Department of Nursing and Health Professions

For more than 30 years, Rivier University’s Department of Nursing and Health Professions has prepared students to meet the rapidly changing demands of the healthcare environment. Rivier continually builds on its strengths, offering programs that provide students with individual attention, quality education, and numerous opportunities for practical experience.

Earn Your Degree—from ASN to Doctoral

Rivier offers nursing degrees at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Students develop the skills and work ethic that prepare them to excel in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment.

Graduates of our nursing programs are prepared for professional practice ensuring they are able to provide safe, high quality, and equitable health care for all people.

A recognized leader in nursing education, Rivier graduates the largest number of nurses throughout the state of New Hampshire. Known for exceptional faculty and hands-on clinical experiences, Rivier nursing programs prepare you for a career in nursing and healthcare. Watch the video to learn more!

Exceptional Pass Rates

• Graduates of Rivier’s BSN program who sat for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in 2020 had a pass rate of 95% for first-time test takers. The national BSN average pass rate was 86.57%, putting Rivier students well above graduates of other colleges and other universities.
• The first-time pass rate for ASN students was 87.5%, above the national ASN average of 86.57%.
• As reported by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), graduates of Rivier’s MSN program who completed the certification exam for Family Nurse Practitioner in 2020 had a first-time pass rate of 91%, exceeding the 85% national average pass rate.
• Those graduates of Rivier’s MSN program who completed the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification exam for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in 2017, 2018, and 2019 had an overall first-time pass rate of 87.05%, exceeding the 84.28% national average pass rate.

View the Undergraduate Nursing Program Outcome Data,  Graduate Nursing Program Outcome Data, and Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Outcome Data.

View the Division of Nursing and Health Professions Competencies and Program Outcomes.

A Focus on Experiential Learning

Rivier’s nursing programs enhance student preparedness through a focus on hands-on learning. While all clinical nursing courses include simulation, students also have the opportunity to participate in supervised clinical experiences.

Clinical Experience

The hallmark of all of the University’s nursing programs is the faculty-supervised clinical experience in hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the greater Boston and central New England regions. These experiences combine instructor directed and independent learning to develop procedural skills and enhance the clinical decision making process throughout the students’ academic endeavors.

Simulated Experience

Simulation is an educational strategy that re-creates real life situations and allows the participant to develop or enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will prepare the student to deal with actual patient issues.

The simulation experience provides students with a safe environment that supports the development of reasoning, critical thinking, and judgment skills. All clinical nursing courses include simulation utilizing our family of high-fidelity mannequins from infant to adult. Our physical assessment and nursing skills simulation laboratories are equipped with a wide array of patient examination equipment, including SIM Man, SIM baby, SIM Kid, and Noelle, the birthing simulator. Labs offer interactive learning systems, where students can gain hands-on experience on campus.

Guided by Industry Leaders

Our faculty consist of highly qualified and experienced nurse educators and practitioners who share their expertise and perspective with students and help them find their niche in nursing.

Rivier’s faculty have been recognized for excellence by a number of agencies and organizations. They also hold key leadership roles in regional and national organizations, such as the NH Nurse Practitioner Association, NH Nurses Association Government Affairs Commission, Association of Public Health Nurses, and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.

Industry professionals serve on the Nursing and Public Health Advisory Councils providing guidance and insight into the development of academic programs that meet the needs of healthcare in the 21st-century workforce.