GSM - Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health

Graduate School of Medicine Newsletter
Number 10 December 2010
G.S.M. Matters…..
keeping your finger on the GSM pulse
2007 The Journey Began.......Day One of Students in the GSM
UOW GSM Congratulates the 2010 Graduating Class
After 4 years of study the following students will be the first graduating class from the UOW GSM:
Naomi Abdallah
Thomas Antonio
Megan Appleton
Nathan Beckman
David Boers
Timra Bowerman
Louise Brightman
Jessie Broadbridge
Casey Bye
Murray Campbell
Daniel Carayannis
Amanda Carter
Simon Cole
Clare Collins
Sarah Commens
David Cottle
Daniel DeVilliers
Tony Dill
Peter Erdmann
Travis Flinn
Helen Freeborn
Katie French
Daniel Gaetani
Melinda Glover
Stuart Haggie
John Harper
Maria Hassiotis
Erin Hawkey
Rebekah Hoffman
James Hodgkinson
Amit Kapur
Jennifer Khoo
Sarah Lazar
Brendan Leslie
Vanessa Lewis
Ryan Livingstone
Priya Loomba
Tristyn Lowe
Hamish Lunn
Andrew Martin
Jeffrey Masters
Kellie Mathieson
Sarah McCann
Luke McConnell
Laurel Morrissey
Duncan Nass
Mercy Nderitu
Alison O'Hearn
Christine Parkinson
Monique Peris
Clare Perkins
Lauren Piatek
Corin Purcell
Katherine Robinson
Anshu Sami
Murray Schofield
Richard Szirt
Alistair Tait
Amy Thorby-Lister
Eloise Till
Melissa Tomba
Luke Tobin
Peter Tran
Claire Waller
David Ward
Mary-Therese Wyatt
Lukasz Zdanowicz
A Very Special Gift
Well-baby Checks
Dr Darryl McAndrew- Lecturer and coordinator of Anatomy, Body
Elfie Ashcroft - Lecturer in Clinical Skills
Donation Programme coordinator.
The GSM Clinical Skills Centres in Wollongong and in the
The University of Wollongong held a Ceremony of
Shoalhaven were filled with clucky staff members fussing over
Appreciation on the
1st
November for those who are perhaps
our youngest teachers – babies, on Monday the 13th
the University’s ultimate volunteers.
November and Friday 24th November this year.
The ceremony celebrated the generosity of people who have
As part of the paediatric curriculum we introduce our students
donated their bodies to UOW for medical and science
to healthy infants during our clinical skills session teaching.
research through the Body Donation Program. Since its
Our students have the opportunity to interact with mother and
inception in 2006, the programme has received 77 donations
child, performing a “Well – Baby Check” whilst being instructed
and more than 500 people from the community have pledged
by highly experienced paediatricians, general practitioners and
to donate their body in the future. The simple but moving
midwives.
Ceremony of Appreciation was a chance for donors families,
Recruitment for this event is always tricky, so every year our
and future donors to reflect on the importance of their gift.
dedicated patient volunteer coordinators use all their skill and
Speaking at the ceremony, programme coordinator Dr Darryl
connections to find mums with bubs. We are very lucky to be
McAndrew told guests that donors had given the “ultimate
able to count on committed volunteers, like Jade, who
gift”. Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerard Sutton said that
participated in the OSCE as a pregnant woman only a couple
although the ceremony was brief and simple, it marked a gift
of month earlier.
of great importance. He said it was vital for medical and
health sciences students to be able to train for their future
careers by studying human tissue, rather than materials
manufactured to resemble parts of the human body. Professor
Sutton also assured the guests at the ceremony that the
University had protocols to ensure every body donated was
treated with the utmost dignity and respect.
William Body, an honours student in the School of Health
Sciences, and Katherine Kott, a current medical student
spoke to guests about how the programme had made a huge
difference to students’ understanding of the human body and
to their future careers.
Front: medical students Jonathan Ho and Alya Kamani with mum
Jade and baby Olivia
Middle row: medical students Nicky Thomas and Yolante Eels
with Padiatrician Dr Natalie Ong
Back row: medical students Lucas Bailey and Peter Sanders
Katherine Kott and William Body light the candle of remembrance
UOW GSM Inaugural Prize Night – Award Winners
The inaugural UOW GSM Prize Night was held on Friday 3rd December 2010 in the McKinnon building on the Wollongong
Campus. Congratulations are extended to the following Award recipients.
Excellence in Medical Science, sponsored by Professor Wilf
Deans Merit List:
Yeo
The
This prize is awarded to the student with the highest
Academic Excellence. For the MBBS students who achieve a
academic performance in the combined final mark of end of
final grade of Excellent for MEDI601, MEDI602 or MEDI603
MEDI601 examinations.
are placed on the Deans Merits List.
