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ISSUE 8 - TERM 1 2012
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND MEDICAL STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER
Ive been spending my time in Term 1 representing you guys at
lots of meetings, including all the JMP Committees, Curriculum
Renewal Steering Group and SRM Executive meetings to name a few.
Your feedback is as important as ever, so rest assured that your
collective voice is always being represented on internal UNE and
JMP, State and National levels. In addition to all of this, I have
the pleasure of overseeing all UNEMSA business and activities. The
2012 UNEMSA Team has really excelled, and I would like to
congratulate everyone for the dedication they have shown in their
positions, especially those who often go unrecognised for the hours
of work they put in. You all know who you are, and I thank you very
much.
The Med schedule has been absolutely packed this Term, between
all the Social, Academic, Sporting and AMSA events. My term began
with the White Coat Ceremony; memorable mostly due to Flynnys
questionable interpretation of the orb and sceptre. Next up was
OCamp, and as usual the mentors took the FSU/GAI mentality very
seriously. Soon after we had First Incision, which I foolishly
decided to attend before doing an overnight drive to Newcastle to
make my 5am flight to Melbourne for AMSA Council with Anne-Marie. I
hope that my 43 hours without sleep demonstrates just how much I
love UNEMSA... After that mammoth weekend, we had lots of Academic
events,
AMSA Thinktank, Body Balance sessions and lots more in between.
I am proud to say that I have managed to attend every UNEMSA event
so far this year - lets see if I can keep that record going for the
duration of my term as President!
We have lots more in the pipeline for Term 2: Med Week, what is
set to be our biggest ever Medicine Charity Ball, our first ever
OSCE Day combining all five years of UNE Meddies (something I can
say for the first time ever!), Cricket Day, Futures in Med and
much, much more.
Before I sign off, Id like to thank ALL of you - from Freshers
to fifth years - for making my job so enjoyable. Youre an
incredible bunch of people and I am very proud to represent
you.
Until next time,
Georgia Carroll President
UNE MSA
MEDICAL
STUDENTS
UNE MSA
MEDICAL
STUDENT S
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Its April. The foliage is beautiful, the wind is freezing and
PBL groups are at least seven working problems down, with exams
looming. How did this happen?! Where did the time go?
Im going to need you to stay calm, and keep reading. Not only is
this issue of the Armadillo beautiful to look at, its also a handy
reminder of the many, many awesome things UNEMSA and its members
have already been up to in 2012. Fresh young med thing, iPad in
tow, or grizzled third year, it never hurts to be reminded how
lucky we are, and how much there is to get up to in a town with two
sets of traffic lights.
If you find this issue of the Armidillo lacking, remember that
contributions are always welcome! Send it all through to
[email protected]; these are OUR events, OUR perspectives,
OUR stories.
Keep it real, dont get salty!
Char Seneviratne Armadillo Editor
Presidents Welcome 1From the Editor 2Social 4Med Week Memories
5Academic 6First Incision 7GPSN Photobooth 8Sports 10Charity
Champions 10GPSN 11AMSA Update 12The Fifth Fleet Arrives 13O Camp
15O Camp Awards 16FutureMed 17NSWMSC Cocktail Party 17NERCHA 18My
Nepal HES Experience 195 Things to be Excited About! 20Calendar
20GP Prac Experiences 21
2 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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UNEMSA MEDREVUE 2012SUPPORTING THE ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR
SERVICE
Committee Needed! - Email Eli at [email protected]
UNE MSA
MEDICAL
STUDENTS
UNE MSA
MEDICAL
STUDENTS
Are you interested in helping out with planning and
organisation, promotions, writing, music, backstage, acting,
dancing, singing, selling popcorn, film production, heckling the
performers, selling tickets or anything else? Sign up today at the
Med Common Room or email Eli, everyone is welcome!
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The year started with First Incision, where for the first time,
we had five years of students represented. The night started with
the opportunity for UNEMSA members to hear from our great sponsors
for 2012 and cheer for UNEMSA FC as they received their trophies
from the 2011 season. With the smell of the barbeque outside, it
wrapped up fairly quick before we all waited in the very long line
for a sausage (or vege burger); the wait was made that much more
pleasant by the opportunity to cheer on Maddie Gramlick, who was
participating in the Worlds Greatest Shave. Proceeds from the
barbecue also went to a Great Shave participant, Sophie
Dunkerton.
