Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Importance of Eye Exams as a Secondary Preventative Measure for Diabetic Retinopathy: Winning the War on Blindness, Alondra S. Arredondo, Olivia DeMeyer, Rachel Louise Pfenning-Wendt, and Samuel Wolfe
Despite current efforts by medical professionals to reduce the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR), a microvascular complication of uncontrolled diabetes, this noncommunicable disease remains the leading cause of preventable vision loss...
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Registered Nurses During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Jonah A. Bergstrand, Chanda N. Gritters, Saydee Homolka, and Mikaela M. Morrison
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health illness that has become an increasing concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals suffering from PTSD are more likely to suffer from suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts, and dea...
Designing and Implementing a Nursing Curriculum on Opioid Use Disorder, Caitlin Crowley, Casey Palmer, and Jessalyn Rombocos
Recognized as a nationwide epidemic, the problematic use of opioid substances is known as OUD: Opioid Use Disorder. The effect of this disease has been felt in our communities, workplaces, and personal lives and its true impact has yet to b...
A Survey of Minnesota Public School’s Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Curriculum, Ryan E. Deering, Nikole M. Hemish, Spencer L. Pearson, and Joshua C. Vollmar
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest continues to be an event with a high mortality rate. Bystander recognition of cardiac arrest, followed by initiation of CPR and early defibrillation has been shown to be important predictors of survival. Barri...
Culturally Oriented Diabetes Education for Somali Immigrants of Minneapolis, Alan Falkowski, Yuan Neumair, and Karl Quickert
This project aims to support Somali patients at Axis Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN by providing education on the link between diet and blood glucose level as well as the impact of that on the disease progression of type 2 diabetes melli...
Early Recognition of Urgent Medical Needs by Washington County Correctional Officers, Nina LeBrun, Delia C. Paul, Lisa Sullivan, and Abby Marie Young
According to Minnesota law, inmates and detainees have a right to physical and mental health care services (Correctional Health and Local Public Health Work Group, 2007). However, a needs assessment completed with Washington County Jail det...
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Down Syndrome and the Importance of a Neutral Diagnosis Delivery: A Community Service Project, Hanna E. Badke, Katherine Cooley, and Christine E. Luce
Approximately 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome each year in the United States – with an increasing prevalence. The literature suggests that negative societal attitudes surrounding the diagnosis of Down syndrome are often reflected i...
Cultural Barriers to Orthopedic Follow-up Care in Pucallpa, Peru, Jona Bakke, Alyssa Braun, and Laura Luttio
Scalpel at the Cross (SATC) is a nonprofit Christian organization that serves the Pucallpa, Peru community through short-term medical mission trips. Teams travel to Pucallpa each year to perform orthopedic surgeries, educate providers in lo...
Physiology-Based Education for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Becca Barry, Cara Marie Gabriel, and Brenna Lynn Olson
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a multisystemic disease that affects more than 370 million people worldwide and costs the U.S. Healthcare System over $245 billion per year (Kahn et al., 2013; Powers et al., 2015). Current diabetes education serve...
Effects of Recreational Marijuana Use in Adolescents, Yuliya Dzholos Bjorgan and Susana Jimenez
This community service project discusses short- and long-term effects of recreational marijuana use in adolescents, the most vulnerable audience to this psychoactive drug. According to the latest research, these effects include compromised ...
An Investigation in the Mobilization of Syringe Exchange Programs, Gina K. Carter, Emma Kroll, Gina Rae McClanahan, and Rachel E. Rolf
Injection drug use along with the opioid epidemic have contributed to many problems facing communities locally and nationally. Preventative and harm reduction measures are important for individual and public health due to the adverse outcom...
Education for Newly Diagnosed Sarcoma Patients: A Community Service Project, Jennifer Diane Gribble, Jaclyn R. Robles, and Taylor R. Schreier
Sarcoma is a rare neoplasm that may be found in any location in the body’s soft tissues or bone (NCCN, 2020). As with all cancer, early diagnosis is important. With sarcoma, there is increased urgency to obtain a proper diagnosis early on b...
