South Carolina has 876 RNs per 100,000 people, compared with the national average of 860, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that RN employment will grow by 22 percent by 2018. And while about 60 percent of RNs now work in hospitals, the demand for new RNs is increasing rapidly in physician offices and home health care. About 36 percent of South Carolina RNs have BSN degrees or higher, while 63 percent have diplomas or associate degrees. This is in line with the US average.
Schools to Consider
- Charleston Southern University (Charleston) This is an online program with individualized curriculum plans. The nursing courses can be completed in one year of full-time study; part-time plans are two years or longer, but must be completed within six years of admission. Classes include nursing research; community health; and spirituality, health and healing.
- South University (Columbia). Classes are offered online and on site and can be completed at any time. The program can be completed in 18 months with accelerated courses lasting five and a half weeks each. Classes include legal and ethical issues; nursing research; illness and disease management across the life span; and holistic professional nursing.
- University of South Carolina - Upstate (Spartanburg). The Mary Black School of Nursing at USC-upstate has the state's largest RN to BSN program. Classes are onsite, online, and through inter-institutional articulation. The program may be completed in one year of full-time study, or two years of part-time study. Clinical study is convenient and monitored by local preceptors.
