Nurse Practitioner Licensing Guide for the state of South Carolina
The Nurse Practitioner license authorizes nurses to operate as nurse practitioners. Without the license, nurses won’t be able to make the nurse practitioner’s scope of practice their own. The nurse practitioner is one of the practice categories under the prestigious Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
The nurse practitioner is a higher rank of nursing professional than the Registered Nurse (RN). While a registered nurse can perform a wide range of clinical procedures, the nurse practitioner (NP) can do much more and enjoy a lot more freedom and autonomy. There are several specialty areas that a nurse practitioner can do. Some of these practice areas are:
- Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- Emergency Nurse Practitioner
- Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
- Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner
- Oncology Nurse Practitioner
- Cardiac Nurse Practitioner
- Gastroenterology Nurse Practitioner
- Urology and Nephrology Nurse Practitioner
To acquire the nurse practitioner license in South Carolina, you must send an application to the South Carolina Nursing Board. The South Carolina Board of Nursing (SCBON) is the regulatory agency issuing licenses to nurses in South Carolina. The board sets rules that govern safe and professional nursing practice in the state alongside licensing eligibility requirements.
The board is also responsible for sanctioning improper nursing practices and ethics violations in the state. These sanctions include the suspension and revocation of licenses.
South Carolina nurse practitioners enjoy the benefits of a multi-state license. The South Carolina Board of Nursing membership in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) conference has made this possible. Members of the NLC can use their nursing licenses in other member states without applying for an additional license.
Do you intend to begin your journey to practicing nursing in South Carolina as a nurse practitioner, or are you a registered nurse who wants to advance your career? This guide will show you how.