Diabetes and Hypertension Prevention in Vanuatu: A Community Service Project, Jasmin N. Lindberg, Abigail Marton, and Danielle M. Settle
Vanuatu is a country located in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean that is east of Australia (Adams & Foster, 2020, para. 1). This community service project partnered with the health clinic at the Family Care Centre (FCC), located in Teouma Val...
Healthy Brains from Birth: Raising Parental Awareness on Early Childhood Brain Development in HealthPartners Birth Centers, Arielle Melum, Cole Smith, and Caitlin Rose Van Meter
The human brain most efficiently and rapidly develops during the first three years of life with nurturing and stimulating serve-and-return interactions (Britto et al., 2017; Center for the Developing Child 2021). Because not all parents are...
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Early Palliative Care Implementation in Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients: A Quality Improvement Project, Megan Joan Biegler, Erin Hamar, and Stephanie Spinolo
This was a quality improvement project that will allow improvements to be made in healthcare services offered and the overall health status of Stage IV metastatic lung cancer patients receiving palliative care referrals. Data was collected ...
Diabetes, Obesity, and Quality of Life Among End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Receiving Hemodialysis, Austyn Lee Cross, Hailey Grace Shaull, and Paige Elizabeth Urquhart
Within the last thirty years, in the United States alone, the number of patients receiving treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) doubled (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2018b). Previous research has indicated lower...
Implementing a Health and Wellness Program for Low Income Children and Their Families: A Community Outreach Program, Kailey Ann Geib, Hannah N. Moland, and Emily Nicole Nelson
Low income status has been proven to have negative effects on overall health, such as increased prevalence of chronic diseases and poor childhood development (Gupta, de Wit, & McKeown, 2007). Children living in communities of this status of...
Deafness In Healthcare: Bridging The Gap Between Provider And Patient Communication, Marissa E. Geyer, Rachel M. Kleinschmidt, and Molly E. Koisti
Deaf patients are a population at risk of facing complications when seeking healthcare. Deaf individuals experiencing health emergencies face the possibility of not having an interpreter present for their medical evaluations leading to unwa...
Homelessness and Diabetes: A Review to Provide Education to Homeless Individuals and Organizations, David W. Grewe, Mckenzie J. Kostreva, and Karly Kroeten
Diabetes is a disease that is prevalent in both the United States, and within the homeless population. This project outlines what T2DM is, its prevalence in the homeless population, and then barriers to treatment that the homeless face. Edu...
Mitigating Mitochondrial Dysfunction in the Insulin Resistant Phenotype: A Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent Hypoxia, William Christian Grillo, Joshua Pinson, and Bethany K. Tangen
Chronic disease currently affects 45%, nearly half, of all persons in the United States (Raghupathi & Raghupathi, 2018). A systemic, cellular etiology of chronic disease has been proposed: literature supports the mechanism of a universal ce...
Reducing Depression in Metlakatla Adolescents Through Prevention and Intervention Training in Educators, Sophie Grupe, Cally S. Hinrichs, and Katrina D. Reitz
American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) are reported to experience 2.5 times more psychological distress when compared to non-indigenous populations (Anxiety and Depression Association of America [ADAA], 2020). The Metlakatla Indian Com...
The Effects of Socialization on the Progression of Dementia, Caitlyn Hagstrom, Ashley G. Heppner, and Katelyn N. Kunde
Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of disorders marked by a decline from baseline in memory, executive function, and other cognitive functions such as reasoning, handling complex tasks, and spatial orientation, all of which interferes...
The Role of Specialty Care in Pediatric Management in Minnesota, Marissa Hall and Rachel Nornes
Childhood asthma can be a challenging condition to manage and often requires individually tailored pharmacologic therapy in order to prevent symptom exacerbation and subsequent hospitalizations. Many patients and their families seek guidanc...
Assessment of Medical Experiences of Hearing Guardians With Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children in the Twin Cities, Hannah R. Jaster, Erin R. Rudolph, and Melinda Sorensen
This paper assesses the medical experiences guardians of deaf or hard of hearing children have after their children are first diagnosed with a hearing loss within the Twin Cities region of Minnesota. Data collection used a mixed methods app...
