Calvarium #2

CALVARIUM Bi-annual E-zine of UNAM School of Medicine & Pharmacy

One Year Closer

2014 SEMESTER one

CALVARIUM SEMESTER one

Calvarium 2014 Semester One Read two (2) pages BID to relieve from exam-related stress. Complete course.

Patient: Weiry SOM/P Student Pharmacist: Calvarium Team Dr: Self-Medication

2014/S1

Bi-annual E-zine of UNAM School of Medicine & Pharmacy

CONTENTS The Beginning Continued The Fallout Thank You For Smoking Lecturer Focus: Mr Dan Kibuule A Word from our Deputy Associate Dean 29 Things You WILL Learn at SOM/P A Friday Night in Casualty Apps for the SOM/P Student What Kind of Medical Student are You Age: Being an Older Student Failing at Med School Editorial, Team Calvarium 5 Remembering Jafet 10 Megameno Children’s Home 11 Funny Errors in Lecture Slides 15 Medical Conditions Suffered Only by SOM/P Students 18 Ridiculous Medical Book Titles 19 The White Coats 20 Durban Invasion 24 GBV Freeze-Mob 26 We Asked, You Answered 28 Volleyball For All 29 We Asked You Answered: First Year Edition 30 Welcome Back Bash 31 Body Parts 37 Lament O’ Pathophysiology 38 Somphulness 39

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CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 4 Calvarium 2014 Semester 1 Volume 2, Issue 1

№2

Editor-In-Chief George Muremi Managing Editors Anna Hangula Ruth Amunjela Features Editor/Layout Tax Shafashike Senior Writers Anna Hangula, Ruth Amunjela, Tax Shafashike, Alexia Tshapumba, Nomsa Amuli, Catherine Nambandi, Claudine Mostert Writers Frieda Shigwedha, Alex Ilunga, Paul Nakashololo, Dennis Noa, Efemena “Efe” Ogbokor, Esperance “Essy” Luvindao, Fifi Tjitemisa, Ludwig Gaomab Photographers Claudine Mostert, Anna Hangula

Special Thanks Mr D. Kibuule George Muremi Liezel Weder Taleni Shafashike Nappyboy Cover Image “Skull Street Art” by Steve Locatelli

Calvarium is UNAM School of Medicine & Pharmacy’s official student-run E-Magazine, Released Bi-Annually. © 2014

The Standard Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in Calvarium are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UNAM School of Medicine & Pharmacy staff.

Anatomical Heart by shankonator / license

Contributors Dr J. Sheehama Gerrit Keyter Peter Shilongo Hilja-Aili Shaanika Vanessa Ilukena Brumhilda Ochs Georgina Mutelo Llewellyn Titus Hilka Reinholdt Jessica Kirchner-Frankle Elizabeth Nevonga Martin Koroma Theo-Ben Kandetu Matti Kandjimi

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 5 An Important Message from the Editor-In-Chief George It has only been the first half of the year and already SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED! In half a year SoMees/SoPees have gone through the most challenging and testing times any student can experience, and like always we’ve done what we do best: PERSEVERE! Personally, slipping into Ruth’s shoes was a taxing (No, I’m not using Tax’s name as a verb... it’s actually a word) experience. I mean she left some big shoes to fill—gigantic shoes—but she stuffed them with just the right support I needed like any good predecessor.

How best to capture and remember all of first semester’s events? Why a Calvarium of course! This issue, though only covering half the year, is as dynamite as ever!

To our little ones, you’ve survived the first 6 months, now you just have 9 more semesters to get through (I’m not making fun of you guys, no seriously I’m not ha ha!). Don’t let anything turn you from your dreams. You got into SoM/SoP because you are one of the BEST! Only greatness awaits you! (And stress and long working hours :P OK I’ll stop now).

To the Memes and Tates who only have 6 months to go, you guys have been our motivation, because you have shown the most strength, commitment and courage. Stay the leaders that you have already proven to be. In the famous words of JR “Show dem”!

To the SRC, thank you so very much for your support. You have played a great role in the success of Calvarium and in my opinion this semester you have represented! Let’s make the rest of the year count! It is the year for progress at SoM/SoP. Finally, Team Calvarium you guys are awesome, you've been a great assistance to me this semester and have taken a load off my work! Team Calvarium has some of the world’s most creative geniuses I have ever met.

I’m glad to be part of such a brilliant team. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue, it would not be what it is without you.

With that said, I present to you the Calvarium Volume 2 Issue 1. Enjoy!

GEORGE MUREMI

SRC for Internal Affairs, Information & Publicity 2014

If...

Alex was a social network it would be called poofa.net

Alexia was a season, she would be spring Anna was an emotion, she would be the look

that Michelle gave Obama at Mandela's funeral

Catherine could choose a different era to live in, it would be the 50s

Claudine was an animal, she'd be an ant Dennis was money, he would rain all over

Africa

Efe were a book, she would be 50 Shades of Gray's Anatomy

Essy was an action movie, she would be Olympus Has Fallen

Fifi was an instrument, she would be a Grand Piano, only experts would play her and key all the right notes Frieda was a clock, she would stop time to fulfill all her duties and desires without having to make excuses about why she can't be a better person Ludwig was a search engine, he would be BING!

Nomsa was a time of day, she would be siesta Paul was an element on the periodic table, he would be Au

Ruth was a flower, she would be a dandelion, inducing happiness

ludwig

CLAUDINE

CATHERINE

NOMSA

ALEXIA

FIFI

PAUL

ESSY

DENNIS

ALEX

FRIEDA

EFE

RUTH

ANNA

The Calvarium Team

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 6

the beginning Continued peter shilongo

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 7

"Beginnings are always messy" John Galsworthy et’s start where it all really began for the school: room X115, Education department at the main campus of the university. One room, 55 students, about 5 lecturers, one faculty officer, a dean, no deputy dean, no student support, no senior students, no track record, no assurances, just a belief and guarded trust for what our lecturers and our university had brought us into…a start to the beginning of the future.

of human anatomy has been for the present state of medicine”, the US Department of Energy had said, looking at a bigger picture. This project has been a tremendous success, and is now one of the most talked about projects in science.

Planning for the Human Genome Project started in 1984; the project got underway 6 years later in 1990, and was completed in 2003, another 13 years later. “The ultimate goal of this initiative is to understand the human genome,” and “knowledge of the human is as necessary to the continuing progress of medicine and other health sciences as knowledge

Every great success has a beginning, and more often than not, take-off is weighed down by doubt, criticism and expectations – as much from within as from the outsiders. Like the School of Medicine, the genome project was plagued with issues - different, but principally the same.

L

Was I the only one that saw the magnitude and beauty of the project that was at hand?

Was I the only one that realised that this was not about us or about the people that started all this? I figured not. I hoped not.

So, you might be wondering, how does the great Human Genome Project compare to Unam’s School of Medicine and Pharmacy project? To a person who doesn’t know Namibia very well, there is no way the two can ever be compared - the genome project is just too out of this world! And I have to say I mostly agree.

But there are some things that are similar the principles.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 8 Where would they get the lecturers? How would they be able to attract them? How would they determine the quality? At what cost?

Where would the funding come from? From public funds? Millions of tax payers’ money potentially down the drain? And what of the facilities needed to achieve a level of training high enough to match the quality needed?

These were a few of the questions that were asked. Some had answers, but most did not. The encrypted answers didn’t help much. They did show though, that in the background, something was happening, as there was no certain yes or no answer. This shows that there is a dynamic state and not a static one.

We started from one classroom with the first intake, to two in the second, to having to have classes in a small room at the back of the library at main campus. There was a time when the school had to “borrow” a lecturer from Neudam for our microbiology lectures as the recruitment of a permanent lecturer would take too long. We also had to do microbiology practicals at Neudam, a 30 min drive east of the city on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. This was one of many struggles that we faced, yes, but were the

kind to be expected and that were inevitable at an institution on the up.

