South Carolina Board of Nursing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the scope of practice for an RN, LPN or APRN?

There is no one list for the scope of practice for nurses (APRN, RN or LPN).  You will find helpful information in our Nurse Practice Act, Position Statements, Advisory Opinions and Advisory Opinion Supplement on the Nursing Management of Invasive Devices.  Nursing, Practical Nursing (LPN), Registered Nursing (RN) and Advanced Practice Registered Nursing (APRN) are all defined in the Nurse Practice Act.  All of these documents are located under Law/Policies on our website (http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/nursing/).

Must I have a temporary permit to begin orientation?

A current South Carolina license or temporary license is required to practice 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.  A temporary license authorizes practice in this state with privilege of title or abbreviation after name and is valid for sixty days.