PA School and Relationship Satisfaction, Hannah M. Kerkhof and Rebecca Kornowski
Physician assistant programs are rigorous, fast-paced, and time intensive, putting significant stress on PA students themselves and their romantic relationships. Research has been done on the effects of medical school on student mental heal...
Multidisciplinary Approach to Mitigating Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Classroom, Owen M. McCann, Olivia Olga Jeanette Nelson, and Juliana Marie Pederson
Adverse childhood experiences or ACEs, are traumatic experiences in a person’s life which occur before the age of 18 and have been shown to negatively impact overall health (Petruccelli, Davis, & Berman, 2019). One area of research on ACEs ...
Diagnosing Dermatological Conditions in the Non-caucasian Population, Mackenzie M. Mellum, Candace Joyce Nysted, and Kassidy E. Westrom
There is currently a lack of resources available on dermatological conditions in the non-Caucasian population; therefore, additional educational materials are needed to supplement the education of healthcare professionals (Ebede & Papier, 2...
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Registered Nurse Perception of Physician Assistants, Erin Renee Alpers, Linda Charles, and Kaitlyn Mellesmoen
The physician assistant (PA) profession is a relatively new and ever-growing field within healthcare. PAs serve patients in many different specialties alongside a wide variety of other members of healthcare teams. With the exponential growt...
A Community Service Project: Creating Awareness of Chronic Malnutrition in Guatemalan Children, Mallory A. Beswick, Bree A. Blanchette, and Brooke L. Elvehjem
Guatemala City is home to one of Central America’s largest garbage dumps. Many individuals living in Guatemala City scavenge the dump for recyclables and other goods, that they can then sell for income. Family earnings vary greatly on a dai...
Postpartum Depression Education of Doulas for Incarcerated Women, Tatia Marie Hibbs, Mikaela Reed, and Claire Sautner
As of 2017, there were 111,360 females in a state or federal correctional facility (Bronson & Carson, 2019). Many women in prison are mothers with 5-10% being pregnant while imprisoned (Baldwin, Sobolewska, & Capper, 2018). Some programs ha...
Change in Empathy Levels Among Practicing Physician Assistants, Matthew P. Horn, Jacqueline Roff, and Lisa Xiong
This research sought to determine whether empathy declined with either increased years of physician assistant (PA) clinical experience or increased years of pre-PA healthcare experience (HCE). Although there has been an abundance of researc...
Vaping Education in the Adolescent Population, Megan M. Meinders, Morgan Sauvage, Shania Scheidt, and Alexa Trakalo
The prevalence of e-cigarette use in the United States is drastically rising, deeming vaping an epidemic. With the surge in the use of e-cigarettes, cases of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) are simultaneousl...
Hunger Solutions Market Bucks Program Improvement In The Rural Setting: A Research Project, Kollin D. Michels, Nicholas S. Reich, and Jeffrey D. Sandquist
Food insecurity – a lack of food required for a healthy and productive life – affects approximately 150 million households in the United States alone (Coleman-Jensen, Rabbit, Gregory, & Singh, 2018). The implications of this are numerous – ...
The Need for a Physical Therapy Clinic in Pucallpa, Peru, Isabella M. Sutton, Abby M. Waldek, and Brylie M. Wiedmaier
In developing countries, complications from traumatic injuries account for a significantly higher number of deaths annually compared to developed countries. Not only are traumatic injuries more likely to occur in developing countries, but l...
Opioid Knowledge, Confidence, and Concern of Bethel University Physician Assistant Students, Lealand A. Torgerson and Travis A. Williams
With more than 130 people dying daily, 47,000 overdose-related deaths per year, and $55 billion in societal costs, the opioid epidemic is producing widespread, catastrophic consequences on the population and healthcare system. Healthcare pr...
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
The Effect of Patient Education on Oral Contraceptive Adherence Rates, Brook M. Anderson, Anmol G. Clairmont, and Lydia Lutz
We would like to acknowledge our project chair, Jeanne Szarzynski, PA-C, for dedicating her time, expertise, leadership and patience to truly guide the success of our research project. We appreciate her incredible insight, knowledge and ski...