There were many more ups and downs in the coming years; some bigger than others, and some years with more downs than ups, but this is still to be expected from a growing institute. Like a baby, stumbling comes with the desire to walk, and maybe the baby that takes a tumble will go further eventually.

These struggles aren’t isolated to the administrative part of the school either, as we are weighed down with stress all the time, yet again expected. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Many students feel overwhelmed at some point or another during their education. You would not have been accepted if you did not have what it takes to succeed. And remember— the ultimate measure of success in medical school is not whether you feel stress, but how you choose to deal with it. Learning how to perform under difficult and demanding circumstances is an important part of becoming part of the health care personnel making a difference.

I once met an incredible neurosurgeon with by far some of the most desirable principles one could see

in a human. Being in a field where so few Africans thrive and being able to literally sit next to the cream of the crop of neurosurgeons in the world, you can see that this man is a formula for success. What I took from him was this: Basically, he said that we should support each other and encourage one another as people of the so-called 3rd world, as developed countries brand us so often. He admitted that even Africans would discourage one another because they believe that Africans are not good enough to stand out and make a difference; a sad but understandable sentiment he says. They don’t have self belief and self motivation.

We live among humans who make a difference in our field, so why can’t we as humans do the same?

It all starts with having a willingness to want our fellow people to succeed, and supporting them in doing so. The same goes for our school. Support one another. Honing from the inside and supporting from the outside is bound to be a successful formula. As for now, the beginning continues...

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 9 How would you say things changed for you as a medical student after the newspaper articles were published in January 2014?

My immediate reaction was of fear, fear of having opted for a wrong institution and not being able to fix it then. After some time I looked at the allegations more closely and I told myself that whether or not there was truth in those allegations, I would not back down and I was prepared to conquer whatever challenges I may face for I had made a choice which I would have to live up to.

Hilja-Aili Shaanika, MBChB I After the newspaper articles many efforts were made to improve the school syllabus. On the concerns which were raised by the students many have been resolved by now. However, media will always remain chasing after erroneous headlines, therefore, the articles written should not be taken to heart. It is an honour to be part of a medical setting that has some of the best lecturers, thus I am proud to be a SoM student!

Vanessa Ilukena, MBChB I The publications marked a really challenging time for both the management and students. Personally, I didn’t let the articles affect me as much. Our school is still growing and where growth takes place there is bound to be opposition. If anything, I felt challenged to do even better academically and in the way I present myself both on and off campus.

Brumhilda Ochs, MBChB II We felt betrayed, hurt, humiliated and hopeless. We paused for a moment and then thought to ourselves: the only choice was and is still to never give up. Because medicine is who we are, medicine is what defines us, and having the ability to help others is what keeps us going.

G. Mutelo & L. Titus, MBChB III As a student, I found it very disheartening and unfortunate that the crossfire between higher committees had to include the students in such a negative manner. A tarnished reputation is hard to recover, and what the media has portrayed to the nation will stick for a while, but just like any other crisis, this too shall pass. Criticism has a way of inducing change and motivating improvement; that is what I will take from the situation: the drive to do better and succeed. Hilka Reinholdt, MBChB IV

Like most of the students what shocked me the most was the title of the first article “Doctors Rubbish Medical Students” and then of course the negative comments that followed from the public, but I didn’t let that faze me. I remained optimistic like I always am. The second article was what brought about confusion, worry and anger. I was confused because I didn’t understand how things got to this point. I was worried because I didn’t know what was going to happen to me, what would happen if the school closed down. I would have small anxiety attacks now and then. I was angry at the management, I was angry at the “anonymous student” and I was angry at the specialists, my “mentors.”

George Muremi, MBChB IV The second I read the title: “Rubbish Medical Students” I felt my body going cold. I immediately thought of my loved ones and my hometown. I had been working so hard to make them proud. I was embarrassed. I wanted to scream to the world “it’s not true!” One would think that being stationed in the North that we would be safe from all the ridicule.

But everywhere we went, we heard the whispers about how we would be bad doctors. I was angry.

Where is the patriotism? How could our fellow Namibians write such slander without being sure that it was the truth? However, I realised that no matter how much people criticize you, the best revenge is to prove them wrong. So if you ask me how life changed for me as a medical student since the articles, I can only reply with, it got so much better. I have worked harder than ever before to restore the name of the UNAM School of Medicine and make sure our country knows we will be efficient, hard-working resilient doctors.

Jessica Kirchner-Frankle, MBChB V I believe that criticism is part of our lives. We face criticism every day. [It] has been there and will always be there. It has only pushed me to work even harder and prove to our patients that we are not rubbish doctors. We are different in our own way; we are a young medical school but we are growing and we are gonna get there. I have faith in us and we will keep pushing.

Elizabeth Nevonga, MBChB V

THE FALLOUT

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 10

Captain Jafet, You'll Be Missed

16 July 1982 - 27 April 2014

I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience.

How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy 2 Timothy 1:3-4

You shall be missed my friend. Rest in peace. Keep a cold one for me. Hafeni Undari

Captain! How we need to trouble each other. You were such a positive force to reckon with. No words can describe how crushed I am! I do know however, that you’d want us to smile and be happy.

Love you bro. Thato Serebolo Your road on earth has ended, you left many in tears, but we will never forget you. We will cherish the good person you have been on this earth. May your soul rest in eternal peace. Lempi Elizabeth

Knowing you was a blessing that’s why it is so hard to accept that you are gone. You have brought so much light into our lives; you have grown a seed of happiness in our hearts and made it a mission to crack a joke just so we smile. God’s timing can never be questioned therefore we accept and pray your soul finds our Maker.

Iyaloo Tulitungeni Rest in peace Tate Jafet, words cannot express the void your loss has caused, but we have indeed been blessed and highly favoured simply because we had the chance to know you. And Have you be part of our lives. Forever yours in love and hope xoxoxo. Melissa

I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling moments with you brings tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

Go in peace Jafet. Antonia Tate Jafet you left us too soon. Love Dilona

The first time we spoke, you actually put a smile on my face. That is one thing I shall remember about you. Tracy You brought so much happiness and togetherness. Till we meet again my good friend. Julz

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 11

Megameno Children's Home The Standing Committee of Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS (SCORA) under the leadership of MESANA organized a fun/play day at Megameno Children’s Home in Shandumbala, Katutura on 1st March 2014. The day was jam-packed with fun activities for the children—plenty of games, finger-painting as well as a magic show and finally ended off with a braai and dancing. The children and volunteers both enjoyed themselves as they let loose, bonded and enjoyed each other’s company. Twas a day well spent that was rewarded through seeing the smiles on the little ones’ faces.

FOR

Stubbed Out Cigarette by Matt Trostle / CC 2.0

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 12

THANK YOU SMOKING

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 13

“ ” “ ” - Anonymous

An individual in the medical profession, especially doctors who smoke, won’t be taken seriously by their patients when they advice them to stop smoking. Yet there is a saying that goes “Do what I say, not what I do”. There is a lot of stigma towards medical professionals who smoke mainly because we are experts on the harmful effects smoking has on the body such as lung and oesophageal cancer, but we still smoke. But one thing society forgets is that we are only human, and smoking cigarettes was a decision that we decided to make.

Working as a health care professional and smoking will not affect how I diagnose and treat my patients.

Yes, it’s a bad and harmful habit but, in the end we are our own individuals and shouldn’t be judged by our actions but rather on the level at which we perform and treat patients. However, we are currently at the level of a medical student and the stigma is worse especially from your peers and lecturers. Why should smoking and its harmful effects be scrutinised when there are other students who smoke hookah pipes and drink excessively which is just as reproachable ? Yet we make our own decisions in life―to smoke or not to smoke, to drink or not to drink―and have to realize that the choices in life we make have consequences.

