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During her physician assistant surgical rotation, Jordan Walker G’24 kept hearing an old wives’ tale that raised interesting questions.

“A lot of the surgeons in the operating room said that patients with tattoos have more post-operation complications, call more for pain meds or need more anesthesia than patients that don’t,” said Walker, who will graduate from ���ϲ�����’s Physician Assistant Studies Program on Dec. 13. “I kind of saw it on my rotation but thought ‘Is this real?’”

Walker sought to answer that question through her research, presented at the annual ���ϲ����� (SHS) Global Engagement and Research Forum on Dec. 9 in Alumni Gym. It was one of nearly 70 presentations from the departments of Physician Assistant (PA) Studies, Physical Therapy (PT) Education (PT) and Nursing. The forum started in 2019 and continues to be an opportunity to showcase collaborations across ���ϲ�����’s campus and highlight opportunities for global learning.

The research question, according to Walker, didn’t have a solid answer – finding that there is some sensitivity depending on tattoo placement but no consensus on how tattoos impact pain and post-op complications. She found that there were no serious complications reported after an epidural puncture through a tattoo, and there is some concern among providers when it came to intubating patients with facial piercings.

“Overall, there’s more research that needs to be done, especially if tattoos are going to keep getting popular,” said Walker.

Critical, clinical topics

SHS Dean Maha Lund welcomed attendees to the forum, thanking faculty for helping guide the students through their projects.

“I greatly enjoyed seeing the extraordinary student work of our ABSN, PT and PA students at the Global Engagement and Research Forum,” said Lund. “Our students showcased an array of posters, highlighting clinical topics and health care challenges. The passion the students displayed in their presentations demonstrates their commitment to their chosen profession and will benefit their future patients.”

Nolan Barnes G’26, Austin Reames G’26, Ethan Rafal ’23 G’26 and Sadie Thompson G’26, first-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students, looked at whether thigh girth and specific areas of the thigh can be used to determine if athletes are ready to return to sport following an ACL injury. The students measured from the top of the kneecap in various lengths to see if it was predictive of isokinetic and isometric knee strength – the standard for return to sport protocols for ACL injuries – finding that there are some abilities to predict strength 10 cm. above the kneecap.

“The Biodex is the primary instrument we use to look at isokinetic and isometric force. It’s also very expensive; it’s a very large piece of equipment and a lot of standard clinics don’t have access to the space for that kind of equipment, but everyone can buy a tape measure,” said Reames. “We were trying to see if that was a good way to bypass the need for a Biodex.”

The nurses’ perspective

Accelerated bachelor of science in nursing students Sarah Altmann ’24, Catherine Cambon ’24 and Walker Gagnon ’24 looked at the nurses’ perspective when performing end-of-life duties, including sedation and euthanasia. Their research found that nurses sometimes face ethical dilemmas when asked to administer this care and there was limited research on interventions that could help in these situations. Altmann, Cambon and Gagnon recommended more psychological and debriefing opportunities, along with clearer guidelines between providers and nurses in the level of patient needs and the care required.

“Hospice and palliative care is seen in every aspect of nursing,” said Cambon. “So, for anyone, it’s important to see different studies on the morals of it and how we can improve our care and communication to the providers.”

Offering humanity

The forum is also an opportunity for SHS students to showcase their global learning opportunities including programs in Italy, Australia, United Kingdom and Belize. Physician Assistant Studies students Tyler Arena G’24, Haley Harris G’24, Sam Kattiria G’24 and Maya LeeMaster G’24 went to Eldigeville, Belize to work in a medical clinic.

“We realized the importance of intercultural competence in our roles as future PA-Cs. We learned how to connect to patients across differences in language,” wrote Arena, Harris, Kattiria and LeeMaster in the presentation report. “We adapted to a different environment and culture, prioritizing the needs of our patients and establishing trust. This rotation helped shape our professional identities, reinforcing the need for empathy, adaptability, and lifelong learning.”

Julia Coenen G’24 and Amy Smelko G’24, Doctor of Physical Therapy students, were placed at a hospital in Umbertide, Italy, where they were able to observe cultural differences and commonalities in the health care system.

“With the emphasis on community, connection and culture within and outside the facility, we were granted an opportunity to discover that, at the end of the day, humanity is the best thing we have at our disposal to offer patients – whether across the ocean or right down the street,” wrote Coenen and Smelko in their presentation report.

Students across SHS departments raved about the programs and the attention they receive from faculty. Rafal noted he chose to get both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from ���ϲ����� for this reason.

“The faculty care so much about their students, which makes it so easy to learn and grow as much as you can as a student and I really wanted to continue that in my graduate learning,” said Rafal. “I want to help people. We’ve all been there, know what it’s like to be injured, to be at a low point, and I just really want to help people grow and become who they want to be again.”