Deans
Merit
List
2009
•
2008 – No prize awarded
•
2009 – Tristan Rutland
•
2010 – Emma Polkinghorne
MEDI601
Norm Carr Achievement in Medical Science
This Prize is awarded to the student with the highest
Sara Arcioni
•
Tristan Rutland
•
Christina Tortorici
MEDI602
percentage academic improvement. This will be calculated
using the final marks for the end of Year 1 examinations
compared to the final marks of the end of MEDI601
examinations.
•
•
2010 – Christopher Bentley
Illawarra and Shoalhaven Medical Staff Council Chairs’
Clinical Examination Prize (OSCE phase 2 Prize):
This prize is awarded to the student with the highest
academic performance in the Objective Structured Clinical
Exam (OSCE) assessment in the subject MEDI602.
•
David Boers
•
Timra Bowerman
•
Murray Campbell
•
Melinda Glover
•
Alison O’Hearn
•
Anshu Sami
2010
MED1601
•
Jessica Brett
•
2009 – Murray Campbell
•
Dion Casey
•
2010 – Sara Arcioni
•
Teena Downton
•
Teesha Downton
Outstanding achievement in Research and Critical Analysis,
•
Shelley Griffiths
sponsored by Professor Liz Farmer
•
Mary Holland
This Prize is given to the student with the highest academic
•
Emma Polkinghorn
performance
•
Bronwen Spalding
for
the
Student
Research
Project,
an
assessment item in MEDI603.
The winner is:
2010 – Casey Bye
MEDI 602
Highly commended in 2010
•
Sara Arcioni
•
Heidi Goldsmith
•
•
Peter Tran
•
Lauren Piatek
PRP Diagnostic Imaging Prize for Outstanding Academic
MEDI 603
Achievement
•
David Boers
This prize is awarded to the eligible graduating student who
•
James Hodgkinson
most consistently demonstrates academic excellence through
•
Sarah Lazar
out the MBBS and is undertaking an internship in regional,
•
Alison O’Hearn
rural or Remote Australia.
•
Anshu Sami
•
2010 – Murray Campbell
recognises
and
acknowledges
Featured resource – Summon
Scholarship for Medicine –the Winner is…
Jen Lyons - Medical Librarian
Saroja Gunasekera
Coast City Country General Practice Training (CCCGPT) is
delighted to award the inaugural Scholarship for Medicine
(2010) to Phase 3 Medical Student Priya Loomba.
Priya was awarded her scholarship whilst working in a
Hospital on the island of Samoa and was ecstatic to hear that
she had won. The award was later presented to her at
CCCGPT’s annual dinner held at the Lagoon Restaurant 23rd
September.
Have fun this summer with ‘Summon’
The $1000 Scholarship for Medicine reflects CCCGPT’s
In December, UOW Library will be introducing ‘Summon’, a
commitment to quality healthcare in the region and willingness
new way of searching resources. ‘Summon’ is a resource
to support individuals with a passion for community medicine,
discovery tool which allows you to search across the Library
patients
Catalogue, databases and UOW’s online research repository
impressed with Priya’s dedication to the local community and
using just one search box! It’s like Google, but is giving you
her understanding of the unique qualities of General Practice
access to Library content such as books, e-books, journal
that contribute to primary care in Australia and internationally.
articles and more. It’s a great starting point for finding material
CCCGPT are now working with Priya to source donations of
for your research so look out for the new ‘Summon’ search
new and used General Practice equipment to send to
box on the UOW Library homepage (www.library.uow.edu.au)
Samoan Hospitals for their use.
New e-book collection
CCCGPT is one of seventeen Vocational Training Providers
The Library is delighted to announce the purchase of a new
in Australia and offers training for Fellowships of both the
Elsevier e-book collection which gives online access to more
Royal Australian College of General Practioners (RACGP)
of the GSM's key texts. The MD Consult Basic Science
and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
collection has over 30 e-books including:
(ACRRM).
·
and
their
families.