The last sausage disappeared, and it was time for the
festivities at Booloominbah to take off. UNEMSA members contributed
to this in fine style, from getting increasingly more creative at
the GPSN photo-booth to cutting weird and wonderful shapes on the
dance-floor; a perfect introduction to med-life in Armidale. The
second event for the year was Med Week, which was, as always,
fantastic, and kicked off this year with a Heroes and Villains
party at the White Bull. It was a perfect way for first years to
forget all about their midsemester exam, and its a fair assumption
that the Tuesday night locals didnt know what to make of the more
weird and wonderful getups.
Good thing for those locals then, that Wednesday nights Anything
But Clothes party was held at Earl Page College; Im going to have
to blow my own horn here (and yes, it sounds vaguely like an
elephant noise) because as fantastic as your efforts with bin bags
were, I dont think anyone will forget my costume. 2012. The Year of
the Elephant.
Thursday. Graffiti Pub Crawl, where, armed with pens and wearing
white t-shirts, Armidillos proceeded to slander each others
reputations by way of some quite unique and creative word-games, as
well as drawings. After drawing on ourselves through the Newie, the
Wicklow, the White Bull and the Kilda, we were grateful to have the
Kilda bus dropping us home.
Friday was recover and regroup day, because Saturday was the day
the world ended! Or at least we pretended, with the last night of
Med Week being an Armageddon party at Mary White. There was blood,
there was gore, there was even one wee pyjamad lass whod always
wanted to die in her sleep. This was also the prelude to Slave Day,
as the endgame of Armageddon was to obtain as many tokens as
possible, by any means possible, to be able to control UNEMSA
president and vice president for a whopping 24 hours. There was
some truly commendable negotiation, teamwork and skulduggery going
on, and in the end Kirsty Palmer took it out.
Sunday was Sports Day, run by Erin Pither, which was a success
and supplemented by being able to watch Georgia and Linus carry out
various tasks. The less I say, the more you can imagine, but
suffice to say, med students are an imaginative bunch.
The next event we have coming up is of course the Annual Charity
Ball, which will be held on the 19th of May. This years theme is
Masquerade, and its shaping up to be a fantastic night to cap off a
fantastic semester.
Cheers,Jacob HamptonSocial Convener
4 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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Med Week for the first years started a little stressful, with
our first ever-medical exam on the Tuesday morning. The
cancellation of Anatomy thatevening was more than welcome as our
weary brains needed a little respite - and respite we found at the
Heroes and Villains party, where there were more than a few Harry
Potters, Poison Ivys and even a generic creep, complete with jeans
and joggers.
Wednesday night was a much-anticipated night with the ABC
anything but clothes party. Held at Earl Page College, this was a
fantastic night full of dancing and many gowns were on display,
made from the most luxurious bin bags. No one will forget the
costumes especially the elephant
Thursday night was pub-crawl graffiti night, after bussing our
way into the Newy and finding our slave/master. We bestowed some
truly creativecomments upon each others white shirts, and some even
got creative on peoples skin, which did not come off as easily as
the shirt did. it took me three days to get rid of my body art.
Friday was a well-needed rest day, although there were some
unofficial ironing parties held!
Armageddon Party was held at Mary White College on Saturday
night, where there were more than enough zombies and fake blood to
last us the rest of the year. We found ourselves bargaining and at
each others mercy for tokens to win the President and Vice
President as slaves! Kristy Palmer was skillful enough to win these
two and was slave master for the next 24 hours.
Sunday was our final Med Week day and we finished this off with
Sports Day and an Aspire bake sale. Georgia and Linus were Kristys
slaves, one of them taking a dip in the pond at Mary White and the
other making a very pretty princess!
Med Week 2012 was one of the most fantastic experiences the
first year students have had the privilege to participate in within
the medical student cohort. We cant wait for Med Week 2013!
Chyna Williamson1st Year
5 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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Thank you so much to everyone who came along, and I hope that
you found them informative and entertaining! I would also like to
thank the various members of UNEMSA committee that have helped to
ensure events ran smoothly, as well as our sponsors, who, as
always, are invaluable to us.