Being a student, you learn and grow with time. We go through phases and reach a point in your life where you might wonder “But why am I smoking?” and then quit or choose to continue smoking. What we as students do now doesn’t determine how we will be as medical professionals after we graduate. Yes, society decided we have to be an example for our patients but that saying echoes again “Do what I say, not what I do”. That is why if people in the medical profession decide to smoke it is their decision and society should not judge them since we are all only human.

- Anonymous via novanom.tumblr.com

I can no longer count how many times our professors emphasized the dangers of smoking, especially in pathology. Luckily, I never took up the habits of smoking so it was never an issue for me. But when it became apparent that we are supposed to advise and advocate for patients to stop smoking, I wonder how medical students and doctors who do smoke feel about this.

One student told me that he smokes only when he goes out and drinks with friends. Another student said it helps her cope with stress. A friend admitted that it has been a habit since his younger years. I do not doubt that they have the ability to convince their patients to quick smoking. Patients are not even aware of their doctors’ smoking status most of the times. Yet, is it okay for doctors to give advice but don’t follow it themselves?

Not just for the case of smoking. What about on other habits like drinking alcohol, eating unhealthy foods, doing drugs, not getting enough sleep, or not exercising? I think one of the most important jobs of being a doctor is to educate patients.

It is up to the patients if they want to follow the suggestion or not. Same mentality should be applied to doctors and medical students as well.

I do wish that medical students and doctors would have more support and encouragement earlier in their career, especially those who truly want to quit their unhealthy lifestyles. Lecture after lecture after lecture about the harm of smoking during general pathology and systemic pathology, I was a little bit surprised that medical students still continue to smoke. Then I realized that it was already a part of their lifestyle. If they want to break it, they have to desire and decide this for themselves.

Cigarette Smoke by Gobran111 / license

An Informed Decision

Why Do Doctors and Medical Students Smoke?

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 14

LECTURER FEATURE MR DAN KIBUULE

Calvarium: Describe yourself in a few words?

Mr D: I am a very simple, humble man who is very hard working. I enjoy meeting and interacting with new people and developing them by encouraging them.

Calvarium: What sparked your interest in Pharmacy?

Mr D: My initial interest was to go into Engineering, because I have always wanted to study Engineering and had the academic requirements to go into Engineering; I also had a great interest in Mathematics, Physical Science and Chemistry. Joining Pharmacy was a last minute decision; I made this choice first over Engineering. Now I enjoy pharmacy very much and I do not regret my decision.

accomplish the hardest things first and fastest.

Calvarium: What are your greatest strengths?

Mr D: I’m goal oriented, every day I set up goals and if I do not accomplish them, I re-evaluate myself. What I have not achieved, I try to work harder to make sure that I succeed. I believe in myself, in other people and I am also very committed. The fact that I have had so much exposure and have practiced in many places gives me the greatest strength.

Calvarium: Describe a typical week and weekend?

Mr D: I devote the first 5 days to my work from seven till five. I accomplish what the University expects me to accomplish in the time allocated. I devote the weekend to my family. I strictly do not carry work back home over the weekend, because the reason I am working is for my family. I also enjoy shopping and watching football. Arsenal is my favourite club. I enjoy being with my wife, children and supporting church ministry.

Calvarium: What does your job entail?

Mr D: I am responsible for implementing a new curriculum; I am also the Head of Department for Pharmacy so my job entails much administrative work to ensures that all the objectives of the University have been met on a daily basis by my colleagues and myself. I also teach, do research and I am involved in many community projects.

Calvarium: Who inspires you?

"RX RATED"

Mr D: If it’s the greatest, then it will have to be God. Being a lecturer I am inspired by many aspects of creation in which I see God’s work as I give a lecture.

If it’s an individual, it is my father, who remains humble despite all the successes that he has achieved. He taught me to respect all individuals irrespective of their background and to treat everyone fairly.

Calvarium: What tricks and techniques do you use to keep yourself organized?

Mr D: Planning is the number one tool to being organized; if one does not plan they fail. I plan on a daily, monthly and on a yearly basis. Every day, I set priorities by detailing down what I am going to accomplish during the day. I also have a routine for myself and I adhere to my routine and my time. I always try to

Calvarium: What are some of the great successes you are experiencing with the new school?

Mr D: The School of Pharmacy has a very good team, with diverse lecturers from all over the world.

These individuals have been able to put down many ideas in order to see that the students relate theory to practice. Once the students complete their studies, the School will follow up in their internship and their final practice. The leadership support that comes from the University is another success. A plan for the establishment of a manufacturing plant to make medicine has been set up and is one of our greatest successes. The idea is still new but having a plan is always good news.

Calvarium: What is the most positive impact of Pharmacy?

Mr D: Pharmacy is the core to the practice of medicine because without medicine other health professionals will not function. This includes the doctors, nurses, surgeons, anesthetist, etc. Without a drug molecule, nothing goes on in the medical world. Even

“Untitled” by Artuero Castellanos / CC 2.0

A little inside into the world of HOD of Pharmacy Practise, Mr Dan Kibuule, reveals a man who long ago swallowed a chill pill and still feels its effects to date.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 15 radiotherapy requires medicine. In the event of new diseases, Pharmacy has contributed immensely to the practice of medicine, particularly to the HIV era.

Calvarium: What are some misconceptions that people have about Pharmacy?

Mr D: Many people have the perception that it’s a difficult course yet it does not pay much. In Namibia people believe that the course is not worth it, but with Pharmacy many doors become open for you to practice in so many fields such as in the hospital, in the community, in the industry, etc.

Secondly, many students and the community especially think that Pharmacy is only about dispensing medicine. They forget that pharmacists are experts in medicine, including advising doctors on the appropriate medicines to use. Pharmacists have the knowledge about the development of drugs up to their use and function in the human body; they have knowledge on how different drugs interact. Pharmacists do play a great role in the medical world; however, many doctors in hospital neglect this resource. If they were

better utilized the patients will benefit the greatest with some avoidable side-effects of medicine.

Calvarium: If you were a drug, what kind of drug would you be? Why would you be this drug?

Mr D: I would definitely be an antidepressant because of my character; I would like to see people motivated, empowered, happy and smiling when I am around them.

Calvarium: What is Pharmacy’s greatest challenge in the future?

Mr D: The new super bugs are no longer responding to medicine. An example being malaria: chloroquine is history. Many organisms have developed resistance and making new medicines takes a very long time.

Another challenge is cancer, the cells have become more “clever” and do not respond to treatment, and particularly in Africa more support is needed.

Calvarium: Thank you for your time and with that I conclude the interview.

Mr D: Thank you!

FUNNY ERRORS IN LECTURE SLIDES

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 16

A WORD FROM THE

DEPUT Y ASSOCIATE DEAN

Medical Students Behaviours, Attitudes and Dress-code

The behaviour of all students at university should be guided toward professional development and practice. Medical students have taken a very strong decision to take up a career in one of the most scientifically and ethically challenging profession – medicine.

The challenges in this career are very easy to go about if the noble career aspirant is ready to accept and bring changes in her/his life, to her/ his family, community not to mention a nation.

UNAM medical students are acquiring skills and knowledge during their lengthy study not only for their personal benefit but also for the benefit of another party – their patients and community of practice. The duty to act in the best interest of the patient is the fundamental ethical principle of our medical profession. This duty dictates certain standards of professional behaviour for medical students (and future doctors) which include but are not limited to: honesty, ethics, professionalism and social responsibility.

The UNAM School of Medicine has set out a scope of attitudes and transgressions for which action should be taken which include violence; alcohol consumption that affects clinical work; dealing or possessing drugs even where there are no legal proceedings; non-attendance including plagiarism; and a persistently poor attitude to work.

