South Carolina RN to BSN Bridge Programs
Although an ADN or diploma provides the educational requirements for a nursing license, a BSN may distinguish you from your peers, offering career mobility and providing access to specialty areas of certification and licensure. RN to BSN programs in South Carolina offer a viable way to complete your Baccalaureate degree without sacrificing your current priorities.
Currently, as reported by the WSPA online news, South Carolina is experiencing a shortage of nurse educators. Nurses with BSNs are qualified to teach some entry-level nursing courses as well as clinical rotations at some colleges and teaching hospitals in the state. Even if you don’t plan to teach or expand your education past earning your BSN, your practice and patients can benefit from earning your Bachelor’s in Nursing in SC. This position is currently in high demand.
You can use BestNursingDegree.com to compare schools in your area, and to request information about multiple RN to BSN nursing programs in South Carolina. You may also want to consider nursing schools in SC that offer online RN to BSN programs for their flexible nature.
Curriculum of RN to BSN Programs in South Carolina
There are several nursing schools in South Carolina that offer an RN to BSN. South Carolina nursing schools generally follow a similar curriculum for the BSN degree, which is designed to provide you with new perspectives that build on your existing knowledge and nursing expertise. Courses that are common in RN-BSN nursing programs in South Carolina include the following:
- Philosophies of Health and Wellness – provides you with a deeper understanding of the impact of culture, the evolution of communities and how healthcare has developed over time
- Disruptions in Health – discusses the treatment protocols and options that are compliant with healthcare standards, the psychological impact on the patient and preventative measures
- Pediatrics in the Community – goes beyond the hospital and teaches families health education, parenting skills and identifies the available health and social resources
- Promotion of Health – identifies the knowledge deficits in communities and defines health needs, preventative care and associated agencies
- Nursing Leadership – prepares the baccalaureate nurse for management, business insight and the organizational skills required for administration positions
- Professional Role Transition – defines the advanced role of the RN in practice, management and mentorship
Depending on your program of choice, RNs typically complete a transitional BSN in less than two years in a full-time course of study. Part time schedules may provide flexible options for working RNs. Nursing schools in SC also offer online RN to BSN programs, often allowing you to complete clinical requirements at a local facility.
Careers for RN to BSN Graduates in South Carolina
South Carolina has 876 RNs per 100,000 people, compared with the national average of 860, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. While about 60 percent of RNs now work in hospitals, the demand for new RNs is rapidly increasing in physician offices and home health care. These positions are typically reserved for BSN prepared nurses, as there is a greater degree autonomy and critical thinking required in these settings.
According to the above mentioned report, 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, but schools in South Carolina for nursing would like to change that. The RN to BSN programs in SC are intended to help boost the number of Bachelor’s prepared nurses across the state, thereby strengthening the nursing workforce in the state.
If you are practicing primary care at the bedside, your patients and their families can benefit from your improved diagnostic skills and professional commitment to their care. You may have decided to extend your practice to certification specialties that require a BSN for credentials. Areas of opportunities for the BSN nurse include positions such as:
- Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nursing certification requires specified hours in the specialty and a BSN for certification
- Psychiatric nurses can specialize in mental health and practice in facilities, group homes and private home care after earning a Bachelor’s in Nursing
- Nurse educators teach student nurses, teaching hospitals and provide health information for allied staff in certain cases
- Critical care nursing is a certification specialty that provides intensive therapies, emergency interventions and a high knowledge of medical technology
- Health policy nurses specialize in the construction, interpretation and management of healthcare policies that define state and federal compliance
- An informatics nurse manages, constructs and communicates vital data from databases, medical software and computer technology
In addition to specialty areas of mastery for baccalaureate prepared RNs, a BSN may be required if you plan on continuing your education in areas such as Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist. . According to the BLS 2013 data, RNs in SC earn a median annual income of $59,670. By returning to one of the nursing schools in SC to earn your RNtoBSN degree, you may be able to increase that figure. Regardless of the financial benefits, completing one of the RN to BSN programs in SC, you can benefit the nursing profession, expand your knowledge base and continue to positively affect the health of your patients.
Nursing Schools to Consider in South Carolina
- Charleston Southern University (Charleston) This is an online RN to BSN 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.
