South Dakota clinicals for SAU nursing students

01South Dakota and SAU's list: the current answer

SAU's state authorization page, checked September 24, 2026, shows South Dakota as authorized for all nursing programs. SAU does not serve New York, Louisiana, Arizona or Alabama.

The confusion has history. In May 2022 that same page listed South Dakota as not authorized, and SAU's 2021 licensure disclosure still had South Dakota under review for the FNP and AGNP. At least one outside school directory still says SAU turns South Dakota students away. The live SAU page is what counts.

The course code is the one in SAU's 2023-24 catalog; your advisor can tell you if it has changed.

02How the South Dakota board treats out-of-state programs

Approving schools based elsewhere falls outside what South Dakota's Board of Nursing takes on. When you train in a South Dakota clinic or hospital, the terms are settled between SAU and that preceptor or facility, which is what SAU's clinical agreement and affiliation paperwork are for.

The board's one expectation of SAU concerns faculty: whoever oversees APRN students in South Dakota should hold that state's APRN license or a privilege to practice there. ARSD 20:48:07:49 holds anyone teaching APRN students who are physically in the state to that bar. Students report (2019) that SAU sometimes lacked a clinical instructor licensed in a student's state, so ask the program director who covers South Dakota before you line up a preceptor.

03Full practice, after a transition

AANP ranks South Dakota as full practice, with one condition: a newly licensed NP spends 1,040 hours in a written collaboration before practicing alone. The partner in that agreement may be a physician, or another certified NP, or a certified nurse midwife. Experienced NPs practice on their own, and SAU's catalog opens precepting to physicians and PAs as well.

Sioux Falls (a metro that reaches into Minnesota), Rapid City and Aberdeen are the population centers, and Avera Health, Monument Health and Sanford Health are the major systems. Distances are long, so get the program director's list of providers who have volunteered for SAU students, and ask which nearby sites already work with SAU. Our preceptor search guide covers the rest.

04Licensing, now and after graduation

South Dakota has honored multistate RN licenses since the compact's launch date, January 19, 2018; one issued by South Dakota or by your compact home state covers clinical hours here. The APRN Compact was also signed into South Dakota law on February 5, 2024. That compact stays dormant until seven states pass it, and so far only Delaware, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota have. More on our license page.

05Why Spring Arbor students in South Dakota choose us

We search for South Dakota preceptors who suit your SAU track, small towns included, and gather what faculty review ahead of the four-week deadline. SAU's faculty make the call, on paperwork that is already in order. Get in touch.