Faculty Alumni College of Business and Natural Sciences Community

Degree from BHSU-Rapid City leads to promotion for Regional Health employee

06 August 2018

Alyson Wiedrich was going to college at Black Hills State University in Spearfish when she moved to Rapid City for a job opportunity with Regional Health. Rather than quit school because of distance, Alyson finished her business degree at BHSU-Rapid City and earned a promotion along the way.

Originally from Beulah, N.D., Alyson first took classes at a private university in her home state before transferring to BHSU in Spearfish for a new adventure away from home.

After a year in Spearfish, Alyson was offered a job at Regional Health in Rapid City working in the laboratory as phlebotomist.

“It was more convenient for me to work, live, and take classes in Rapid City. I had the same professors in Spearfish as in Rapid City, so I knew I was getting the same opportunities, the same education,” said Alyson.

Alyson knew she wanted to grow her career in healthcare. As a phlebotomist she visited many departments and worked with patients throughout the organization. When she connected with her advisor at BHSU, they talked through her future plans.

“One career option with my business degree was human resources – it goes across any industry. Since I was already working at Regional, I worked to get an internship in human resources with credit through BHSU-Rapid City.”

That internship led to a job as a recruiter, and then another promotion at Regional Health. Alyson is now a Human Resources Business Partner. She’s been with Regional Health for 10 years.

“It was a very seamless transition. After I completed my internship with Regional Health while I was still employed and finishing my degree, they offered me a job in human resources,” said Alyson.

Coming from a private university, Alyson says she knew tuition costs could be far greater than they were at BHSU. She was able to manage already low tuition rates at BHSU-Rapid City with tuition assistance offered by her employer.

Moments in her career that remind Alyson of the value of her BHSU-Rapid City education include being asked to do a SWOT analysis and setting up a new human resources information system (HRIS) with her colleagues.

“When my leader at work first asked me to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of a market, I realized I was learning things at BHSU-Rapid City that I’m actually using in my job,” says Alyson.

In setting up a new HRIS system at Regional Health, Alyson drew upon her experience working directly with a faculty member on a book review about HRIS systems. She received course credit for the experience and that knowledge related directly to her work responsibilities.

“I was able to continue my education and my career at the same time at BHSU-Rapid City,” says Alyson.

About BHSU-Rapid City
BHSU-RC is located at 4300 Cheyenne Blvd. on the east side of Rapid City with easy access from I-90. The University has a large network of alumni living in the region and has a business program in the top five percent of business schools worldwide.

BHSU offers a master’s degree in business administration and applied management (MBA) and several bachelor’s degrees that can be completed at BHSU-Rapid City. The bachelor’s degrees include: business administration, corporate communications, elementary education, general studies, history, history education, human services, political science, psychology, social science teaching, and sociology. In addition, BHSU-RC offers several associate degrees and certificates that can be completed without leaving Rapid City.

Learn more at www.B HSU.edu/RC

Degree from BHSU-Rapid City leads to promotion for Regional Health employee

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