Skip to content
State Cert Guide

Independent guide, not a government agency. We earn commissions on some links.

What continuing education does a nurse need to renew in South Carolina?

A South Carolina nurse renewing an active license documents at least one of these from the licensure period. It can be thirty contact hours from a CE provider the Board recognizes, or certification by a national body the Board recognizes. It can also be an academic program in nursing or a related field the Board recognizes, or employer certification on a Board form.

By State Cert GuideChecked against the sources listed below.Report a mistake

The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
At least one of: thirty CE hours, board-recognized certification or program, employer formThe hours must come from a provider the Board recognizes.
Verified. www.scstatehouse.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Valid for
Licenses renew biennially unless the Board provides otherwiseA nurse without the required competence cannot renew an active license.
Same source and date as above
Agency
State Board of NursingThe statute creates the Board with eleven members.
Same source and date as above
Rule
S.C. Code 40-33-40The section covers how a nurse shows competency, at first licensure and at renewal.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Look at the licensure period you are in and pick one way. The statute asks for records from that period.

  2. Step 2. If you take the hours route, choose a provider the Board recognizes. Ask the Board for its list and check your course against it before you pay.

  3. Step 3. Complete your choice within the licensure period and keep the papers that show it.

  4. Step 4. Renew on time. A license not renewed in time is deemed lapsed, and you may not practice nursing until you are reinstated.

Before you pay

We haven't confirmed a course price or the Board's list of recognized providers. Check your course against that list before you pay.

Questions

What if my South Carolina license has lapsed?

If it lapsed five years or less ago, show one of these from the preceding two years: thirty contact hours from a Board-recognized provider plus a Board-approved legal aspects course, certification by a national body the Board recognizes, a recognized academic program in nursing or a related field, employer certification on a Board form, or a Board-approved refresher course. After more than five years, show a Board-approved refresher course or passing the NCLEX for your area of licensure.

Do nurses who prescribe need more hours?

Renewing prescriptive authority takes papers showing twenty hours the Board accepts every two years in pharmacotherapeutics. For a nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife or clinical nurse specialist with controlled substance prescribing, two of those twenty hours must relate to prescribing controlled substances.

What do I show for my first license?

For initial licensure the statute asks for graduation from an approved nursing program and passing the NCLEX for the area of licensure. Advanced practice licensure also needs the appropriate credentials.

What to do next

Read South Carolina Code 40-33-40 before you choose a way.

www.scstatehouse.gov

Sources we read