Even serious offences that occurred before medical school or during, a part-time job, or outside the training environment could be taken into account for your reconsideration as future health workers.

Cheating on examinations, falsifying applications or data on medical records and other forms of intellectual honesty are wrong not only because such behaviour violates intrinsic academic integrity, but also because such behaviour may be deleterious to patients.

As future physicians responsible for the well-being of patients, medical students are held to very high standards of professional behaviour. The professional behaviour expected of UNAM medical students includes, but is not limited to, fulfilling all academic and extra-curricular commitments; responding to communications from faculty and staff in a timely manner; notifying the appropriate personnel about anticipated absences within a reasonable time frame; adhering to clinical schedules in a punctual and responsible manner; and using appropriate and constructive language in written communications and evaluations of courses, clerkships, and faculty presenters. Medical students should embrace the spirit of team work and institutional belonging, as participating in the professional development activities at the campus and outside campus play a key role. The medical students should be identifiable and distinguishable from the masses as this should be the norm of his future profession; this will make him accessible and equitable as people or the community can relate to him easily and at the right time when they need his services.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 17 UNAM medical students are expected to be clean, presentable, well groomed and dressed in a manner appropriate to their professional and social responsibilities in an environment that includes contact with patients (training, skills lab and health facilities).

The following are NOT appropriate for a medical student in a professional training environment or workplace: jeans, overalls, sweat shirts, sweat pants, shorts, leggings, halter or tank tops, non-collared tee shirts, workout clothes, sandals or open-toe shoes, caps, bandanas, baseball hats, or body or facial piercings other than ears and those required by a student’s religious or cultural beliefs. The dress code is the key to attain trust from the faculty during training, trust from the colleagues during practice, and most importantly trust from the patient and the community, as this represents that overall quality of offered service by your institution of training and professional practices.

Recommended and acceptable attire for the medical students includes: neat collared shirts, ties, slacks, skirts, blouses, sweaters and dresses. Sneakers are also acceptable for a medical student if clean and presentable. Students must wear a short white coat with their name badge and university identification visible at all times when seeing patients. UNAM medical students must maintain a professional appearance even when they are not seeing patients and students must maintain an optimum level of personal hygiene. Students must also wear a white coat if wearing blue scrubs in any other part of the medical centre. Blue scrubs may not be worn outside the proximity of the medical centre including in transit to and from the medical centre.

It is very important that our behaviour as medical students attain maximum professionalism and support skill development during your training and after training. If a medical student is not a doctor on his first day at the medical school, and every day during training, it will not be possible for him to become a medical doctor after graduation, he will simply just be a graduate of a medical school.

Dr Jacob

SHEEHAMA, PhD Deputy Associate Dean UNAM School of Medicine

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 18 2010

HOME

2015

The NEW NAMIBIAN JOURNAL of MEDICINE

FUNNY BOOK TITLES

YOU’RE NOT A SOM/P STUDENT UNTIL...

WE ASKED: FIRST YEAR EDITION

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Medical Conditions Suffered Only By SOM/P Students (That We So Totally Did Not Make Up)

Logiophobia Debilitating fear of any module with the suffix “-ology”.

Symptoms

•Tachycardia and hypertension when writing or even thinking about writing their tests, or when faced with anything associated with them.

•Sudden urge to urinate in one’s pants when writing or even thinking about writing their tests, or when faced with anything associated with them.

Narcoinclassma

Crammaccelerosis

Zombiosis

Chronic disorder suffered by SOM/P students whenever in class. It is characterised by a decrease in sensory input and may culminate in a partial or full loss of consciousness.

An episodic disease characterised by a sufferer’s inhumane ability to force large volumes of information into his/her head over a short period of time - usually less than 24 hours.

A medical condition whereby the sufferer’s state resembles that of a zombie. Often following an episode of Crammaccelerosis.

Symptoms

Symptoms

•Somnolence

•Temporary intelligence

•Sometimes accompanied by stertor

•Increased ability to pass tests after an episode of Crammaccelerosis

Symptoms

•Severe Narcoinclassma •Reduced interest in surroundings and life in general

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 19

RIDICULOUS MEDICAL

B

K TITLES

Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say. Fine. But they never said we can’t judge them by their titles. While the truly dry medical professionals will overlook the absurdity of these very real book titles for their earnest content, as medical-professionals-in-training, feel free to scratch your head or laugh out loud while wondering whether these names were chosen intentionally to be funny or no one truly noticed how wrong they were.

Kill as Few Patients as Possible: And Fifty-Six Other Essays on How to Be the World’s Best Doctor Oscar London, 2008

Curbside Consultation of the Colon: 49 Clinical Questions Brookes D. Cash, 2008

How to Good-bye Depression: If You Castration: The Advantages and the Disadvantages Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday.

Victor T Cheney, 2003 Malarkey? or Effective Way? Hiroyuki Nishigaki, 2000

Constipation and Our Civilisation J. C Thompson, 1924

The Romance of Proctology: Which Is the Story of the History and Development of This Much Neglected Branch of Surgery from Its Earliest Times to the Present Days Charles E Blanchard, 1978

The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Impact of Generation, Gender and Global Trends Ellen Scherl, MD & Marla Dubinsky, MD, 2008

Male Genital Organs and Their Improvement Felix Grange, 1981

Sexual Health for Men: At Your Fingertips

Philip Kell, MD & Vanessa Griffiths 2003

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 20

THE WHITE COATs T

hey are very strange creatures, they are.

They roam the passageways all day, clad in white, as if to distinguish themselves from the hoi-polloi, the commoners, commoners like me. They come around every day interested only in the newbies, the new admissions, post intake ward rounds they say as if it matters. There is one though our master, some call him Sir. I like to call him Doctor. He is here every morning. He pretends to run the show and he does, well most of the time, taking blood, filling in charts, he even goes around touching patients. And what a show off, always wearing fancy clothing and using fancy gadgets.

Ruth Amunjela

Then there are the young ones, the “project-UNAM” things. They get picked on a lot around here even by their own faculty. I think they learn that way; they can be so feeble sometimes answering questions as if they are Arts students, they can be such a half-baked bunch sometimes. They have potential though. I like them better than the interns, the interns are clueless and they can really mess up sometimes, but it’s a learning curve. Learning curve se voet, admitting us under the title “patient” then using us as guinea pigs. Just kidding I don’t even have medical aid.

My favourite is the one called Chulz or something like that. A fierce lady that one, she is one of the Elites. And my, does she keep them on their toes the lot of them, the entire class of white coat creatures, except those of her class of course. Ah the Elites, the ring leaders I like to call them, at the top of the medical food chain – “Consultants” they are very…

I have to go. Joe in the corner is coughing, he looks like he is on the “Edge of Glory”, a religious kind of glory. No seriously I don’t know why he is still around considering he just kicked the bucket. The urine bucket of course lol. I don’t want to be around when he really goes though so let me go down to the vending machine. And then come back to wait my turn with the White Coats.

29

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 21

things you WILL learn at SOM/P

On Studying 1. You will develop strange study habits like talking out loud to yourself, or repeating stupid mnemonics every time you have to recall certain information.

2. You will learn that for almost any set of symptoms the answer could always be diabetes, pregnancy, SLE, or thyroid problems.

3. You will learn not to waste your time—if a certain study method isn’t working, you’ll move on and try something else.

4. You will find yourself at a table with a laptop, a tablet, two textbooks and several pages of notes all open in front of you and will question your existence.

5. You will realise just how short an hour of actual study time truly is…and that you can get almost nothing done in just an hour.

6. If you take notes by hand you’ll go through more pens in a month than you went through in your entire high school career.

On classes

7. You will learn to deal with being alone in the dissection hall, late at night or early in the morning. It will no longer be creepy to be the only living person in a room with 30 cadavers.

