Rivier ASN and LPN-ASN: evening nursing with clinicals Rivier arranges
Rivier University's Associate of Science in Nursing meets on campus in the evenings, and its LPN-ASN lets licensed practical nurses complete the ASN in four semesters. In both, Rivier assigns the clinical agency under its undergraduate clinical policy, so there is no preceptor for you to go looking for. That changes only if you continue into one of Rivier's MSN tracks, where finding the preceptor becomes your job.
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Tell us your Rivier program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your Rivier course.
The ASN and LPN-ASN at a glance
Both programs lead to the NCLEX-RN and share the ASN clinical courses. The LPN-ASN is a semester shorter, and LPNs challenge the first nursing course instead of taking it.
| ASN | LPN-ASN | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | On campus, evenings | On campus |
| Credits | 72 in total, 42 taken at Rivier after prerequisites | 37 after prerequisites |
| Length after prerequisites | Five semesters | Four semesters |
| Start | Clinical rotations start each September (program sheet); the program page lists January 19, 2027 | Each January |
| First nursing course | NURS 101 Nursing Fundamentals | NURS 101 is challenged |
| Clinical placement | Assigned by Rivier | Assigned by Rivier |
The two ASN start dates do not match. The 2026 ASN sheet says clinical rotations begin each September, while the ASN web page shows January 19, 2027 as the next start. Ask Rivier's admissions office or the undergraduate program director which intake you are joining and when your first rotation begins.
Clinical placements: Rivier assigns the agency
The Handbook's undergraduate clinical assignment rule applies to the ASN and LPN-ASN just as it does to the BSN: Rivier can send you to any clinical agency up to 60 miles from its Nashua campus. Our BSN and ABSN guide lists the partner hospitals and agencies Rivier names for its pre-licensure programs.
The detail that matters most for evening students is the schedule. The ASN classes meet in the evening, but the Handbook schedules undergraduate clinicals on any day from Monday through Sunday and asks students to be flexible. If you work while you study, find out your rotation pattern from course faculty as early as you can and talk to your employer before the term starts.
Undergraduates can also be charged clinical make-up fees, so protect your clinical days first when you build a work schedule.
The ASN clinical courses
The 2025-26 catalog lists seven ASN courses with clinical credit, each split between theory and clinical. As with every Rivier pre-licensure course, the catalog gives credits, not clock hours.
| Course | Theory / clinical credits |
|---|---|
NURS 101 Nursing Fundamentals | 5 / 3 |
NURS 102 Care of the Adult I | 5 / 4 |
NURS 190 | 2 / 1 |
NURS 201 | 2 / 1 |
NURS 202 Care of the Childbearing Family | Printed as 2 / 2 on a 3-credit course |
NURS 203 | 5 / 4 |
NURS 205 Care of the Child | 2 / 1 |
Your Program of Studies carries the full titles of NURS 190, NURS 201 and NURS 203 and the order you take them in. NURS 102 and NURS 203 carry the most clinical credit, four each, so plan for those semesters to lean hardest on your time outside class.
LPN-ASN: challenging Nursing Fundamentals
Rivier's LPN-ASN is built for licensed practical nurses. It runs 37 credits after prerequisites over four semesters and starts each January. Instead of taking NURS 101 Nursing Fundamentals, LPNs challenge it.
Ask admissions or the undergraduate program director what the NURS 101 challenge involves, when it happens and what happens if you do not pass it. Get the answer before the January start so you can prepare.
From the challenge on, LPN-ASN students join the ASN clinical courses and the same assigned-placement rules. The clinical requirements apply in full from your first rotation: CastleBranch records, the annual orientation and the Clinical Assignment Ticket. The LPN-ASN begins in January while the Centralized Clinical Placement orientation runs each August, so ask your faculty how the orientation fits into your first semester.
Clinical requirements for associate students
Rivier holds ASN and LPN-ASN students to the full list of clinical requirements, kept in CastleBranch (myCB) and due before any clinical course begins. For undergraduates, missing or late records can bring a fine, exclusion from clinical, a registration hold and removal from clinical courses. The immunization and TB guide covers the health items, including the flu vaccine due by September 30 each year.
The background check and drug screen run every year through the Division's contracted agency, and outside checks are not accepted. Results matter beyond Rivier: a clinical agency can turn a student away because of them, and in that case the Handbook releases Rivier from any duty to arrange a different site. The background check guide explains the process.
