SDSU’s Sioux Falls nursing site offers fast track to in-demand area careers

This paid piece is sponsored by South Dakota State University.

Ashlyn Anderson knew she wanted to begin her nursing career in Sioux Falls.

And while she wanted to earn a high-quality education in the field from South Dakota State University, she saw no reason to wait until graduating to move to the metro area.

After three semesters in Brookings, Anderson was one of 48 in her class to continue their education at the SDSU — Sioux Falls campus. Because of her decision, she already has a support system and routine in Sioux Falls, along with a job lined up months before she graduates.

“I wanted to end up in the Sioux Falls area. This made the transition easier,” said Anderson, who will work on the surgical trauma unit at Avera Health when she graduates.

The SDSU — Sioux Falls site was created over a decade ago to address the nursing workforce need in South Dakota’s largest city, which is home to two of the region’s largest health care systems. There are also satellite sites in Rapid City and Aberdeen.

The site offers both a standard track, with back-to-back semesters through the summer so students can finish in less than two years on-site, and an accelerated track for people who already have a degree but want to transition into a nursing career.

Anderson will graduate a year before her peers who stayed in Brookings.

Dean of the SDSU College of Nursing Mary Anne Krogh said the Sioux Falls track is in high demand. The site allows students from the Sioux Falls area to stay at home, learn from home and train in place while still earning the quality of education SDSU nursing is known for.

Last year, the SDSU nursing program, which includes its Sioux Falls site, was named a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence in nursing education. SDSU is the only nursing program in the state with full accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

The Sioux Falls site offers a pipeline for students, such as Anderson, to train and then work in the city after they graduate.

Most Sioux Falls nursing students have jobs lined up a year before graduation, Krogh said, noting that about 75 percent of SDSU nursing graduates remain in South Dakota.

Currently, there are about 1,000 openings for nursing jobs in South Dakota. Krogh expects that number to double in the next five years.

“We’re always looking for ways to grow and meet the nursing workforce demand in urban and rural South Dakota,” Krogh said. “Sioux Falls is part of that solution.”

She added that there are plenty of clinical opportunities for students in the Sioux Falls area as well, where they can get real-world experiences to become independent, critically thinking nurses when they graduate.

Anderson, originally from Garretson, preferred the larger lifestyle in Sioux Falls compared to living on campus in Brookings. She said she also preferred the smaller class sizes of the Sioux Falls site, making it possible to connect more easily with her classmates and professors.

Krogh agreed. Students at the Sioux Falls site appreciate the more personalized approach, she said.

“It’s the same curriculum, same standards and same high quality,” Krogh said. “It’s well known in the health care community, the high-quality graduates coming from SDSU — whether they graduate from Brookings, Rapid City, Aberdeen or Sioux Falls.”

To learn more about the SDSU nursing program, click here.