CCCGPT
was
thoroughly
Baynes 2009, Medical Biochemistry, 3rd edn,
Elsevier
·
Boron & Boulpaep 2008, Medical Physiology, 2nd
edn, Saunders
·
Drake 2009, Gray's Anatomy for Students, 2nd
edn, Churchill Livingstone
·
Goering 2007, MIMs' Medical Microbiology, 4th
edn, Mosby
·
Gordis 2008, Epidemiology, 4th edn, Saunders
·
Jorde 2009, Medical Genetics, 4th edn, Mosby
·
Meisenberg & Simmons 2006, Principles of Medical
Biochemistry, 2nd edn, Mosby
The full list of titles is available at:
http://www.mdconsult.com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/das/booklist/b
ody/228343634-2?booklist_order=specialty&format=AT and
they will also be added to our 'E-books for Medicine' page at
http://uow.libguides.com/ebooksmed
For further information or assistance with these Library
resources, please contact Jen Lyons, Medical Librarian on
(02) 4221 5595 or email: jen_lyons@uow.edu.au
Priya Loomba working in the Hospital on the island of Samoa
Cystic Fibrosis Outreach Clinic at Shoalhaven
GSM
Babs Allen - Operations Manager Shoahaven
On Thursday 2nd December, the Shoalhaven Campus of the
GSM once again hosted an Outreach Clinic run by the Cystic
Fibrosis Service of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead
(CHW). This was the fifth year the GSM provided its facilities
to the Service for conducting its Clinic in the Shoalhaven
area.
These Outreach Clinics, staffed by a multidisciplinary team
including Physicians, Clinical Nurse Consultants, Dieticians,
Physiotherapists and Social Work professionals provide
comprehensive services to children and adolescents in
L-R: Back-Anna McCarthy, Jai Singh, Alice Thomas, James
Gerrard. Mariam Chaalan is seated on Santa’s knee
regional NSW.
A Note for your Diary
The reasons for these clinics are twofold, firstly to see
Public Lecture: Monday 31st January 2011 5:30pm-6:30pm
families in their local area at least once a year, so they don’t
(Light Refreshments from 4:30pm)
have to make the trip to Sydney; secondly to spend time with
local Paediatricians discussing cystic fibrosis issues and the
“A Personal Journey of
care of the children who attend both local and CHW services.
Inspiration and
The GSM is pleased to continue to make its facilities
available for this outreach clinic to treat young patients in the
Encouragement”
Shoalhaven area.
Christmas Came Early to the Clinical Skills
Centre
Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh… Santa
made a break in his busy schedule to pay a visit to the Clinical
Skills Centre at the Graduate School of Medicine. First year
medical students enjoyed the company of Mr Claus who brought
well-needed rewards to those who were nice and some wise
advice to those who were naughty, as the students lined up for
a photo opportunity. Father Christmas wished everyone the best
of luck in the upcoming exams. Clinical Skills Centre staff were
also spoilt by Santa before he had to rush off.
A special thank you goes to Isabelle Potter who convinced
Santa to fit a visit to the GSM into his busy schedule!
Dr Kelvin Kong qualified as the first Aboriginal Fellow of the
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, specialising in
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Kelvin hails from Shoal Bay and the Worimi people of Port
Stephens, north of Newcastle. He completed his Bachelor of
Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at the University of NSW in
1999. He embarked on his internship at St. Vincent's Hospital
in Darlinghurst and pursued a surgical career, completing
resident medical officer and registrar positions at Westmead
Hospital, John Hunter Hospital, Gosford District Hospital,
Prince of Wales Hospital and the final year of his training
completed at St. Vincent's Hospital, fittingly where his career
started. Along the way, his has also been privileged in serving
the rural community as part of secondments to peripheral
hospitals. He is now a qualified Surgeon specialising in Adult
& Paediatric Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery (Ear,
Nose & Throat Surgery), being Australia's first (and currently
only) Aboriginal Surgeon.
He is part of a strong, medical family, his mother is a nurse,
his sister Marlene is a General Practitioner and her twin
Marilyn, is Australia's first Aboriginal Obstetrician and
Gynaecologist. Being surrounded by health, he has always
championed for the improvement of Indigenous health and
education. Complementing his surgical training, he has been
L-R: Dr Diana Lim, Kathryn Rhodes, Dr Sylvia Tomson, Santa,
involved in numerous projects and committees to help
Elfie Ashcroft, Sheena McGee and Greg Teuss
promote Indigenous education and health.
these towns which recently lost some of their permanent
2010 Rural High School Visits Programme
doctors.
(RHSV) to Walgett Shire
We were also lucky enough to visit some of the local tourist
Teesha Downton - 2nd year medical student
From 20-24th September 2010, I had the privilege of joining 6
medical students from RHUUWS (University of Western
Sydney’s Rural Health Club) on a road trip to Lightning Ridge.
The trip was called ‘Engage and Encourage’ and was about
encouraging young people in remote communities to consider
a career in health. The trip also provided the opportunity for
students to tour local health facilities, network with community
representatives, and see and experience rural and remote
Australia.
