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ABSTRACT Abstract Community-Acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) is a bacterial infection of the skin and soft tissues caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (“Information,” 2011). Community-Acquired MRSA is currently the most common cause of infections of the skin and soft tissues. Some examples include impetigo, cellulitis, folliculitis, and skin abscesses (Cho et al., 2010). Community-acquired MRSA made its leap into the media in 2003 after five NFL football players for the Saint Louis Ram’s appeared with skin abscesses after acquiring turf burns during practice (Seymour & Golding, 2010). According to an article published in The Society for Investigative Dermatology 2011, Staphylococcus aureus “infections have become a significant public health problem as they result in over 11 million outpatient and emergency room visits and approximately 500,000 hospitalizations per year in the United States.” (Cho et al., 2010). These numbers show a significant need for education on the prevention and treatment of CA-MRSA infections, especially due to the increasing number of infections in healthcare. With the large population, close proximity of students, and the involvement of students in organizations and athletics as risk factors, college campuses provide a rampant breeding ground for this infection. The purpose of this project is to 1) assess current knowledge levels of college students related to CA-MRSA and 2) make recommendations for the development of an evidence-based educational intervention on this topic. Data collection on student knowledge of CA-MRSA will include a survey distributed in select general studies courses that targets specific groups/organizations to obtain a representative sample for the Missouri Western State University campus population. The survey will include questions relating to students’ age, gender, major, organizational and/or athletic involvement, and general knowledge of CA-MRSA. With the information acquired from this survey we want to determine what students know about CA-MRSA and whether there are grounds for implementing education on this topic on our campus. Final Report on 01-22-2013 Project complete