CALVARIUM Bi-annual E-zine of UNAM School of Medicine & Pharmacy
One Year Older
2014 SEMESTER two
CALVARIUM One Year Closer
and that’s just the patients
Bi-annual E-zine of UNAM School of Medicine & Pharmacy
First Anniversary Edition
party hard study harder
Contents As always 7 Editorial 8 Team CALVARIUM 24 A Word from DAD Dr J. Sheehama
54 56 60 63
We Asked You Answered We Asked: First Year Ed.
Body Parts
SOMPhulness
INTERROGATIONS & INTERVIEWS 11 Mr & Miss Face of School of Medicine 2014
27 Reflections of a Doctor: Dr Annita Hamata
30 Lecturer Feature: Ms Nicola Rudall
33 Gender Debate
Dr A. Ntumba/Mrs H. Zaire
Humerus 32 The Strange Side Effects
of Some Commonly Used Drugs
44 Hostel Life 48 2nd Year Sleepers 58 Ode to Cadavers MBChB II
61 Music for the SOMP Student 61 Postcard to an Old Friend
medicinus scholasticus 15 SRC 2015 18 The Flipside
The Students vs Community Medicine I
22 A Change of Heart 26 UNAM SOMP Timeline 29 Are We There Yet?
MBChB III and the Transition to Clinical Work
35 Of Men and Medicine Gerrit de Villiers
35 More Than Music Andrew Kint
40 Another Friday Night in Casualty
42 Northbound 52 Campus Couture Bupe Zeko
55 Inked Skin
case presentations
10 10 19 20
8th Annual SCCA
39 46 51 57 59
Pink Balloon Day
Night of Bliss
USSS Pub Quiz
IASSS Symposium Carli Badenhorst
Hostel Fun Day
Xmas in October
Battle of the Titans
Battle of the Theatre
HOW-TO
36 Stalking 101
Bubbles Njombala
37 How to Write Like a Doctor 47 Caring for Your SOMP Student 49 How NOT to do a PowerPoint Presentation
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CALVARIUM No3
Prima Anniversium
Calvarium 2014 Semester 2 Volume 2, Issue 2
№3
Prima Anniversium 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 Writers Frieda Shigwedha, Alex Ilunga, Paul Nakashololo, Dennis Noa, Efemena “Efe” Ogbokor, Esperance “Essy” Luvindao, Fifi Tjitemisa, Ludwig Gaomab Photographers Anna Hangula, Dennis Noa Contributors Bupe Zeko / Monique van Alphen / Carli Badenhorst Sikunawa Ndoroma / Bubbles Ndjombala / Gerrit de Villiers Andre de Jager / Simon Antindi / Andrew Kint Chimwemwe Mwenya / Rejocé Theodore / Claudine Mostert Fransina Frans / Lucky Murangi / Monique Mrefu Redeemer Mpande / Alma Shimanda / Demi Doyle Sudene van Zyl / Llewellyn Titus / Seuna Karuihe Ricardo Santos / Dr J. Sheehama / Dr A. Ntumba Mrs H. Zaire / Dr T. Rennie / Nicola Rudall Dr A. Hamata / Dr H. Mitonga Special Thanks Taleni Shafashike George Muremi Iyaloo Shiimi Prof. L Barongo Elago Akwaake Human Anatomical Model Edward Cover Image “Anatomy [Quain]” by Alvaro Tapia Hidalgo
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.
Prima Anniversium
CALVARIUM No3
upper domelike portion of the skull without the lower jaw and facial parts.
It’s our anniversary issue—wait, what? Already?!
We are all ‘One Year Closer’ (PS. it’s our slogan). From the first meeting in the cafeteria to subsequent others in lecture rooms, the emailing, the late night proof reading, relentlessly asking for student contributions and crawling through Tax’s ‘not so short’ list of commands. It’s definitely been a journey, it was just yesterday we were sifting through names like Hippo-Campus, Campus Heartbeat, The Coronary and even the desperately unfunny ones like Pharmacist Doctors (PhD LoL) trying to decide. Oh and never mind the slogans ‘My campus, my dream’, ‘Capture the good times’ (really???) and our all-time favourite ‘In search of all things awesome’. We are definitely glad we stuck with CALVARIUM and we hope you are too.
As always we would like to thank the Calvarium Team, all those who contributed and all the brilliant minds who shared our ideas. Thank You. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without your effort, support and assistance. Then a special thanks to Takatu ‘Tax’ Shafashike for her brilliant creativity as well as to George; you have been wonderful. To the readers, we hope you will have fun leafing through this bumper-edition as we explore the semester’s happenings at SoM. We of course appreciate you—the reader’s—opinion of the e-zine. So hit us up on Facebook and tell us what you think of this edition and anything else you’d like to see. If you do happen to see a photo of yourself or an article you really like, feel free to snap a pic share it on some social network, with the use of #Calvarium of course. At the end of the day, the Calvarium has contributed much to who we are and we will always be more than proud to say, “Ergo collaticia ut Calvarium!”
Managing Editors
Click here to download Calvarium back issues
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CALVARIUM No3
Prima Anniversium
Alex
Alexia
Catherine
When not being a med student, Alex is watching anime (Bleach, Naruto) and loves playing basketball and rugby
When not being a med student, Alexia is going to Club Sleep featuring DJ Pillow and MC Blanket
When not being a med student, Catherine is dreaming about all the places she is going to visit one day
Dennis
Efe
Esperance
When not being a med student, Dennis is a businessman
When not being a med student, Efe is a Bohemian hippie and loves to get high. Peace, love and happiness to all
When not being a med student, Esperance sits for hours on end writing poetry and working on her book
Fifi
Frieda
Ludwig
When not being a med student, Fifi is hitting some balls on the tennis court
When not being a med student, Frieda takes pleasure in doing anything that doesn’t require thinking and problem solving. Sleeping best fits those requirements
When not being a med student, Ludwig is swimming with sharks in the Atlantic
Nomsa
Paul
Tax
When not being a med student, Nomsa is Zz…Zzz…
When not being a med student, Paul is trying…..to….. catch……………..sleep....
Senior Writer
Senior Writer
Senior Writer
Features Editor/Layout
Tax is not actually a med student (anymore) but spends her time stalking them via their email thread
Prima Anniversium
Anna
Managing Editor
When not being a med student, Anna is trying to juggle the rest of her life
Ruth
Managing Editor
When not being a med student, Ruth is usually absorbing fine literature, partaking in overly logical conversations and maneuvering her way through life
CALVARIUM No3
Bupe Zeko Monique van Alphen Carli Badenhorst Sikunawa Ndoroma Bubbles Ndjombala Gerrit de Villiers Andre de Jager Simon Antindi Andrew Kint Chimwemwe Mwenya RejocĂŠ Theodore Claudine Mostert Fransina Frans Lucky Murangi Moniqu Mrefu Redeemer Mpande Alma Shimanda Demi Doyle Sudene van Zyl Llewellyn Titus Seuna Karuihe Ricardo Santos Dr J. Sheehama Dr A. Ntumba Mrs H. Zaire Dr T. Rennie Nicola Rudall Dr A. Hamata Dr H. Mitonga
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8th Annual Stop Cervical Breast and Prostate Cancer Conference In July 2014, the Office of the First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Madame Penehupifo Pohamba and the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) in collaboration with a number of key partners hosted the 8th Annual Stop Cervical Breast and Prostate Cancer in Africa Conference (8th SCCA). This was the 8th edition of an esteemed conference founded by the Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation (PNBCF).
