March 2014

March Issue '14
Editor: Nikki Busch
Medcamp 2014
By Deirdra O'Keeffe
In the 'irst few minutes of our bus journey to Med Camp at Fitzroy Falls, the boys on the back seat cranked up a playlist that closely resembled ‘So Fresh, Hits of Spring 1999’. When my peers sang every word of ‘S Club Party’ without restraint, it con'irmed in my mind that the Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine has a 'lawless selection process, and that this was going to be a great weekend.
RUPTURE
WUMSS
On arriving at Fitzroy Falls, we were instructed by the second years to pick the most sculpted Grecian male in our group to be our canvas. Being such a great looking year group, this was dif'icult, but we eventually stepped up to the challenge of painting anatomically correct organs, muscles and bones on our Muscle Men, with a few tattoos and not-­‐so-­‐
anatomically-­‐correct reproductive organs thrown in. Friday’s theme, ‘If I weren’t a doctor, I would be…’ allowed us to embrace our alternative plans if we hadn’t made it into Medicine, just for a night. Frazzled Super Dad, Crazy Cat Ladies, Gold Diggers and a banana (?) were amongst the appearances that made me feel that society might bene'it more from our occupational Plan A’s than our Plan B’s. On Saturday morning, we were lucky enough to have some GPs donate their time and expertise to run a Suturing Workshop. For some, dehydration resulted in some unhelpful muscle twitches, but everyone agreed resoundingly that the GPSN did a fantastic job in o r g a n i s i n g t h i s h a n d s -­‐ o n opportunity so early in our course. GPSN Sutoring W
orkshop
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Fitzroy Falls
Feb
2014
The Plastering Workshop, kindly run by the SHARP crew, saw the creation of some very interesting conversation pieces to bring back to t h e s h a r e h o u s e s o f Wollongong a
n
d Shoalhaven. I t w a s e v i d e n t that many o f u s intend to be o r t h o p e d i c h a n d s p e c i a l i s t s , a s t h e r e w e r e a surprising number of patients with broken middle digits.
On Saturday morning, we were lucky enough to have some GPs donate their time and expertise to run a Suturing Workshop. For some, dehydration resulted in some unhelpful muscle twitches, but everyone agreed resoundingly that the GPSN did a fantastic job in o r g a n i s i n g t h i s h a n d s -­‐ o n opportunity so early in our course. The Plastering Workshop, kindly run by the SHARP crew, saw the creation of some very interesting conversation pieces to bring back to the share houses of Wollongong and Shoalhaven. It was evident that many of us intend to be orthopedic hand specialists, as there were a s u r p r i s i n g n u m b e r o f patients with broken middle digits.
A f t e r b e i n g s u c c e s s f u l l y c o n v i n c e d t o j o i n e v e r y awesome Medicine-­‐related Society at both campuses, most memorably by SPARTA’s hoplite, we headed off to the nearby lake. Being transported in utes was an authentic Aussie experience for Canadian students to delightedly Instagram once we hit an area of coverage. The afternoon was much like our cohort: warm, bright and near perfect. We swam, frolicked and attempted slack lining and volleyball. On our return, an epic 20m Slip ‘n’ Slide awaited those baby-­‐oiled warriors brave enough to face it, and a blow up pool was kindly provided for the Slip ‘N’ Slide spectators.
That night, all the happy campers dressed up for Tight and Bright Graf'iti Night. No one escaped without lots of interesting tidbits about themselves written all over their op-­‐shop 'luorescent bests. T h e F i r s t Y e a r t e a m , T h e Flamboyant Rainbows, won the illustrious Boat Race Trophy in a close 'inal against the Second Years. The singing and dancing was not always of a high standard, but it sure was enthusiastic. After a deliciously artery-­‐clogging breakfast, it was time for our b l e a r y -­‐ e y e d bunch to say goodbye to Fitzroy Falls Conference Centre. On behalf of the GSM Class of 2017, I would like to wholeheartedly thank all those involved for their huge efforts in organising this amazing camp. WUMSS, SHARP and GPSN ensured that we had s o m e t e r r i ' i c opportunities to l e a r n s o m e practical skills and to get to know the new friends that we’ll be spending t h e n e x t f o u r y e a r s ( a n d beyond!) with. W h a d d a w e e k e n d WUMMS! Page 2
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Welcome to the first issue of Rupture for
2014! The beginning of this year has been
jam packed so far with activities and events
like med camp, which saw many students
gather in Fitzroy Falls for a fun filled
weekend.
