About the College of Nursing

Evolution of the College of Nursing

In 1916, the Board of Commissioners of the Roper Hospital proposed the incorporation of the Training School with the Medical College, and in 1919 the Roper Hospital Training School for Nurses became the School of Nursing of the Medical College of the State of South Carolina. Later the words "of the State" were deleted.

In September 1966, the school began the process of phasing out the three-year diploma program and establishing a four-year baccalaureate program.

In 1969, when the Medical College was designated as "The Medical University of South Carolina" by the State Legislature, the school became one of the six colleges comprising the University. In 1979, the College of Nursing began to offer a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. In 1983, it celebrated one hundred years of nursing education and service to the citizens of South Carolina and the nation.

The college launched a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing in 2001 and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree in 2009, with the nation’s first DNP program in Lifespan Palliative Care established in 2020. In 2022, the college was designated as one of six Regional Centers for Palliative Care Nursing Education in the United States by the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) project. Today, the College of Nursing celebrates over 140 years of nursing education and excellence, making it one of the oldest schools of nursing in the country.

Stethoscope & White Coat Ceremony

A nursing tradition was reborn at MUSC in 2002. It rekindled the fire that was originally lit by the lamp of Florence Nightingale by transforming the honor of nursing's traditional "Capping Ceremony" into a more contemporary and equally important event, as the baccalaureate students were recognized by the new tradition of a "Stethoscope Ceremony."

Most nursing faculty fondly remember the importance of their own "Capping Ceremony" - a time of recognition and reflection on the paths they were pursing in their chosen career. Yet times and norms have changed, and nurses stopped wearing caps years ago. Sadly, a ceremony celebrating this academic and professional milestone also stopped, as nurses became focused on trying to meet the demands of their stressful work and school environments.

In a renewal of these values and this rite of passage, the MUSC faculty decided to use the power of the stethoscope and words from their colleagues to connote this same tradition of welcoming students into the family of nursing. The campus chapel, with candles flickering and organ music softly playing in the background, captures the air of expectancy among students, families and faculty. In a formal ceremony, the entering baccalaureate students are presented with a stethoscope as a tangible tool of their profession and listen to words of inspiration about the career they have chosen for their life's work. And so a new tradition was born.

In 2014, a gift from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation allowed the College of Nursing to expand this ceremony to include a White Coat Ceremony and the presentation of a Humanism in Medicine Lapel Pin to the incoming Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing students. Students wear their white coats, recite the Nightingale pledge and are presented with a lapel pin that symbolizes the behaviors between nurses and patients that is respectful and compassionate. It signifies attitudes that are sensitive to the values, autonomy, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of others.

Waring Historical Library Exhibit

The Waring Historical Library offers a more comprehensive look at the history of the MUSC College of Nursing through photographs, artifacts, stories and archival materials. Explore the online exhibit to discover more about the College’s early years, evolving identity, student life, uniforms, traditions and defining moments across generations.