The 8th SCCA was held at Safari Hotel in Windhoek and was attended by hundreds of delegates and dignitaries from all around the globe including students from the University of Namibia School of Medicine (SoM) and Pharmacy (SoP). With particular emphasis on adolescents as the primary target group, the conference was aimed at sparking active discussions concerning matters of the reproductive system and ultimately developing strategic actions that will raise awareness and subsequently trigger the reduction of these cancers in Namibia as well as the world at large.
SoM and SoP students were exposed to engaging debates, deliberations and presentations by a number of highly-celebrated invited speakers and seasoned professionals. For the duration of the conference the delegates attended an expo wherein information was displayed and distributed. They were also then afforded the opportunity to network with their peers from all around the world. Sikunawa Ndoroma
C MBChB III
Night of
Bliss
The Night of Bliss was aptly named for indeed that is what the night of 5th September 2014 was.
Organised by the Christian Medical Fellowship the occasion was graced with the presence of Prof. Odonkor who shared a few wise words in line with the general theme of God’s grace. The night was filled with laughter, fun and joy but most importantly the sharing of God’s word and fellowship which also included ‘swallowship’ (plenty of meat to eat). Messages and music were shared by School of Medicine musicians and leaders—such talent! The final message was well portrayed in the ending highlight, a great movie ‘God’s Not Dead’. As A. W. Tozer puts it “If you have to be reasoned into Christianity, some wise fellow can reason you out of it! If you come to Christ by a flash of the Holy Spirit so that by intuition you know that you are God’s child, you know it by the text but you also know it by the inner light, the inner illumination of the Spirit, and no one can ever reason you out of it.”
Mwenya C Chimwemwe BPharm III
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CALVARIUM No3 11
Face of school of medicine
2014
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The 2014 Faces of the School of Medicine, Carli Badenhorst and Santos Immanuel, were crowned in the Windhoek High School Hall on 16 August 2014. While the theme was “Jungle, this year’s pageant was also held in conjunction with the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) to help raise funds and awareness for cancer in Namibia. During the Casual Wear portion of the pagent each contestant wore a colour representing a different cancer. Overall, the pageant was a resounding success made even more so given that it was planned from start to finish in only 2 weeks. The winners were crowned by 2013 Faces Marnus van Wyk and Shinene Steyn. Carli and Santos, both first year medicine students, found the time to talk to Calvarium for us to learn more about them:
What has changed for you since the pageant? Carli Badenhorst: Not much has changed; it’s back to studies now. At least now we know that we can make a difference through school projects, if we really want to... Santos Immanuel: It’s surprising and it’s a good feeling. As students with resources, we can do more than what we could do before, thanks to the title we hold. In your own words, what do you believe is your role as Mr/Miss SOM? CB: To promote school in better way, at all functions and events, with friendliness and create a good image of the school. SI: To be a representative of the school wherever I go; if people see me or listen to me, they should be able to see beyond what they perceive the school to be.
If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring? CB: Jodi Picoult’s “Handle with Faith”, a tent for shade and protection and my dog, Lady. SI: I would definitely take a good book to read from time to time. I would take music with me, that is, I would take a solar powered music player with me. And last but certainly not least, I would take a satellite cellphone with me! If you were a box of cereal, what would you be and why? CB: ProNutro which is a performance cereal because I always strive to do the best I can at everything. SI: I would be a nutritious, well balanced, energizing and healthy starter meal for all the kids to enjoy each and every morning. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently? CB: On the night of choosing the top Ten for FOSOM, I almost tripped and fell, as you would say in Afrikaans “Ek het amper grond gekoop”. SI: I was at the pool recently with a few of my friends for an afternoon of fun and relaxation. So we are having so much fun in the pool when I feel like I have had enough of the water and decide to get out. Without actually knowing, my trunks had been down to my thighs! And all my friends were just laughing as hard as they could.
What do you plan on doing during your reign? CB & SI: We would like to work with the SRC on a group project, where the whole school can get involved, such as an orphanage, and to make campus more fun by providing more events or platforms for people to socialise really get to know each other. Suppose you are a new addition to a crayon box, what colour would you be and why? CB: White, because when it is mixed with other colours it has a blending effect representing my personality; someone that likes to associate with everyone. SI: I would be another shade of blue, simply because I love blue and also because I think blue is one of those colours that always has a good childhood memory at-
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CALVARIUM No3 13
tached to it such as the colour of the first toy car you had. It is a subtle colour with so much power and might attached to it, and it looks good with almost anything.
If you were 70 years old, what would you tell your children/grandchildren? CB: Don’t let life pass you by, take chances because this is the only way you learn and just live your life to the fullest. SI: Enjoy life while you have it, but with that said, do recognize the many evils and temptations. (My grandmother told me that once). What is your least favourite thing about humanity? CB: How people are undermine others due to their social status. SI: I think the determination to dominate is the worst thing about humanity. It can be a good thing, it makes us develop and be the best we can, but often the means to which we are willing to go are the scary aspects of this. We as a species have forgotten kinship and care for one another and have become obsessed with ‘making it’. This has led to a series of unacceptable phenomena such as selfishness and ignorance. If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? CB: I would like to be a fast flying healer who can tell if you are lying or trying to trick me. SI: The power to make land productive. I believe the one killer of development of humanity is world poverty. With the ability to make barren land highly productive, hunger could be eradicated and those that are unfortunate will also have food to eat each and every day for their lives.
What’s your favourite language other than your ethnic language? CB: German, the language interests me because of the way they pronounce words. For example “butterfly” translated to German is “schmetterling”. SI: Spanish, the language has such boldness and rhythm to it. If offered an all-expense paid trip, where would you go? CB: I have not seen much of Namibia, so I think I will start where my heart is. SI: New York, the city that never sleeps.
Is the Face of School of Medicine like any other pageant? CB: Not at all, Mr and Miss SOM is not about who has the prettiest face or who is the smartest, it’s more about the character that will best represent the school of medicine. SI: No, the difference is that this is not about keeping up appearances but about actually having fun. It’s not really a public thing but more about you as an individual and what you are taking from it. The experience is what ultimately matters.
We wish to congratulate all the particpants and organisers (Go Liezl!) of the Face of School of Medicine 2014 pageant and wish the winners the very best for the upcoming year: Kiitwe Mbagula (first princess), Michael Rossow (first prince), Chantell Doman (second princess) and Chris Louw (second prince).
Byline
Any final comments? CB: To next year’s group, yes, it takes up a lot of time with practise but the experience and knowledge and friendships you gain from it are all worth it. I don’t look back with regret! SI: This is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. It’s not just all about the actual night that you arrive, but the time, and dedication that you put in, and of course, the after effects. It’s a good challenge. C
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Face of school of medicine
2014
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CALVARIUM No3 15
SRC
The student representative council 2014-2015
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Sikunawa Ndoroma
Sudene van Zyl
SRC
Llewellyn Titus
Vice-President
Secretary General
Secretary of Finance
ADMIN!!! ADMIN!!! ADMIN!!! Responsible for press statements, preparing agendas, writing minutes and availing them to all members of Congress; keep records of all SRC Congress documents and act in the absence of the VP.
In charge of the SRC budget and finances; to originate all financial documents of the SRC; prepare and present annual financial reports of the SRC and in charge of all properties of the student body.
“The Quarterback”
Executive With this portfolio it is my responsibility to co-ordinate the other portfolios within our SRC by guiding and assisting them in any way I can. I also have the honour of representing the students of our campus in any decision they make as a whole. Lastly I’m forced to act like I know what I’m doing as the Convener of SRC meetings... :-/ I don’t even know what “Convener” means...