So far this year UNEMSA has run Surviving Medicine night and
Futures in Medicine night, with a fantastic response from our
members, in terms of attendance and participation. Drs Lauren Cone
and Nick Martin both gave interesting and informative talks about
their medical careers, and their experiences; the video
supplementation was great, and we were priviledged to hear from
both of them.
PASS sessions have also been running regularly for the first
years; attendance at these has been great, in no small part due to
the quality of the teaching provided by second and third years; you
know who you are, thank you so much.
Stay tuned for more Academic events guys, and thank you for your
support!
Sung Ju Baek Academic Convenor
6 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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7 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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Once again GPSN ran their successful photobooth at First
Incision and here are some of the best shots!
8 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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Our funding, your skills together we can make a difference
Always on your side
2012 MIGA Elective Grants Program for medical students
Supporting Medical Students in Developing Communities
$2,000 to fund your elective plus $1,500 to supply medicines or
other aid
Applications close Friday 31 August 2012
For more information and an Application Form visit
www.miga.com.au or scan the code with your smartphone
-
Med Students across the years are learning how to calm their
breathing and enhance their flexibility with a few slightly strange
positions, captured by Georgia Carroll for your enjoyment.
Our inter-year sports competition which rounded up Med Week at
Albies was a great success. Although a final superior year level
was not determined the second years dominated ultimate frisbee and
touch with stand out performances by Ed, Mac and Jono. A huge thank
you to Kristy who kindly brought along her slaves for constant
entertainment throughout the day.
Coming up in second term we have a very exciting initiative, the
UNEMSA Charity Cricket Day brought to you by MIPS! Bringing
together the best Bradmans in Medicine, come along to see students
and doctors don the pads and disgard previous status to battle to
be crowned winners. I hope to see you all there, recovering from
Med Ball in whichever state you may find ourselves.
Over and out.
Erin Pither Sports Convenor
Since 1998, over a million people have shaved or dyed their hair
as part of the Leukaemia Foundations Worlds Greatest Shave
fundraising campaign; in the last 14 years more than 120 million
dollars has been raised. These funds go towards the Foundations
main work, which is that of providing free practical and emotional
support to people with blood cancer and their families, as well as
investing millions in research.
This year, three UNEMSA members joined the cause; Sophie
Dunkerton, Julian Georges & Maddie Gramlick all shaved off
their luxuriant locks (and one legendary beard). They raised a
flabbergasting $25,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation, and earn mad
respect for basically volunteering to go through Armidales winter
with one less protective layer; we couldnt be prouder.
Another cause adopted by Armidillos is that of Live Below The
Line, which attempts to raise awareness of the extreme poverty in
which a quarter of the worlds population lives in. Jonathon Stacey,
Eli Stalidzans, Maddie Gramlick and Gwen Palmer are going to be
living on $2 a day from May 7 - 11th. They would love your support,
and if you have any spare cash, please donate! All proceeds go
towards funding schools in Yangis and Kumbareta, Papua New
Guinea.
10 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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The year began with a GPSN introduction for first years, closely
followed by our ridiculously popular sign up stall at UNEMSAs First
Incision. We had ice-creams, lollipops, an amazing, fancy-dress,
photobooth, and managed to increase our members by 70!
The following weekend, two representatives from GPSN UNE, Char
and myself, went along to the Breathing New Life Into General
Practice Conference held in Canberra. We spent a few days learning
tips about to how boost members, how to create fun events, and
brushed shoulders with a few celebs; Michael Kidd, John Murtagh and
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for Health!
On the 26th of April, GPSN UNE held its annual Trivia Night!
Student teams of ten, and two knowledgeable faculty teams, rocked
up to Lazenby Hall, dressed to impress. We had the House of Panda
in panda suits, Triviarrrrrrpirates, Gender Bender transvestites,
and This is not a drill team dressed in hazard gear material to
name a few! There were heaps of prizes up for grabs - special
thanks for GP Synergy for supplying a few - and heaps of pizza,
subway, and marshmallows to keep everyones belly content.
Congratulations must go to the two faculty teams, who managed to
dominates and take out first and second place of the student
targeted trivia questions.
