Health and Human Services News

Archives for April 2022

Should I base my personality off a Buzzfeed quiz?

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Answering 10 questions to determine which woodland creature you most identify with can be fun. But how accurate are what we consider to be more in-depth personality tests?

Some of the most popular ones are the Myers-Briggs test, the 5 Love Languages quiz and the Enneagram test.

“I’m all for people taking assessments, but they must know what the assessment is primarily used for, and if it’s a good one or a bad one,” said Dr. Amber Abernathy, associate professor in Missouri State University’s psychology department.

Abernathy, who specializes in conscientious psychology, suggests taking the NEO PI-R. This is the standard questionnaire measure of the Big Five personality test, also known as the Five Factor Model.

Abernathy recommends using the International Personality Item Pool Representation (IPIP). It is almost identical to the original NEO PI-R, but it is free.

Abernathy uses this version for her psychology classes.

The Big Five

The Big Five consists of these personality traits:

  • Extroversion.
  • Openness.
  • Conscientiousness. 
  • Agreeableness. 
  • Neuroticism. 

The test results give users an assessment that shows their varying levels of each personality trait and what that means overall.

What will work best for me?

Choosing the type of personality assessment to take will largely depend on what you are using the results for.

Abernathy likes the Myers-Briggs test more than others, stating “what’s unique about Myers-Briggs is that there’s a chart that tells you who you would work well with. That can be incredibly beneficial.”

Even with these benefits, you should use the Myers-Briggs test generally, not to unravel your true personality.

Often results will differ for all mainstream personality tests if you take them more than once.

“For personality assessments, we want high levels of reliability and validity. If you have to take it again, then it isn’t a good personality test. Statistics show that the Myers-Briggs test doesn’t have good reliability,” Abernathy said.

“Popular personality tests have their place. Their use should be limited primarily to determining a field of work.”

Learn more about the psychology department

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How to gain weight safely and build muscle fast

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While being overweight is unhealthy, being underweight — a BMI of 18.5 or lower — can lead to health complications like a weakened immune system or fragile bones.

To gain weight the right way, it’s important to get proper nutrition.

Registered dietitian Jaime Gnau offers some helpful tips to Insider. She’s also a clinical instructor of biomedical sciences at Missouri State University.

2021-2022 MCHHS Faculty Promotions

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This year we recommended 18 faculty members for promotions in the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS). All 18 have been approved!

“Receiving tenure and/or promotion is an honor that reflects a great deal of hard work over a sustained time,” said Dr. Letitia White Minnis, MCHHS associate dean. “I am excited to offer my congratulations to all those on our list. I would like to thank each of them for their dedication to Missouri State University, MCHHS, their departments, and their students”.

Faculty promotions

The following faculty were promoted:

    • Jeanie Skibiski: Anesthesia, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Jianjie Wang: Biomedical Sciences, promoted from Associate Professor to Professor.
    • Amy Hulme: Biomedical Sciences, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Lauren Jones: Communication Sciences and Disorders, promoted from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor.
    • Sarah Jones: Communication Sciences and Disorders, promoted from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor.
    • Zachary Burt: Kinesiology, promoted from Instructor to Senior Instructor.
    • Bernard Kitheka: Kinesiology, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Junyoung Kim: Kinesiology, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Kathryn Adams: Nursing, promoted from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor.
    • Alisha Jones: Nursing, promoted from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor.
    • Traci Garrison: Occupational Therapy, promoted from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor.
    • Shannon Hauschildt: Physician Assistant Studies, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Jordan Belisle: Psychology, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Marcia Himes: Physical Therapy, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Jason Shaw: Physical Therapy, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.
    • Natalie Curry: Social Work, promoted from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor.
    • Tiffany Havlin: Social Work, promoted from Clinical Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor.
    • Qiang Chen: Social Work, tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

Increasing health care access

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Access to health care has been an ongoing issue in the Springfield community — especially for people without health insurance.

In the late 1980s, a group called The Kitchen Inc. started an outpatient clinic designed to support those in Springfield who could not afford health care.

In 2015, Missouri State University and Mercy Hospital partnered together and re-established the clinic as the MSU Care Clinic.

“The goal of the clinic is to understand and serve the health needs of medically underserved adults in our community,” said Brock Hughes, practice manager at the MSU Care Clinic. “It also gives students the opportunity to learn in a real clinic setting.”

How the clinic operates

The clinic serves those in the local community who do not have health insurance and those who are at 150% of the poverty level and below.

“Our clinic is largely supported by students in the nursing and physician assistant studies programs,” said Hughes. “All students work with a medical professional to help provide direct care for patients.”

This clinic allows students to work with a very specific population and gives them real life experience while they are still taking classes.

Services offered

The clinic offers free primary care services and a pharmacy free of charge for all patients.

“We partnered with UMKC’s School of Pharmacy to offer medications at the clinic,” Hughes said. “Through programs with Mercy, we are able to offer free medications for our patients.”

Clinic services include:

    • Physical examinations.
    • Blood tests.
    • Pharmacy services.
    • X-rays.
    • Education to patients about their mental health.
    • Referrals to community resources.

If you think you may benefit from MSU Care Clinic services, contact the clinic at 417-837-2270 or at msucare.missouristate.edu.

Learn more about the MSU Care Clinic