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Special Olympics Minnesota’s Health Promotion Programming, Avery R. Bajema, Laura Marie Hayes, Kelsey B. Kostreba, and Shelly Winslow
Nearly 3% of the world’s population have an intellectual disability. A link exists between intellectual disability and higher rates of chronic and preventable diseases, which is partially attributed to lack of health education geared toward...
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Physician Assistants' Perspectives, Understandings, and Ethical Considerations, Sarah K. Barnes, Samantha J. Caron, and Claire E. Johnson
While factors contributing to rates of approval and disapproval of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) have been studied at length, the perspective of Physician Assistants’ (PA) approval and disapproval of PGD has not been studied, nor ...
A Qualitative Examination of Vaccine Hesitancy Among Mothers, Alicia L. Benner, Annie Vasterling, and Teia Wolter
Vaccine hesitancy describes the reluctance to vaccinate or the delay of vaccines (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017a). Various factors contribute to vaccine hesitancy for patients (Salmon, Dudley, Glanz, & Somer, 2015), and multiple sou...
An Overview of Diabetes and Community Health Concerns in Guatemala, Jennifer A. Davidson, Halie M. Higgins, Alex Krona, and Danny R. Luna
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has emerged as a worldwide epidemic in recent years. Rates of this disease continue to rise annually. While many countries have adequate access to prevent and treat T2DM, developing countries often lack educa...
Nutrition Education for the Underserved Youth within the Greater Twin Cities Area through the InSports Foundation, Paige D. Deters, Allison Kaper, and Maura Romanshek
It has been examined that poor access to nutritious foods and limited opportunities for physical activity is prevalent among children from underserved families. These deficiencies contribute to increasing childhood obesity rates and emphasi...
Identification of Medical Distress by Washington County Correctional Officers: A Community Service Project, Laura Driscoll, Lauren Gimmestad, and Mary Gritton
Throughout the United States incidence of suicide, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and drug withdrawal is increasing. Not only are these issues prevalent in the general population, but are also a regular cause of medical distress within the wa...
A Community Outreach Project Addressing Mental Health, Obesity, and Asthma in Underserved Saint Paul Youth, Anna Ehnstrom, Ellie Hoopman, and Caitlin Olson
Due to a lack of resources, awareness, and reinforcement of information, underserved youth are predisposed to unique health concerns. The health disparities prevalent among children living in poverty are many, but the topics of focus for th...
Smoking in the Homeless Population: Implementation of a Smoking Cessation Program at the Union Gospel Mission Men’s Campus in St. Paul, Minnesota, Benjamin James Hageman, Chandler R. Hutton, Matthew Schull, and Nathaniel Van Loon
The health consequences of smoking disproportionately impact the homeless population. The homeless population has a higher rate of smoking (70%) than the general population (21%) and has a 5-fold decrease in smoking cessation success rates ...
Prevalence of Mental Health Stigma Among Practicing PAs in Regard to Personal Experience and Patient Exposure, Bailey J. Hanson, Allison Hoy, and Madeline Lieberson
Stigmatizing attitudes can be destructive to both the emotional and physical wellbeing of individuals living with mental illness. In fact, individuals with a mental illness are more likely to be seen as responsible for their illness and mor...
Significance of Spirituality Among Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Carlee N. Hunter and Sarah E. Kivisto
Previous literature has demonstrated a relationship between spirituality and positive health outcomes in the general population. However, little research has been done on the role spirituality plays in the lives of individuals with DD (inte...
Understanding Public Perception of Telemedicine, Carolyn Majkrzak, Sarah Strenke, and Katie Vraspir
The healthcare system in the United States is struggling to meet the needs of a growing patient population amidst the burden of provider shortages and rising costs, where no simple or easy answer exists. However, telemedicine has emerged as...
Education and Support for Patients and Families with Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease: A Community Service Project, Dulcey Amaia Milek, Emily Josephine Petersen, and Aimie Beth Seehafer
With any chronic illness, there may be difficulties that arise such as symptom control, medical management, and resource and support availability. In addition, pediatric populations may require more complex care due to the child’s continuin...
Patient Disclosure of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Patient-Provider Relationship, Kathryn V. Ortmann, Norsha Scheil, and Thomas Stearns
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States, with notable usage of supplements, deep breathing exercises, and chiropractic care. Despite this influx of CAM, nearly half of patients do...