Coming up on the 19th of May, is OSCE Preparation bought to you
by UNEMSA and GPSN UNE. Come along, for some extra exam prep, vital
practice, lunch, and freebies!
For more information about our up coming events and scholarship
opportunities, check out our websitewww.gpsn.org.au. Keep connected
to your local GPSN by following our page at
http://www.facebook.com/GPSN.UNE.
Anne-Marie GuiderGPSN UNE Ambassador
11 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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After council, the hype around Perth Convention 2012 started to
reach fever pitch, culminating in the great Rego debacle of 2012. A
special mention goes out to Dave Townsend, who was the first Ranger
to make it through the first round of registration. Despite most
UNE Rangers suffering from PTSD after rego attempt one, a second
round of registration was highly anticipated, and I am very pleased
and excited to announce that twenty seven UNE delegates will be
living it up in Perth come July! GAI and FSU, Rangers!
AMSA at UNE is also pleased to announce a new position to the
UNEMSA committee. We now have a Junior AMSA Representative.
Congratulations, Chyna Williamson!
Just a taste of a few AMSA achievements for 2012 include the
publication of 2012 Intern and Residents Guide, and tackling big
issues such as, the need of more funding to train future doctors,
and the warning of the impending internship crisis! To find out
what else AMSA has been up to ask me, your AMSA Representative, or
head to http://www.amsa.org.au/big-issues-guide.
Stay tuned for our next thinktank!
Anne-Marie Guider AMSA Representative
12 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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5432 ANY STREET WESTTOWNSVILLE, ST 54321
Orientation week was largely determined by the college you were
fortunate (or not fortunate) enough to end up at; for some this
initiation was a more pleasurable experience than others. During
this week we had the official UNE welcoming ceremony and white coat
ceremony, where we received our iPads and white coats. Class
started and we were thrown into a whirl of introductory lectures,
PBL, public health and professional practice classes . Most
students also chose to do the Anatomy elective, and found
themselves spending their weekends in the process of
dissecting.
O-camp was our first JMP event, an orientation camp for 1st
years from both Newcastle and Armidale. Here we were issued shirts
and mentors for the weekend, introduced to the sport of remier and
given the opportunity to explore and enjoy Port Macquarie. The
Global Health Challenge run by UoNs global health group Wake Up!
was awesome.This was a great bonding experience for all the first
years across the JMP and we are very thankful for those who
organised and co-ordinated this for us.
After settling into our new homes and course, work began to pick
up in the end of term one. We were lucky enough to receive some
UNEMSA organised Peer Assisted Support Sessions (PASS). With a
public health assignment and Med Science exam waiting on our return
from Easter break, we would have been feeing pretty sorry for
ourselves
if it werent for the exciting prospect of Med Week. Med Week was
a UNEMSA organised week of social, themed events and a sports day
with an ASPIRE bake-sale. This was a great way for all the years to
get to meet and socialise with one another, and watch the treatment
meted out to the President and Vice President who as slaves were
submitted to the merciless rule of first year Kristy for a day.
Med-week was extremely successful and enjoyed by all first years
and there is equal excitement for the upcoming Med-Ball.
Our first year UNEMSA representatives, as elected in term one
are Harrison Brand and Georgie Burrough and Junior AMSA
representative Chyna Williamson. Each has been actively involved in
communication and organisation for first year centred issues.
Now into term two were focussing on the upcoming exams and have
mostly had some sort of clinical exposure, which seems to have been
an exciting, rewarding and positive experience for all. Its been a
great year so far and were incredibly thankful to everyone who has
been involved in organising events and the academic help that we
have benefited from.
I look forward to a great year continuing throughout this
term!
Georgie Burrough1st Year Rep
UNEs fifth fleet came to Armidale (many never before), a mix of
high school leavers, gap years, mature age and full and partial
degree completers.
13 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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vic 3053 | [email protected] | www.mips.com.aumember services | p.
1800 061 113 | f. 1800 061 116 | abn 64 007 067 281
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an authority issued by APRA to conduct general insurance business
and is an Australian Financial Services Licensee(AFS Lic. 247301).
