The Departments of Health and Labor estimate that South Dakota needs at least 120 nursing graduates yearly to meet demand. Consequently, financial aid is made available to South Dakota nursing students in an effort to keep them in the state. One example of this is the Health Professional Recruitment Incentive Program; in 2011 it gives $5,000 to an LPN or RN who completes a two-year contract working full-time at an eligible facility.
Nurses in South Dakota must have a college degree from a South Dakota Board of Nursing-approved nursing school, a list of which can be found at the Best Nursing Degree.com website. In addition to the degree, each student must provide a Certificate of Nursing Education completed by her nursing program. The student must also pass a criminal background check and the National Council Licensure Examination --- the NCLEX.
An attractive number of scholarships, grants and loans are available to South Dakota nursing students, among them the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship and the Dakota Corps Scholarship Program. The Corps Scholarship Program is designed to keep qualified students in South Dakota by providing full tuition reimbursement or funding. Other scholarships and loans are listed and explained on the Nursing Scholarships website. Discover Nursing.com offers a search function, using search criteria to locate applicable scholarships.
Another alternative for prospective nursing students in South Dakota is one of the online nursing programs offered by Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)-accredited colleges. Students from rural areas who do not want to relocate, as well as those with jobs who seek a more advanced degree, find such programs useful. Schools with online nursing programs include University of Phoenix, Walden University School of Nursing, Jacksonville University School of Nursing, Kaplan University School of Nursing and National American University Online.