South Carolina’s Medication Assistant certification is new, and Apex Clinical is building an RN-taught program to meet it. Join the interest list and you’ll be first to hear when enrollment opens.
Program status: in development. Apex Clinical currently operates a Board of Nursing-approved Medication Aide program in Virginia. Our South Carolina program is not yet approved and is not enrolling.
South Carolina now has a statewide certification for unlicensed staff who administer medications in skilled nursing facilities. The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) launched the Medication Assistant Training Program (MATP) under S.C. Code § 40-33-43 and began accepting applications from training organizations on January 1, 2026.
Before this, medication technicians in South Carolina were trained facility by facility, with no state exam or registry for nursing home staff. The new pathway creates a portable credential: a Certified Medication Assistant who is listed on a state registry and can work at any licensed skilled nursing facility in the state.
According to SCDHHS, candidates must complete these steps:
Requirements are set by SCDHHS and may change. Always confirm current rules on the SCDHHS website before enrolling in any program.
Note that the MATP credential is for licensed skilled nursing facilities. Assisted living and community residential care facilities in South Carolina follow separate medication training rules. If you work in one of those settings, tell us on the interest list and we’ll point you to the right training when it’s available.
Our program is being designed around the same model that works for our Virginia students: live online classroom sessions taught by registered nurses, day or evening cohort options so you can keep working, and in-person clinical hours at a partner skilled nursing facility.
Program details are subject to SCDHHS approval and may change.
Apex Clinical Training Institute is a division of Apex Recruiting & Consulting LLC, a healthcare staffing and clinical training company. We already run a Virginia Board of Nursing-approved Medication Aide program taught by four licensed nurses with decades of assisted-living and skilled nursing experience, and we place clinical staff in senior living communities. We know what employers expect on day one, and we teach to that.
Facilities can reserve seats for their CNAs in an upcoming cohort, host clinical practicum hours, or both. Facilities that host clinical hours get first access to graduates. If you operate a licensed nursing home in South Carolina, say so when you join the interest list and we’ll contact you directly.
No cost and no obligation. You’ll get one email when enrollment opens and nothing else.
Or write to questions@apex1consulting.com with “South Carolina interest list” in the subject line and your name, mobile number, city, and current certification.
Not yet. The program is in development. We will only enroll students after SCDHHS approval is confirmed.
SCDHHS requires a minimum of 100 hours: at least 60 hours of classroom instruction including skills lab or simulation, and at least 40 hours of supervised clinical practicum in a licensed nursing home.
SCDHHS sets the eligibility rules for MATP candidates. Confirm current prerequisites on the SCDHHS website. We’ll list our program’s exact requirements when enrollment opens.
The Medication Aide Certification Exam (MACE), after passing a skills competency evaluation.
The MATP credential qualifies you to work as a medication assistant in licensed skilled nursing facilities. Assisted living and community residential care facilities follow separate rules.
The classroom portion is planned as live online sessions with day and evening options. The 40 clinical practicum hours must be completed in person at a licensed nursing home.
Tuition will be announced when enrollment opens. Like our Virginia program, we plan one all-inclusive fee with no separate charges for materials, clinical coordination, or the background check.