Lightning Ridge is on the edge of the Outback in NorthWestern NSW. It is a 9 hour drive from Sydney and is part of
the Walgett Shire, which also includes the townships of
Walgett and Collarenebri. I hold a John Flynn scholarship and
Collarenebri is my placement community so I was very
excited when I heard about the trip and the opportunity to
travel again to this magnificent part of the country.
The Rural High School Visits programme is an initiative of the
National Rural Health Students’ Network, and a programme in
which all rural health clubs are actively involved. On this trip,
the RHUUWS students and I visited Collarenebri Central
School, Walgett Community School, and Lightning Ridge
Central School. At each of the schools, we broke the ice with
a game of zip-zap, and then facilitated a role-play scenario
with the high school students to get them thinking about the
range of health professions that exist. We also spoke to the
students about why we became interested in health, and how
we got to where we are in our university studies. Two of the
RHUUWS students are from Lightning Ridge and I think that
their personal stories were what really inspired the students.
We
also
answered
questions
about
university
life,
scholarships and support services, and had with us flyers with
more information about the different medical and health
degrees available. At the end of each day, we were invited to
the youth centre and played sport and games with the local
kids and joined in their BBQ. We were also entertained by the
attractions. The “Ridge” is the home of the Black Opal, and so
our visit wouldn’t have been complete without going down an
opal mine! We went to the Chambers of the Black Hand and
the sculptures carved into the walls of the mine are truly
amazing. We also heard first-hand stories of the joys and
hardships of being a miner, tried our luck fossicking near the
Visitors’ Information Centre, visited the John Murray Art
Gallery, enjoyed the artesian bore baths, saw some gorgeous
sunsets, and spotted some wild emus!
A large proportion of the population in each of Lightning
Ridge, Walgett and Collarenebri is Indigenous and it was
great to learn and experience some Aboriginal culture on the
trip. Anne Dennis took us to the meeting point of the Namoi
and Barwon rivers, and Aunty Brenda gave us a bush
medicine and tucker tour. We tasted some salt bush and
herbs, and collected some sandalwood for a smoking
ceremony. We also visited the Goondee Aboriginal Keeping
Place where Uncle Roy taught us some Aboriginal history and
gave us an insight into what it was like growing up on the
Brewarrina Aboriginal Mission. Aunty June then told us some
Dreaming Stories including the story of how opals came to
exist in Lightning Ridge. She was the best story-teller ever.
We also picked up a few words in the Aboriginal language –
for example yaama means hello and gaba means good!
I would like to thank RHUUWS (University of Sydney’s rural
health club) and the Walgett Shire Council for being the
driving force of this fantastic trip out West. I enjoyed visiting
the schools and hope that we opened the students’ eyes to
the different health careers and pathways, helped them
realise that they can reach their dreams, and inspired them to
stay in school and finish year 12. The trip was also a great
opportunity to meet and become friends with a great group of
uni students who share an enthusiasm for rural health. I also
met many wonderful locals and look forward to catching up
with them when I am on my next John Flynn placement.
local Barwon Boyz Rap Team.
We were warmly welcomed to the Collarenebri Medical
Centre, Lightning Ridge Hospital, and the Walgett Aboriginal
Medical Service. We toured the medical and allied health
facilities, saw and heard about some of the new technology
that is making its way into remote hospitals and video-links; a
way of connecting a remote doctor to patients. For example, a
doctor in Dubbo can see a patient in Colly on the screen and
guide the nurses in the treatment of the critically ill patient in
an emergency. These facilities are immensely valuable in
Aunty Brenda explaining bush medicine and bush tucker
GP10 “Shape Our Future”
students ranging from history taking, making diagnoses and
Cairns Convention Centre 6-9 October 2010
learning diseases – I was certainly doing my best to listen in
Teena Downton - 2nd year medical student
to every word!
I was fortunate to attend the recent GP10 Conference held in
“Afternoon tea with the RACGP President Professor Claire
stunning and tropical Cairns this year with the financial
Jackson” – This was special treat for us as students, where
support of the University of Wollongong’s Graduate School of
we were received and officially welcomed by the new RACGP
Medicine, Wollongong University Medical Students’ Society
President and were introduced to the Corlis Fellows of the
and the National Rural Health Students’ Network (NRHSN).
College, all in the exquisite setting of the Sebel Hotel.
