Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Southeast Technical College

Southeast Technical College's practical nursing certificate lands squarely in the middle of South Dakota's nursing programs—exactly at the state median for earnings despite charging slightly less debt than typical. However, the small graduating class (under 30 students) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year, and individual outcomes may vary more than usual.

The program's position tells an interesting story: while it ranks in just the 24th percentile nationally, it hits the 60th percentile among South Dakota programs. That gap reveals more about South Dakota's nursing market than this specific program—the entire state pays practical nurses below the national median of $44,134. Still, debt remains manageable at $17,038, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.44 that allows graduates to reasonably handle loan payments even at South Dakota wage levels. The 16% earnings growth to $44,548 by year four shows typical career progression for this field.

For families committed to staying in South Dakota, this program offers middle-of-the-pack value compared to in-state alternatives. Western Dakota Technical and Lake Area Technical both produce notably higher early earnings. The small sample size is the real wild card here—these numbers might look quite different with next year's cohort. If your child is considering nursing and flexible on location, exploring programs in states with stronger nursing wages could be worth the research.