South Carolina Board of Nursing

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Licensure By Endorsement Instructions

Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse-Midwife, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and Clinical Nurse Specialist Licensed in another state or RN License inactive in SC - Seeking APRN License in SC.

Mailing Address:
SC Board of Nursing
Attn: APRN Department
110 Centerview Dr., Ste 202
Columbia, SC 29210

Information for Applicant

South Carolina is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). The NLC does not affect additional requirements imposed by states for advanced practice registered nursing. A multi-state licensure privilege to practice registered nursing granted by a party state must be recognized by other party states as a license to practice registered nursing if a license to practice registered nursing is required by state law as a precondition for qualifying for advanced practice registered nurse authorization.

A current APRN South Carolina license or temporary license is required to practice advanced nursing in this state. Orientation is considered the practice of nursing in South Carolina. Therefore, all nurses must possess a current South Carolina license and/or temporary license before beginning orientation (including classroom instruction and reading policies and procedures). It is a violation of the Nurse Practice Act to begin orientation without the proper license and can result in action by the Board. Please visit our website at http://llr.sc.gov/nurse to review the complete South Carolina Nurse Practice Act, Chapter 33, Section 40-33-34 for more details on educational and certification requirements.

An applicant for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant:

1. has met all qualifications for licensure as a registered nurse; and
2. holds current specialty certification by a board-approved credentialing organization. New graduates shall provide evidence of certification within one year of program completion; however, psychiatric clinical nurse specialists shall provide evidence of certification within two years of program completion; and
3. has earned a master's degree from an accredited college or university, except for those applicants who:
4. provide documentation as requested by the board that the applicant was graduated from an advanced, organized formal education program appropriate to the practice and acceptable to the board before December 31, 1994; or
5. graduated before December 31, 2003, from an advanced, organized formal education program for nurse anesthetists accredited by the national accrediting organization of that specialty. CRNA's who graduate after December 31, 2003, must graduate with a master's degree from a formal CRNA education program for nurse anesthetists accredited by the national accreditation organization of the CRNA specialty. An advanced practice registered nurse must achieve and maintain national certification, as recognized by the board, in an advanced practice registered nursing specialty;
6. has paid the board all applicable fees; and
7. has declared specialty area of nursing practice and the specialty title to be used must be the title which is granted by the board-approved credentialing organization or the title of the specialty area of nursing practice in which the nurse has received advanced educational preparation.

Prescriptive Authority:

APRN's applying for prescriptive authority shall meet the requirements as noted in the S.C. Nurse Practice Act, Section 40-33-34 (E). The Prescriptive Authority application is a separate document from the online application for APRN, Please find the document at this link: Prescriptive Authority Application.

The application for Prescriptive Authority needs to be mailed to the board along with the additional fee of $20.

An applicant for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse whose license in another state is currently restricted to prohibit the practice of nursing by any disciplinary action (i.e. suspension, revocation, or other action) shall not be considered for South Carolina license until the license from the other state of discipline is reinstated to permit the practice of nursing.

Instructions & Information

1. Complete and submit the Application for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse License by Endorsement. Application fees are non-refundable. Money order, cashier's check or personal check should be made payable to LLR-Board of Nursing. Your application must include the following:
2. Recent 2" x 2" full faced passport type photo, signed, dated and uploaded or mailed in.
3. Copy of birth certificate or a valid passport. (Copy of hospital birth certificate is not accepted).
4. Copy of social security card, permanent resident card or a resident alien identification card assigned to a resident alien who does not have a social security number.
5. Copy of a current license from another state with the expiration date.
6. Have official transcript(s) sent directly from master's of nursing educational program to Board of Nursing.
7. Submit copy of current national advanced practice specialty certification (see web page for approved organizations). New graduates shall provide evidence of certification within one year of program completion; however, psychiatric clinical nurse specialists shall provide evidence of certification within two years of program completion.
8. Copies of legal documents that authorize a change in name (marriage license, divorce decree, court order).
9. Complete Affidavit of Eligibility and submit secure and verifiable document.
10. Obtain all SC physician signatures and license numbers to be included on your application, if applicable.
11. Review the SC Nurse Practice Act and SC Medical Practice Act for guidelines on the development of written protocols.
12. Applicants applying for Prescriptive Authority, complete and submit the following (this is only required for those applying with the separate document for prescriptive authority.):
13. Prescriptive Authority application;
14. Certificates of completion for 45 hours of pharmacotherapeutics of which 15 hours must be in controlled substances (initial applicants); or 20 hours of pharmacotherapeutics of which 15 hours must be in controlled substances (applicants licensed in another state with prescriptive authority).
15. Application fees - Money order, cashier's check or personal check made payable to LLR - Board of Nursing.
16. $130.00 - Permanent license only.
17. $140.00 - Temporary license & permanent license.
18. $160.00 - Includes prescriptive authority $20.00 - See Prescriptive Authority Application. (These fees are paid separately, $160.00 is just a reflection of the total cost.)
19. Criminal Background Check (CBC): An applicant for a license to practice nursing in South Carolina shall be subject to a criminal history background check as defined in 40-33-25 of the Nursing Practice Act. The Board will send you instructions on how to have your fingerprints processed once your application is received.