This year’s conference was the exciting and record-breaking
GP10 was undoubtedly a positive and fantastic personal and
culmination of a team effort on the part of both the Royal
professional event of which to be a part There are many more
Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the
insights, stories and motivations from the conference than
Australian Association of Practice Managers (AAPM).
those I have included here but which I have come away with,
As a student, I felt extremely welcomed to be part of such a
and will draw on as I go about my career. I found presenting
professional event and was impressed to see so many other
at and attending the conference to be a useful opportunity for
students and junior doctors taking part in GP10. I do not
me to represent the University of Wollongong and NRHSN,
know the exact number, but there would have been at least 3
chat with GPs and exhibitors, network with stakeholders,
dozen medical students in attendance. From chairing
meet other students with an interest in rural health and
sessions, running workshops, presenting abstracts and
general practice, all the while sharing my youthful enthusiasm
giving poster presentations, students were quite involved in
with current health professionals.
the 4-day conference program. It was great to see so many
I wish to thank the University of Wollongong’s Graduate
delegates taking an interest in our ideas, experiences,
School of Medicine, Wollongong University Medical Students’
research project findings and musings.
Society and the NRHSN for financially supporting my
On the Thursday rural health concurrent papers session, I
attendance at this conference.
presented an abstract entitled “What is the impact of rural
and remoteness on life expectancy in Australia? The current
situation today and a student perspective on ways forward”.
VALE - Christopher Luke Zweerman
In my presentation, I spoke about the inter-related role of
social determinants in the health differentials seen across
city and rural Australia, touching on some of the interesting
findings I came across when I was completing a critical
analysis assignment as part of my medical course earlier this
year. I found it to have been a fantastic opportunity for me to
present to peers, including more experienced members of
the health profession. Moreover, I was surprised to see a
number of the themes in my talk resonate in other parts of
the conference!
I enjoyed the many other activities the conference had to
Christopher, one of our first year medical students based at
offer, including 3 sessions organised specifically for students
Shoalhaven
and junior doctors. These included:
November, as a result of a motorbike accident. He was 26
“The general practice pathway: ‘connecting the dots’ for
years old.
students and junior doctors” – I thoroughly enjoyed this
Chris was President of the Med Revue, the International
motivating, light-hearted, entertaining and myth-busting
Student Representative, was actively involved in the General
interactive session about general practice, the fantastic
Practice Students Network and was recently elected as a Vice
experiences you would never expect, and how to get there.
President of the Wollongong University Medical Students
“A lifetime of cautionary tales and practice tips” – This was a
Society (WUMSS). Our thoughts are with Chris’ family, loved
fantastic small-group session with Professor John Murtagh,
ones and friends back home in Canada.
in which he generously shared some of his top tips for
Chris will be greatly missed by his friends and the staff here at
the GSM.
campus,
tragically
died
on
Sunday
14th
Mudgee Makes Medical Students Feel Right
at Home
Nick Hartgerink 22 November 2010
University of Wollongong medical students who do their
clinical training in the Central West NSW wine town of
Mudgee are going to feel right at home, with the launch on
Monday (22 November) of a project to build a $450,000
residence for them.
UOW has joined with the Mudgee community to build the fivebedroom residence to accommodate students from the
Graduate School of Medicine (GSM).
The GSM’s unique programme was established with a
primary focus to train doctors committed to working in
regional, rural and remote areas, to address the chronic
shortage of doctors in regional and rural areas.
A key part of this approach is for third year students to spend
38 weeks in a community for clinical training, working with
local hospitals and general practice clinics and establishing
connections with that community.
Mudgee has strongly embraced the concept, and now hosts
three GSM students each year for their clinical training.
In a model project, the Mid-Western Regional Council, Club
Mudgee and local collieries Moolarben Coal and Wilpinjong
Coal have joined with UOW to construct a residence for the
students who train in Mudgee.
Construction will start immediately on the residence, which
will have five bedrooms, including a separate unit for a family
group.
UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerard Sutton, Pro ViceChancellor (Health) Professor Don Iverson and Professor
Nicky Hudson from the GSM joined representatives of the
Mudgee community for a ground-breaking ceremony to
launch the building project on the block donated by the Mid-
of a community “that comes together to cause things to
happen, and to care for people”.
Professor Sutton said the ground-breaking ceremony was a
“simple but significant ceremony to give a sincere thankyou to
the people of Mudgee and the organisations that are
supporting the building project”.
Mudgee Doctor Gary Moore, who is the GSM’s academic
coordinator in the district, said the local doctors had embraced
the training program. “We have found it an enjoyable
experience, and the students have become a part of our
practices, part of our hospital, part of our town . . .”, Dr Moore
said. “We have also felt acknowledged and valued, because
we have had a university that has wanted their students to
come up here and learn from us.”
Dr Moore praised the financial supporters of the housing
project. “Council has been fantastic, and other sponsors have
come on board because everybody can see the benefit of
having the students here.”
GSM
student
Heidi
Goldsmith,
who
grew
up
on
sheep/wheat property at Coonamble and is delighted to be
able to do her clinical training in the Central West, spoke at
the ceremony on behalf of the students who will benefit from
the project.
