Best RN Programs in Virginia for 2024

At Southside Virginia Community College, students get the chance to be a part of academic excellence that has had high success rates in terms of course completion and employment rates. 

According to the data, 80% of the new nursing graduates from Southside Virginia Community College found employment concurrent with their qualifications within 6 months after graduation. In addition to the rigorous and relevant coursework, the college has multiple support systems to guide the students throughout their academic and professional careers. The support system comprises faculty advisors health sciences counselor learning center (tutoring) personnel. Students also enjoy the benefits of a Simulation Lab where they learn to practice nursing skills in real-life-like conditions before moving onto clinical rotations. The simulation labs also allow for open hours for additional student practice. In addition to that, there are also multiple online resources for content enhancement, test practice, and remediation available to help students make the best out of their academic years. 

Undergraduate Programs: The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (ADN) degree provides the students with the knowledge and skills they’ll need to start their professional career as a general nurse. In addition to an ADN degree, the college also has agreements with multiple colleges which allow students to pursue an RN to BSN or MSN courses to ensure better career opportunities.

Finally, the Certificate in Practical Nursing (LPN) degree equips beginning practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to care for clients of all ages and groups. 

With an average NCLEX pass rate of more than 92%, Bryant and Stratton College proudly ranks among the top ten nursing colleges in the state of Virginia. The college uses an effective combination of classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences to ensure that the students are competent enough to begin a career in the rapidly changing healthcare environment. 

At Bryant and Stratton College, nursing students learn about computer-aided instruction, telecommunications technology, clinical simulations, and other technical learning strategies along with basic clinical care. These career-specific courses help them to prepare for the multitude of roles that are expected of them as nursing professionals. The classroom studies, laboratory hours, and practical clinicals are led by some of the best faculty in the state, which enables students to become highly-qualified entry-level nurses. Graduates of the course will gain experience working in hospitals, care facilities, educational institutions, as well as government and non-government organizations.

Undergraduate Programs: The two-year Nursing Associate Degree (ADN) prepares students to become quality care providers upon passing their NCLEX-RN examination. The course equips the graduates with the information and literacy skills that enable them to create a framework for lifelong learning with an entry-level set of knowledge, skills, and behaviors to provide safe, effective and evidence-based nursing care. 

Tidewater Community College boasts a competitive and rewarding nursing program that enables students to begin a high-paying and rewarding career as registered nurses. The school is one of the best in the state and proudly states that almost 100% of the graduates in recent years have found employment within one year from graduation. Apart from that, the first-time licensure examination pass rates of the graduates are also well above 90% in recent years.

In Tidewater Community College, students benefit from state-of-the-art classrooms and small class sizes. The college also houses simulation labs and dedicated faculty that ensure that students are well-equipped with all the technical and theoretical knowledge they’ll need upon graduation. At the end of their education at Tidewater Community College, the students become apt in skills such as client-centered care, safety, clinical judgment, professional behaviors, quality improvement, collaboration, and other necessary skills. 

Undergraduate Programs: The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing course prepares students to start a career in different areas such as research, advanced practice nursing, teaching, and health policy, apart from clinical and bedside nursing.

There is also an LPN to RN placement available for practicing RNs who want to advance their education and career.

In addition to these, Tidewater Community College has a new course that is Paramedic/RT to RN program. The program is designed for licensed paramedics and registered respiratory therapists who want to step into a nursing career.

Germanna Community College is located in Locust Grove, Virginia.  They offer an ADN degree.  They also offer an LPN advanced placement option. Programs must be completed on a full-time basis.  They also offer a variety of other programs, such as an LPN program, a nurse's aide program, and a surgical nurse program, which is a program for LPNs to learn how to be a surgical scrub nurse.

Germanna Community College houses one of the state’s best nursing programs and has the NCLEX pass rates of over 95% in recent years. Students here are taught the fundamentals of quality care which they deliver in collaboration with a plethora of healthcare professionals. 

Students learn in high-tech classrooms by highly trained healthcare professionals. They are provided with the option to choose between online and in-person class options. Similarly, the students get to practice their skills in high-fidelity simulation labs and then move onto clinical facilities where they learn the ropes of healthcare under the guidance of experts. The clinical rotations take place in a variety of healthcare settings throughout the region, such as long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, community healthcare centers, and clinics. Students here not only learn the basics of care provision but are also made capable enough to provide health promotion, counseling, and education to the patients and their family members.

Undergraduate Programs: Germanna Community College offers a two-year Associate in Applied Science Degree program for students who wish to begin a career as a Registered Nurse. The graduates are able to provide direct patient care as beginning practitioners in a variety of healthcare facilities.

There is also an Advanced Standing program for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN to RN) that allows working LPNs to complete their AAS degrees.

Similarly, Germanna Community College also prepares Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) to take their NCLEX-LPN examination and start their healthcare journey.

John Tyler Community College is located in Chester, Virginia. They offer an ADN degree with two tracks. The traditional track has classroom time Monday through Friday, with clinical experiences that may be days, evenings and/or weekends.  The Hybrid Distance Education Track (HDET) is delivered online, with occasional participation on-campus.  Clinical experiences are still days, evenings and/or weekends.

John Tyler Community College offers a competitive two-year nursing course to prepare students for a successful career as nurse generalists. Students here are taught to provide patient care centered around developing therapeutic relationships, caring behaviors, and self-determination throughout one’s life in diverse situations.

Nursing students get the chance to practice their clinical skills in multiple healthcare centers throughout the community. The clinical rotations are led by highly skilled faculty who ensure that the students are able to practice safe nursing care that promotes health and minimizes the risk of harm across the entire healthcare environment. The students also learn to demonstrate the use of nursing judgment through clinical reasoning, nursing process, and evidence-based practice to provide safe and quality care to a diverse group of clients. In their clinical rotations, students also get the chance to participate in interdisciplinary collaborations that fosters mutual respect and shared decision-making to achieve the highest level of care provision.

Undergraduate Programs: The Associate Degree of Applied Science Nursing program is available in both traditional and hybrid tracks. The traditional track features coursework delivered in on-campus classrooms as well as additional online requirements. Similarly, the Hybrid Distance Education Track (HDET) includes the theory portion delivered online with additional on-campus requirements. 

In addition to this, the AAS program at John Tyler Community College provides students with the option to transfer to a BSN program at several four-year colleges and universities.

Danville Community College’s first-time NCLEX pass rates are among the state’s best in recent years. Students here learn the basics of care pertaining to direct patient care, healthcare management and supervision, and health education. The nursing course here is competitive right from the selection process.

At Danville Community College, nursing students are taught to provide patient-centered care by promoting therapeutic relationships, caring behaviors, and self-determination across patients of all age groups and communities. The students learn under the guidance of expert and experienced healthcare professionals to be able to practice safe nursing care, thereby minimizing the risk of harm to the patients and fellow healthcare providers. Students are also subjected to clinical rotations and practice in multiple healthcare facilities to be able to work under the principles of collaborative practice within the nursing fraternity and other healthcare providers to achieve maximum quality of care. Nursing graduates of Danville Community College have found employment in multiple highly-esteemed healthcare facilities across the country as well as the globe.

Undergraduate Programs: The AAS in Nursing is a four semester full-time program that allows students to take their NCLEX-RN examination upon completion. The graduates of this program have found employment as clinicians, supervisors, and educators in a variety of settings such as hospitals, clinics, daycare centers, doctor’s offices, adult homes, and home healthcare facilities.

There is also an advanced placement option; LPN to ADN (RN) program, available for licensed LPNs who wish to complete their ADN course and work as registered nurses.