“The Hand” Executive
The
“The Rich Kid” Executive
student representative council 2014-2015
Frieda Shigwedha “Miss Got-Ya-Back”
“The Window Dresser”
Alex Ilunga
Redeemer Mpande
Internal Affairs
External Affairs
Academic Affairs
My duties involve attending to all issues that affect the general welfare of students; to liaise with departments responsible for the social and economic wellbeing of my fellow students. Basically, I will fight for y’all :)
Looks out for the interests of international students on campus. Creates good relations between SOM and all other external institutions local, or international. Attends all international affairs on campus.
Responsibilities include advising the SRC Congress on the Academic Issues, co-ordinating the reporting by campuses Representative for Academic Affairs on specific issues when necessary and I represent the Student body on the University Senate.
Non-Executive
Non-Executive
“Teacher’s Pet”
Sub-Committee
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Monique van Alphen “The Grapevine”
Information & Publicity
Non-Executive The chairperson of the Media Committee, propagate, defend and articulate student policies and I will be responsible for gathering, analising, publishing and disseminating information among the student body. “Our story continues” and I am excited to be the voice of our campus in making Namibians aware of who we are!
CALVARIUM No3 17
Bubbles Udjombala
SRC
Esperance Luvindao
Recreation
Community Development
My portfolio is all about making sure that all students on this campus have a chance to strike a balance between working hard & playing hard. I have the job of planning recreational activities that aim at making sure students have fun, make memories and #TurnUp
Being the SRC for Community Development entails selfless devotion to improving not only the broader community but even the community of students within the SoM and SoP.
Demi Doyle
Alma Shimanda
“#TGIF”
Non-Executive
The
“Mother Theresa” Executive
student representative council 2014-2015
“That 70s Kid”
Cuture
“The Head Cheerleader”
“Home Executive”
Sub-Committee
Sub-Committee
Sports
Accommodation
One of my main aims is to develop a unified student identity on campus by encouraging student interaction amongst different year groups. I would like very much for every student on campus to be comfortable wherever they may find themselves with whoever they may be with.
I will be dealing with all the sports related events and sport societies.
Together with my committee we will advise the Student Body on matters of student accommodation; campaign for adequate and better student accommodation; and represent the Student Body on room allocation.
Sub-Committee
Byline
Seuna Karuaihe
Prima Anniversium
At UNAM School of Medicine and Pharmacy, and indeed at any university for almost any course, there are subjects that are difficult and there are those you can stroll through without breaking into much of a sweat. All things said though every subject requires its own level of dedication. One subject that is guaranteed to make you stumble through your 1st Year is the module collectively taught by Prof. Barongo and Dr Mitonga: officially it is called Community Medicine 1 but we all know it as Biostatistics. When you are a 1st Year student you come to the realisation pretty fast that this is the one true challenge you have of your entire first year in med school. We decided to get the opinions and thoughts of all involved parties—students and of course the lecturers–in order to show what both sides think of the subject and what they feel are the reasons for the lacklustre performance in this module. We first asked the students what they thought of the entire issue that is Biostatistics. These are some of the thoughts that were brought up:
Some mentioned that they would like formulas to be given in tests and exams. This concern is mostly brought up due to the fact that the formulas become too many and it is difficult toremember them all without mixing up a few. Thus the provision of a few relevant formulas would make things a little easier. Others say that the lecturers are too fast when teaching and are unwilling to slow down and when they do, it is only for a brief moment before they revert to their original fast pace. This makes note taking problematic as the students fail to grasp everything coming their way, which according to them is really where the problem lies as they feel they are not getting the full picture of what is being taught. As far as all the specific details go some students are
fine with the way things are taught, but this being said the same students feel they are not taken seriously and that there is a lack of respect for their issues. As sometimes the response to students asking for help is sarcastic remarks or comments. They find this reaction from the lecturers to be disrespectful as not all of the students—regardless of the them being 1st years—are coming straight from high school and thus dislike being regarded as such and being thrown in that line of thinking. One complaint that also seems to be that of the general 1st Year student body would like the lecturers to spend more time on certain topics and that new academic topics are introduced without them properly understanding the previous ones.
Another issue some students have is that that the presentations are sometimes very difficult to understand and that efforts should be made to improve lecture slides. Others still feel that perhaps it is simply the lecturing methods that are ineffective and that the lecturers’ should modify their approach to teaching. These are the comments and concerns brought up by the students as to why they think their performance in Biostatistics is not up to standard and that some of these issues have to be addressed in order to bring out the best in them.
Byline
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CALVARIUM No3 19
USSS Pub Quiz
The annual Pub Quiz hosted by the USSS was held on Friday, 3 October 2014 at the Warehouse Theatre. Students registered in teams of 6 and Dr Quayson was yet again Quiz Master, allowing for a night of fun, laughter and a lot of thinking as we competed to find the cleverest team! The HippoChampions proved true to their namesake and walked away as the 2014 Pub Quiz Champions! With this being her last event as the USSS President, we applaud Kathy van Niekerk and salute her for the role she has played in making the USSS one of the most renowned societies at the School of Medicine. van Alphen C Monique MBChB III
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1 IASSS Symposium, Cape Town st
Carli Badenhorst
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CALVARIUM No3 21
“Science is the thing that propels us forward”
- Dr Anthony Figaji
On the 7th of July 2014, 114 students from 17 different countries were welcomed by the University of Cape Town Surgery Society and the International Association of Student Surgical Societies (IASSS) in Cape Town. Namibia was represented by 22 ambitious students, this being the greatest number representing any university, even more than the host university UCT. This event was the first of its kind and kicked off with a bang. The expectations were high, and what the students gained trumped even that. The symposium was a 4 daylong event, from the 7th to 10th of July; every day was jam packed with activities revolving around the theme: “Global Surgical Pioneering”. A total of 16 events and workshops were hosted in and around UCT. Day 1: Golf-day and Registration The golf-day was arranged to provide a morning of great fun as well as a platform for communication and integration among the different universities. Shortly after arrival, registration took place followed by the official opening ceremony where each society had the opportunity to present on their country, university as well as society. Namibia was represented by Shinene Steyn and Carli Badenhorst. The night ended with a cocktail evening where a lot of mingling took place.
Day 2: ENT Dissection, Student Debate, Workshops 1 & 2 Day 2 started off with a live endoscopic ENT dissection led by Dr Darlene Lubbe, an ENT Consultant at Groote Schuur Hospital. Next was Prof. Andrew Nicol, HOD of Trauma at Groote Schuur Hospital, who presented “A South African Trauma Experience”. Later in the day, the Student Debate presented itself with intense moments of apprehension and fun. The house motion was that medical students in developing countries are better trained that those in developed countries to become surgical pioneers of the 21st century. The twist being that students from the developing nations were the opposition team, therefore representing the developed nations. Ruth Amunjela represented Namibia in the opposing team. Different workshops were hosted throughout the four days. The first was called “It’s not Brain Surgery” which provided an introduction to neurosurgery. A full skull and brain dissection was done and clinical relevance was given. All willing students were also given opportunity to perform a craniotomy/trepanation on a cadaver. The second workshop was “Another Day, Another Trauma” where students were exposed to basic trauma procedures such as inserting and removing an ICD as well as improving suturing skills. Day 3: Lecturers, Research Competition and Workshop 3 Day 3 started with Dr Jacque Scherman, a consultant car-
diothoracic surgeon at the Chris Barnard Division of Groote Schuur Hospital. He gave students a lesson about the advances from the first human heart transplant to new cardiothoracic procedures. Dr. Anthony Figaji, Head of Paediatric Neurosurgery at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, was another guest speaker on the topic of “The Brains of Neurosurgery”. Prof. Sats Pillay, the Treasurer of the International Society of Surgery, as well as the HOD of Surgery in the Polokwane/ Mankweng Hospital Complex covered the topic “Surgery & The Needs in Resource-Challenged Africa”. The IASSS Research competition was also held on this day as well as the third workshop “Sure, I Know What I’m Looking At”. This was a clinically useful application of ultrasound in the form of the basic FATE (Focused Assessed Transthoracic Echo) protocol. Students had to write a pre-test and therefore prepare for this session. After completion, a posttest had to be taken, with significant improvement seen.