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Anxiety Reduction Among Washington County Jail Inmates: a Community Service Project, Tyler J. Back, Laura Bakke, and Daniel Cuppy
The general principle of anxiety has been thoroughly studied in many populations and shown to have variable underlying etiology, partially related to abnormalities in brain chemistry as well as unfamiliar or uncomfortable social situations....
Physician Assisted Suicide: Attitudes of the Minnesota General Population, Jennifer M. Bretscher and Tammy J. Estrem
Having the choice to hasten death via physician assisted suicide (PAS) is becoming increasingly more popular in the United States. The majority of states do not yet have laws that legalize PAS, but many, including Minnesota, are currently e...
The Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking Among Registered Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants, Ana R. Brown, Taylor Paulson, and Kathryn A. Peterson
Cigarette smoking is a dangerous addiction that affects over 45 million Americans. Smoking has been proven to cause a variety of diseases that result in about 480,000 U. S. deaths per year. Healthcare workers have the ability and responsibi...
An Overview of Perinatal Health and Childhood Development in Honduras, Rose Margaret Carlson, Abigail D. Conrad, Alexandra Nicole Lothe, Caitlin M. O'Donnell, and Cameron Svihla
Honduras is a country with great healthcare needs. Within health care, the largest percentage of mortality is due to conditions occurring in the perinatal period, including prenatal and maternal health, delivery and postnatal care (PAHO, 20...
Personal Health Habits of PAs and the Effect These Habits Have on Preventive Health Counseling Practices, Emily A. Carstens and Megan L. Englund
Chronic disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The burden of chronic disease can be largely prevented by following a healthy lifestyle. Individuals often receive their knowledge about preventive health...
Attitudes Regarding Physician-assisted Suicide Among Minnesota Family Medicine Physicians, Lauren M. Cooke, Lindsay Emmerich, and Sam Feyder
An affinity for bioethics lead researchers to investigate the attitudes of physicians toward physician-assisted suicide amidst growing conversation regarding patient liberties. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) refers to the prescription of ...
A Community Outreach Project Assisting Evergreen Elementary School With Students’ Nutritional Needs, Robin C. Erickson, Nicole Roach, and Megan Smith
Nine months out of the year, students within the United States attend elementary school to be educated on English, mathematics, history, and other topics. The Anoka- Hennepin School District’s philosophy of an elementary education highlight...
Barriers to Preventive Care for the Immigrant Population in Minnesota, Andrew Kenneth Gernand, Dustin Wayne Kingsley, and Daleso Yadetta
Immigrants in Minnesota face several barriers regarding access and use of preventive healthcare services. Current literature indicates a high area of need exists within the immigrant population for the prevention of chronic illness. Languag...
Examining the Effects of Caffeine, Sleep and Exercise on the Academic Performance of PA Students, Saira Haq and Katelyn M. Walsh
Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant drug in the world and is consumed by nearly ninety percent of North Americans (Mednick, Cai, Kanady, & Drummond, 2008). Since caffeine is a highly consumed drug amongst a wide variety of demogr...
FACTORS INFLUENCING PROVIDER ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIBING BEHAVIORS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY, Patrick Kevin Hayden and Emily Palmer
The prevalence of antibiotic resistance has grown steadily over the past few decades. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying each year due to the unavailability of previously effective antibiotic regimens. A major influence in the contin...
Prevention and Education of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Within Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Adolescents, Kalie S. Johnson and Hayden Middleton
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are becoming an increasingly significant issue faced by high school adolescents in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adolescents 15 to 21 years of age ...
Attitudes Towards Vaccinations in the Minnesota Slavic Community, Maksim Kozak, Hannah Margaret Roy, and Rachel Van Heest
The incidence of vaccine preventable illnesses is increasing in the United States. Negative attitudes towards vaccinations, or vaccine hesitancy is fueling the decreasing vaccination rates. Ascertaining the level of vaccine hesitancy in sus...
Factors Contributing to Physician Assistant Burnout, Sarah F. Leonard, Tiffany J. Mellang, and Connor Sacks
Workplace burnout is known to be extremely prevalent among employees in the medical professions. For other health care professions such as physicians or nurses there is a plethora of existing literature on workplace burnout, but there is a ...
