RCHC is proud to offer Nursing Programs such as Nurse Aide, Practical Nursing, LPN-to-RN, Professional Nursing and an online RN-to-BSN. RCHC also has Allied Health Programs in Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, Surgical Technology, Cardiovascular Technology, and Respiratory Care. Learn more about our programs here.
Our programs vary by degree, division chosen, and student status. Varies: 6 weeks up to 2 years. Please refer to our program landing pages to compare Allied Health or Nursing program lengths.
School of Nursing
This school contains the RN to BSN online, Professional Nursing, Practical Nursing, and the Nurse Aide programs.
School of Allied Health
This school contains the Cardiovascular Technology Program with Adult Echocardiography Specialty (ECHO), Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, and Surgical Technology Programs.
If you would like to apply to multiple programs, please contact the RCHC Admissions office for details. Contact Us
Yes, Riverside College of Health Careers is institutionally accredited by Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). ABHES is a national institutional accreditor. Each program also holds programmatic accreditation with discipline-specific accrediting agencies (see the individual program pages for all programmatic accreditations).
Yes, certain programs require prerequisites. Please refer to the How to Apply or individual program pages for more program specific information on prerequisite courses required. RCHC now offers an online Pre-Nursing and Pre-Allied Health Track to prepare students for application to their desired program. Visit our How to Apply page to learn how to apply to these tracks.
Please refer to the How to Apply page to view upcoming program start dates and application deadlines.
Our fall semester typically starts in late August and our Spring Semester starts in January. View our academic calendar here for more information about when classes start and stop.
Prerequisite courses are accepted if taken at an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). All Virginia community colleges meet this requirement.
If you still need to take pre-requisite courses, RCHC now offers a hybrid online Pre-Nursing and Pre-Allied Health Track that prepares students for application to their desired program. Learn how to apply to the pre-track programs on our How to Apply page.
You may also search the vccs.edu for additional online courses. We also recommend Portage Learning as another flexible online option for prerequisite courses.
Semesters vary by program; day division's semesters typically last 16 weeks for the fall/spring semester, and up to 8 weeks for the summer semester. The evening/weekend division's semesters are normally 23 weeks in length. Our online BSN classes are split into 2 8-week sessions at a time. The online prerequisite program follows the day division's semesters.
ATI TEAS Test:
Professional Nursing:
suggested score: 66.1% or higher
Average accepted TEAS score: 74.6%
Practical Nursing:
suggested score: 58.4% or higher
Average accepted TEAS score: 66.0%
Physical Therapist Assistant:
suggested score: 61.4% or higher
Average accepted TEAS score: 73.6%
Radiologic Technology:
suggested score: 60.6% or higher
Average accepted TEAS score: 74.7%
Surgical Technology:
suggested score: 61.4% or higher
Average accepted TEAS score: 69.8%
Applicants who test at the College, that do not score the suggested minimum score, may retake the ATI TEAS test once in each application cycle. Retakes are at the discretion of the Admissions Officer and dependent on space availability.
Applicants who take the TEAS online or at an approved testing center can retake the test as many times as they would like during an application cycle.
Courses, diplomas, certificates, or degrees completed at Riverside College of Health Careers are not guaranteed to transfer to other schools, because such transferability is solely at the discretion of the receiving school. Several local schools do articulate with Riverside College of Health Careers and offer transferability for continuing your education.
Tuition is program specific. Please refer to the Tuition and Fees page for more information.
There are additional fees students are responsibility for that are not included in applicant processing fees or tuition. These include a background screening, drug screening, immunizations, a CPR course and preadmission testing. Please refer to the Tuition and Fees page for more information.
Financial Aid is available to those that qualify. We also accept Pell grant and VA benefits. Please visit the Financial Aid and Scholarships page to learn more. If you are interested in applying for financial aid, complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov, the school code is 014108. Please contact Student Financial Services at 757-240-2232 for more information.
Yes we do; while tuition is due (after course registration) no later than the Friday before the semester begins, Riverside College of Health Careers offers a online payment portal that allows you to set up a payment plan through the semester.
Yes, there are Riverside scholarships available. Please see the Financial Aid and Scholarships page for eligibility and applications.
Yes, Riverside Health System Employees (Full-time, Part-time or Labor poll) are eligible for a tuition discount and tuition assistance. Please search "Educational Assistance" in the search box on the Intranet to find the tuition assistance online application. For further questions, contact Riverside Total Rewards.
Yes. Current Riverside employees, their spouse, and dependents are eligible for a tuition discount. Student must provide proof of employment in order to have the tuition discount applied to their account. Verification will be required each semester and documentation must be submitted after course registration but no later than the Friday before the semester begins. Tuition discounts are not retroactive and refunds will not be issued once tuition has been paid. Please contact the college for the required verification documents.
Riverside employees are also eligible for tuition assistance for attending an RCHC program. Search 'educational benefits' on the intranet to find the tuition assistance application.
All programs (with the exception of Nurse Aide) require CPR prior to the start of the program. Only the American Heart Association BLS for the Healthcare Provider or American Red Cross CPR for the Healthcare Provider will be accepted.
Go to our College link and then select the program you will be attending under "place order." Check the New Student Orientation site for additional details.
View the current College Catalogue located on the Policies and Disclosures page for a list of required immunizations.
Please call 757-240-2200 or email [email protected] for more information.