Day 4: Global TopKnife Competition and Workshop 4 The last day started with the TopKnife Selection Test. Proudly, two Namibian students—Gondy Phillips & Josephine Andreas—went through to the Global TopKnife Competition in the battle to pursue the title of “International TopKnife Champion”. Workshop 4 was the “PrionTex’s Gaming for Surgeons” where students got a hands-on instrumental tutorial with PrionTex. Students were also able to familiarize themselves with setting up laparoscopic equipment as well as cutting and peg transfer exercises. The penultimate guest speaker for symposium was Dr Elmi Muller, a Consultant Transplant Surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital, where she enlightened students about “Pushing the Boundaries of Transplant Surgery”. The final guest speaker Dr Francois Bonnici, Head of the Bertha Centre for Innovation at the UCT Graduate School of Business, spoke about “Health Care Innovation in Africa”, a topic that touched not only us as Africans, but also those from more developed countries. The symposium was put together by a team of only 13 members, but what they produced amazed each and every student privileged enough to have attended the event. Words cannot explain an experience, but I can only hope that with this summary I am able to portray the amazing experience had by all Namibian students present at the first ever IASSS Symposium. Thank you to the UNAM Student Surgery Society (USSS) for making this possible! Furthermore, I can only say that the USSS can only hope to improve on this event and show the world what Namibia has to offer in 2016! C
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience, can never go back to its old dimension” - Oliver Holmes
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a change of
heart
Rejoce Theodore MBChB 2011-2012 “A change of heart”, such a densely layered theme to write about, especially considering the particular difficulty I have had in identifying the design of my life. I was stuck between being the long-haired, or in my case, curly-haired, strawberry growing individual who rejects all the conventional values (*&#@ the world!) we seem to have structured our lives around, and immersing myself in my clearly overachieving, Type A personality. I settled for both.
So who am I? I am a 21 year old lady named Rejocé Theodore. A former UNAM School of Medicine student; yes, a classic drop out, and I had a stint with law school for a measly semester after medical school. The plan was always medicine, since 4th grade, but I allowed stupidity and a hunger to be free to interfere. So instead of being a 4th year SoM student, I am headed to China in less than a month to start from year 1. This may sound cliché, but I would not have it any other way. I am grateful for a second (maybe third chance) to do what I truly know I should, without sacrificing my curiosities or cravings for the fringe. My current plan is to complete my degree in no more than the minimum required time, write the USMLE’s in my final years and hopefully get selected for a desired residency programme in the States. The end goal is to be a staunch feminist cardiovascular surgeon in Namibia with an appreciation for the simple things, like my baby brother’s unfaltering and comical escapes from a feeding. I can’t say that I have had a change of heart, maybe a lot of growing up and affirmation of what I, and yes my mom too, have known for the longest time.
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“I can’t say that I have had a change of heart, maybe a lot of growing up...”
Tax Shafashike MBChB 2012-2013 My name is Takatu “Tax” Shafashike, a first year Computer Science student at Namibia University of Science and Technology (no, it’s not a new place; it’s just Polytechnic).
Throughout my matric year, I had trouble deciding on what I wanted to study. I was one of those with good marks across the board with no pull in any particular direction. I had inclinations towards a creative pursuit but struggled to see a way forward with them. So when studying medicine at UNAM was “strongly suggested” I basically shrugged and went along with it. After all, how could anyone go wrong with studying medicine and moreover, UNAM SOM had already been vetted by my elder sibling. My first year was…pleasant. It was my first varsity experience for one thing, and the other was because UNAM SOM was an ideal place for an introvert like me: small campus population, quiet area and minimal external stimulus. Even more so, how many people can say they’ve held and dissected a human heart? (And a penis, an excellent deterrent to unwanted advances I might add.)
Things came to head when theory drifted over into practice in the second year. To put it bluntly, I quickly realised that I did not have the personality suited to dealing with patients. I came to dread Monday and Tuesday mornings as those were clinical days. So I re-evaluated things and opted to enrol for Computer Science. I’m glad I made the decision to change for both myself and any future patients who may have been subjected to my bedside manner. I’ve returned to my creative pursuits and have found ways to incorporate them into what I’m currently studying and, strangely enough, into what I was studying. Now if only I could get all those people who know I was in med school to stop asking me for medical advice; I left for a reason you know… C
Byline
t
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24 CALVARIUM No3
Prima Anniversium With the establishment of the UNAM School of Medicine in 2009 and with the opening of its door for its first intake in 2010, the country has so far positively associated the School with high expectations on health related matters in Namibia.
FROM
A WORD
DAD
UNAM School of Medicine: Its Greatest Successes
The pioneering faculty that initially only consisted of four members (Dr M Goraseb, Prof. A Naude, Dr J Sheehama and Dr Q Wessels) laid the initial tracks to the success of the mission and vision of the Namibian people in terms of medical training and health care services in Namibia. The School of Medicine was able to fill its Founding Dean and Deputy Dean positions in 2010, with the highly experienced candidates, namely Prof. P Nyarango and Prof. P Odonkor respectively. Despite the fact that the School of Medicine will only be graduating its first intake next year in 2015 there is so much to be proud of with this very young institution. There is the fact that the School of Medicine has established medical training and research facilities in the middle of Windhoek. The accessibility of these facilities by all social and economic groups of the population is in support of the mission and vision of the School of Medicine to provide equitable and accessible health care training for better health for all in Namibia. If you go to the regions like Zambezi, Kunene, Karas and all others you will hear a lot of talk about the “UNAM doctors” who have assisted the families in these regions, and these are the UNAM School of Medicine students. This means that the impact of the School of Medicine students on the wellbeing of the community is already being felt and is well received by the community, we can’t wait for them to graduate and offer professional services to their respective communities, especially in their regions of origin.
In 2011 the School of Medicine established the department of Pharmacy, which was only expected to open its doors for students in 2013, but due to the pioneering faculty at the School of Medicine, the organizational structure was put in place for this department to start. Despite the competitive market for professional trainers and professors in the field of medicine around the world, the School of Medicine has managed to attract professionals of high standards and from well renowned universities and hospitals. The School of Medicine has managed to recruit more than fifty staff members to cover the MBChB curriculum disciplines full-time and has made use of part-time clinical trainers from both public and private hospitals. The Community or Rural Placement of medical students is one of the most successful exercises which Dr Goraseb and Dr Lukolo have spearheaded so far. The community is given the opportunity to participate in the training of their future doctors, and the students are given the opportunity to learn more about the medical needs of these communities.
The School of Medicine programme has acquired a population of about 380 students over its first five years of operation, and has successfully attracted the interest of students from the wider SADC region and beyond. As medical professionals are a national need, it is anticipated that the School of Medicine will continue to enrol between 65 - 80 new students per year to resolve the shortage of medical doctors in Namibia.