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Join us for free student membership and enjoy the many MIPS
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matters, medico-legal advice, newsletters, special student benefits
including IT offers, competitions and more! Apply online at
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-
Dressed optimistically in thin cotton outfits and shorts -
unfortunately, this year, like every other year, a light drizzle
had started over Port Macquarie as we rolled in to meet our UON
counterparts and commence bonding, by way of meeting your mentor
groups and trying on nifty camp t-shirts. There were even a few
brave swimmers, and unsubstantiated rumours of a few skinny
dips!
On Saturday UONs global health group, Wake Up! put the first
years (and some mentors going above and beyond the call of duty)
through their paces, from sexual health awareness poster design to
landmine avoidance. Some of the challenges in the global health
challenge were hilarious to watch, some were incredibly frustrating
(trying to fill a bin with water using leaky containers), but all
were designed to get us thinking about global health in the context
of medicine.
The rest of the afternoon was a mix of beach sports, sneaky naps
and the piece de resistance
- sumo wrestling to get our competitive juices flowing before a
night of remier and impromptu boat-races. Our very own Georgia took
on UoN medsoc president Steve Hurwitz and lost by a very narrow
margin.
Saturday night may have resulted in some blurry memories, but
Sunday mornings awards helped jog a few minds as well as establish
some interesting reputations; we had plenty to talk about over
Subway lunch, before hopping on the bus to head back up to
Armidale. Was a good time had by all? I wouldve canvassed the bus
for opinions on the way home, but everyone was fast asleep within
twenty minutes of hitting the road, which I think speaks for
itself.
A big thanks goes out to Lyndal Benny-Jose for organising all
the food to feed our ravenous, sometimes-hungover mob, and to the
UNE mentors, who all pulled their weight, some going above and
beyond to make sure O Camp was memorable; and of course, the
indomitable Vic Phan for pulling it all together.
15 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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Proudest Walk of Shame Harry BrandLoudest FresherRachel
RonthalMedicines First Lady Robbie MilledgeExcellence in Ball
Sports Georgia BurroughCommitment to GAI Linus ArmstrongDedication
to an All-Nighter Persis Samuel and Bluey BaeeInternational
Relations Award Steph Wiltshire and Latecia BoddeyDouglas Greer
Memorial Award Will StobieCougar Award Georgia CarrollMost
Lightweight Member of an Austin Gentlemens Club Aadil Dougie
RahimBest Burgeoning Bromance Alex Senor Chang Kim and Henry
LawMost Bizarre Behaviour Annan Lloyd
16 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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In terms of what I wanted to get out of the workshop, FutureMed
was excellent. It was, however, quite obvious that this was the
first year it had been run. The running theme of 21st Century
Professionalism was not very well defined; the speakers did not
seem entirely sure what they were meant to be presenting on, often
beginning their presentations with Im not sure if this is what you
were after, but
The breakout sessions were excellent, and allowed for a lot of
interaction. It was interesting to compare the different course
structures, and learn, from a students point of view, what seemed
to work and what was generally hated by all. The variety in the
presentations was also really great. Both the students and
practitioners gave presentations from a wide array of
backgrounds.
From a students point of view it is always good to be thinking
about the bigger picture, and the exciting pathways in medicine
that lie ahead. The most inspiring presenters, my peers and I
agreed, were the paediatrician: Dr Elisabeth Murphy, the
GP/Journalist from MJA and Christian Nguyen who spoke about using
business skills in medicine.
Despite needing a few improvements, the FutureMed workshop was a
refreshing and motivating experience. It was well worth the trip
and I hope it is run again next year.
Hestor Stokes 2nd Year
Sally Ryan had done an excellent job of getting UNE hyped up for
it; in fact, everyone was extremely hyped, and tickets initially
sold out before the UNE contingent had been able to purchase
tickets. Thankfully, NSWMSC released another batch of tickets, and
a twenty-strong group represented UNE at the Eastern on Saturday
night, which is no mean feat. It was an excellent night, with over
600 attending and interesting hijinks had by all.
The Medsoc Meet that was held during the day was also well
populated by UNE medsoc members; as an attendee I can say that it
was an invaluable experience. It can get a bit isolated being out
in Armidale, so I fully encourage all of you to make it down to the
next event being organised by the NSWMSC, the Annual Sports Day,
which promises to be bigger and better than ever!
