Tri-County Technical College Nursing Program Review

As the name suggests, Tri-County Technical College (TCTC, Tric-County Tech) serves residents in three South Carolina counties: Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens. The college has four different locations, in Pendleton, Anderson, Easley, and Seneca, and offers over seventy programs of study. Approximately 13,000 students take advantage of the college’s educational opportunities, many of which are in the rapidly expanding health science field, including nursing. The nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).

Practical Nursing Diploma

In order to work as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), a student can complete Tri-County Technical College’s practical nursing diploma program. This takes three semesters (including one summer semester) to complete. Before beginning, however, a student must take a nurse assistant training course, which can be done at the college. Students can start in the fall in Easley, taking classes during the day, or they can start in the spring at the Oconee campus in Seneca, taking classes in the evening. In order to earn the practical nursing diploma, students must earn forty-three credits. This includes twelve credits of general education classes and thirty-one credits of nursing classes and clinical rotations. After earning the practical nursing diploma, a graduate may take the National Council Licensing Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

Associate Degree Nursing

A prospective Registered Nurse (RN) can enroll in the Tri-County Technical College Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program and earn an associate of applied science degree with a major in nursing. This requires a total of sixty-eight credits, and includes both general education courses and nursing courses. Before beginning the program, however, a student must take a nurse assistant training course, which can also be done at Tri-County Technical College. The ADN program is offered in both the spring and the fall and students can opt to take classes during the day or in the evening. The curriculum takes five semesters (including one summer semester) to complete. (As of the summer 2013, students can also complete the ADN program in an accelerated format.) After completing it, a student is prepared to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Associate Degree Nursing – LPN Transition to RN

A graduate of a practical nursing diploma program who is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) can earn up to fourteen advanced placement credits for the ADN program. To do so, the LPN must take a nursing transition class. If he is successful in this class, he will receive the fourteen credits, which allow him to skip the first three nursing classes. He must complete the remainder of the nursing classes and the general education classes in order to graduate and take the NCLEX-RN.

Further Education Options – Health Science Certificate

Tri-County Technical College makes it easy for a student in the ADN program to easily complete a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing (BS in Nursing) through Clemson University. While the student is taking the classes for the ADN program, she simultaneously completes the Health Science Certificate program. This program consists of thirty-six credits, and includes all the classes that the student needs in order to transfer directly from the ADN program into Clemson University’s RN to BSN program. Once she graduates from the ADN program and becomes an RN, she only needs to complete three semesters at Clemson in order to receive a full BS in Nursing degree.

Pre-Nursing Certificate

Admission to the ADN program is competitive, so a student can improve his chances of being accepted by completing the Pre-Nursing Certificate. This consists of thirty-four credits of general education classes (all the general education classes required in the ADN program). Studying full-time, he will need three semesters to complete these classes.

Nursing Prep Certificate

Before enrolling in the ADN program, a student also has the option of completing a ten-credit Nursing Prep certificate. This includes two introductory nursing classes, a class that fulfills the nurse assistant training requirement, and a medical vocabulary class.

Nurse Aide Certificate

Through the Corporate and Community Education department, the college offers a nurse aide training course. The course, which takes four weeks to complete, consists of fifty-two hours of classroom instruction and forty hours of clinical practice. After completing the program, a graduate is eligible to take the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam. The class is offered in all three counties, in both the day and the evening.

Contact:
Tri-County Technical College
7900 Highway 76,
Pendleton, SC 29670