South Carolina is a popular destination state, drawing tourists to its national parks and beaches, especially its famous Myrtle Beach. If you are a South Carolina resident desiring to become a licensed practical nurse in South Carolina, this page may contain some useful information for you. Information on LPN schooling and licensing in South Carolina has been divided into several sections. The first section describes what courses for LPNs tend to look like. The second section covers some usual job duties for LPNs. The third section provides information on licensing requirements and the application process for LPN licensure in South Carolina. Finally, the fourth section provides a list of schools in South Carolina that may offer LPN schooling programs.

LPN Schooling & Programs: Fundamental Information

LPN programs and RN programs in South Carolina resemble one another, filled with theoretical education in the classroom and practical education in labs and clinicals. Students in an LPN schooling program in South Carolina may be required to take both general education and nursing classes. Examples of general education classes that students may be required to take include psychology and English. Examples of nursing classes include maternal-child nursing, mental health nursing, pharmacology, nutrition, and medical dosage. Labs often tend to accompany nursing classes to help students learn the practical aspect of nursing. Students may practice techniques and skills they have learned in labs on other students or on mannequins, and an instructor is often present to teach and to help guide students as they practice. Students may take the skills and knowledge they have learned and apply it in the real world during clinicals, which usually take place one or more times a week. In clinicals, students take on various aspects of the LPN role and apply their knowledge and skill to real patients and scenarios. Often, the responsibilities start out lighter and progress as the student progresses through the course.

Common Duties for LPNs in South Carolina

LPNs in South Carolina may be required to perform a large variety of tasks, and these tasks often vary from one employer to the next. For example, LPNs employed at a nursing home may be required to transfer patients from a bed to a wheelchair, while LPNs employed in a NICU may be required to bottle-feed infants. But many tasks are performed almost across the board; this includes tasks that are present in bedside care, patient health status monitoring, and other tasks. Bedside care can cover everything from bathing and dressing patients to cleaning wounds and changing bandages, as well as assisting patients with personal hygiene. Patient health status monitoring can include things like recording blood pressure, blood sugar, blood oxygen levels, pain level, temperature, and weight and other similar medical data. It can also include talking to the patient about the healthcare being received, and if the patient has any concerns or comments, mentioning those concerns to the doctor so that they can improve the patient’s wellbeing. Specialized skills can include skills that require further schooling and/or licensing, such as like helping patients with IVs. Other duties that an LPN may be required to perform include supervising certified nursing assistants or nursing aides, as well as completing paperwork and giving medications to patients orally or through injection.

General Information About South Carolina LPN Licensing

South Carolina is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which means that a South Carolina resident who holds a nursing license can practice in other states that also participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact. In addition to that, this reciprocity means that residents of other Compact states must be licensed in their own state but can practice in South Carolina without being required to obtain a South Caroline LPN license. South Carolina has several specific requirements that need to be met before a person can be licensed as an LPN. Some of these are covered in the following paragraph, but visit the website of the South Carolina Board of Nursing for comprehensive information and up-to-date information on fee amounts, as well as information on certain situations (such as having graduated from a foreign nursing program, etc).

Applicants for LPN licensing in South Carolina must complete an application and pay any application fees. They must also include several documents with the application, including a copy of their birth certificate or a valid passport, a copy of their Social Security card (or permanent resident card or resident alien identification card, if applicable), copies of legal documents authorizing a name change (if necessary) , and the completion date showing their nursing courses were finished, which can be obtained from the dean or director of the nursing program the applicant graduated from. A 2-inch-by-2-inch passport-type photo must also be include that shows the applicant’s face and is signed and dated by the applicant. Applicants must also pass a fingerprinted background check (details for getting the fingerprints and background check done are on the Board of Nursing’s website). Finally, applicants must register for and pass the NCLEX. Again, for more information or for information on unique licensing situations, visit the South Carolina Board of Nursing online (linked above in this section).

South Carolina Schools That May Have Practical Nursing Programs

Spartanburg Community College
107 Community College Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29303
(864) 592-4800

Greenville Technical College
506 S Pleasantburg Dr, Greenville, SC 29607
(864) 250-8000

Piedmont Technical College
620 Emerald Road North, Greenwood, SC 29648
(864) 941-8369

Central Carolina Technical College
506 N Guignard Dr, Sumter, SC 29150
(803) 778-1961

Midlands Technical College
316 S Beltline Blvd, Columbia, SC 29205
(803) 738-8324

Aiken Technical College
2276 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Graniteville, SC 29829
(803) 593-9231

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College
3250 St Matthews Rd, Orangeburg, SC 29118
(803) 536-0311

Florence-Darlington Technical College
2715 W Lucas St, Florence, SC 29501
(843) 661-8324

Technical College of the Lowcountry
921 Ribaut Rd, Beaufort, SC 29902
(843) 525-8211

Trident Technical College
7000 Rivers Ave, North Charleston, SC 29406
(843) 574-6111

Williamsburg Technical College
601 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 355-4165

York Technical College
452 S Anderson Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803) 327-8000

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