Joint Venture with NVCC

Virginia Western Community College delivers the Radiation Oncology AAS on the Roanoke campus as well as to the Medical Education Campus at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) via distance learning. Students are admitted to the distance site annually. The program is designed to instill in graduates a strong understanding of the principles and practices of radiation oncology to successfully perform as entry-level radiation therapists. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to take a national board certification examination leading to licensure as a registered radiation therapist, RT(T).

How does the distance program operate?

The Joint Venture program is a distance satellite of Virginia Western’s accredited Radiation Oncology program. Students enroll in the same classes and have clinical experiences just like students on the Roanoke campus. The radiation oncology classroom environment includes various modalities. Courses originate from the main campus at Virginia Western and are delivered through Canvas, Collaborate, and in the classroom. The radiation oncology lecture is delivered live to the distance classroom site by compressed video (ZOOM); students can see and talk to the classroom instructor and to students at the Roanoke site. Preclinical, clinic, and laboratory courses will take place at the Medical Education Campus. NVCC students attend and have clinical sites in various locations throughout the northern Virginia area. Students may complete general support courses in the curriculum (English, Developmental Psychology, Anatomy and Physiology II, etc.) at NVCC.

How do NVCC students communicate with Virginia Western faculty who teach distance courses?

Students can talk with the instructor during class sessions using compressed video. In addition, weekly conference time will be provided for students at the joint venture site as office hours for faculty-student communication. Students will have individual email accounts. Other communication can be done by phone. A local clinical coordinator is employed at the NVCC site to serve as a clinical faculty member and academic advisor for students. This individual is a radiation therapist with an education background

How can I learn more about the student experience at the joint venture site?

For NVCC specific information, you may visit the NOVA Radiation Oncology website.

For specific questions about the distance classroom and clinical experiences of the students at the Joint Venture site, you may contact: Malora Bush (mbush@nvcc.edu) (NVCC Campus).

To apply for admission, send all application materials directly to:

Pamela Woody
Health Professions Advising and Application Office
Virginia Western Community College
3091 Colonial Ave. SW
Roanoke, VA 24015

Ms. Woody will process your application and application materials at Virginia Western and will review them for completeness and provide guidance on the admission requirements. You may contact the Health Professions Advising Team at healthprofessions@virginiawestern.edu. In addition, the Program Advisor for Radiation Oncology is Rhonda Perdue (rperdue@virginiawetern.edu) and you can reach out to her for course suggestions and career planning. Students new to Virginia Western are encouraged to begin with New Student Advising in Chapman Hall. Virtual appointments are typically available for prospective students out of the area.

Early application is encouraged for advising purposes.