CNA Classes in South Carolina (Top Schools)

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) holds jurisdiction over Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs).

For you to be a CNA, you must successfully complete the following:

• State-approved Nurse Aide Training Program (NATP)
• National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam

Taking on a CNA Training Program in South Carolina

Future CNAs must enroll in a state-approved NATP training facility for it meets the state’s standards.

SCDHHS has approved many schools and private entities as NATP training facilities, some of which are listed below.

In the program, you will spend 100 hours of training, which includes 40 hours of supervised clinical training.

Evaluating a CNA Candidate

Update: Credentia replaces Pearson VUE as the test provider of the NNAAP exam.

After training, you can now take the state’s NNAAP exam.

This exam assesses your knowledge, skills, and competencies as a future nurse aide in the state.

In passing it, you can be considered someone who thoroughly understands and can safely provide nursing care to residents.

CNA Candidates Eligible to Take the NNAAP Exam

Per the SCDHHS, you can only take the NNAAP exam if you’re deemed eligible for it.

Take a look at the following eligible routes and see if you belong to any of them.

E1 – Newly-trained SC nurse aides

Nurse aides who completed NATP in the last 24 months.

E2 – Out-of-state trained nurse aides

Nurse aides who completed a 100-hour equivalent of SC NATP in another state in the last 24 months.

E3 – SC CNAs with lapsed certification

CNAs who/whose:

• Completed the 100-hour NATP
• Certificate has expired for less than 24 months
• Have good standing in the CNA Registry

E4 – Out-of-state CNAs

CNAs who/whose:

• Completed a 100-hour equivalent of SC NATP in another state
• Certificate has expired for less than 24 months
• Have good standing in that state’s CNA Registry

E5 – RN or LPN student or graduate or military candidate

To determine your eligibility, contact SCDHHS at scnar@scdhhs.gov.

If the department has deemed you eligible to test, you can submit an online exam application to Credentia.

For the complete application details, download and read the SC Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook found on Credentia’s website.

The SC NNAAP Exam

South Carolina is among the 25 states that utilize the NNAAP exam.

This exam has two parts: a written (oral) test and a skills test.

Below you’ll find the specifics for each test.

Written (oral) test

• It assesses your knowledge, basing the questions on the SCDHHS-approved content curriculum.
• It consists of 70 multiple-choice questions to be completed in two hours.
• An oral test is available upon request, either in English or Spanish.
• The oral test has two parts:
  • Part I – 60 multiple-choice knowledge questions
  • Part II – 10 reading comprehension questions
• Oral test questions are read aloud twice for Part I and thrice for Part II.

Skills test

• The test is conducted in a simulated room resembling an actual caregiving situation.
• You will perform five nurse aide skills, which will be evaluated by a Nurse Aide Evaluator.
• Of the five skills, four are random and one will always be handwashing.
• One of the random skills will include a measurement skill.
• Every skill has a task representing it that’s broken into a series of steps, some of which are critical steps.
• All critical steps must be completed to pass.
• You have 30 minutes to completely demonstrate all five skills.

Exam Results

After the testing event, you will receive an email notification that the scores are now posted in your CNA365 account.

If you pass both tests, you will be placed on the CNA Registry.

You can verify if your name’s in the registry at https://cna365.examroom.ai/registry/?StateCode=SC.

Then within 10 business days, you’ll receive via mail your CNA certificate and wallet ID.

Do note that your CNA certificate is only valid for 24 months.

On the other hand, if you fail, you must retake the test/s you didn’t pass.

You have three attempts within 24 months of training completion to pass the SC NNAAP exam.

If you still don’t pass on the third attempt, you must complete another NATP to retake the exam.

Exam Fees

You will pay the following fees:

• Initial exam
  • Written test – $45
  • Oral test – $45
  • Skills test – $95
• Retake exam
  • Written test – $45
  • Oral test – $45
  • Skills test – $95
• Certificate renewal – $35

Potential Salary

Like other professions, a CNA’s salary depends on many factors, such as:

• Education
• Skill level
• Certification
• Working experience
• Work location

Currently, you can expect to receive an average salary of about $31,000 annually.

The table below shows how much a CNA in South Carolina can earn.

Regional Salary

CNA Schools by City

• Columbia4 Schools