Sam Butikofer graduated from BYU-Idaho with bachelor's degrees in health science and public health. Hr then completed a bachelor's degree in health education from Idaho State University. He took his graduate studies to Western Governors University, where he earned bachelor's and master's degree in nursing. He then completed a doctorate degree in nursing from the University of Utah.
Dr. Butikofer has experience as an emergency room nurse and worked for many years as a sale representative for Merck. He joined the faculty in the Department of Nursing at BYU-Idaho in 2013. In 2019, he accepted a position as coroner for Madison County, Idaho.