The Early Years
The College of Nursing had its origin in 1883 when the City Council of Charleston approved a request by the Roper Hospital (then also known as City Hospital) for $2,000 to establish a “Training School for Nurses.” It was a two-year program and the admission requirements consisted of a common school education, age limit of 20 to 35 years, and proof of good health and character.
The training school offered women the opportunity to acquire a useful profession and to minister to the sick; most graduates found jobs in home health care positions. The City Hospital Training School for Nurses was closed after the earthquake of 1886 destroyed Roper Hospital. In 1895 the program was reestablished as the “The Charleston Training School.” Physicians on the faculty of the Medical College of the State of South Carolina instructed students in anatomy, physiology, obstetrics, surgery and medical nursing.