The Impact of Religious Beliefs of Medical Practitioners on the Prescribing of Contraceptives, Ashley M. Overby and Kayla Westling
For centuries, the use of artificial birth control has been a highly debated topic across different religions and this debate continues to remain strong today. Living in a country made up of diverse cultural backgrounds and beliefs, religio...
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
Degree of Knowledge, Potential Barriers, and Reasons for Finding Out About Genetic Testing, Lisa Ann Atkinson, Drew Alexander Holm, and Michael Jacob
Genetic testing is a resource that continues to evolve and change the world of medicine. The availability of such testing has created opportunities for many to better understand and take control of their health. However, studies show that t...
Patient Understanding of the Physician Assistant Profession Across Age Groups, Amber Baumann and Galen Hilgendorf
The demand for healthcare providers such as Physician Assistants is ever increasing with the growing and aging United States population. The number of Physician Assistant education programs as well as practicing Physician Assistants is grow...
Patient Satisfaction with Physician Assistants in Family Practice, Megan A. Bendix and Mariah Eystad
Introduction: The nation is experiencing an expanding, aging population. As the nation faces an imminent physician shortage, physician assistants (PAs) will be utilized in practice to a greater extent. Maintaining patient satisfaction is im...
Sports Specialization and Injury Prevalence, Jacob P. Berwyn and Jordan Lee Reiner
This retrospective study examines musculoskeletal injury prevalence rates among high school athletes. Specifically, it examines if there is a higher injury prevalence amongst single sport athletes compared to multi-sport high school athlete...
Dynamic Knee Hyperextension Screening as a Predictor of Acl Injury Potential in Competitive High School Soccer Players, Jon-Paul W. Ciszewski, David McGehee, and Jessica Schindler
Introduction: Young, active populations who play sports that include sudden cutting motions, are at heightened risk of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Female athletes with increased joint laxity and subsequent hyperextension...
Prevalence of Caffeine Use and Knowledge of Its Benefits, Side Effects, and Withdrawal Symptoms Among Pre-PA Students, PA Students, and Clinically Practicing PAs, Kjerstin Grace Durie, Chelsie Nicole Horner, and Greta Sowles
Caffeine is consumed daily by eighty percent of the world’s population, making it the most widely used stimulant drug. Caffeine has various benefits, side effects, and withdrawal symptoms associated with its use, but there is a lack of rese...
Patient Satisfaction of Physician Assistants and Physicians in the Emergency Department, Brittany Geditz, Yu Guan, and Lauren Lahr
Introduction: Emergency medicine has developed rapidly since the 1960s with an increasing need for providers due to the increasing number of presenting patients in the emergency department. Physician assistants have filled that gap; however...
End-of-life Education and Preparedness of Physician Assistants in Minnesota and the Surrounding States, Julie Ann Graner, Lukas Steffan, and Zachary Stutzman
As the population in the United States ages, palliative care spending and needs have been increasing. Most quality outcome measures, however, have shown inadequate satisfaction among patients and caregivers. A number of studies have investi...
Health Literacy and Medication Administration Knowledge of Unlicensed Health Care Workers in Assisted Living Facilities, Lynsey Jae Kissinger and Kelsey Walczak
The purpose of this research was to determine the health literacy and medication administration knowledge of unlicensed health care workers such as certified nursing assistants and non-certified caregivers working in assisted living facilit...
The Barriers: Psychosocial and Economic Resistance Men Face in Seeking Fertility Evaluations, Cynthia C. Konrath and Ashton Makwana
There has been a minimal amount of research conducted regarding barriers presenting to male patients presenting for fertility evaluations. Research that focuses on the male gender’s reactions to infertility has been just as limited. The pur...
Complications of Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Patients Following Limb Salvage and Amputation Procedures, Sandra Ogato
Background: Extremity bone and soft tissue sarcoma are a rare type of cancer with treatment modalities to include chemotherapy and radiation and surgical procedures. Surgery can be limb salvage or limb amputation. Patients of extremity bone...