8. At least once a week, you’ll learn that 50 minutes is enough time for a professor to get through a 100 slide lecture.

9. You will learn the technique of coming to class and positioning yourself as close to the door as possible just to sign the attendance list and leave again.

On the rest of your life, or lack thereof

10. You will learn to not make hard and fast commitments, because your schedule will change. It always does.

11. You will learn that MOST weekends aren’t yours anymore.

12. Make no mistake, you’ll lose the ability to remember to get your oil changed on time, remember your mother’s birthday, or even remember what day of the week it is, but you can name all the interleukins or all the antiarrhythmic drugs—this is more important!

13. “Because I don’t have space in my brain” will become a valid excuse for everything from the reason you didn’t call a friend back to the reason why you forgot to buy bread at Pick ‘n’ Pay. 14. Sometimes you’ll laugh because there’s nothing else to do.

15. You will, at least once, have a break down where you’re not sure why joined med school in the first place.

Paul Nakashololo

On your family and non-med school friends 16. You will more than once have awkward conversations with the non-med school friends you have, or your family members in which you mention that you held a (insert random organ here) today.

17. You will be asked at least once a month by someone not in med school if your life is like Grey’s Anatomy/House/ER/any other popular medical show. The appropriate response is to laugh out loud. Or just say “No” calmly with no further explanation.

18. You will start hating anyone not in med school who claims to be “busy”.

19. You will learn to make time for your family, significant other, or the friends you want to hang on to. This will keep you sane.

The TOP 10

1. Learn to let go of your fear of imperfection—you will make mistakes. You will.

2. You will finally realize that you can’t learn everything—this is not high school anymore. You will always walk into a test without having covered 100% of what was taught. But it’s alright.

3. You will learn to compete with yourself. Yourself ONLY! 4. You will realise that if there was anything else you would rather be doing you should be doing it—the only reason you survive med school is because there is NOTHING else you would rather do with your life.

5. You will learn to rather laugh at yourself; it’s better than crying.

6. Remember that for the next few years, your #1 priority is getting through school. It’s not getting married or finding a boyfriend, it’s not training to run a marathon or writing the next great best seller, it’s not anything else except getting through school. If something else is your first priority you probably won’t make it through med school; you certainly won’t make it through sane.

7. That being said, life does happen. Sometimes someone will need you, you might fall in love, or you might fall apart. Just remember to push through those times and take the time you need when you need it.

8. You will realise that you are not alone—everyone struggles! Don’t feel like you’re the only one who’s confused, or the only one who’s freaking out about something.

9. Don’t EVER give up on ANYTHING. Keep fighting until the very end!

10. This is the most amazing opportunity of your life; you will love what you do!

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 22

A FRIDAY NIGHT IN CASUALTY AND OTHER ANECDOTES FROM THE BEDSIDE

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 23 The Art of Making Enemies Theo-Ben Kandetu During a Urology rotation in my 4th year as an MBChB student, I had the responsibility of clerking a male patient before a surgical procedure that he was scheduled for the following day. Although clerking patients was one of the regular day-to-day responsibilities I had on this rotation, clerking this particular patient stuck with me as it was a very hilarious experience.

I approached the patient as any good medical student should: by greeting him, introducing myself, and explaining to him that I was going to ask him a couple of questions (history) and thereafter I was going to examine him, which he agreed to. As I was taking his history he noticed my name tag and immediately asked me who my parents are, to which I answered. He then revealed to me that he is my uncle, which happens more often than you’d think due to my ethnic group (Herero). For those of you who don’t know, the Ovaherero people are well-known for procreating and having relatives in all spheres of life! So much so that it makes dating or marrying another Herero person extremely challenging as he/she could turn out to be a cousin!

Nevertheless, my interaction with him was great. He told me how proud he was of me and how he couldn’t wait to have another doctor in the family. We had a great conversation until I explained to him that he needed to “assume the position” for the digital rectal exam. My dear uncle actually started laughing after I explained the procedure. After he realized that it wasn’t a joke, he said in Herero “My son, you are not sticking your finger up my bum. There is just no way that is happening!” After having to explain to him three times why this exam was necessary, he reluctantly agreed. As I finished the exam, I gave him a brief report of my findings and that’s when I realized that I had made an enemy. The once friendly and proud uncle, who was telling me how he couldn’t wait for me to meet his children, was no more.

All that was left was a cold, devastated expression on his face. I guess I’m not meeting my cousins anymore?

A night in the famous katutura casualty TSL

It was a reasonably chilled afternoon on a certain month end Friday late last year when I, alongside two classmates, decided to hit the road northwards from our beautiful campus residence to Katutura Hospital to do what we do best: give a helping hand by trying to do as much trauma assistance at that particular time of the month. Unexpectedly, we were greeted by a very quiet and rather peaceful Casualty department with its forever friendly staff members. We took our place at the tiny General Surgery corner and sat for a few minutes discussing the day with the doctor there, who warmly welcomed us and jokingly took anger at our question about why it was so quiet, telling us that anything could

happen in the next minute in that Casualty. At around 18:00, it was gradually getting busy, although with relatively few trauma cases as we sat alongside the Casualty officer screening and discussing cases as they came in.

Approaching the 20th hour of the day, things were getting a bit busier in the department and the intern at the surgery corner asked for our assistance with the stitching of a few cases as she continued with admitting several patients. After some stitching in the ever busy dressing room, we heard an ambulance sound, alerting the Casualty department of a serious incoming emergency and ran to the resuscitation room where a team of serious looking paramedics were just pushing in a trolley with a young man with blood covering his entire head and chest. It was a very packed resuscitation room as every member of the team was trying to contribute to the resuscitation and stabilization of the patient, and blood taking and catheterizations, as usual were for us.

The team pushed in all its joint efforts and the young man was haemodynamically stable before we inserted a chest drain and prepared to send him up to the acute care unit. After the work in the resuscitation room, some stitching, abscess drainage and such, we were about to take a short break when a nurse alerted us about an incoming ambulance from an MVA site as the Casualty was approaching what is called one of the action/peak hours with regard to the influx of cases around 23:30.

As we were stationed at the general surgery corner, we continued seeing a variety of minor cases as we eagerly awaited the MVA victims to assist. It was past midnight when the ambulance arrived in a busy Casualty and the patients were taken to the emergency area where we were called and rushed to quickly assess them with the intern. The patients were relatively well and mainly needed some orthopaedic consultation. As we took a few minutes more than expected, the dressing room and general surgery corners were now filled with patients, most of whom were intoxicated and had thus lost a bit of their patience as would be expected. We were thus welcomed by different insults from all angles as we continued to help with the stitching work that is the norm at around this time in the department. It was past 02:00 but patients kept coming and all we could do was simply continue working, forgetting even about taking a break. Our fatigue levels had now peaked as emergencies kept flocking in up until 04.00 that morning, as we had to assume porters roles for some time and transport patients to the Big Room and up the wards as well. At around 05.00, we were so exhausted that we couldn’t wait for the next ambulance to the Windhoek Central Hospital to squeeze in and go get some rest.

Having spent almost 13 hours up and down, and contributing to the wellbeing of others, we left the casualty after 05:30 packed in an ambulance and dropped off at the entrance of a rather quiet SoM residence.

continued on page 37. click to jump

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 24

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 25

T

he Durban Invasion can indeed be classified as ‘the trip that was’. Memories (or lack thereof for some) were made as well as new friends and unforgettable experiences.

The bus left campus early Tuesday morning [15 April] and started the 30hr long bus drive to Durban; arriving at midday the following day. Upon arrival, the group was split between 2 Backpackers for accommodation for their stay.

Day 2 of the trip was mostly used to recover/rest from the long drive for some, while others went on exploring their surrounding areas and engaged in other activities.

