It's no secret that registered nurses are crucial to health care. But what you may not know is that they're in short supply — especially in South Carolina. Why? An aging population, expansive roles for nurses, and high turnover made worse by pandemic burnout, among other reasons.

“South Carolina is projected to have the fourth highest nursing shortage in the country by 2030,” Lexington Medical Center's vice president and chief nursing officer Melissa Taylor, RN, MSN, NE-A, BC, said.

That's why the University of South Carolina College of Nursing recently expanded. Its new building, located on the main campus of Lexington Medical Center, officially opened yesterday, Aug. 12. It will welcome its first students for class on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

USC students are consistently in the top 1% in the US for their pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examinations for Registered Nurses. | Rendering provided by Lexington Medical Center

More nurses in the Midlands

The 50,000-sqft state-of-the-art nursing simulation center and teaching spaces will provide clinical training for USC's growing nursing student population, including:

Third- and fourth-year nursing bachelor’s students
Master’s program students
Health sciences interprofessional education program students

With the facility's proximity to the hospital, students will have a wider range of interprofessional education training and more opportunities for clinical immersion.

South Carolina residents will directly benefit from the expansion. With the new space at Lexington Medical Center, USC will be able to grow its graduation numbers from 220 to 400 nurses per year — an 80% increase annually — to help solve the Palmetto State's nursing shortage.

“We’re excited about the impact of this partnership, which will grow the pipeline of skilled nurses for our organization and the state + give qualified individuals more opportunity to enter the nursing profession,” Taylor said.

Psst... this is just one way Lexington Medical Center is improving health care in our community.

More on Lexington Medical Center's impact