PA Compensation Models in the Twin Cities, Kayli J. Piechowski and Alannah Pratt
A variety of compensation models for medical providers exist today. Current literature reveals that the main compensation models present for physicians and other advanced practice providers today include fee for service (FFS), fixed salary,...
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
Trends in Vaccination Rates Amongst Young Children and the Factors Affecting Parent Decisions, Kaitlyn C. Baldridge, Janna Bjoin, and Katherine Pool
Problem: Throughout the United States, there has been an increasing trend in the number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children. Studies have shown that since the upward trend of refusal to vaccinate has started, there has been an i...
The Knowledge and Attitude of Bethel's Undergraduate Population On Sun Protective Behaviors, Sarah R. Beddow, Chelsea V. Domeier, and Karien Wilson
OBJECTIVES: To compare the attitude and knowledge of health science majors versus non-health science majors of the Bethel University undergraduate population. BACKGROUND: Despite public education about the use of sunscreen and skin cancer p...
Awareness of antibiotic resistance in the general population as related to education level, Rachel M. Cantlon and Emma Wilson
An antibiotic is a drug, also known as an antimicrobial, which is used to treat infectious diseases caused by bacteria (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), 2012). The effect of antibiotic overuse and mistreatment ...
Antihypertensive Medication Adherence in the Twin Cities, Jacob J. Clairmont, Taylor J. Cunningham, and Krista M. Nauman
A retrospective study of antihypertensive medication adherence was conducted on patients’ demographics data at Eastside Health Clinic in St. Paul, MN. The study sought to determine whether or not interventional means were needed to improve ...
Knowledge of Behaviors that Contribute to a Healthy Pregnancy in Women Aged 18-25, Sarah K. Coffey and Rebecca Jennings
Knowledge of behaviors that contribute to a healthy pregnancy may enhance the overall pregnancy experience. However, there are currently no studies that evaluate where discrepancies exist between current recommendations of behaviors contrib...
An Analysis of Immunization Understanding in Undergraduate Students at Bethel University, Jeff Dahlquist and Steven D. Lindblom
This investigation studied the level of understanding of the nature of immunizations and vaccine preventable diseases in undergraduate students at Bethel University. Immunization literature demonstrates a significant lack of understanding i...
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Which Graft is Best to Prevent Re-tear?, Katherine Ann Eslinger, Brittany Kapala, and Noelle Kreofsky
The three most widely used graft choices currently employed in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair are: patellar tendon autograft, hamstring tendon autograft, and cadaver tendon allograft. The purpose of this study is to examine the eff...
Cardiovascular Strain in Overweight 5k Runners, Sara Geier and Polly Hendel
Previous research is vast and varied regarding how exercise affects the physiology of the cardiac system. Many studies have found adverse effects to the heart in ultra-endurance athletes, but fewer studies have focused on overweight populat...
Diabetes Education for the Hispanic Population, Nohemi I. Haben and Misty M. Schmitz
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects, if any, of utilizing Spanish language on the efficacy of an education program for type 2 diabetes among the Hispanic population in the twin-cities Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. In ...
Minnesota Healthcare Barriers to the Medically Underserved, Ashley C. Hoffmann and Amanda Walters
Quality medical services and patient oriented satisfaction are important factors in a healthcare setting. Barriers preventing such factors are more prevalent in medically underserved areas (MUAs) ( Brems, Johnson, Warner, & Roberts, 2006 )....
The Impact of an Implemented Scribe Program in Emergency Room Settings on Patient and Provider Satisfaction, Overall Patient Volume, and Emergency Room Cost Effectiveness, Kendra L. Kruger and Tara L. Tait
The purpose of the study is to evaluate medical scribe programs in emergency room settings as to their role, impact on patient satisfaction, patient volume, and cost-effectiveness, as well as their perceived value by emergency room medical ...
Dietary Supplements: A Consumer Profile of Knowledge and Use, Sarah J. Kucera and Yen Nguyen
Alternative medicine, in the form of dietary supplements, is appealing to Americans. Supplements have been marketed as being natural promoters of general well-being, healing, and disease prevention. Even with minimal regulation and research...