Day 3 was dedicated to the Moses Madhida Stadium. A Segway tour of the Stadium was given as well as a chance to travel in the SkyCar where the magnificent view of Durban could be admired from the top of the stadium. While some students dared to go bungee jumping from the top of the Stadium, others went to explore the Stadium’s restaurants with its delicacies.

A visit to the University of Kwazulu-Natal Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine was planned for Day 4. A tour of the school was provided. Students were briefed on the university’s curriculum and a short lecture given on advancements in HIV research done at the university.

Day 5 was a day spent enjoying the water and marine life at uShaka Marine World. Students dared to go on the different Wet ‘n Wild Slides such as the Mamba Tunnel Ride and the Drop Zone (the highest slide in Africa!). Other students who wanted to be more daring went Shark Diving while others went a more safer route and went to view the dolphins and seals amongst other things.

The last and final day was spent at the Mall before having to hop back onto the bus and endure the long bus drive back to the mother land.

Days filled with fun activities and most nights spent in the infamous Florida Road, made for an overall epic and well-deserved trip that was definitely worth every penny.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 26

GBV Freeze-Mob To Hurt a Woman is to Hurt the Nation I try to fathom as I drown in compunction To lose a woman, a lover, a mother What vile spirits possess our men Our sons, our brothers, our fathers Land of the brave why do we our mothers slay?

Our land abashed with their blood as they lay Our communities tattered and in unison wail But as a people our mothers we continue to fail EmKay

Women and children have been victims of abuse and plagued by passion killings for many years in Namibia.

SOM/P students decided it was time to step out and be the “Voice” to the voiceless; to bring awareness to the problems of those suffering in silence. The SRC orchestrated a Gender Based Violence FreezeMob Friday afternoon on 7 March 2014—a week after the president announced a National Day of Prayer.

Participants were dressed in all-black-er’thing wearing masking tape over their mouths while frozen in various poses of submission and abuse.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 27

APPS FOR THE SOM/P STUDENT As medical and pharmacy students in the increasingly technological era of medicine, we have to know more about tech that is designed to make our professional lives easier. Medicine is and has always been about change and we have always been required to adapt to these changes. In order to make our student lives a little simpler we have a list of really cool apps you have to try out ;) Please don’t limit yourself to these apps as there are probably some that work better, this article serves only as a stimulant to help build your curiosity the next time you’re online. Also note that these apps might not be available on your market but there are other equally competent apps you can find.

Medical Dictionary Developer Platform

Nut Studio Windows Phone

For those moments when you’re in class and these crazy foreign words appear on the screen. You can simply type it in and get up to 3 meanings. Along with other competent dictionary apps, this app contains over 100,000 medical terms and definitions. It searches words in alphabetic order, suggests alternative meanings and acts as a thesaurus. Best of all its free and doesn’t need an internet connection which is a bonus for those days when your browser is on strike.

MedScape

Developer Platform

WebMD, LLC Andriod, iOS

An excellently detailed quick reference to numerous medical conditions, procedures and drugs. It mentions the clinical presentations, pathophysiology, treatment and management (as well as many other features) of each condition. A definite “must-have” that’s great for hospital use, researching or brushing up on your knowledge.

Prognosis

Developer Platform

Medical Joyworks Android

Want to test your skill at diagnosing, investigating and treating a patient? Then this app is definitely for you! Choose whichever field you want from the versions available (cardiology, respiratory, diabetes, STD, neurology, rheumatology, emergency medicine) and let the fun begin. A patient’s history, vitals and physical exam outcomes are given to you. With that info, you determine what the relevant investigations and drugs are for the patient. Once completed, your performance is graded followed by a lengthy in-depth explanation/ discussion of the diagnosis and method of management. With plenty of cases within each field, one would never get bored.

MediMonics Developer Platform

Dr. K Andriod

A great app for those who love making studying easier by using mnemonics. Whether it be to remember the steps in glycolysis; being able to classify heart murmurs or remembering the medication used to treat Herpes zoster – the mnemonics are very helpful. You can also edit the mnemonics and even add your own.

On the down side, the information is not sorted but randomly placed, making it difficult to know which mnemonics are available for particular topics. Nonetheless, very useful for studying purposes.

TRCapp

Developer Platform

LUMC Leiden Andriod

This app lives, breathes and simplifies pharmacology.

It provides basic pharmacologic knowledge: pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and drug mechanism in context of the pathophysiology. With the aid of diagrams and simplified wording, this app makes pharmacology easy to grasp. It is also a commonly used reference recommended by our very own Mr F. Kalemeera.

Physiology Learning

Developer Platform

Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Android

A good understanding of Physiology forms the basis of medicine. However, it can be quite challenging for students to understand important and difficult concepts related to the mechanism of the body. Keeping this in mind, Elsevier Singapore has developed the Physiology Learning app for medical students. This app will explain important concepts in physiology with the help of animations. It is ideal for medical, nursing, dental, allied health students and the interns preparing for their post graduate (PG) entrance exams.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 28

you’re not a som/p student until...

• you’ve heard “Minus 5, my friend!”

you finally get to the front you get told that lunch is finished.

• you’ve asked Quaye a question and he told you • you get kicked out of the hospital wards because to go and find the answer of unresolved issues yourself. between consultants and • you haven’t had an interschool management. esting conversation over • the guards stop you to the dissection table. ask for your student card • you innately fear any the morning you have a module that ends in test 0_o “ology.”

• you’ve been called uned• you bunk a class to preucated by a consultant in pare for another class. the hospital.

• you’ve said RIP to sleep.

• you’ve become the best at taking vodka shots • you’ve bunked class to amongst your non-med catch up on sleep. school friends.

• you study twice as hard • you’ve been informed only to get half the the night before of a big marks. event or big assignment • you’re scared of multiple that is due the next day. choice because of nega• someone from the tive marking.

Community Medicine • you have spent 4 hours department tells you you at Dr Adorka’s Saturday are not serious with your lectures. life.

• you get -22% for Phar• you’ve been chased off macology the grass by Wise be•

you’ve studied Animal Farm for vet pharm.

• you’ve failed a pathology test and complained about management.

• you have become Dr Mitonga’s friend.

• you come to class only for attendance.

• you have to fight battles to qualify.

• you’ve had to wait in a long queue for lunch at the cafeteria and when

cause “it’s high maintenance.”

• you’ve handwritten a whole assignment for Sheehama to avoid plagiarism.

• you come to class late and OJ says “You’re too early for the next class.”

miology assignment.

• you’ve been spat on by Mutabazi.

• you know what your window looks like at 3AM.

• you have conversation about abscesses and blood and guts while having lunch.

• Sheehama has given you The Glare of Death.

• you always end up talking about medicine in a non-medicine related conversation.

• you’ve questioned yourself at least twice about whether you’ve chosen the right path.

• you have contemplated whether you should get a prescription of stimulants.

• you take your books along while you stand in the long queue at the bank.

• you purposefully fail to mention that you are a medical student so your GP doesn’t ask you questions.

• you have been on PEP even though you know you are imagining that prick.

• you are excited about a patient bleeding excessively in theatre.

• you pick up your knife and fork like surgical instruments.

• every time you look at a guy with nice arms all • you get excited over interesting cases at the hospital you think about is drawbut you know the patient is ing blood. on their death bed.

• Google does not have the answers for your epide-

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 29

Volleyball for All The Volleyball for All day started bright and early. Our teams were Scrubs, Pronators, Sartorius and Tissue Forceps. Scrubs and Tissue forceps did very well and ended up in the second round! ALL of our teams were victors, beating out the Namibian newspaper team. This was a very fun day, filled with team spirit and support! We as, UNAM SOM and SOP came together forming a unity that no one can break! Let's see what happens at next year’s event.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 30 First Year Edition

A group of first years were asked to write down the answers of a few medical questions we came up for them; the twist being that they were not allowed to use Google to find the answers.