As we look ahead in 2014, WUMSS plans to
help relieve the stress of study with both academic and social
activities such as the specialty seminar series, scrub crawl, med
ball and the Inspiration Lecture. For more information on
upcoming events please see the calendar on the WUMSS website.
March sees the first 2014 council meeting for the Australian
Medical Students Association (AMSA), held in Melbourne. AMSA
councils are attended by the Presidents and AMSA
representatives of all medical schools in Australia and is a fantastic
opportunity for students to get involved and have us represent
you on a national stage. If you would like to have your voice
heard I would encourage you to attend the AMSA think tank on
Monday the 17th March.
WUMSS UDATE:
- Be sure to check out the WUMSS
website www.wumss.org.au. The
calander of events is live!
- GSM Wellbeing now has a
Facebook page
- Congratulations to our new
WUMSS Committee members:
First Year Rep (Wollongong):
Christopher Burley
First Year Rep (Shoalhaven):
Florence Huynh
Phase Three Rep:
Jessica Armstrong
Junior AMSA Rep:
Francesca Dudas
Junior International Rep:
I'd like to also pass on my congratulations to the graduating
students on their first few months of internship, to the third year
students for placement allocations and to the first year students
on finishing intro block. Look forward to seeing you all in the
coming months!
Iona Cherian
- Rupture is going to print! Keep an
eye out in the common rooms.
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WUHOW Phase 4
Photo Competition
Right: Michael Stone: (Cultural)
"Pictured in the forefront of an
amazing sunset, a handler asks his
elephant to lift the bundles of straw
onto its back. The pair then make their
way back to the elephant sanctuary."
Wollongong University Health
Over Wealth (WUHOW) held
its 4th annual Phase 4 Photo
Michael Stone (Clinical)
"A technician meticulously sands a
wooden prosthesis to be given to a young
leprosy patient. He dances in and out of the
morning light streaming thought the
window."
Michael Stone (Scenic/Recreational) "The
sun rises over the southern ridge of
Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) Mountain. The
suns rays glistening against timeless prayer
flags make for a very special morning."
Competition. The competition
entitled “Global Health in
Action” accepted photos from
elective and selective
placements in the categories of
Clinical, Cultural and Scenic/
Recreational. Submissions were
received from locations all
around the world including
Nepal, Canada, Sri Lanka,
Indonesia, Thailand, United
Kingdom, Zimbabwe, South
Africa, India and Australia. New
this year was the addition of
the People’s Choice Award,
which was voted on by
WUHOW members via the
Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/groups/
38464391968/).
Winners were announced at
Conference Week following a
slideshow presentation
showcasing all of the
submissions.
Best Overall:
Michael Stone (Nepal)
Best Clinical:
Emily Whitelaw (Thailand)
Best Cultural:
Michael Stone
Best Scenic/Recreational:
Alice Thomas (Nepal)
People’s Choice Award:
Guillaume Louys (Lord Howe
Island, Australia)
WUHOW would like to thanks the
following sponsors:
Work the World
www.worktheworld.com.au
The Photo to Canvas Company
www.thephototocanvascompany.co
m
Designer Images Photographers
Nick Cunzolo:
www.designerimages.com.au
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Alice Thomas (Scenic/Recreational)
"A colourful morning at Phewa Lake,
Pokhara.The lake was a buzz of
activity with fisherman fishing, tourists
paddling and local children learning
to swim."
Emily Whitelaw (Clinical)
"A woman crossed from Burma with
her granddaughter. Fed only dilute
sweetened condensed milk she had
developed severe zinc deficiency and
died 2 days later."
G. Louys (People’s Choice
Award)
"Climbing Mt Gower, the
island’s highest peak, is a
must for any fit visitor. It
offers a breath taking
view and the chance to
see unique flora
geographically isolated
from the rest of the
island."
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Welcome to AMSA, your peak representative body for medical students in Australia.
AMSA aims to connect, inform and represent all 17 000 students across 20 medical
schools. There are many ways that you can become involved with AMSA throughout the
year including;
•
Becoming a member of affiliated interest groups such as WUHOW and the
UOW Surgical Interest Group
• Attending national conferences such as Convention and Global Health
Conference
• Reading AMSA publications such as Embolus and Panacea
• Following AMSA updates on social media sites
The first upcoming AMSA event this year is AMSA Council to be held in Melbourne on
22nd-24th of March. This is an opportunity for all AMSA Reps and Med Soc Presidents
from across Australia to meet and discuss issues pertinent to medical students. "You can
have your say on AMSA policies at the UOW Think Tank on Monday the 17th of March
5.15pm at the GSM Lecture Theatre, all are welcome!"
