HISTORY OF THE
ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMTri-County Technical College responded to local workforce needs with the formation of the associate degree nursing program, when nearby Clemson University's School of Nursing changed from a two year program to a four year Bachelor of Science degree program. Tri-County Technical College started a two year nursing program under the auspices of the South Carolina State Board of Nursing (SBON). The Nursing Division Chair and three faculty members admitted a first class of twenty-five students in the fall of 1981, and graduated twelve students in the spring of 1983. At that time, the Nursing Program was seven quarter terms long. In 1991, the College formed a Health Education Division, and the Nursing Program became a Nursing Department within the new division. In the fall of 1995, the State Board of Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) converted to a semester system, and the Associate Degree Nursing Program became a five semester program. A state technical college directive changed the program from 72 to 68 semester credit hours in fall 2000.
The Tri-County Technical College Associate Degree Nursing Program is approved by the South Carolina State Board of Nursing. In 2007, a site visit led to reaffirmation of accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) for five years. Presently there are eleven nursing faculty; one faculty member is appointed a department head and functions in both faculty and administrative capacities. A full-time administrative assistant is assigned to the nursing department. Fifty to sixty generic students, dependent upon the number of re-entry students, are admitted in the fall and spring semesters of each year.
Tri-County has a proud, strong reputation for preparing skilled, thinking, and caring registered nurses. Pass rates for the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) have been above national percentages since the ADN Program's last NLNAC visit. (94%-96%)