Answering the Call: Spartanburg Community College Announces Major Nursing Program Growth

Aspiring healthcare professionals will soon find their career paths broadening as Spartanburg Community College announced an expansion of their Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nursing programs. 

This strategic initiative opens new avenues for individuals keen on pursuing a rewarding and impactful career in the healthcare sector and builds on the College’s mission to supply a skilled workforce for the employers of the Upstate region and beyond. 

With nursing demand at historic highs, SCC received approval from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) to expand the size of its RN program by 49%, allowing the College to serve 147 new students each year. The program now operates year-round, offering classes during the Fall, Summer, and Spring semesters, enabling students to achieve their RN qualification in as little as two years or less.

Additionally, The South Carolina Board of Nursing approved an expansion of SCC’s LPN program, which will now offer day, night, and weekend classes at the College’s Cherokee County Campus in Gaffney, SC. With the approved expansion, the program will double in size to now serve 100 students each year.

Night and weekend classes for the LPN program will begin in Spring 2024.  

“With this expansion of student acceptance into our RN and LPN programs, SCC seeks to meet the ongoing needs of our healthcare community in the South Carolina Upstate,” said Dr. Annette Guy, Dean of Nursing at SCC. “The SCC RN program is ACEN accredited and the College has just been awarded ACEN candidacy for the LPN program, ensuring both programs meet national educational standards.”

“South Carolina faces a severe nursing shortage that presents a significant threat to the critical care needs of our citizens and places financial burdens on our communities,” said Dr. Michael Mikota, president of SCC. “The proud Chasers of Spartanburg Community College are taking bold action to address the nursing shortage in a way that will provide the best return on investment for our communities. We will ensure that individuals who dream of a career in healthcare are empowered to both hone and utilize their unique, life-saving skills right here in their respective communities.”

SCC offers two pathways for a career in nursing, the Associate Degree in Applied Science-Nursing (ADN) and the Diploma of Applied Science-Nursing (PN), with the goal of each program being that students pass their board examinations to receive licensing as a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), respectively. 

The December 2022 class of ADN students had a 100% pass rate of the NCLEX-RN exam, meaning all members are eligible to hold an RN license and immediately enter the local workforce. 

Individuals interested in chasing their dream of a career in healthcare at SCC are invited to apply for the Spring Semester cohort, with the deadline for applications being October 13th. 

Now available for the first time, SCC is proud to offer the ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS), a test designed to assess a student’s preparedness for entering the health science field, through the Giles Campus Testing Center.

Additionally, SCC is one of the only schools in the state to offer a free TEAS test preparation course through the SCC Testing Center. Interested individuals should contact the Testing Center at (864) 592-4966.