UNAM School of Medicine is determined to make an impact on the delivery of healthcare in Namibia and beyond. We are committed to “inspiring [the] minds and shaping the future” of our students, our communities, and our country! The School’s mantra – “In the pursuit of Health for All” – enjoins us to vigorously and
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assiduously pursue issues of Transformative Learning for the best educational and training outcomes. We have, therefore, in addition to designing a curriculum that is relevant to societal needs, provided, through the generosity of the Government and People of Namibia, a conducive and salubrious environment and other infrastructural facilities to enhance teaching, learning and research. The School of Medicine has successfully hosted the following international conferences: 2013 – TB and HIV Infection Conference which was well attended by many local stakeholders and international participants 2013 and 2014 – Diabetes Summer School, by the Serono Consortium. 2013 – The Conference on Child Health, by the Namibia Medical Association 2014 – The Emergency Medicine Conference, by the Namibia Medical Association The most successful story is the participation of the School of Medicine in the Ministry of Health activities, such as its various immunization campaigns, the public and community health talks and education campaigns. The School of Medicine has also associated itself with international partner universities around the world such as the University of Lubeck, University of Hamburg, University of Oulu, University Of Cape Town, University of Ndola, Peoples Friends University, University of Stellenbosch, and University of Tufts and Washington Seattle. Successes have also been associated with the School of Medicine via the extra-curricular activities of its students. The crowned Miss Namibia for 2014, Miss Brumhilda Ochs is currently a second year UNAM School of Medicine student. Our students have also participated in a variety of different international events and have brought home good news of appreciation and recognition from various international regions.
Finally, the last and most important achievement is that the School of Medicine has increased the medical training sites in Namibia to the regions: final year students are undergoing full time training in Oshakati, Onandjokwe and Ongwediva MediPark hospitals.
We are to celebrate a great national achievement very soon, with our first graduation ceremony in 2015, and Namibia as a country awaits this noble day in which history will be made. C
Dr Jacob
SHEEHAMA, PhD Deputy Associate Dean UNAM School of Medicine
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UNAM SOMP TImelIne 2009
Inception of the School of Medicine
2010
First intake of medical students Ground breaking of the UNAM SOMP campus
2011
First intake of pharmacy students Formal move to UNAM SOMP campus Inauguration of Life Skills and Life Sciences 1 buildings
2012
Medical Students Association of Namibia (MESANA) formed World Health Organization Director General, Margaret Chan, visits SOMP First SRC elections First Face of School of Medicine pageant
Both male and female Faces win Mr & Miss UNAM title respectively
Cape Tour: students tour Cape Town, South Africa
2013
UNAM Students Surgery Society (USSS) formed Pharmacy Student Society of Namibia (PSSN) formed Tour de Falls: students tour to Victoria Falls, Zambia MESANA registers with International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences 2 building inaugurated First ever Calvarium
2014
First MBChB V group sent to Oshakati Durban Invasion: student tour to Durban, South Africa Miss SOM 2013 Brumhila Ochs wins Miss Namibia 2014 UNAM Diabetes Association (DA) formed
2015
First graduation
2016
USSS to host the 3rd IASSS Symposium
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CALVARIUM No3 27
My name is Dr Annita Shalongo Hamata and I studied at the University of Stellenbosch where I did my MBCHB from 2005 to 2010. My experience as a medical student was filled with ups and downs.
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REFLECTIONS OF A DOCTOR A good student in my definition is someone that really works hard to get good grades, acquires good clinical experience and skills, and is enriched by much theory. A good student is very responsible and honest. I was a hard worker and regard myself as a great academic achiever. I never failed but had days which I found rather hard. I learned to overcome those days and move on without many regrets.
Medical school was more of a study-hard-in-order-to-passand-move-forward type of life. As a medical student, one constantly has to study every day and night with little to no social life. However, my student life was a mixture of both: the harder I studied, the more I got to enjoy a bit of my social life; I personally believe balancing the two is what really got me through. I realised that keeping a balance between them is very important: if one does not take time out to relax once in a while, one either ends up failing or worse suffering a nervous breakdown.
On Finding Your Footing
The skills one acquires in medical school will carry one along the path of one’s medical career. One should always bear in mind that they will be dealing with vulnerable and ill people that need caring, empathy, and their doctor’s total dedication in helping them get better. One of the greatest challenges for medical professionals is becoming emotionally attached to patients or their life situations. Always put the patients’ best interest at hand but if possible also learn to put up boundaries.
As students, one may sometimes worry more about making good grades and completing logbooks than actually trying to care for the patients. After all, you’re focused on passing and moving towards becoming a doctor. The “good doctor” may kick in later rather than sooner for some. Gaining experience is very important; a person with experience is more confident and doesn’t put patients’ lives at risk.
Qualities that are essential in every medical student and doctor in my opinion are that they should practice medicine following the principles of ethics which are autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non–maleficence; and a doctor should also be empathetic, honest, and care for the patient. All in all, treat patients and others as they would want to be treated. It does not matter how much theoretical knowledge you might have acquired during medical school. If you do not learn to master these skills then care for the patient will be compromised. An individual’s personality does play a major role on how they conduct themselves as doctors. I’ve seen and worked with all kinds of doctors with different personalities, and I’ve noticed that it always comes out if pushed to their extremes.
Another quality that one needs to learn is competence. The amount of knowledge that one can remember varies from person to person. Good grades or not, there are certain people that just don’t forget what they learned in school and there are those ones that will need to read here and there as doctors, just to remind themselves of what they once learned. It is not wrong to forget but, always be truthful to yourself and to try and revise the areas that you feel are weakest or you have forgotten rather than risk the health of the patient. If one studies very hard through school, clinical practice becomes much easier—it made it easier for me to understand certain things by putting them into perspective.
On Becoming a Bona Fide Doctor
Becoming a medical doctor, I got to know real life diseases, cases and patients and not merely reading about them from books. I learned what it really means to be responsible for someone’s health and to practice all I had been taught in medical school. I also learned that medical school is just an introduction to what a real doctor does; it enriches you with the background, some experience and knowledge. I actually got to understand more things that one only can as a doctor during clinical practice; I have also learned many
Byline
On Getting Through Medical School
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vital to being a good doctor. Now as a doctor looking back I would say 70% theoretical knowledge and 30% practical knowledge as a student is ideal. Most practical knowledge is actually acquired when one becomes an intern then fully fledged doctor when practicing and witnessing real life cases.
On UNAM School of Medicine
The introduction of the University of Namibia School Of Medicine, I think is a wonderful idea if not a brilliant one. This will allow us to have our people being trained in our own country and in turn generate more doctors to help our nation. In addition to lowering the amount of money our government spends sending people to go study medicine elsewhere, it is also a way forward to becoming more independent.
Do I think the current students are ready for internship? Sadly no and I can’t quite put my finger on why. Whatever it is, I hope it gets fixed quickly, because internship isn’t a walk in the park.
On Balancing Life et cetera
How I manage to work effectively and efficiently is by making sure I separate my work life, social life and family life. Each of them has its own time and place and receives their own, if not equal, attention.
If I had a choice to do medicine all over again, surprisingly I would not take up the offer. Now that I’m at the age at which I want to start a family, things are difficult to bring together because of the little time I have for myself. More time is spent at work than at home. If given a chance to choose something else, I think I would choose an office type of career and not medicine. That said, I continue to love and enjoy what I do.
Money or the desire for status should never be motivation for becoming a doctor but, helping people and the passion to want to do so should always be the reason. When the going gets tough—and it will—only one’s passion and will can drive them. C
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MBC
As a medical student at the UNAM School of Medicine, one goes through pure theory in the first year; modules such as Biochemistry I and II, Epidemiology and, well, the list goes on. By the end of the year one seriously wonders if one is a med student. The only thing that seems to connect one to the medical field is Anatomy. In the second year one is exposed to a bit of practical/clinical work when one works at the local clinics. Though enlightening, it does get rather boring as one begins to feel more like a nursing student, and the rare sightings of doctors—more often just, doctor—in a clinic become the talk of the day.
