Can CAAs practice in South Carolina?
Yes — CAAs are licensed in South Carolina.
South Carolina licenses anesthesiologist's assistants through the Board of Medical Examiners under a dedicated practice act dating to 2001. A 2025 law raised the supervision cap to four AAs per anesthesiologist and dropped the in-person board appearance requirement, making licensure faster.
- Legal authority
- S.C. Code Ann. § 40-47-1205 et seq. (Art. 9, Anesthesiologist's Assistants Practice Act)
- Effective
- 2001
- Supervision
- Practice only under an anesthesiologist actively and directly engaged in clinical anesthesiology, immediately available in the operative area and present for induction and emergence; max 4 AAs per anesthesiologist at one time (raised from 2 in 2025), with an annually reviewed written practice protocol.
- Last verified
- 2026-08-12
Notes
Act creates §§ 40-47-1205 through 40-47-1300 (Article 9); original act ratified May 23, 2001 and approved May 29, 2001 (act number not independently confirmed). Supervision cap was 2 until Act 48 of 2025 raised it to 4. Board regulations sit in S.C. Code Regs. ch. 81. S 236 is a live but redundant companion bill still parked in committee as of Feb 2026.
Active legislation
-
H 3996 enacted (Act No. 48, signed May 12, 2025)
Anesthesiologist Assistants — supervision ratio (2:1 to 4:1) and licensure streamlining
Last action: Signed by Governor May 12, 2025; effective on signing (House 104-0, Senate 41-0)
-
S 236 in committee (superseded by Act 48)
Anesthesiologist Assistants — companion to H 3996 (same ratio and application changes)
Last action: Recommitted to Senate Committee on Medical Affairs Feb 18, 2026
CAA programs in South Carolina
- Bluefield University at VCOM — Carolinas (Spartanburg) · Spartanburg