17 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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New England Rural Health Club for Health Alliance, NERCHA, has
been very busy this year undertaking two Rural High School Visits
(RHSV) at both Tamworth and UNE. On each occasion six students from
a range of health faculties ran activities and answered questions
in the aim of promoting an interest and encouraging a future career
in rural health. Both events were highly successful and we look
forward to our third RHSV in Kempsey this May.
Another major event hosted by NERCHA was Close the Gap Day.
Innovatively offering cupcakes with the opportunity to personally
decorate them, NERCAH raised approximately $200! UNE students were
also encouraged to place a hand print on a poster as a sign of
recognition of the disparities between indigenous and
non-indigenous health.
NERCHA greatly looks forward to its upcoming Rural Health
Evening on the 11th of May. It is a brilliant opportunity to hear
from inspiring rural health practitioners and network with fellow
health students. If you wish to further youre involvement in NERCHA
or participate in any upcoming RHSV or Indigenous Festivals please
contact Erin Pither, the Medical Representative, for more
information.
Erin PitherNERCHA Medicine Portfolio Holder
18 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
The New England Rural H
ealth Club for Health
Alliance is made up of me
dical, nursing, pharmacy
,
psychology, social work
and Biomedical students
that have an interest in r
ural health.
-
19 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
Our first placement was in the public hospital there, which had
about 400 beds for 2.3 million people. Conditions were very basic,
with only the ICU having machines that go beep. But, this is the
purpose of HES, to see what its like where medicine isnt as
well-supported as in Australia and where diseases eradicated in
Australia are still prevalent. It can be confronting to watch
someone fit non-stop because of a parasitic infection in their
ventricles, see people with end-stage meningitis, see people not
get healthcare because they cant pay and watch people bleed out
after car crashes. But, again, this is the purpose of HES, to
realise that these inequalities exist and stimulate us to make
change.
After 5 weeks we returned to Kathmandu to try out a few weeks in
the Surgical Department of Patan Hospital, a semi-private hospital
in southern Kathmandu. It was a stark contrast to Pokhara.
The team took us in with open arms, letting us scrub in and
assist in operations, including us in rounds, and even, on
occasion, turning up on a Saturday morning at our accommodation to
go sight seeing. This is where another major component of HES comes
in...adventuring. In Pokhara, we got to trek to local villages,
watch the sunrise over the Annapurnas, paddled around the lake and
see The World Peace Stupa, and in Kathmandu we visited some of the
holiest temples of Buddhism and Hinduism and venture into rural
Nepal to see rural hospitals. Sure the power would go out for hours
at a time because of load shedding, and sure we sometimes had to
have cold showers for weeks on end, and sure we couldnt drink or
eat most of the street food, but when you are standing under a huge
spire with Buddha eyes looking over the Kathmandu Valley as eagles
glide and dive around you and monkeys run around beside you, these
things dont really matter.
The HES placement really does show you something youve never
seen before. It makes you passionate about what the world has to
offer and what you can do to help those who havent been as
fortunate. No matter what you do, be it international health,
Indigenous health, drug and alcohol, gerontology or even just
something locally, you will most likely leave a lasting impression
on you and will effect the path you take. I know personally, I cant
wait to get back to Nepal...
Cale Lawler 4th Year
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UNEMSA Charity Masquerade Ball
Rumour has it various third years are hell-bent on going out
with a bang, which, in Armidale (and this particular cohort) has
always lent itself to Grade-A entertainment. With more attendees
than ever before, and masks a prerequisite, all signs point to a
great night out with good karma attached UNEMSA is raising funds
for Armidale Hospital.
The Rotary Book Sale Held from the 12th to the 19th of May at
the Armidale Racecourse, its a reliable source of great finds; Ive
heard of copies of House of God for 50c and awesome old textbooks
for a couple of dollars apiece.
erth Convention
Firstly, its being held in erth, so you know that only the
hardcore Rangers will be making the trek (lazy/poor Rangers are
holding out for Gold Coast 2013, which is a perfectly valid choice,
thank you). Secondly, if you havent heard, AMSA is chartering a
PLANE to fly Rangers to erth, and to be completely honest, I would
pay a large amount of money to see video footage of that flight, if
only for Yogi at 30,000 feet. Thirdly, this years Convention Mole
is excellent value, and you should all read his/her blog &
follow his/her tumblr.