Ms Goldsmith, who is halfway through her clinical training
placement, said she and the two other GSM students
currently in Mudgee felt privileged to be able to train there.
“We feel incredibly well-supported here . . . with a unique mix
of enthusiasm, encouragement and education,” she told the
guests. “It is a great honour to work in the local health system
. . . and to be able to develop my skills in your community.”
Ms Goldsmith predicted the new residence would make
Mudgee an even more attractive destination for GSM
students, and enhance their stay in the town.
Western Regional Council.
Professor Iverson said training in towns like Mudgee was a
hugely valuable exercise for the students, and ultimately for
the communities involved.
“The students spend 38 weeks in the community, working with
the local doctors and specialists who visit the hospital. They
have the opportunity to really see the value of living in the
area and perhaps fall in love with the town and what it has to
offer,” Professor Iverson said.
“The communities have the opportunities to embrace the
medical students and convince them that would be a good
place to return to (when they have completed their studies).
“The students clearly benefit, but ultimately we hope the town
will benefit.”
a
Pictured (L-R) at the ground-breaking ceremony in Mudgee: Club
Mudgee president Mike Shepperd, Paula McPherson (Wilpinjing
Coal), UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerard Sutton, Mid-
Professor Sutton praised Mudgee’s commitment to the
Western Council Deputy Mayor Cr Max Walker and Steve Peart
student accommodation project, which he said was evidence
(Moolarben Coal)
A Brief Update on Admissions.
Associate Professor Lyndal Parker-Newlyn - Chair of Admissions and
Selection
I’m happy to report that 74 offers have been sent out to our
domestic applicants, who will join our group of 8 international
students that have already confirmed their place in the 2011
Dr Sal
Sanzone,
Deputy Chair
cohort. As with previous years, the competition for places was
Admissions
fierce, as all applicants demonstrated a high level of
and Selection
performance across the interview stations. We extend our
thanks to our colleagues and GSM community who aided
during interview week, ensuring a rigorous yet fair interview
process. This year saw a great involvement by current GSM
students with Phase 1 & 2 students working hard as
Admissions Assistants behind the scenes, and Phase 3 & 4
students recruited and trained as interviewers. Their unique
perspective added to the depth of our interviewer expertise.
This year’s domestic applicant numbers were our largest ever,
with just under 700 applicants placing Wollongong as one of
their three preferences for medical school and 199 applicants
placing us as their first preference. This has lead to even
tougher competition and we anticipate another group of highly
talented students to commence in 2011.
Our domestic
students come from all walks of life and from all our states and
territories, with a large proportion of students with a regional,
Patient Volunteer Programme Report
Judy Hayes - Patient Volunteer Coordinator, Shoalhaven
Patient volunteers at both campuses have been involved in a
number of practical sessions of late requiring expert acting
skills and the application of various wounds and broken
bones. As one volunteer emailed – “my wife will do the
scenario and I’ll just come out and get plastered!” A good time
was had by all, and feedback from the students was that the
session was a lot of fun. “Limb Stabilisation” was a good
chance to practise the emergency first aid skills required to
treat a person with snake bite and leg/arm fractures.
rural and remote background. Our international students
come from the USA, Canada and Singapore and have also
faced stiff competition for the very few selective places
available. All in all, 2011 bodes to be another good year.
Also during recent months Dr Sal Sanzone was appointed
Deputy Chair of Admissions & Selection to support A/Prof
Lyndal Parker-Newlyn. Sal is currently a Lecturer in Medical
Education who many of you may already know due to his
Leg
stabilisation
for snake bite
involvement in the GSM over the past four years, most notably
in Case Based Learning and Clinical Skills. Sal has an
undergraduate honours degree in psychology from UOW in
addition to his medical degree from Newcastle and has
experience in most fields of hospital generalist medicine particularly emergency medicine, psychiatry, rehabilitation,
anaesthetics and intensive care. With his broad clinical and
educational background and his close understanding of the
students and the curriculum, Sal’s counsel and assistance in
admissions will be invaluable. Lyndal and Sal will be working
together
in
the
future
on domestic
and
international
admissions and also research and publications of our
admissions procedures.
Finally, we would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to all
who participated during the admission process. We look
forward to welcoming the 2011 cohort to the start of their
Phase 1 studies.
A group of
Shoalhaven
volunteers
waiting for the
wound care
session
Profile of Grafton/Maclean Hub Staff
Base Hospital. As well as fulfilling this demanding role Jane is
the Manager, Infection Control and the Staff Development
Unit. Jane enjoys the diversity of her role and the challenges
and complexity of managing a multi-disciplinary team.
