SIOUX FALLS S.D.
More than 6,000 people are enrolled in health-related
programs at South Dakota’s public
universities and technical schools, but those in the know say that’s still not
enough.
“Take a look at pharmacy,” said Paul Marso, vice
president of human resources at St. Mary’s Healthcare Center in Pierre.
“We have one pharmacy school in South Dakota that turns out 60 or 70
pharmacists a year. It’s just not enough.”
Pharmacists get snatched up, just like other health care
students, because of the high demand for professionals in all areas of the
medical field, he said.
“I think there is a fairly good number of students
going into the field overall, but the demand just continues to increase,”
Marso said.
South Dakota’s public university system actually had an
increase of more than 500 students enroll in health-related fields of study
last spring while technical schools remained steady with full classrooms.
Trevor Holleman, 19, of Platte, is majoring in biology at
the University of Sioux Falls and plans on applying for medical school or
dental school soon.