Add the yearly online Centralized Clinical Placement orientation, held each August, and a printed Clinical Assignment Ticket for every clinical experience.
Where you live: the State Guide and moving
On Rivier's State Guide, the ASN shares the pre-licensure ASN/BSN column with the BSN. Only the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont are green, California is red, and every other listed state is yellow, with a footnote that points anyone outside New England to the undergraduate program director. The State Guide page shows every column.
Undergraduate students who move owe Rivier 90 days' written notice, except for a move to Massachusetts. With clinicals assigned within 60 miles of Nashua, check with the undergraduate program director before any move that would take you farther from campus. If an MSN is part of your plan, look ahead to where you expect to live by then: Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, for example, are green in every graduate column of the chart.
After the ASN: NCLEX, the RN-BSN and graduate study
The Handbook says Rivier's undergraduate graduates are prepared for the NCLEX-RN in New Hampshire, and Rivier's ASN holds ACEN accreditation; the latest ACEN action on it was Continuing Accreditation.
Once licensed, you have two ways to keep going at Rivier. The online RN-BSN counts your active RN license for 60 credits toward its 120 and has no practicum on its sheet. Or you can apply to an MSN track through an RN-MS entry path: the 2025-26 catalog gives 51 credits for the FNP, 49 for the PMHNP and 38 for Nursing Education on that path, and RN-MS applicants add a professional portfolio. Graduate admission also looks for two years of registered nurse experience, documented on your resume.
In the MSN, Rivier's Practicum Placement Policy puts the job of identifying a qualified preceptor on you. That is our specialty, and it is where we help Rivier's associate graduates: we locate preceptors near you who satisfy your track's requirements and put together the Preceptor Request Form materials ahead of Rivier's August 1 and December 1 deadlines. Start the conversation about a year before your first NP practicum.
Questions Rivier students ask
Do Rivier ASN students find their own clinical sites?
No. Rivier assigns clinical agencies for its ASN and LPN-ASN students under the Handbook's undergraduate clinical policy, which lets Rivier choose agencies up to 60 miles from Nashua. Students keep their CastleBranch records current and attend where they are assigned. Finding a preceptor is a graduate-program task at Rivier.
Are Rivier ASN clinicals held in the evening?
The ASN's classes meet on campus in the evenings, but the Handbook allows undergraduate clinicals on any of the seven days, Monday to Sunday, and expects students to adapt. Ask your course faculty for your rotation pattern as early as possible, especially if you work during the day.
Can an LPN skip Nursing Fundamentals at Rivier?
LPNs in Rivier's LPN-ASN challenge NURS 101 Nursing Fundamentals rather than taking the full course. The LPN-ASN totals 37 credits after prerequisites over four semesters and starts each January. Ask Rivier admissions or the undergraduate program director how the challenge works and when it takes place.
Is Rivier's ASN program accredited?
Yes. ACEN accredits the ASN along with Rivier's BSN, MSN, post-master's certificates and DNP, and for each one the latest ACEN action listed on Rivier's department page is Continuing Accreditation. Rivier itself holds institutional accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
What can I study at Rivier after the ASN?
Rivier's online RN-BSN credits an active RN license with half of its 120 credits, runs in seven-week courses and lists no practicum. Rivier's catalog also lists RN-MS entry paths into MSN tracks such as the FNP, PMHNP and Nursing Education, which add a professional portfolio to the usual graduate application, including two years of RN work.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against Rivier's own Nursing Student Handbook, program sheets, catalog, academic calendar and State Guide. Your program of study, your course faculty, your Program Director and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.
Rivier asks you to identify a qualified preceptor. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your Rivier track, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who meet your track's rules, check early whether the site can contract with Rivier, and prepare everything the Preceptor Request Form asks for, well ahead of August 1 and December 1.
- Preceptors matched to the track: an MD, DO or FNP in outpatient family practice for
NURS 511, a psychiatrist or PMH-certified NP forNURS 521, a hospitalist or intensivist forNURS 638P - Preceptor license, credentials and CV ready for the Preceptor Request Form, with the site's contact details for the contract
- In your own area, in New Hampshire or any state Rivier's State Guide accepts
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