Nursing-Registered Nurse (RN)

Overview

The Associate in Science (ASN) Degree nursing program at River Valley Community College requires 2 years of focused nursing courses and co-requisite/general education courses which may be completed prior to or sequentially concurrent with program enrollment. The ASN Degree nursing program at River Valley Community College is approved by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (NHBON).

Upon satisfactory completion of the program, the graduate will earn an ASN degree and is eligible to apply to the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (NHBON) and Pearson VUE NCLEX Candidate Services for the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Priority application deadline is December 31 of each year for subsequent Fall Semester acceptance; however, students will be accepted on a rolling admission basis until all course slots are full.

Our application process is here:

COVID-19 updates (as of  January 10, 2021):

1)   Interested students are required to view a mandatory nursing informational session. Nursing informational sessions are now online – please view here: Nursing Informational Session Presentation

2) Prospective applicants must take the Test of Essential Academic Skill (TEAS), and achieve scoring benchmarks in all 4 content areas.

*Update as of 12/07/20 – due to increasing COVID-19 cases in New Hampshire, all TEAS exams will be remote at present time. As time progresses, the TEAS testing process will be re-evaluated to determine if in-person testing can be safely resumed.

• Register for the TEAS test at http://atitesting.com
• Ensure to select “River Valley CC ADN” as the institution when registering for the TEAS, and select “TEAS for Nursing Students” if asked. Estimated cost is $107.00 (not including tax).
• Remote TEAS testers will need to have free Proctorio proctoring software installed on testing computers prior to testing. The Proctorio Quick Start Guide is here: Proctorio Remote Quick Start Guide
• Select a TEAS date – at present, 2021 dates are as follows:

• • • February: 3 & 16
    • March: 3, 16, & 31
    • April: 13 & 28
    • May: 11 & 26
    • June: 8 & 23
    • July: 6 & 21
    • August: 3, 18, & 31
    • September: 15 & 28
    • October: 13 & 26
    • November: 10 & 24
    • December: 8 & 21

TEAS questions may be directed to Joyce Hamilton, ASN-RN Department secretary, at: jhamilton@ccsnh.edu 

If you have further questions, click on the light blue-colored “Request Information” button located on the right side of your screen (if on a computer), or below (if on a mobile device).

RVCC also offers a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program. Details here: RVCC LPN Program Link

Nursing Department Mission

Accreditation Information

The Associate in Science Degree nursing program at River Valley Community College is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for River Valley Community College’s Associate in Science Degree nursing program is Initial Accreditation in 2016.

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, 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326. Phone (404) 975-5000.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF UPCOMING ACCREDITATION REVIEW VISIT BY THE ACEN

River Valley Community College wishes to announce that it will host a site visit for continuing accreditation of its Associate in Science in Degree nursing  program by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

You are invited to meet with the site visit team and share your comments about the program at a meeting scheduled on February 18, 2021, from 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19, this meeting will be held virtually; link to follow on this page.  

Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted directly to:

Dr. Marsal Stoll, Chief Executive Officer  Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing  3343 Peachtree Road Northeast, Suite 850  Atlanta, GA 30326  Or email: mstoll@acenursing.org

All written comments should be received by the ACEN by January 27, 2021.

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 03301.

Admission Requirements

Submission of a competed application packet is the responsibility of each nursing candidate. Candidates will not be considered for admission until all admission requirements have been met. Candidates are notified by March 1 of each acceptance year.

Candidates must complete the college admission requirements and complete all items below to be eligible for admission. It is highly recommended that students prepare and register for the TEAS test (as below) within the year prior to program acceptance to allocate sufficient time for success. The steps below can be performed simultaneously.

Step 1: View  the Nursing Informational Session presentation.

Step 2: Complete a college application (see the blue “Apply Now” box on the right of this page).

Step 3: Submit all high school and college transcripts to the Admissions Department. Official transcripts may be sent directly to:

River Valley Community College
Admissions Department
1 College Place Claremont, NH 03743

Official transcripts may also be sent directly from high school or college electronically to: RVCCAdmissions@ccsnh.edu

Step 4:  Register for and complete the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) of Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) – www.atitesting.com Students must achieve minimum scoring in the following areas: Reading-73.8; Math-70.0; Science-52.1; English-63.3.

TEAS testing dates are on our Overview page. In case an applicant does not pass all 4 areas of the TEAS, the last two consecutive TEAS scores will be considered. Test scores are valid for a period of two years.

The TEAS evaluates the academic ability of prospective RN students. TEAS preparatory materials are available on ATI’s website above and are also available in the RVCC library. TEAS testing dates for RVCC are on ATI’s website. Students may take the TEAS test at any designated testing site (if not at RVCC); however, please designate results to be sent to RVCC if testing at an alternate site.

Step 5:  Current New Hampshire Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) licensure is required by July 1 of program entry year; however, applicants may be eligible to have this requirement waived if they are currently working in Allied Health. Please contact RVCCNursing@ccsnh.edu to receive a skill survey application.

• Need a local Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) course? RVCC now offers LNA courses. Details here: RVCC LNA Program website

Additional New Hampshire Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) educational programs are listed here. Please note that not all privately-held programs may be listed.

NH LNA Educational Programs

Alternatively, candidates are encouraged to reach out to local long-term care facilities, as many offer LNA courses at reduced cost.

RVCC now offers American Heart Association (AHS) Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers courses. Details here: RVCC AHA BLS Courses

Selection Criteria

Interested applicants may apply at any time for Fall, 2021, entrance (priority acceptance deadline is December 31 prior to the start of program entry).

Admission to the nursing program is very competitive. Science courses must have been completed with a grade of “C” or better within the past ten years from the time of acceptance.

Qualified candidates who are not accepted in the selection process may be assigned to a prioritized waiting list-based on the above criteria. Wait-listed candidates may be subsequently admitted if an opening becomes available prior to the beginning of the Fall Semester.

Upon Acceptance

It is understood that acceptance is conditional upon submission of satisfactory evidence in the form of the following documents by state deadlines. Accepted applicants are not to submit these documents to the college or nursing department; accepted applicants will receive specific instructions on how to complete and submit these requirements through the college’s approved vendor.

Details of required documentation for accepted applicants are listed here in the hyperlink below.

Required Submission Items – Fall, 2021 ASN-RN

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 Student  Achievement

NCLEX-RN Pass Rates

Program Completion Rates (within 150% of program stated length time)

New Graduate Employment Rates*

*Responding surveyed students

End-of-Program Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of RVCC’s Associate in Science in Nursing Program will be able to possess competence in the following End-of-Program Outcomes:

1.      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.

2.      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.

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

4.      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.

5.      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.

6.      Informatics: Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.

Additional Program Outcome Details:

• The first-time pass rate for RVCC nursing graduates is equivalent to, or exceeds the national pass rate for first-time test takers who are graduates of associate degree nursing programs.
• Eighty percent (80%) of students will graduate from the RVCC Nursing Program within 3 years of the initial admission into the program.
• Within six months of graduation from the RVCC nursing program, 90% of graduates will be employed as Registered Nurses.

Revised 03/2020

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

2020-2021 Nursing Student Handbook