Global Health Conference This year its in Cairns, a city in
which one overexcited third year swears up and down live chickens
are fed to alligators at zoos. This third year is ironically
notorious for spinning tall tales, but Cairns is beautiful and
tropical regardless of what happens to the chickens, and GHC always
manages to deliver in terms of an academic program, and as previous
attendees can attest, the quieter social program is helpful in that
you can remember all the ways in which your mind was opened
afterwards, without having to wait for exposure through facebook
(zing!) GHC will be held in September of this year, so stay alert
for more information as the year progresses.
Winter Sports
More specifically, UNEMSA FC have begun their 2012 season, which
means that on Sunday afternoons your study break should probably
involve heading to the SportsUNE fields to cheer our teams on.
UNEMSA FC have a reputation to uphold, firstly as fine teams and
secondly as excellent entertainers your time will not be
wasted.
11 MayNERCHA Rural Health Evening
12 MayUNESS Suturing Day
19 MayUNEMSA Practice OSCE DayUNEMSA Masquerade Charity Ball
20 MayUNEMSA Cricket Day
2-7 JulyAMSA National Convention, Perth
10-11 AugustNURHC Rural Health Conferences, Victoria
15-19 SeptemberGlobal Health Conference, Cairns
UNE MSA
MEDICAL
STUDENTS
1 2 3 4 5
20 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
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Lucy Parsonage (Port Macquarie) Heard a heart murmur in a two
year old girl Saw a 40 year old woman get diagnosed with
breast cancer Did a home visit to a lady with motor neurone
disease Took blood Felt a baby in a womans belly and listened
its
heart with a Doppler Saw a pus-filled abscess lanced
Anne-Marie Guider (Cessnock) What I learnt on Rural General
Practice
Placement There are a lot of skin cancers in Australia Local
anaesthetic is not an intra muscular
injection Cessnock has a lot of heroin addicts Drug reps bring
lunch Circumcisions are painful to watch... even
without a penis ILY rural GP
Rachel Seaniger (Inverell)Here are a few things I got to do/see
in Inverell,
Natural delivery of twins Positioning of a chest drain Cataract
surgery Endoscopy/Colonoscopies Pilonidal sinus abscess removal
with a skin flap
repair IV cannulation and anaesthetic prep and
delivery Finger amputation D + C Wound debridement and
repair
Lucy Donlon (Newcastle)Antenatal visits were particularly
enjoyable - I measured fundal heights, found heartbeats, and
entertained siblings-to-be. I have also since found out that one
lady named her baby Lucy (Ill pretend that this had something to do
with her memorable consultation!)
Jamie Cone (Singleton) Assist in cesarean. Learn how to do
lumbar puncture View removal of gallbladder and uterine polyps.
Lots of PAP smears Lots of antenatal checks Baby checks
Immunisations Lots of Cryotherapy Geratric care: went to the aged
care facility a
fair bit Lesion removal
Georgia Carroll (Armidale)Lots of Paps, cutting out skin
cancers, free dinner with lots of GPs and Tanveer Ahmed.
Char Seneviratne (Tintenbar)You cant tell a surfer to stay out
of the ocean til his ear infection clears up and expect him to
listen (ha!)
21 UNEMSA Armadillo | Volume 8 2012
GP Prac Experiences3rd Years have been out in the real world
doing extended GP placements. Here are some of their experiences of
General Practice
Krystal Dinh (Port Macquarie)I was lucky enough to have
undertaken my first GP placement on the coastal town, Port
Macquarie. Here I attended the Waniora Medical Practice for two
weeks, learning the basics of General Practice. Both the doctors
and nurses were incredibly welcoming, and always eager to teach.
Over the two weeks, I was able to perform a number of procedures
including suturing, biopsying, applying cryotherapy, performing pap
smears, and carrying out allergy sensitivity tests.
Additionally, I injected what felt like the whole Port Macquarie
population with the Fluvax, in preparation for the upcoming winter
season. During my free time, I was able to explore the beautiful
town that Port Macquarie is, the best of course being the
remarkable beaches and amazing surf.
By far, the most rewarding aspect of my Port Macquarie placement
would be the patients, all of whom have incredibly large and
warming hearts. I could not have asked for a better place to kick
off my general practice experience.