Gustavus Health Professions Podcast

In this episode we talk with three Gusties: Quintin Morris '23 Ezedin Seid '24 Sydney Regalado '22 These three students have been active participants in our volunteer programs. Great way to learn more about each of the programs, what skills you will gain and ways for you to give back. The three featured programs: ⁠Mayo Clinic Caring Hands Program⁠ : Caring Hands Service Summary: Massag...

We talk Occupational Therapy with Sheri Beck the Admissions and Recruitment Specialist at the University of Minnesota. sbeck@umn.edu sbeck@umn.edu The University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy (OT) program is the only public doctoral‐level OT program in Minnesota and one of the oldest OT programs in the United States. Our graduates use a science-driven, evidence-based approach to help childre...

In episode 50 we speak with Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Thomas Bergman.  Dr. Bergman works at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN which is a  ⁠Level I Trauma Center.⁠  HCMC is Minnesota's largest emergency department and busiest trauma center. Dr. Bergman brings to our podcast a wealth of knowledge about what a day in the life is like as a neurosurgeon and also highlights the very...

In episode 49, we speak with admission officer Alyssa Montgomery from UND School of Medicine about UND as a state sponsored medical school and what in means for a Minnesota resident to have strong ties to the state. We also talk about the unique skill set that UND admission committee is looking for to serve the patients and population in rural and Native American communities in North Dakota. One o...

Pre-Physical Therapy continues to be a popular and growing  area for pre-health students  at Gustavus.  This episode gives you a roadmap to being a successful applicant as well very good advice for the application process.  This is a MUST listen for anyone soon to be in application for any area.  In this episode we interview McKenna Robb, a senior here at Gustavus who is g...

MD and DO current applicant Tyra Banks '21, offers advice & tips on the application process.  MD- AMCAS centralized application and DO- ACCOMAS centralized application  She talks through the similarities and differences between the applications as well as her personal statement and her interview experience.  Tyra currently works at Park Nicollet Contact Dermatitis Clinic as a Pa...

Dr. Mary Wesby joins the Gustavus Health Professions Podcast to share some exciting news... Gustavus is in the final stages of accreditation for the first ever Master's degree program in college history, a Master's in Athletic Training.  This Master's will be is a two year degree program and there are two tracks to earn the degree.  Listen to learn more about what a career in athletic tr...

In Episode 45 we speak with Gustavus professor Dr. Locke about Abortion Rights after Dobbs v. Jackson.  We talk through the history of Roe vs. Wade decision up to the Dobbs v. Jackson decision.  Abortion has long been a controversial topic and people are typically divided into two parties.  Pro-choice, abortion is a woman’s constitutional right and favor lifting limitations and incr...

Shouldn't our health care be accessible, affordable and comprehensive? We spoke to volunteers Judy Schultz and Edi Thorstensson, both retired longtime Gustavus employees about the organization Healthcare for All Minnesota,  that advocates for universal single payer for Minnesota - hoping it would spread to all the U.S. but at least to get a better way to organize healthcare in our state....

Dr. Scott Dee joins us on this podcast and shares with us his experiences as a student at Gustavus, his journey to veterinary school, and his career in vet medicine.  He has been a huge advocate to the Gustavus Health Professions programs and forever supporter of Gustavus.  He shares so much valuable information for our pre-vet students but also for any student pursuing a health career.&...

In this episode we feature Creighton University Director of Admission, Lindsay Johnson and Assistant Dean of Student, Shawn Cook. Creighton is located in Omaha, NE and as of 2021 there is a new campus in Phoenix, AZ the Phoenix Health Sciences Campus.  The Health Programs included within Creighton are:  Medicine https://www.creighton.edu/medicine/admissions Dental   https://www.crei...

In episode 41 we talk with Hannah Banks, about Genetic Counseling. Hannah is a recent college graduate 2020, and is currently attending The Ohio State University, in Columbus Ohio.  She shares about her path to becoming a Genetic Counselor (GC), how she got experience in the field, and typical prerequisite courses required for admission.  The application process and timeline is unique fo...

We hope you enjoying listening to this episode of the Gustavus Health Professions Podcast where we discuss the difference between a Physician Assistant (Associate) and a Nurse Practitioner.   **NP Salary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nurse practitioners earn an average hourly pay rate of $53.77, while physician assistants earn $54.04 Below you will find contact information for...