Second year semester two dawns with the long awaited graduation from the clinics to the big leagues: finally, one steps into Katutura Hospital in the capacity of a second-year-medicalstudent-from-the-University-of-Namibia-School-of-Medicineeager-to-learn, and spend the next couple of weeks feeling intimidated and lost and almost missing the clinics. Not to mention the stench of naivety. However, just as one’s clothes get worn in and more comfortable, so does life at the hospital. There are, of course, spots within the hospital that one simply doesn’t care for. One particular section of the hospital that most students were not that fond of was the dreaded TB clinic, complete with N95 masks that they claim are to protect you, yet seemed to be trying their best to suffocate you.
After a somewhat anecdotal second year, one moves on, with much excitement, to the third year. Here, more of one’s time is spent in the hospitals than in class. One has to admit that it is a welcome change. It does come with its own challenges though, such as how tiring a day (or night) on your feet at the hospital can be. Activities ranging from clerking whole wards of patients, to time spent waiting and wondering why babies take so long to be born, and don’t just simply ‘pop out’. Overall, one starts to feel like one is well on the way to being a doctor and this is truly a satisfying and encouraging feeling. C
Byline
As students, one may sometimes worry more about making good grades and completing logbooks than actually trying to care for the patients. than actually trying care for new things I never knew in school.to Medical school is just the tip of the iceberg of what is seen in real life grades logbooks practice of and a doctor,completing but one needs the knowledge acquired through medical school in order to build on worry more about making good their knowledge through experience and training. AsObviously students, one both theory andmay practicalsometimes knowledge are
30 CALVARIUM No3
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Please introduce yourself and kindly share some of your educational background with us.
My name is Nicola Rudall but people call me Nic. I’m 35 years old, I’m British and I grew up living all around the UK (United Kingdom). I’m in Namibia now but in England I say I’m in Newcastle, which is in the North East of Britain. I went to university in Bath and did my Bachelor of Pharmacy there for 3 years.
Thereafter I did my pre-reg (which is the same as an internship) at Oxford Hospitals, rotating through 5 of them. Then I did a 3 year residency at the hospitals in Derby before travelling for a year, during which time I worked for 3 months in Kolkata, India. I then came back to work at Gateshead as the anaesthetics and critical care pharmacist and moved into my current position, senior lead clinical pharmacist: perioperative and critical care, which is in Newcastle where I’ve been since 2008. Share 3 facts that people do not know about you. I once sky-dived over a glacier in New Zealand, I play the piano; and I have a nephew who is very nearly 4 years old going on 14 years.
What is your role in the School of Pharmacy? I am a clinical instructor which is a new role, and my duty is to get the students out on the wards learning clinical pharmacy skills to see what we can do to improve patient care with the patients directly. What do you love about your job? I love meeting all the new students. They are all different people with different personalities and I love the opportunity that we’ve got to develop them and make them into good pharmacists who will be providing excellent care when they all qualify.
What is the most challenging part of what you do? I think probably time, because we don’t have a huge amount of time to get students out on the wards and to teach them skills. And I’m also aware that in the current situation there’s
not a lot of support once you are qualified, in terms of developing (although we are trying to change that). Basically, it’s seeing that we can get as many skills as we can in place at this point, but time restricts us in that.
What part of your job did you not actually expect to be doing but is a part of your job? I don’t think I expected to be teaching on so many modules. I thought it would be more clinically based, because everything I normally teach is related to things that I do. But yes, I’ve ended up teaching on things like inflammatory bowel disease or urinary infections. What are the misconceptions that people have about your profession? Well in this profession, particularly when you are on the wards, there is a perception that pharmacist are there to “police” and say “Hey! You’re doing that wrong!” But it’s not. It’s about maximizing and optimizing patient care and patient safety, therefore working as a team to bring that all together. In a nutshell, it’s not about us criticizing people but hopefully improving things.
What is your opinion on the drug shortage in Namibia? I think it’s tricky because there’s a lot of politics involved and I don’t think politics should be involved. I don’t think that people should award drug contracts on the basis of who their friends or family members are. This has such a great impact and drugs are such a vital thing of what we do to get our patients better and to get our population back to work. Of course you get drug shortages everywhere, including the UK. But what did surprise me when I came here is that the attitudes of the doctors are very different. For example, in the UK if you say that we’ve run out of atracurium but we could use vecuronium or something similar, then the doctors are up in arms. And then my response is, “But I’ve given you 3 different alternatives that will do the same thing.” If you say that to doctors here in Namibia, their response is, “Okay then. We’ll use something else if that’s the case.” I think it’s more widely accepted and people work around it. The point is, we shouldn’t “run out” of things. If you could be one drug, which drug would you be and why? I would probably be a laxative because I’d get things going. Or perhaps Rifampicin because you work well by yourself,
a l o c Ni l l a Rud
Prima Anniversium but also you work better in a team and you get rid of all the bad stuff, so I think one of those two. When I am not a pharmacist… I believe in playing as hard as I work.
People think that… I’m quite strict and mean. But I think that if they actually get to know me, I’m not. I’m fair and I don’t let people slack but I’m not mean. I’m not scary.
Have you done some travelling around the country? If yes, what do you love about Namibia? Yes. I’ve been up to the north, to Etosha and the Skeleton Coast. South to Aus, Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, Luderitz and Swakopmund. I would still like to go to the Zambezi region. Etosha is my favourite because I never get tired of animal watching. Your animals are more exciting than others in the UK. And I liked Luderitz too. It was very random and weird but I loved being near the sea. But Etosha stood out for me, even if the leopards didn’t come out to play. (haha) If you could do any other profession apart from pharmacy, which one would it be? If we are talking real professions, I’d probably do medicine, specifically intensive care medicine or A&E (Accident and Emergency) medicine. But if we are not talking about real professions, I’d probably be a travel writer. What book are you currently reading? I’m reading a book called “Speak Swahili Dammit” by James Penhaligon. It’s the memoir of a guy who was brought up in the middle of the Tanganyika bush, when it was a colony. And it’s a story of growing up where, although his mother was South African and his father was British, his English was really bad and he spoke Swahili. Generally, I read anything and everything because I don’t have a TV.
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What do you think can be done to attract more pharmacists to work for the State? The nice thing about the state is that you get to experience a bit of everything. You see interesting patients, who have a broad range of conditions, so that opens your mind to different therapies and different treatments and ways of doing things. And also due to the size of the hospital, you experience more things, as well. You get a much broader education. I’m from the UK which is all state. The world isn’t full of rich people with rich-people diseases, so you get a skewed view in private practice What is your advice to anyone that would like to pursue studying pharmacy? You have to make sure you know what you’re going into. You must understand what pharmacy is and get good science grades to do the course and be open-minded and expose yourself to as much as possible. Don’t specialize too quickly but follow what you want to do and work hard.
Any personality traits for “survival” in this profession? Work well with people, in terms of patients and healthcare professionals. There is a perception that as a pharmacist, you don’t need to speak to the patient, which is very wrong. You do need to speak to the patient. You need good communication skills. By nature, a lot of pharmacists are quite exact and precise in what we do, and that’s fine. But the more you do pharmacy, the more you realize that it’s not very black and white. Some situations are grey areas, where you need to exercise your professional judgment. Be able to reason well and weigh up evidence and consider the options. It’s not always about what’s right, but what is best for that particular patient at that particular time. We are not very good at “rule breaking” or bending the rules. Sometimes we need to think outside the box. There aren’t really specific character traits but there are very common traits. C
When I studied Microbiology and Parasitology in Germany, we used to skip generously over some nasty organisms by telling ourselves: “These only occur in Africa, and Africa is far”. Now look where I am working now! My conclusion? Keep on learning, the future might catch up with you!
