Since its original founding as a professional nursing program in 1916, Riverside College of Health Careers has introduced thousands of health care professionals to the workforce. Effective today, Riverside College of Health Careers will be renamed Riverside College of Health Sciences (RCHS) to better reflect the breadth and depth of educational offerings.
“As a deep-rooted higher education institution with over 100 years of history on the Virginia Peninsula, we feel this name change is the next step towards a wider recognition of the degree and certificate programs we offer,” says Robin Nelhuebel, PhD, MSN, RN, College President of Riverside College of Health Sciences. “We are deeply committed to providing an enriching academic experience for the diversity of students we serve from the Greater Peninsula, Isle of Wight, and Suffolk regions and beyond.”
The college offers full-time and part-time comprehensive degree programs in professional nursing, radiologic technology, surgical technology, respiratory care, and physical therapist assistant; and certificate programs in nurse aide, practical nursing, and cardiovascular technology. The campus, located at 316 Main Street in Newport News, serves as the central educational facility with classrooms, a full-service medical library, and multiple clinical skills laboratories.
“We have graduated over 8,000 students to join the local health care workforce and we’ve been a part of Riverside since the beginning,” says Michael Hamilton, Dean of Student Success at RCHS. “The college provides easy and affordable access to highly sought and well-paying jobs; helping Riverside meet the patient care needs throughout the regions in which they serve.”
In addition to the educational opportunities, RCHS also provides alumni resources and post-graduate support through career services. RCHS graduates who elect to work for Riverside following completion of their program and required certifications, automatically earn one year of experience towards their starting salary and on average, more than one-half of Riverside College of Health Sciences graduates choose to remain with Riverside for their first clinical position.
To learn more about Riverside College of Health Sciences, please visit riverside.edu.