Handbook (pdf)