1. Submit the verification form to your original state board of RN licensure and Advanced Practice Licensure; or if your original state of RN licensure is a member board of NURSYS, process your RN verification online at https://www.nursys.com and send the verification form to your original state of Advanced Practice Licensure.
2. Most boards of nursing charge a fee for this service; therefore, you must contact the state nursing board for the amount required. Verifications must be submitted directly to the South Carolina Board of Nursing. Be sure to send the verification form along with applicable fees to the original licensing board as soon as possible as this process may take several weeks to complete. If your RN nursing education is not included on your verification, then you are required to have an official transcript sent directly from your nursing education program to the SC Board of Nursing office.

1. Name Used on License - All licenses are issued in the applicant's legal name. The name as it appears on your birth certificate will be printed on your license, unless it has been changed legally by marriage, divorce or other legal action. If your name changes (marriage, divorce or other court order) after the application has been filed, a copy of the legal document changing your name must be submitted to this office so that the correct name appears on the license. Your first name cannot be dropped and your middle name used on the license unless you have legally made this change and have provided documentation (court documents).
2. Notification of Initial Employment or Change of Practice - Section 40-33-34 (D)(3) and (H)(4) of the S.C. Nurse Practice Act requires that individuals who change or discontinue practice settings or physician (or dentist) shall notify the Board of such change within 15 business days and provide verification of approved written protocols (guidelines). Failure to notify the Board of a practice change shall be considered misconduct and subjects the licensee to disciplinary action. Complete the enclosed notification form and return to the Board of Nursing within the designated time as described in the Statute. The notification form can be copied as needed.

1. License Renewal - South Carolina Nursing Licenses are renewed every even year. All licenses must be renewed by April 30th every even year. It is the licensee's responsibility to renew their license. Do not wait until renewal time to notify the Board of a change in your address, supervisory or practice setting. See §40-33-40 of the Nurse Practice Act to review the competency requirements and §40-33-34(E) (3) for prescriptive authority renewal requirements.

Remember:

Prior to completing application, review Section 40-33-34 of the Nurse Practice Act for statutory requirements for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in South Carolina. The Nurse Practice Act can be found under Laws/Policies on our websitehttp://llr.sc.gov/nurse.

Mail any required documents, that were not uploaded, toSC Board of Nursing, Attn: APRN Department, 110 Centerview Dr., Ste 202, Columbia, SC 29210. Please allow 14 business days for processing.

Complete the Affidavit of Eligibility.

Cashier's check, money order or personal check should be made payable to LLR-Board of Nursing.

Documents (marriage licenses & other legal documents) are part of your file and are not returned.

Notify the Board immediately of any change in name or address changes during the application process.

Sign/date the front of your photo and upload or mail in.

Copies of legal documents that authorize a change in name.

Document of master's degree (See Nurse Practice Act). Official transcripts sent directly from your master's of nursing educational program to Board of Nursing.

Copy of current national advanced nursing specialty certification (see approved list on the SC Board of Nursing web page). New graduates shall provide evidence of certification within one year of program completion; however, psychiatric clinical nurse specialists shall provide evidence of certification within two years of program completion.

See the SC Nurse Practice Act and SC Medical Practice for guidelines on the development of written protocols.

Obtain all SC physician signatures and license numbers to be included on your application, if applicable.

Check the status of your application online at http://llr.sc.gov/nurse. Allow 14 business days for processing after receipt of your application in the Board's office. Also allow 14-business days after receipt of the last document for a license number to be generated.

If you were previously licensed by the SC Board of Nursing as an APRN, DO NOT complete this application. Please visit the Board's web page for an APRN Reactivation/Reinstatement Application. Applications are maintained on file for one year; all fees are non-refundable.

Applicants applying for Prescriptive Authority- complete and submit the Prescriptive Authority Application along with documentation of continuing education hours in pharmacotherapeutics.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ONLINE APPLICATION