Top LPN Programs in South Carolina

South Carolina LPN Schools, License Requirements, Salary, and Job Outlook

Licensed practical nurses are often considered as the backbone of health industry due to their continuous engagement with patients from all spheres- from bedside care to psychiatry and ambulance support. Be it the noble cause, high learning curve (under the constant supervision of registered nurses and physicians), decent salaries, or a combination of all three, it remains a popular choice for talents looking for a bright career in the medical field.

Before you choose practical nursing as your primary career objective, you should know a few things about this profession. LPN programs – admissible after high school or equivalent certification- are, in general, considered to be demanding as they require extra efforts and are certainly not to be pursued as part-time. The LPN programs in South Carolina generally ranges from 12-18 months, have a very rigorous coursework requiring you to master a wide spectrum of subjects like Algebra, Psychology, Physiology, Pharmacology, and a host of other practicals.

If you have decided to make your career in practical nursing, South Carolina being one of the highest paying states is a fine place to start. It is due to this reason that the state is also home to a large number of institutions offering LPN courses. Depending on your location, budget, and time you have, you can choose to pursue your degree, certificate, or diploma in any community or technical college, or even some vocational center. One thing that must be kept in mind while choosing your course or institution is their accreditation from South Carolina Nursing Board, if not, even after you complete your Practical Nursing program, you won’t be issued a license and hence, abstain from practicing as a practical nurse. To know in detail about all the aspects of licensed practical nursing, read the information given below –

LPN Schools in South Carolina

OUR METHODOLOGY +

A nursing school ranks on the top according to the following criteria-

• Higher Passing Rate of Alumni in NCLEX
• Financial Aid that a school provides
• Higher number of students

The nursing schools were then included in the ranking on the basis of following factors-

• Well-developed Architecture
• Better Infrastructure
• Superior Technology
• Ranking in US News and World Report
• Teachings offered by world-class faculty
• Inclusion of world-class facilities
• World-class Opportunities

We hope that the list will help you to opt the best college as per your preferences in the state. The programs available in these colleges will give you an opportunity to begin your journey as a successful nurse.

Below is the list of top nursing schools with finest of infrastructure that offers LPN programs in South Carolina:

License Requirements for LPN in South Carolina

Before you start practicing as a practical nursing professional, you have to obtain a license from South Carolina Nursing Board. This license includes your name in South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry that in turn certifies you to work as a practical nurse anywhere in the state. Also, South Carolina is a part of Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) that enables you to practice in any of the 25 member states without furnishing any additional licensing procedures. To obtain your nursing license in the state, you have to go through some/all of these procedures depending upon your current academic status-
1. Completing an LPN Program

The first step is, of course, to complete an LPN program from any of the accredited nursing schools in South Carolina. You can choose to pursue a degree or a diploma as long as the course is approved by South Carolina Board of Nursing.
2. Qualifying Exam

After you have completed your course, the state requires you to clear the NCLEX-PN exam to be considered for licensure. Due to the difficulty level of the exam, the board allows aspirants to appear multiple times (with a minimum gap of 45 days) during the first year. If you fail to clear the exam in the 1st year, a reasonable explanation has to be submitted to the board for further attempts. Failing to qualify within 3 years renders your LPN certificate null, and you have to re-enroll in any nursing program approved by the board.
3. Application

Once you have passed the NCLEX-PN exam, you are then eligible to apply for licensure. The application form along with your official transcript of course completion, proof of exam clearance, and other general documents supporting your eligibility to work as a practical nursing professional have to be sent to the board. You can get the application form for licensure by examination, here.
4. Verification

The board upon receiving the application starts the verification of documents, conducts background checks, and furnishes other formalities. If all goes well, your name is added to the South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry, and a license is issued. After this point, you can start working as a practical nurse, and your credentials can be verified by any client or institution even if you are practicing in other states.

Licensure by Endorsement

Since South Carolina is one of the members of Nurse Licensure Compact, the state allows the licensed practical nurses in other compact states to practice, without the need to obtain a license. In order to work as an LPN in SC, the professional need to move in the state and declare it as the new place of residence. You can get the list of the compact states from www.ncsbn.org. For an endorsement license you need to pay $100 whereas if you accompany it with the temporary license, the fee is $110. For more information regarding this kind of licensure and to download the application form, click here.

License Reinstatement

The license issued by the board is valid only for a certain period of time after which it lapses, and you are forfeited from practicing as a practical nurse. To get your license reinstated, you have to pay a small fee and file an application showing the causes of the lapse, the profession you pursued, experience, and your future aspirations from the field of nursing. The board will then examine and verify your application, and your license will be reinstated.

License Renewal

If you do not want to go through the cumbersome process of reinstating your license, then you must get your license renewed after every 2 years with a small payment and furnishing few formalities. If you wish to continue your career in practical nursing, you must apply to South Carolina nursing license renewal portal that checks if you meet the minimum work criteria over the last licensure period and other abnormalities. You can either apply for it online or can download the form. Fee for the application is $75.

Duplicate License

If you have misplaced or lost your license, obtaining a duplicate one is fairly simple. All you have to do is login to the e-service portal of South Carolina, enter your credentials, and take a printout of your license.

Salary of Licensed Practical Nurse in South Carolina

Practical nursing in itself is a very diverse field with a wide work environment and even wider range of specialties. Depending upon the two major factors, i.e., working environment and specialties, the salaries of Practical nurses also take a swing with the average annual salary being $50,000 as per statistics from indeed.com on 29 September 2016. On the other hand, the data from US Department of Labor states that annual mean wage of LPN professionals is $39,410 with a mean hourly wage at $18.95 in 2015. The table below shows the salary breakup of practical nurses according to their field of expertise-

Information Source: indeed.com

As the above table shows, there is a wide difference between salaries of practical nurses by specialty with Psychiatric nurses making an average of $56,000 a year, while Patient Care Technician Students take home only $17,000 annually.

Annual Mean Salaries of LPN in different cities of South Carolina

Information Source: salary.com

As per the above figures (30 September 2016), salaries of LPN professionals are fairly distributed across every city of South Carolina. Rock Hill claims highest annual salary at $45,035, while practical nurses in Myrtle Beach were paid least at $38,633 annually.

Job Outlook For LPN In South Carolina

With the current boom in the health industry, job prospects in the field of practical nursing are also on the rise. As per the statics by US Department of Labor, there were 9,090 licensed practical/vocational nurses in the state of South Carolina in May 2015. Even such a large workforce is not enough to meet the growing demand, and hence the number of jobs of practical nurses in the country is assumed to grow in future. Primarily fueled by ever expanding fields of nursing and diversified work environments, the sector looks promising for a long time to come.