Every program with clinicals, from nursing and radiography to respiratory therapy, surgical technology, medical lab, PTA and OTA, dental hygiene, EMS and medical assisting, answers to each clinical site’s own requirement list. This page collects verified South Dakota facts for program directors and clinical coordinators, including the South Dakota Board of Nursing and the South Dakota Technical College System (Board of Technical Education), with a link to each official source, and shows how Drug Free Schools helps.
South Dakota facts for program directors
- Board of Nursing. The South Dakota Board of Nursing lists the programs it has approved to offer nursing education, starting with practical nurse programs. (source)
- Board of Nursing. Only graduates of a nursing program approved by a state board of nursing can be licensed in South Dakota or sit for the NCLEX there. (source)
- Licensure background check. The SD Attorney General's identification page lists the Board of Nursing among bodies whose state-and-FBI background checks are set by state law, with fingerprint cards printed at local law enforcement. (source)
- Community and technical colleges. The South Dakota Board of Technical Education oversees the state's technical college system: Lake Area, Mitchell, Southeast and Western Dakota technical colleges. (source)
- Allied health. The Board approves Clinical Enrichment Programs that pair nursing students with an experienced preceptor outside their formal nursing program. (source)
Checked 18 October 2026 against each official source. Rules change; confirm with the agency, your accreditor and your clinical sites.
What this means for your program
Most compliance problems are found the week rotations start: a titer that was never uploaded, a CPR card that expired over the break, a background check still pending. A system that reviews every document as it arrives and reminds students before anything expires moves that work weeks earlier. Your clinical sites and affiliation agreements still decide the exact list; the free requirements checklist covers what programs most often collect.
How Drug Free Schools helps South Dakota programs
One clinical compliance tracking portal for every program at your school ($30 per student, one time; every upload reviewed within 24 hours), plus drug screens on campus or at any Quest location, name-based background checks and on-campus N95 fit testing. See pricing.
Drug Free Schools does not take fingerprints. Our background checks are name-based. If the South Dakota Board of Nursing or a clinical site requires a fingerprint check, students use the provider it names, such as Fieldprint, IdentoGO or the local police department.
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Set up in about 5 minutes with your program’s requirements. No meeting needed.
Support 7 days a week by phone, text or email, for students and school staff: call or text (901) 517-7450 · josh.smith@drugfreeschools.net
See the director dashboard (3:06)
Recorded in the live portal: the rotation check dashboard, document review, requirement rules, clinical sites and rotations, and secure links for sending records to a site.
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Frequently asked questions
Who approves nursing programs in South Dakota?
The South Dakota Board of Nursing. Its list of approved nursing programs is on the board’s website.
What does South Dakota require on criminal history for nursing licensure?
The SD Attorney General's identification page lists the Board of Nursing among bodies whose state-and-FBI background checks are set by state law, with fingerprint cards printed at local law enforcement. That licensure step is separate from the name-based background check students complete before clinicals.
What is South Dakota’s community and technical college system?
The South Dakota Board of Technical Education oversees the state's technical college system: Lake Area, Mitchell, Southeast and Western Dakota technical colleges.
Do you take fingerprints?
No. Our background checks are name-based. If the South Dakota Board of Nursing or a clinical site requires fingerprints, students use the provider it names, such as Fieldprint or IdentoGO, or their local police department.
Sources
- Board Approved Nursing Programs - SD Board of Nursing
- New LPN/RN License Application - SD Board of Nursing
- SD Attorney General - Background Checks
- SD Board of Technical Education FY26 Fall Enrollment Report
- Clinical Enrichment Programs - SD Board of Nursing
This page summarizes South Dakota agency and official pages as checked on 18 October 2026, with a link to each source. Rules change; confirm with the agency, your school, your accreditor and your clinical sites. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Quest Diagnostics, Fieldprint and IdentoGO are trademarks of their respective owners.