Individual Physician Assistant's Spirituality and Job Satisfaction, Kyle J. Smisek, Kelsa L. Hovelson, and Mali D. Langlie
The factors that contribute to job satisfaction have been studied extensively. Additionally, in the healthcare setting, the influence of spirituality has been a topic of substantial research. However, few studies have researched a physician...
Alzheimer's Disease: Knowledge of Early Detection, Risk Factors, and Treatment, Anna H. Smith and Katlyn S. Spadino
Alzheimer's disease causes a progressive and irreversible decline in cognitive functioning. There are many people living with this disease, and the prevalence is expected to triple between 2010 and 2050. Many members of society are affected...
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
An Analysis of the Effects of the Carbohydrate Intake and Hydration on Feeling of Exertion Throughout a Marathon, Kristine M. Baumann and Kaitlyn Proulx
The popularity of marathon running has grown exponentially since the 1970s (Noakes, 2003). This major gain in popularity has led to an increased interest in hydration and nutrition for marathon runners (Tucker et al 2009). The effects of di...
The Effect of Education on Folic Acid in Women on Childbearing Age and Low Socioeconomic Status, Macey I. Bentley, Anna R. Goetsch, and Courtney L. Perpich
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of education to women of lower socioeconomic status about the importance of folic acid use before and during pregnancy. Previous research has shown the significance of folic acid in pr...
Concussion Education in High School Athletes, Nathan A. Birno, Larson Davick, and Kyle Oostra
This paper examines concussion education in high school athletes. Specifically, it examines how educationally beneficial a concussion presentation is for high school athletes. The study examined eighteen-year-old participants from two Minne...
Analysis of Lean/Six Sigma Production Model in a Tertiary Care Asthma and Allergy Clinlic, Erika Lynn Bullert, Laura Johnson, and Ariel M. Schibilla
In response to demands on healthcare, systems have looked to refine current processes to use time, materials, and finances more efficiently. Lean/Six Sigma (L/SS) is a model that has been used to improve procedural efficiency in various set...
Oncology Providers’ Opinions on Preventative Recommendations for Patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 Breast Cancer Mutations, Rebecca L. Crissman and Kathleen Dunsmore
BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations have been identified as increasing an individual’s risk for developing breast cancer. Genetic testing for these genes has become increasingly more common. However, once genetic testing has established that an ...
Assessing Deaf Culture Awareness of Physician Assistant Students in the Midwest, Sheryl E. Delude and Morgan, Kay Foizie
Currently, there has been insufficient research to support the need for implementation of deaf awareness training into physician assistant (PA) program curriculums. To address this gap in research, PA students in the Midwest United States w...
Current Usage of Animal Assisted Therapy in Nursing Homes in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Lauren K. Duerst, Natalie E. Nikonovich, and Ashley M. Young
The main purpose of this study was to determine the use of animal assisted therapy (AAT) for residents living in nursing home facilities in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Furthermore we compiled the thoughts and opinions of each facility directo...
Attitudes and Utilization of Tissue Plasminogen Activator Involving Telemedicine, Karin K. Filip, Brittany R. Kelly, and Stacy M. Underhill
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is used to treat acute ischemic stroke and is widely accepted as standard practice in the medical community. Literature shows that providers are hesitant to use this therapy due to the associated risks. Su...
Comparison of Oral and Printed Health Literacy Tools in Hypertension Education for Low-Income Patients, Andrew D. Forsgren, Annie Heggestad, and Charles Ruegemer
Hypertension is a prevalent health concern in today’s society, especially among individuals of low-income economic status. An increased risk for heart disease has long been correlated to hypertension, and this risk increases further as the ...
Chemically Self-assembled Antibody Nanorings: A Novel Approach to Bispecific Design for Cancer Therapeutics, Kari A. Gabrielse
Targeted antibody therapeutics are currently being developed for treatment of a wide variety of cancers. By extending the scope of targeted antibody therapeutics into a bispecific design, it has been shown that simultaneous targeting of the...
Health Disparities on American Indian Reservations: Can Mid-level Practitioners Make a Difference?, David Evard Johnston
Introduction: American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) suffer from a number of health issues and at higher rates than other United States populations. Efforts have been made through the Indian Health Service (IHS) to improve the AI/AN state...