Dr Tim Rennie
Byline
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you have encountered? I think one of the saddest ones that we had was when about 6 or 7 years ago during a winter. We received about 8 patients with really bad streptococcal pneumonia and they were really sick patients. And they were all young - otherwise fir and healthy. One of the people that came in was a woman who was pregnant at the time and we had to decide whether to give her drotrecogin, (which is now off the market but was a sepsis drug at the time). However, B there was no safety data as to whether to give it or not. We asked ourselves whether if she got it, was she going to improve? Was the baby going to die? And we gave it in the end. We looked at various bits of evidence and spoke to various people. And she survived but the baby didn’t. It was very unfortunate but we didn’t have much of a choice really because the mother always comes first.
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2015
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The NEW NAMIBIAN JOURNAL of MEDICINE
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The Strange Side-Effects of some commonly used drugs
Minoxidol Therapeutic use: vasodilator used commonly for angina pectoris (chest pain) Strange side-effect: Hypertrichosis
Hello Doctor? yes. charles tried the new medication. And, well, there was a slight side-effect...
Therapeutic use: H2-Receptor antagonist used for some gastrointestinal conditions Strange side-effect: Gynecomastia in men and Galactorrhoea in women Comment: Who needs to pay for sex-change operations when drugs like these exist? If all you want to do is control your reflux disease then use with caution. Or rather, opt for another drug.
Atorvastatin
Enalapril
Therapeutic use: Statin used to control blood cholesterol levels
Therapeutic use: ACE-inhibitor used in CHF and for hypertension
Strange side-effect: Amnesia
Strange side-effects: Anosmia
Comment: If you—a student with hypercholesterolemia—intends to write a test soon, these types of statins might keep you well long enough to live through that test but will not guarantee a pass. #ShortTermMemoryLoss
Comment: It’s one of the things some of us take for granted but if you lose your ability to smell to these drugs, you’ll be sure to miss it when you realize that coffee won’t taste as good as when you can’t smell it at all. Then, you’ll realize that you might as well be inhaling flatus – there’d be no difference.
Byline
Cimetidine
Comment: Well for ladies, as if having to shave your legs regularly isn’t bad enough, here’s a drug that will turn your legs into an overgrown lawn that you’ll have to mow through. In addition, it affects your whole body, so soon you might notice that the person staring back at you in the mirror has a slight resemblance to a mammoth.
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GENDER DEBATE
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Which gender makes the better health care worker?
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Dr A. Ntumba
MRS H. ZAIRE
From the beginning, men were meant to work and provide for the household and women to support men. In the past decades women depended on men. Nowadays, there is emancipation and women have demonstrated their capability and capacity to perform any job/tasks that their male counterparts can do. In spite of female emancipation and capability, when it comes to the medical profession, males make better professionals. The medical profession requires strength and certain values and qualities for treatment, care and support of patients. Men tend to value external reward; they further regard accomplishment as of paramount importance, unlike women for whom the emphasis is on friendship, family and equality. According to Di Doi (1996) males tend to regard freedom and accomplishment as important unlike women. Many will agree that the values stated for men will motivate them perform at a higher level to reach organizational goals and to provide patients better health through quality of care. All patients need attention from health professionals. The bonding between health professionals and patients creates a trusting relationship promoting better health outcomes. Men seem to have more time than women as they do not get pregnant whereas women will at certain stage need maternity leave, which may take up to three months, making it difficult for patients. The availability of men will address the health needs of the people in the community of interest in continuum of care. For improved performance and experience acquisition over time, professionals need to be rational; men are rational and strong. Being rational will better patients’ outcomes as a man would want to know the why and how of prescribed treatment or its failure. Furthermore, men had shown great humanity by being forgiving, kind and generous. Forgiving is of paramount importance to prevent communication breakdown between professionals that can negatively impact the patients’ care. Maintaining good communication among professionals ensures a conducive environment that provides exchange of ideas to better address difficult cases. Patients come from different backgrounds; they can provoke professionals that might react to it. Men tend to contain themselves and may react without emotions. This will allow the health professional to continue care of patients in need of services. In addition, men are risk takers; they do not hesitate to work in infectious wards such as the TB ward. Hence men can assist in any ward making it easy for a facility to provide quality services to all patients. In any organization or profession, leadership or authority is paramount. From the creation, God gave men authority over women and other creatures. With the natural authority within males and the ego, men are planners, organizers, leaders and controllers. As such, men will bring about good plans to assist patients. In addition, leadership requires good communication for counselling and education of patients. Men have great communication skills helping them provide information and education about a condition or medication to ensure compliance or adherence. In conclusion, being naturally strong with authority oriented nature, especially making time for patients with all the values that males have including good communication, the external reward and sense of accomplishment makes them better health professionals.
A good doctor allows patients to make medical decisions with confidence. This profession not only requires extensive knowledge of academic disciplines, existing diseases and their cures, but requires communication skills that will enable the doctor to establish good relationships with their patients. A study conducted at Mayo Clinic by Hitti. 2006 stated that an ideal doctor would be that specific person who is empathetic, humane, and personal among others. An empathetic doctor will try to understand the patient’s physical and emotional feelings and share the understanding. The Humane natures of doctors enable them to be caring, compassionate and kind. A doctor who is personal, tends to be more interested in a patient as an individual rather than just as a patient (Hitti., 2006). These attributes are associated with female doctors specifically and they tend to attract more patients as compared to equally qualified male doctors (Mayo Clin Proc., 2001). Communication studies in primary care indicated a difference in the length of consultation time of medical visits with female and male physicians. Females tend to have longer consultation of about 2% more (Debra et.al., 2002), as they engage in more partnership building, emotionally focused talk, positive talk and information giving concerning both biomedical and psychosocial issues as compared to males (Roter & Hall., 1998). The communication behaviours associated with female physicians are valued by patients and are predictive of positive patient outcomes, including satisfaction, recall of medical information and compliance with medical recommendations as well as health status improvement. This engagement allows patients to feel freer to talk to their female physicians as they feel less intimidated. A good interpersonal relationship between a patient and provider as characterized by mutual respect, openness and a balance in their respective roles in decision-making is an important marker of quality of care. Furthermore, preventive services such as rectal examination are stated to be carried out more by female doctors and the provision of these services is considered to be the hallmark of high-quality healthcare (medscape.com). A female doctor is naturally a mother who is more empathetic, nurturing and responsive and with medical training the physicians are equipped with the ability to have boundaries to ensure that they accommodate the patients and yet deliver the service. Thus there is no better health care provider than a combination of a natural mother and medical training. C
Byline
“This profession not only requires extensive knowledge of academic disciplines... but requires communication skills that will enable the doctor to establish good relationships with their patients.”
Of Men and Medicine Our bodies are not meant to last forever Yet reckless men mock death “Never!” And each day their body carries more weight But they all will meet their fate
Men will eventually fall All have a day when they are weakest The healers will then come standing tall And give hope when time is bleakest
With calm and focused mind They will do whatever they can with kind They heal our wounds with caring hand And place our shaky feet on solid land
They study the body from head to toe A task many think is droll But this beautiful machine they must know So they may make others whole With all their tools at the ready And in the chaos oh so steady They stitch and treat with their whole heart Because medicine is an art
- Gerrit de Villiers
Prima Anniversium
CALVARIUM No3 35
MORE THAN
For me music is a medium that can express emotions that sometimes words cannot convey. I guess as an aspiring and improving artist I’ve seen a great transition in music, from N-sync’s ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’ to Nicki Minaj’s quite controversial ‘Anaconda’. I think more than anything it’s disappointing to see that need to meet consumer demand and make profit has taken the place of meaningful and thoughtful lyrics. The reason why artists like Adele and Coldplay are so popular is because of the purity of their music, not just in terms of acoustics, but also just in relation to the general emotion and beauty behind the lyrics that people can often relate to.
