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Story written by: Andrew Rasmussen

Long-standing partnerships between �ձ�av��Ƶ and Black Hills State University have supported the health care needs of West River South Dakota since 1992. Now, increases to available student seats have allowed the programs to serve more students and prepare more nurses to enter the field.  

The collaboration, West River Health Science Center, allows students to begin their nursing journey at BHSU with an applied health science associate degree and finish at �ձ�av��Ƶ with their Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  

This process is seamless for the students — from the moment they show an interest in nursing, they are supported by both �ձ�av��Ƶ and BHSU academic advisors. This partnership allows students to have a three-semester college experience with BHSU followed by a transfer to the �ձ�av��Ƶ B.S.N. program in Rapid City.  

When this partnership began, it supported around 21 students per year. At the turn of the century, that increased to a twice-per-year admittance of 48 students. Now it’s up to 72 students per semester for the standard B.S.N. program.  

A new building, currently under construction at the Black Hills State campus in Rapid City to allow the �ձ�av��Ƶ College of Nursing to fully move to the site, will further support these students as they prepare to enter the nursing workforce. 

The building is scheduled to open and begin serving students in fall 2025 and will have a new skills lab classroom and simulation center, in addition to classroom and office space.  

Students are well positioned to join West River health care systems following graduation due to excellent partnerships with regional and local health care systems, including Monument Health. 

“Our student clinical experience really does impact their choice of employment after they graduate,” Christina Plemmons, �ձ�av��Ƶ assistant academic dean for cooperative programs, said. “Any student who wants a job in nursing when they graduate gets a job in nursing when they graduate.” 

The Rapid City-based nursing program is also home to the college’s Native American Nursing Education Center, which supports Native American students pursuing a nursing degree.  

“I just think it's an exciting time for someone to be a nurse, there's so many opportunities in the career,” Plemmons said. “We feel really fortunate and privileged to have such strong clinical partners who open their doors to our students so they can experience many nursing roles. The strength of our clinical experiences draws local and out of state students to the degree, and it keeps them in South Dakota.”