The questions were as follows: ❶ What is gastrocnemius? ❷ What type of condition is gynecomastia? ❸ What are fluoroquinolones? ❹ What do you think the acronym OSCEs stands for?

Their hilarious answers are recorded exactly as is below:

Press enter to search

1. damage to muscles of stomach and intestines 2. damage to the female reproductive system.

3. fluorine + quinolosence 4. ossesive secondary compulsive endescence

1. Too much hydrochloric acid in the stomach or too less hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

2. The condition whereby par t of the female reproductive par t is infected or unable to carry out its intended function.

3. Yellow staff found on the teeth due to too much intake or exposure to fluorine.

1. disease of the gastrointestinal tract 2. malfunction of the female reproductive system 3. fluids containing flouride used to treat fluoride deficiencies 4. Orientated Science Experiments 1. Lack of blood in the stomach 2. Abnormal vaginal growth 3. TB antibiotics 4. OSCEs -> Oral Scanning Cancer Elimination

1. Muscle in the calve.

3. Antibiotic 4 O - S C – Clinical E – Exam

1. Disease that mainly affects the stomach 2. vaginal infection 3. It is a drug

1. Immflamation of the alimentary canal.

2. Over-Growth of the vaginal tissue.

3. Anti-biotics for the oral cavity.

4. Organisation of Simultaneous Colonoscopy Engagements ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Removal of intestines 2. Overgrowth of reproductive system 3. Antibiotic 4. Open Speedy Clinical Examination 1. A respiratory disease 2. A disease that involves tumors?

3. Flouroquinolones These are drugs which contain fluorine 4. Osteon Stimulating Cellular excretion 1. Muscle behind the calf 2. Man-boobies 3. Too much flourescent liquid colon test 4. Open sound control …

Experiment Evaluation 1. It is an infection of the gastrointestinal tract 2. It is a condition associated with the malfunction of the female sexual organs or an infection of it.

3. They are drugs used to treat or supplement patients with lo flourine in their bodies

1. Gastrocnemius is the breaking down of intestinal walls due to too much gastric acid in the juice being secreted 2. Gynecomastia is the condition where by there’s an irritation to the female reproductive organs

first year edition

1. A diseas/bug in the Gastrointesitnal track 2. Something to do with a vagina (gyne) 3. A condition caused by a fluorine deficiency 4. OSCE’s Open sound control equipment.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 31

Welcome Welcome Back Back Bash Bash 2014 2014

What better way to start the new academic year and catch up with friends than a Welcome Back Bash! Smoke-machine…flashing lights…hot DJ…food & drinks on sale… The SRC sure know how to throw a successful party. The venue was jam-packed with First Years (who came after their White Coat Ceremony), the seniors, main campus peeps and friends of friends. The parting went on into the early morning with some people getting a little sick in the bathrooms; others having a dance-off—won by Fadelia—and many party-goers surprisingly showed their skills at sokkie’ing! 28 February was definitely a night to remember.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 32

what kind of

medical student are

you the quiz ?

HELP

heavily adapted by

Tax Shafashike

2

It’s the night after the last exam of the semester, you: Go over all the material you were just tested on to figure out how well you did.

Sleep for the next two days.

Lament about why oh why you only started studying for that exam the day before.

Let the drinking games begin!

3

You just failed an Internal Medicine test, you: Obsess about it for the next two days and go around comparing your answers with everyone else.

Get mildly upset but then say “Screw it!” and move on with your life.

Tell everyone who will listen that the lecturer has it in for you.

Whatever! You didn’t study for it anyway.

4

It’s the Sunday before the Monday of a big exam, you typically: Study at least 16 hours and pull an all-nighter.

Plan to study at least 8 hours and do so successfully.

Plan to study at least 8 hours, but end up watching movies/series, cleaning your room, doing laundry, and only study about 4 hours.

Totally plan to study for 8 hours. Only end up cramming for 2.

5 6

What percentage of classes do you attend?

85-100% 50-84% 49-25% 25% or less

Where do you normally sit in class?

You have a reserved seat in the front row.

Middle rows, lost in the masses.

The back.

Doesn’t really matter, if you even show up at all.

7

What is a morning [academic] meeting?

A great opportunity to learn from the practical experiences of the interns and take copious notes It’s where interns present their cases from the previous day A chance to wake up fully before starting the actual rou nd A meeting in the morning??

8

What’s your chosen speciality?

It’s just so difficult to pick only one. OB/GYN is so important, but Cardiology is just so fascinating. But then Orthopaedics is…

I’m still thinking about it Whichever one makes the most money More years of studying after these 5? I don’t think so

9

If the following occurred on the same day, which would be the highlight of your day?

Getting 95% on a Pharmacology test Having no classes, so you can study Getting your refund deposited Having no classes, so you can sleep

10

The Dean is going to be giving a 2 hour public lecture after classes. You don’t really feel like going, you: Attend and pay attention, maybe even ask questions if it’s interesting.

Attend and study during the lecture.

Attend and leave if it’s boring.

Screw that, stay home!

11

You’re given a list of people you have to work with for a group assignment, you: You volunteer to collect everyone’s contributions, edit the final piece before submission and pick up any slack from the other members Do your part, contact the group leader and offer to help Do your part, send it in but otherwise interact little with your group members Copy and paste from Wikipedia, submit at the last minute

12

You studied until 4:00 AM last night and your alarm goes off at 6:30 AM for your 7:30 AM class, you: Get up! School is serious business.

Sleep until 7:10 AM then rush to get to class.

Struggle to wake up until 7:30 and make to class within the first 20 minutes.

Forget it. You’ve done your part, you deserve to sleep.

13

How do you feel about wearing your white coat with the school’s logo on it?

I’m proud to wear it and I would wear it everywhere if I could.

It’s kind of cool but I wouldn’t wear it outside of the school environment.

It goes well with your coordinated school outfits.

It’s lucky if it gets laundered once a fortnight.

14

Mornings: Are wonderful opportunities to absorb new information!

Require coffee to get you through.

Zzzzzzzz Are completely irrelevant.

15 16

How often do you see your non-med school friends?

Barely at all since I started at SOM/P, a willing sacrifice.

Occasionally.

At least every weekend.

All the time.

Your stethoscope is: My precioussssssss!

A tool of the trade; it’s in my bag until I need it Around my neck when I go to the hospital/clinic. Gotta look the part.

Under my bed. I think.

17 18

What does the acronym GSA stand for?

Glucocorticoid-suppressible aldosteronism General Student Assembly. Or do you mean medically?

It stands for a free afternoon Uh...

When do you complete your logbook?

Within 2 weeks.

Within the given time period. Barely.

During the next rotation.

The day the lecturers threaten to fail you with a little help from “Sr van Wyk” and “Dr Smith” (hint hint).

get results!

start over

The 12 Types of Medical Students by Michelle Au / Michelle Au

1

Where are you most likely to be found on campus?

The library.

The cafeteria.

Finding a place to smoke.

You’re not likely to be found on campus.

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 33

CALVARIUM | 2014/S1 | 34

age: gerrit keyter

being an older STUDENT

Ok,

so you’re 22 and a fresh BSc graduate from the prestigious University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. You’re not ready to do the eight-to-five lifestyle and your soul is yearning for a deeper meaning in life. Marriage is not part of your vocabulary at this stage of your life and you find it very amusing that people your age can be set for settling down, buying a house and planning to extend their families. So, what do you do? Like any person who likes dreaming big and playing Superman, you choose to enrol for MBChB at UNAM’s brand new School of Medicine. And this, fellow readers, is where my adventure begins.

