Nursing-Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

Overview

White Mountains Community College and River Valley Community College have partnered together to offer the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program on the WMCC campus. Students apply to RVCC and are taught by RVCC nursing faculty. Students attend class and labs on the WMCC campus. Clinicals are held at healthcare organizations in the White Mountains Region.

Becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse will prepare you for a career in a fast-paced healthcare environment in just one year. Each LPN course incorporates classroom learning with simulation laboratory activities and are designed in every way to prepare you for a successful entry into the healthcare workforce. With a high demand in New Hampshire for LPN, starting your path to your career can start today!

With our LPN program closely linked with our rigorous associate degree nursing program, students who wish to continue their healthcare career journey will be eligible to apply to the LPN to RN track at White Mountains Community College.

Career Options

Long term care, hospitals, physician/outpatient health centers, visiting nurse and home health care.

Interested students are required to attend a mandatory nursing informational session. Due to Covid-19, face-to-face info. sessions have been suspended. Please contact Leah Rothenberg, Allied Health Program Assistant, at 603-542-7744 x5332 and she will forward the Nursing Information Session PowerPoint presentation to you for your review. We will continue to monitor the situation and will resume our face to face info sessions as appropriate.

Accreditation Information

Effective February 8, 2021, this nursing program is a candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This candidacy status expires on February 8, 2023. 

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000
http://www.acenursing.us/candidates/candidacy.asp 

Note: Upon granting of initial accreditation by the ACEN Board of Commissioners, the effective date of initial accreditation is the date on which the nursing program was approved by the ACEN as a candidate program that concluded in the Board of
Commissioners granting initial accreditation.

The clinical portion of the degree program is offered at area health care facilities (“clinical sites”). Clinical sites establish their own requirements for persons entering their facilities for educational purposes. Clinical sites may have established vaccination requirements, including vaccination for COVID-19. As with all clinical program requirements, the clinical site reserves the right to deny participation to any student who does not meet required clinical criteria and do not follow clinical site policies. Individual programs of study do not have the authority to secure clinical experience(s) for students who do not meet eligibility criteria. Students participating in clinicals must adhere to the sites’ requirements. While these are not college requirements, failure to adhere to the clinical site requirements will result in ineligibility to complete the Nursing program. Students may request exemptions through the appropriate college or clinical coordination representative, who will forward the request to the clinical site for consideration. Until an exemption or approval for attendance is granted by the clinical site, students will not be able to attend their assigned clinicals. Inability to attend clinical could impact clinical attendance, continuation in the program, and financial aid. Students should contact Stephanie Norton, DNP-RN, CNL, WMCC Nursing Program Coordinator to find out a clinical site’s vaccine requirements and the process for seeking exemption.

The Nursing Program advances the mission of both White Mountains Community College and River Valley Community College through excellence and accessibility to pre-licensure nursing programs of study. The Nursing Program supports students in achieving their personal and professional goals as responsible and contributing members of the nursing profession and of their communities. Our program is committed to providing innovative, evidenced-based curriculum that prepares students for evolving health care systems, commitment to outstanding patient care, and encourages lifelong learning. This program prepares students to take the national council licensing examination, and enter practice as either practical or registered nurses.

Program Goals

1. Eighty percent (80%) of students will graduate from the River Valley Community College Nursing Program within three years of the initial admission into the program.
2. The first-time pass rate for River Valley Community College nursing graduates is equivalent to, or exceeds, the national pass rate for first-time test takers who are graduates of practical or associate degree nursing programs.
3. Within six months of graduation from the River Valley Community College Nursing Program, ninety percent (90%) of the graduates will be employed as either Practical or Registered Professional Nurses.

Admission Requirements

Submission of a completed application packet is the responsibility of each nursing candidate. Candidates will not be considered for admission until all admission requirements have been met. 

Applications for January, 2024 are now being accepted; the deadline for applications is September 30, 2023.

Candidates must complete the college admission requirements and provide documentation of the following criteria for admission consideration:

1. Attend a nursing informational session. (This is currently offered online. Please email Dolores Gifford at [email protected] to receive this info session).
2. Complete a college application (see the green “Apply Now” box on the right of this page).
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: [email protected]

   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 – 69.0 

Math – 63.3

Science – 43.8 

English – 56.6

Current New Hampshire Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) licensure is required for entry; however, you may be eligible to have this requirement waived if you are currently working in Allied Health. Please contact [email protected] and you will receive an application and skills self-survey.

Additional Requirements

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

• CPR Certification – American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers
• Criminal Background Check
• Drug Test
• Medical insurance

To be accepted health insurance must meet the following criteria:

• United States based insurance plan;
• Provides the 10 essential health benefits specified in the Affordable Care Act (https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/essential-health-benefits/);
• Includes access to hospital and physician providers in the area where the student is attending a New Hampshire community college;
• Will remain in effect for the entire semester (except for termination due to the attainment of a maximum age, or other situation resulting in a loss of plan eligibility.

First Semester

Second Semester

Third Semester