Joint Venture with NVCC

Virginia Western Community College delivers the Associate of Applied Science Degree Radiation Oncology Program on the Roanoke campus as well as to the Medical Education Campus in Northern Virginia Community College via distance learning. The first Joint Venture class at NVCC began in Fall 2007. 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 VWCC’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 consists of various modalities. Courses originate from the main campus at VWCC and are delivered through Canvas, collaborate, and in the classroom. The radiation oncology lecture is delivered “live” to the other 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 clinical facility developed by the Joint Venture site. NVCC students meet 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 VWCC faculty who teach distance courses?

Students can talk with the instructor during class sessions using the 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 or fax. 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 NOVA specific information, you may visit the NOVA website at https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/programs/radiation-oncology/index.html.

For specific questions about the distance classroom and clinical experiences of the students at the Joint Venture site, you may contact:

NVCC Campus: Ms. Kerry Cropper (kcropper@nvcc.edu), 703-822-9042

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

Pamela Woody
Health Professions Advising and Application Office
VWCC
3091 Colonial Ave.
Roanoke, Va. 24015.

Ms. Woody is one of your assigned advisors at VWCC who will review your application material 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 Ms. Rhonda Perdue (rperdue@virginiawetern.edu) and you can reach out to her for course suggestions and career planning.

Early application is encouraged for advising purposes.