Finding the right CNA class in South Carolina can be difficult, but you don’t have to go it alone. This blog post will provide you with all the information you need to find a quality school that fits your needs and budget. We’ll also cover any other questions that may arise during your search for a good school, such as how much does CNA training cost? Do I need a high school diploma or GED? What is the length of CNA classes in SC? How long do CNAs work after completing training? All this and more.
CNA Training Classes in South Carolina
You’ll find on-campus, evening, and weekend classes available for Certified Nurse Aide.
On-campus classes are typically offered during the daytime which allows students to work towards their degrees or jobs in the evenings or during weekends in addition to being a caregiver. Online programs offer flexible options and give you the opportunity to complete coursework from home with support from experienced instructors who help guide your progress while providing flexible study opportunities if you’re caring for an elder at night or on weekends.
Evening courses allow working caregivers to attend lectures after work so they can experience life outside of being a caretaker as they educate themselves about elder care. Weekend courses allow students worker caregivers with children already out of school that want more time with their families.
Those are some of the colleges that offer nurse aide training:
- Clover High School in Clover
- Columbia High School in Columbia
- Heyward Career and Technology Center in Columbia
- Academy for Technology and Academics in Conway
- Horry-Georgetown Technical College at Conway
Where can you Find Free CNA Training in South Carolina?
The first place to check would be your nearest hospital. The second would be nursing homes in your area, which sometimes offer training programs for nurses and CNAs. There are incentives out there for hiring a certified nurse assistant, so if you’re looking to work in the medical field, it’s worth checking into the employers willing to take on new employees with some experience. If you’re from an armed service or veteran, VA hospitals will offer training and certification for free. Finally, keep explore options at the South Carolina Board of Nursing office website or by contacting them directly.
How to Become a CNA in South Carolina?
To become a CNA in South Carolina, Select a program that provides CNA training in your area and meet prerequisites for the program. Complete the training with a CNA certificate, Than take the board exam to earn national certification.
Prerequisites for CNA Courses in South Carolina
- Be a minimum of 18 years old
- Have a high school diploma or GED (Optional)
- Good communication skills (Both reading and writing)
- Having a full physical exam report
- Having a clean criminal record
- Show proof of current immunization
- A negative two step Mantoux test
How Long Does It Take To Become a CNA in South Carolina?
South Carolina mandates that CNA programs require a minimum of 100 hours divided into 60 hours in the classroom and 40 hours of clinical training on site.
| Classroom Session | 60 hours |
| Clinical Session | 40 hours |
| Total | 100 hours |
What You Will Learn During The Training?
The in-class learning session is a combination of lectures and interactive sessions to ensure that the students learn all about nursing. They go over theory, technique, and research methods for nurses so they can have an understanding on how everything works together to make up their profession as well as prepare them for clinical work. After finishing the classroom phase then it’s time for clinical training where they will get hands-on experience from qualified instructors who are experts at teaching new learners.
| Classroom Session |
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| Clinical Session |
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Procedure for The South Carolina CNA Certification Exam
After completing a CNA training course, you can take the state exam to get certified. The test is separated into two parts: a 70 question multiple-choice section that needs to be finished within 120 minutes for Part 1 and 25 mins in total for practical skills which consist of 5 selected tests. But don’t worry! With our free practice questions and answers similar to what you’ll see on the real exam, this will be an easy feat.
Instead of English, written/oral tests can be taken in Spanish too! For the oral examination you’ll get headphones where questions will be repeated twice; after listening to them and selecting from given choices a certain passing score is required for both exams. Make sure you pass both of these exam. If the student does not pass either of these exams after three tries then they will have to retake the entire program again.
| Exam Type | Question Type | Given Time |
| Written Test | 70 Multiple Choice | 120 Minutes |
| Practical Test | 5 Randomly Selected Skills | 25 Minutes |
South Carolina CNA exam costs are as follows:
| Written and skills exam | $101 |
| English Oral & skills exam | $101 |
| Spanish Oral & skills exam | $101 |
| Written retake | $30 |
| English Oral retake | $30 |
| Spanish Oral retake | $30 |
| Skills retake | $71 |
How Much Does South Carolina CNA Program Cost?
The cost of CNA programs in South Carolina on an average is $700. Some courses provide training for as little as $350, while others can be upwards of a whopping $1200.
Is Financial Aid Available for CNA Program in South Carolina?
There are State and College grants available for this type of program, as well as a very low cost at Community colleges if you find one that offers unemployment benefits for the coursework. Hospitals often offer on-the-job training programs which also provide some financial assistance for students who are attending school to become nurses or clinicals in the medical field. Just keep looking if you’re open to locations outside of South Carolina due to funding options and such.
How Much Does a CNA Make in South Carolina?
The average CNA salary in South Carolina is $26,560 per year. The fresher can earn around $18,000 while the experienced candidate earns at least twice that amount – an impressive and competitive annual salary of over 35k.
We hope you’ve found our post helpful. Our goal is to help individuals find the best school that fits their needs and budget, so feel free to contact us if we can be of any assistance in your search. To learn more, visit our FAQ page or read through some of the articles on this site.