UNAM School of Medicine (SOM) isn’t for the faint hearted, or this is what I soon realised as I went to register (AGAIN, so I’m so used to it by now) for the MBChB course at UNAM main campus in January 2012. Soon I realised that it was going be a totally new ball game for me as I would have to lower my “mental age” as well as my “academic age”. Any older student who is reading this article will understand completely. It is like being in a psychological time travelling machine, but the world around you is in the present day. Most people you meet take their hat off to you for enrolling for this long course.

Remarks like the following were common: “Wow! You want to study for five MORE years, and even one of the most emotionally and academically demanding courses.”; but, there have also been abundant discouraging and weird looks and remarks towards your side: “When are you going to start doing a normal job”,” You can earn so much more with your previous degree if you start working now”, and the best of all “Medicine in Namibia – run Forrest run and never return again”. So, I am quite immune to weird remarks and looks at this stage.

What I am not immune to is being surrounded by less mature people. Ok, I cannot deny that it is quite an ego boost when you impress your younger female colleagues, which is really abundant at SOM! Now I know how it feels being in an all girls’ school. (Fellow female readers please do not be offended by this statement. If you are, I am apologising in advance). Back to reality now; this has definitely been one of my biggest challenges being older than the rest of my classmates. When you sit in class and look at the students with whom you share a class, you suddenly realise that your classmates were in Grade 8 when you were in Grade 12, and that some of them may even have been your “sot” in high school.

(Any student that was in Windhoek High School will appreciate this bit of information). Your world suddenly takes on a whole new dimension and you start realising what the real world outside university will be like. You will never again share an office space, hospital ward, clinic or any other work setting you will find yourself in with people the same age and maturity level as you. The sooner you grasp this fact and learn to deal with it, the

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"It is like being in a psychological time travelling machine, but the world around you is in the present day" better for you as a person and your career.

When I learned to deal with this, I soon realised that being older than the rest of my class will not only be beneficial for me, but fun as well. Suddenly, you are younger than the rest of your high school classmates and can get away with the excuse of “still being a student”. You meet a lot of new people from very diverse backgrounds and your understanding of the world you find yourself in gets a much deeper dimension and clearer perspective.

I have also experienced a more relaxed and professional attitude in hospitals and clinics when I interact with patients. The patients feel more at ease with you; maybe because they think that you are “already” a medical doctor. This has been really scary at some times as well, especially when the nurse in the clinic leaves you alone in the screening room as she is confident in your abilities of being an “adult”. (That was really stressful!)

Medicine, I do believe, is a course made for the mature-aged student. Being exposed to the university environment before and the world outside school makes the course more bearable and humane. This is also a profession where one should be a mature and responsible person, and this does set a big challenge for any bright-eyed, straight-out-of–matric-student. I really have respect for my fellow classmates in being able to accept such a challenge at such a young age in the society we live in today. Age is definitely not a factor as soon as you leave high school and enter the adult world, but maturity and your level of independence are for sure.

The sooner you grasp these precious virtues, the sooner your surroundings and the people you meet along life’s journey will leave a bigger impact on your personal life and the more in “sync” you will feel with the world we all live in. You might as well go and decide to study further or another course when you graduate from SOM. You never know what the future holds.

PS Enjoy the student lifestyle!

OF

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ailing at med school

rieda shigwedha

Failure. One of those words that tend to make us cringe at just the thought of it. We accept and are aware that it can happen to any of us, and its consequences are probably inevitable too. We know that because neither of us is immune to it, we accept it as a normal occurrence of life that we are all likely to experience at some point in time, hence it not always thought of as such a big deal. But is that really the case?

I entered university last year with one set mentality: I cannot fail. Whilst still in high school, you hear from many people saying that failure at tertiary level is really normal and this seemed ridiculous to me because my logic was that if you work hard enough, then failure shouldn’t even be an option. I wasn’t the smartest person in high school but my good grades achieved by hard work had to be a testimony that anything is achievable if you do it right. Little did I know, university had a completely different blueprint worked out for me.

Upon my arrival, the atmosphere was quite intense. New school, new faces, new terminologies. New me? Well, I must admit that coming to the first ever School of Medicine in Namibia gave me the chills, especially because only the best are admitted into the course. This wasn’t really soothing by the way. I guess when you compare yourself to others, some degree of inadequacy and low self-esteem easily grows on you.

That was me. So the year went by and I became busier and busier. In the beginning it was interesting and intriguing, but then the fear of failure restricted me from enjoying the content. I studied to pass, not to understand. In addition, I’m a slow student so I had to work on that too. By the end of the year, I had failed three modules and this was not really much of a huge blow for me, because I had predicted it. So it wasn’t really okay, but it was easier to deal with my failure once I accepted it and made peace with it.

I’m currently in my second year now (Thank God!), doing second year modules and repeating my failed modules. And trust me when I say, it is not easy but I’ve adopted a new attitude now and I believe I can accomplish anything.

The bottom line: university is an entirely diverse ball game.

You must have faith in yourself no matter what. The only person that can believe in you as much as you want to is YOU. Excellence is yours. Work for it. Claim it. You are destined for greatness…keep that in mind.

20th December 2013 This was the fateful day The day of my results My successful failure The day where in the loudest silence I heard His voice Felt His presence Wept to His touch Choked to His reassurance Ached to His empathy Smiled at His humour and rested peacefully in His faithfulness.

As I knelt down, in despair, Desperate to be awakened from what seemed to be a dream, I felt drowned, heavy, weak, defeated.

Simultaneously, The love of the Most High Priest Rested upon me, Disguised, As an avalanche of His cleansing blood, Burying me in a grave of comfort and healing So deep, I could not comprehend So deep, I could not arise, So deep, I knew i was going to be fine, Just as He had promised.

There are no words, no vowels, no consonants, To describe His awesomeness, No numbers, no digits, not enough zeros, To sum up His greatness.

My Deliverer, my most faithful one.

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A friday night in casualty

Latin name: articulation genus Medical name: tibiofemoral joint Common name: knee Specialty: orthopaedics

anecdote title

Top 5 Ailments: osteoarthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout Interesting Facts: •Babies have kneecaps made of cartilage which do not ossify into bone until 3-5 years of life.

•The knee is the largest joint in the body.

•Your knees that the force equivalent to 3 times your body weight with each step you take. When running, that increases to 5 times your body weight. Running uphill increases it further to 8 times your body weight.

BODY PARTS Nose Latin name: nasus Medical name: just “nose” Common name: nose Specialty: otolaryngology

Mannequin-8 “Anna” by mjranum-stock / mjranum

Top 5 Ailments: sinusitis, common cold, epistaxis, rhinitis, nasal polyps Interesting Facts: •Sneezing can be caused by sudden exposure to bright light.

•The psychiatric condition of extreme nose picking is called rhinotillexomania.

•You can always see your nose; your brain just chooses to ignore it.

•Men’s noses can detect the smell of women’s ovulation.

•Your nose grows downwards.

continued from page 23. click to return

matti kandjimi As I walked past a row of patients lying on stretchers, most of them moaning in pain, my attention was caught by one particular patient: a middle-aged looking man seemingly distressed or like the layman would say “looking sick.”

So I quickly walked up to him, and asked him in some broken Oshiwambo “Oshike sha puka tate (What is wrong, sir)?”

He looked at me and cried “Ohh... I’m dying” then the strangest thing began to happen: his eyes rolled up in one direction.

At that point, there is no longer time to waste. As a well-trained medical student who knows what an emergency is and what is not, I abandoned my log book, and quickly alerted the Casualty officer and his staff, and we pushed this patient into the resuscitation room, where his life was saved.

Calvarium is turning 1

be a part of it Student submissions for Calvarium's First Anniversary issue are welcome.

Submissions can be written pieces or photographs. Email your contributions to:

Anna

anna.hangula@yahoo.com

Ruth

ruthamunyela@gmail.com

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Lament o’ Pathophysiology

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2014 CALVARIUM semester one