In this Bonus episode we talk with Jolene Young, Admissions Representative, Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, Office of Strategic Student Recruitment and Outreach  young.jolene@mayo.edu .  We ended up receiving so much more information than we ever intended.  Not only were we able to hear about the Health Careers Open house at Mayo on Nov. 1 2022, we also learned about the belo...

Episode 38 of the Gustavus Health Professions Podcast we speak with Gustavus graduate Class of 1991, Amy Pehrson, Director of the Community Engagement Center and Megan Ruble, Assistant Vice President for Student Life. Both are working with a team of students this year on voter engagement and on educating our campus community on the importance of mid-term elections and the importance of being an in...

Episode #37  Brandon Ness graduated from Gustavus in 2008 and attended Mayo Clinic College of Health Medicine  PT school and graduated with his doctorate in Physical Therapy.  In this episode he will discuss he career path and how it has now led him to teaching in a hybrid physical therapy doctoral program.  https://college.mayo.edu/academics/health-sciences-education/ Physical...

In this episode we speak with Lisa Heldke ’82, Director of the Nobel Conference and Marie Walker, Co-chair of the Nobel Conference 58 about all things Nobel and Mental Health. Nobel Conference 58 (2022):Mental Health (In)Equity and Young People September 28-29(NOTE: Wednesday and Thursday!) Prioritizing the mental health concerns of young people has become essential amid times of global pandemic,...

Today in episode 35, we speak with Linda McDonald, Volunteer Service Coordinator at the Mayo Clinic in Mankato.  After a three year pause due to COVID,  we are very excited to announce that our volunteer program Caring Hands is back.  This program is a partnership with Gustavus and the Mayo Clinic where are Gustavus pre-health student volunteers provide are trained to provide a hand...

Episode 34 we welcome TWO guests Anna Cruz, Des Moines University Recruitment and Admissions Specialist and Talon Aitken, current D.O. student attending Des Moines.  For this episode we focused on the Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) programs at Des Moines.  There are currently 9 health professions programs at the University and they will be adding OT, so soon there will be ten programs. &nbs...

In episode #33 we talk with Amy Pehrson, Director of Community Engagement Center at Gustavus.  Amy directs the 10 community service programs at Gustavus and our focus for this podcast was the Habitat for Humanity program.  Over the years we have talk with many pre-health students that have participated in this program and some of the take-aways are they have a more clear understanding of...

In episode #32 we visit with Cate Deremee class of 2021.  She is in her first year in the Surgical First Assistant program at Mayo Clinic of College of Medicine and Science.  The 12-month Surgical First Assistant Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, offers the best-accredited certificate training program in the Midwest. You will gain an advanced understanding of human anatomy...

In our 31st episode of the Gustavus Health Professions podcast  we welcome Bo LaFountaine, PA-C.  Bo was 2015 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and she was also a 2020 Graduate of Augsburg University as a Physician Assistant.  Bo takes us through her time here at Gustavus, her gap years, her time at Augsburg,  as well as the challenging times of Covid. She has a very intere...

Episode #30 Anders Bowman is a 2012 Gustavus Adolphus College graduate.  Anders majored in Nursing and was a three sport athlete. It was fun to catch up with Anders as he shared about his time as an undergraduate at Gustavus as well as his life since graduating.  He worked eight plus years as a Registered Nurse at Methodist Hospital and is now pursuing his Doctorate of Nursing Practice i...

Episode #29  We have the privilege of interviewing Heidi Meyer.  Heidi joined the Gustavus Nursing Program as faculty in February 2008. As a 1998 Gustavus nursing alum, Heidi is back at Gustavus doing what she hoped of doing as a student back in the mid to late 1990's.  After graduating from Gustavus in 1998, Heidi worked in various clinical settings, including Oncology, Med/Surg, H...

In episode #28 we talk with Deb Mattson who is the lead physical therapist at River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic.  She is a certified LSVT/BIG clinician and has special interest in working with patients with Parkinson’s Disease, returning to sport activity after a knee, ankle or shoulder injury/surgery, shoulder rehabilitation, sacroiliac dysfunction and vestibular rehabilitation.  Deb M...