Students are a particular passion of Jane’s who admires the
students desire to learn and increase their knowledge while on
placement at GBH.
The Clinical Elective Placement Programme,
MEDI605
Back L-R: Tom Conallin, Peter Bright, Dr Alastair McInnes
Front L-R: Shona MacKay, Sally Ooi, Muoi Khou, Jane Nichols
Carol Kendall – Clinical Placement Facilitator - Wollongong
Dr Alastair McInnes, Regional Academic Coordinator, Senior
programme to accommodate the final year non UOW medical
Lecturer
students requesting a clinical experience in Wollongong
The
Graduate
School
of Medicine
has
developed a
Alastair completed his MBBS at Newcastle University in 1989
Hospital. As our own students completed elective placements
and went on to complete the Family Medicine Program in
elsewhere, we would like to reciprocate this to other
1991. He returned to Grafton in 1992 to work as a general
Universities around the world. This year we have hosted
practitioner. In April 2001 he took on the position of Career
students from Vienna, UK, Pakistan, Japan, Germany as well
Medical Officer at Grafton Base Hospital (GBH) and has been
as domestic students from SA, TAS, QLD and NSW. Some of
the Director of the GBH Emergency Department since
these students have lived in the area and are looking to
February 1994. Soon after the first group of Phase 3 students
return.
started in 2009, Dr McInnes took on the role of GSM Regional
If non UOW students contact you directly and are interested in
Academic Coordinator, Grafton / Maclean. In 2010 he was
a
also appointed as a UOW honorary Clinical Academic (Senior
http://www.uow.edu.au/gsm/ecp/index.html or Carol Kendall
Lecturer).
carolk@uow.edu.au. If you are happy to supervise them,
Alastair enjoys the challenge that comes with being the
Carol can advise the student of the paperwork required on
Regional Academic Coordinator along with the enthusiasm
your behalf. There are a range of legislative requirements and
and dedication of the Phase 3 students.
there is a checklist on the website that can be referred to.
placement
please
direct
them
to
our
website.
One requirement is that students should be in their final year.
Sheree Lloyd, Placement Facilitator
This is to reduce risk and accommodates most universities, as
Sheree started working with the GBH student coordination
their elective rotations are during their final year.
team in early 2009. This followed a career working as a health
students need time to collate the necessary paperwork from
information manager, within Queensland Health and its
their homeland Police as well as ours, and their home
hospitals and also as a lecturer with the School of Public
university, so last minute requests are problematic. We ask
Health Queensland University of Technology. Sheree has a B
for expression of interest requests to be in at least 6 months
Bus (Computing), Assoc Diploma (MRA) and Masters of
prior to their starting date and paperwork to be sent in 3
Technology and has published a number of papers and text
months prior, this is considerably less than most universities.
book chapters.
Once a student has contacted Carol, she will endeavour to
She enjoys working with the University of Wollongong
students
and
facilitating
placement
in
find a placement for them. The students need to provide 3
the
placement preferences. After taking into account the capacity
It is challenging, rewarding and
of the department, the Supervisor is contacted to confirm
dynamic with lots of demands from the University, students
whether they and their team would be happy to take the
and the Academic Coordinator.
student. Your ongoing support in placing these students is
Grafton/Maclean hub.
their
The
very much appreciated. Please do not hesitate to contact
Jane Nichols, Student Coordinator
Carol Kendall, Clinical Placement Facilitator, Wollongong
Jane has a nursing background and has been the Student
Hospital 4253 4804 (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) for
Coordinator at Grafton for many years supporting medical,
further information.
nursing and allied health students on placement at Grafton
Wollongong’s Winning Team – from UOW
Take Out the Top Award at the Inaugural
SimWars Battle at the SimTecT Health 2010
Simulation Conference.
Kathryn Rhodes – Lecturer in Clinical Skills
A number of academic staff attended the recent SimTecT
Health 2010 conference in Melbourne entitled ‘Investing in the
Future’. Almost three hundred doctors, nurses, and other
health professionals gathered from all over Australia, New
Zealand and indeed further afield for four days of innovative
and thoughtful presentations on a huge variety of topics
related to the use of simulation in health education and
practice.
A highlight of the conference occurred on the final day, in
L-R: Kathryn Rhodes, Leanne McQueeney, Alex Pile, Dr Natalie
Smith, Associate Professor Dan Raemer, Professor Brendan
Flanagan
which individuals and teams of conference participants were
Shoalhaven Fillies Set for the “Cup”
asked to volunteer to perform a simulation scenario live on
Some of the staff at Shoalhaven Campus gave a new
stage, in public. The teams were then debriefed by some of
meaning to style when they paraded their unique milinary.
the top simulation debriefers in the world and the audience
asked to vote on the best performing team. This ‘SimWars’
has been held at Emergency Medicine conferences in the
USA previously, but never before in Australia.