Another upcoming event is the National Leadership Development Seminar held in
Canberra on 25th-28th of May. This is a unique opportunity to hear from and network
with some of Australia’s most inspiring leaders. Applications open 1st of March.
The BIGGEST event of the AMSA calander is
National Convention!
This year Adelaide is hosting an unconventional convention on 6th-13th of July, promising
an unparallelled program featuring renowned speakers from across the globe, worldclass academic workshops and an exhilarating and spirited social program. Tickets go on
sale 1st of April (selling out in 3 minutes last year) so stay tuned for the Wollongong
Convention Team 2014- you don’t want to miss this!
From your AMSA Rep, Sarah Lewis
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UPCOMING EVENTS!
March
14-16th: AMSA COUNCIL
17th: AMSA Think Tank
April
5th: Leadership Seminar
11th: Scrubs Crawl
May
26-30th: AMSA Leadership
Development Seminar
SCRUB CRAWL
MED REVUE
Lock the doors, throw out all of your
kitchen knives, and whatever you do, do
not spend winter in an isolated Alpine
resort - because this year's
MEDREVUE theme is HORROR!
If you have mad skills, mad enthusiasm, or just
some serious FOMO you need to get amongst
the MEDREVUE team, because it is the most
fun you'll have this year within 75m of the GSM.
Skit writing, acting, singing, directing, backstage,
prop making. The more hands the better!
To get involved talk to your year/campus rep or just throw your
hilarious ideas down on the FB page - "UOW Med Revue"!
Reps:
1st year - Shoalie - Will Murphy, Woolie Murray Crowe;
2nd year - Shoalie - Zac Kesby, Woolie - Nael
Meza;
3rd year - Hayley Dyke;
4th year - Kate Anderson.
SCRUB SCAWL!!!
April 11th
For those who know. I need not sell SCRUB CRAWL in the
slightest. We all know the debauchery that happens when 150 med
students descend on the annual Wollongong Pub Crawl. For the uninitiated, get ready for APRIL 11. Last day of term for 1st
and 2nd years, holidays for 3rd and 4th years, so no excuses! I'm
pleased to announce the whole GSM will convey their sexual
For inthose
who know.
I need
not for
selldetails
SCRUB
frustration
the PURPLE
SCRUBS.
Stay posted
on CRAWL in the
how slightest.
to buy your We
set. Get
early because
they WILL sellthat
out! happens when 150
allinknow
the debauchery
med students descend on the annual Wollongong Pub Crawl. For the uninitiated, get ready for APRIL 11. Last day of term for
1st and 2nd years, holidays for 3rd and 4th years, so no excuses!
I'm pleased to announce the whole GSM will convey their sexual
frustration in the PURPLE SCRUBS. Stay posted for details on how
to buy your set. Get in early because they WILL sell out!
By Roly Stokes
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Rupture wants to
hear from you!
Rupture is the official
publication of the GSM and
WUMSS executive. We aim
to keep students of all
cohorts informed of issues
affecting them in all aspects
of the medical schooling.
Harder Better Faster SPARTA.
SPARTA, just quietly, has been killing it. The Shoalhaven's answer to a
question nobody thought to pose for 12 years has recently taken
out "Newcomer Club of the Year" at the clubs and societies awards
night. With the inaugural SPARTAy under the belt, fortnightly trivia,
daily sports activities, a hiking schedule to die for, surf days, snow
trips, snorkelling, golf tournaments, canyoning trips, triathlons,
adventure racing, regular mountain biking and an exceptionally good
looking membership base, there is good cause to have a crack at
"Club of the Millennium" this year!
Possibly the most exciting news is that SPARTA is spreading
north, with two new Wollongong reps - Talal Awan as the
B-Ball rep and Trent Stapleton as the Wollongong Rep!
It's time to engage the "lost in a big city" Woolies with lunchtime
Shoalie day sports, and weekend activities that are out of town for
us all - hiking, golf, surfing, snow trips, tri's, MTB, adventure races etc!
$10 to join with the best singlet going around.
Find us at UOW SPARTA on the Zuckerberg machine.
Our newsletter seeks to
provide information for all
year levels, boradcast
important events and
achievements of all students,
and recap on academic and
social highlights of the year.
Rupture is an ideal place for
Phase 1 and 2ers to get an
idea of where they can go for
Phase 3 and what they can
expect.
We'd love to hear
about some Phase 2, 3
and 4 experiences!
If you are interested in
writing or photgraphing for
Rupture, we'd love to hear
from you! Please contact
Nikki at
publications@wumss.org.au.
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