The “Winning Team” found themselves placed together on
the day – none of us had ever worked clinically with each
before, and only two of us had ever previously met. The
team consisted of Dr Natalie Smith (senior staff specialist
anaesthetist, Wollongong Hospital and senior lecturer at the
GSM Wollongong University), Kathryn Rhodes (ICU nurse at
Wollongong Hospital and lecturer at the GSM Wollongong
University), Leeanne Mc Queeney (Lecturer at the School of
L-R:Jenny Tomson’s hat featuring “Francis the Talking Mule” ,
Debbie Gee hat featuring a Debbie Gee original Kleenex Tissue
Floral Fascinator, Sue-Ellen Howard’s hat featuring one of the Rav
4 Camels (a runner-up in the Alice Springs Camel Races), Babs
hat featuring Phar Nap, Judy Hayes wearing another of Debbie
Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, Wollongong
Gee’s exclusive creations (which also serves a dual purpose to
University) and Alexandra Pile (CNC, St Vincents Hospital,
mop up the tears of disappointment after the race).
Sydney). We were up against a very experienced team of
anaesthetists and simulation providers from the John Hunter
Hospital in Newcastle, and a team of doctors and technicians
from the Brisbane Clinical Skills Centre.
In the scenario we were given, we played a MET team
answering a call to the geriatric ward where we found a nurse
and an intern arguing about a patient who deteriorated and
arrested in front of us – a double-edged sword in that we had
to manage both components of the situation simultaneously.
And we take great pride in informing you that after our 10
minutes of immense stress and a fantastic debriefing, the
audience voted us the winners for the day. You will see four
very proud women in the accompanying photograph, flanked
by our debriefers – A/Prof Dan Raemer from the Centre for
Medical Simulation in Harvard, and Prof Brendan Flanagan
from the Monash Clinical Skills Centre. Well done team – we
are lucky to have such a brave bunch of clinicians and
educators in our area!
OSCE 2010
Alissa Tran - OSCE Coordinator
2010 was the first year in which the GSM held Objective
Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) for both Phase 2
and Phase 3 students.
Each OSCE comprised of thirteen
different stations that students were required to rotate
Ray, Pam
through, with all stations designed to assess students’ clinical
and
Wendy
competency in that area. For Phase 3 students, the OSCE
forms part of their final examinations prior to graduation.
Staging the OSCE is a huge task and only made possible with
the
significant
contribution
of
members
of
the
GSM
community. For each of the examinations we had over fifty
honorary clinical academics give up an entire Saturday to
assess more than seventy students sitting the exams. These
Christine,
included clinicians with a diverse range of expertise from the
Jacki,
Illawarra, Highlands and Shoalhaven as well as much further
Luciano
and Kevin
afield such as the Riverina and North Coast. Aside from time
on the day, many honoraries also supported the OSCE
through the development of stations; assisting in the sourcing
of equipment, and patient volunteers– all key components
contributing to the success of the day.
As well as this, over sixty patient volunteers from the Illawarra
and Shoalhaven gave up their day to be examined,
interviewed or poked and prodded over and over again! The
Olive,
volunteers whom participated on the day were made up of our
Alissa,
existing pool of patient volunteers whom regularly participate
Stephanie
in clinical skills classes; new volunteers trained specifically for
and
OSCE and ‘real’ patients i.e. those whom present with actual
Maureen
symptoms of illness or medical conditions.
The commitment and dedication of both assessors and
patients was clearly evident throughout the process, with
many previous volunteers returning to be involved.
And
whilst the students may have faced the exams with
trepidation, many assessors and patients gave us incredibly
positive feedback about their involvement, recognising the
invaluable contribution they are making to student learning.
Furthermore, the involvement and feedback of our assessors
All the Best for a Happy and
Healthy Festive Season
and patient volunteers enable us to continually review and
refine our OSCES processes to best meet the needs of the
assessment objectives.
from
A huge thank you to everyone who was involved with the
OSCEs in 2010, we could not have done it without you!
In 2011 we look forward to doing it all again; Expressions of
All at the GSM
Interest will be sent to all honoraries shortly, any queries can
be directed to Alissa Tran (4221 5073 or atran@uow.edu.au).
If you are keen on participating as a patient volunteer, please
register
your
interest
with
either
Judy
Hayes
(judy@uow.edu.au) or Isabelle Potter (ipotter@uow.edu.au).
Contributions to this newsletter regarding GSM centred events are both welcome and encouraged.
Please submit via email to Jenni Broadhead (jb@uow.edu.au)