I started playing music from a young age, I tried the violin at age 9 which didn’t work out, and then moved onto the flute where I greatly succeeded achieving distinctions in my ABRSM music examinations. Music opens up another dimension for me, that academic and social achievements just can’t offer, and that is the freedom of unrelenting expression, creativity and endless possibilities. I began producing my own beats and lyrics in 2009. With every new track I would enjoy seeing people’s appreciation of my hard labour. However God has given me such a wonderful gift that in 2011 I stopped using my music for my own personal gains and started became Christ centered, I started trying to write lyrics that people could relate to and that people could understand. One of the most important things for an artist is trying to establish an identity. It’s more than just stage name or title, which many artists hide behind. It’s all about developing your own unique style and brand of music. I’m currently working on my mixtape entitled Unending, which will be available for free download quite soon. Every track reflects the style of music I’m trying to develop, and most tracks tend to be reflection of my own personal experiences. You can search for me on soundcloud by typing in ‘Lil mic’ and have a listen and see what I’m all about. C
Andrew Kint Lil Mic on SoundCloud
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Stalking 101
Bubbsblog @bubbs07
@bubbs_07
with Bubbles Udjombala
I can find out a lot of things about a lot of people; especially when I’m crushing on that person. I’m no Kermit the Frog, if I have an interest in you, I will not sit around drinking tea all day, boo-boo, I will make you my business. Many people always want to know how I always get this right. Sit down little caterpillar, mama’s about to teach you some stalking tips: 1. Don’t be ashamed of what you are doing. Adapt a positive attitude towards stalking. The dictionary defines it as “Harassing or persecuting someone with unwanted and obsessive attention,” what this actually means it that you’re in the process of making your crush Submit To Attention, Love and Kisses (S.T.A.L.K)! 2. Have a character profile wall. This doesn’t mean that you are crazy or anything like that, no. It simply means that you are focused and you have your things in order. Make this as big and as informative as you can – no detail is too small. Find out anything and everything!
First, jogging past his house or along the same route he does ensures that you see him every day and it gives him a chance to notice you. This is a perfect setting for any RomCom situation. Also, jogging prepares you to RUN should he catch you following him in public or if he sets his dog or the police on you. 6. Acquire an Invisibility Cloak. This will allow you a lot of freedom to be around him unnoticed. Be in his room, watch him shower or sleep and he’ll never know you’re there. Unless of course, your crush doesn’t notice you anyway despite the cute outfits you wear to work and all the gestures you’ve been making – then ditch the cloak. You’re already invisible.
7. Do not reveal any information you’ve gathered (Exhibit A). Rather use it to guide your way into his 3. Befriend as many police officers and lawyers as you good books and his heart (Exhibit can. These people will help charges of stalking disap- B) pear and they can make sure your crush’s application for a restraining order will never be processed. Go on, call up Ndeitunga and invite him for lunch next week – thank me later.
4. If you are really serious about stalking your crush, when you go into stalk mode, you need to become someone else. Literally. With multiple Facebook & Instagram accounts, you can portray as many sides of your personality as you want – he’s bound to fall in love with one of you. You can like his picture 20 times, through 20 different people. This will also boost his ego. Use one of your many accounts to stalk the girlfriend – if you accidentally like one of her pictures (it’s so easy to ‘heart’ things on IG), 8. You look exactly the same when you wear sunglasses as when no worries, just delete the account, she’ll never know you don’t. Those are horrible stalking tools. it was you. Use a different number to check his ‘Last 9. Fake it till you make it. seen,’ on WhatsApp every two minutes. Picmix is the new Cupid. Let it bring you together. This could easily be Ronaldo running to hug me.
A
5. Jog! I hate to sound like ‘Women’s Health,’ but jogging has proved to have many advantages in stalking.
Happy Stalking!
B
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*How to Write Like a Doctor
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*More How to Write Like a Doctor
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CALVARIUM No3 39
Pink Ball n Day
On Friday, 10 October 2014, we celebrated Pink Day in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. The student body sold their Cancer Association of Namibia products. This year, however, The Medical Students Association of Namibia (MESANA) decided it was time for a more public display of our support and hence Pink Balloon Day was born! The SRC 2015 joined the effort and at 13:30, a wave of dressed-in-pink students made their way to the front of the Life Sciences 2 building and assembled into the form of a pink cancer ribbon and then simultaneously released 200 pink balloons into the brilliant blue sky! It is important for us to show our love, empathy and commitment as we are “SUPPORTING THE FIGHTERS, ADMIRING THE SURVIVORS, HONOURING THE TAKEN AND NEVER, EVER GIVING UP HOPE!” Thanks to all the students for their involvement and the Republikein and Namibian Sun for publicising our event! Monique van Alphen
C MBChB III
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another friday night
in casualty more anecdotes from the bedside
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A. de Jager It’s 09:00pm and I’m dwelling between queues of patients and am embraced by a more-than-occasional stench of alcohol. Here exists a multifocal reality, which is completely different to the one we know. A plethora of emotions and behaviours is commonplace. In this alternate reality, a parallel exists between feelings of incredible joy and despair, both for patients and casualty personnel. Among the multitude of gunshot and gaping stab wounds lies the possibility of life or death. What makes situations like these even more engaging, is that the aftermath is often encompassed in the hands of the attending medical personnel.
It’s an environment in which people are sometimes in their time of deepest need. I witness at times, how patients remarkably survive extreme trauma, made possible by an undisputed drive for clenching on to life.
At times, the experience is almost theatrical. Dull moments are few and far between, as hysteria and extreme malingering ensure entertainment. It’s captivating to see how hard some patients try to convince the doctor on call that they are on the verge of demise, just to be let down by their inability to maintain the contorted expression when the nearby doctor or nurse is peering unknowingly. It perhaps confirms the need in society for a soft reassuring pat on the shoulder and the consequent sense of comfort, that comes from hearing that everything is going to be all right. What is more, the exhilaration of triumph experienced while working in casualty is difficult to explain. It is reinforced by the sheer joy exhibited by patients that were holding onto their dear lives just a few moments ago to be greeted not only by a glimmer of hope, but a new life... Contributing to such an extraordinary outcome is truly gratifying and inspiring. This makes the dull, sad or unfortunate events in the casualty setting fade in the distance, in essence, camouflaged by the life-changing effects ensured by medical intervention. The patient with the stab wound is stabilized and smiling. It’s almost 03:00AM now; guess it’s time to go home.
SOlid and Shiny S. Antindi One Friday night I decided to invest academically and go kill two birds with one stone. I went to join the medical intern on call in BIG room, offer my help and learn some clinical procedures at the same time. This was in my 3rd year first semester (2012), during my Internal Medicine rotation. Upon arrival, as I entered the famous BIG room, I felt a sudden rush of optimism that this was going to be an interesting night. The BIG room was fully patient packed and the intern was friendly and professional. I greeted her and introduced myself. She straight away gave me the orders that I should take the history from the next patient, examine and come up with my differential diagnosis. I started
“At times the experience is almost theatrical. Dull moments are few and far between...” doing this, progress was good until one Sister asked for my assistance to do a phlebotomy for another patient who was acutely ill and needed to go to the acute care unit. I did the phlebotomy successfully with the skills I had mastered at Hakahana clinic when in my 2nd year and then I resumed with clerking.
The Doctor finished admitting her patient and then joined me, by this time I was doing the final touches in my physical examination. I presented the patient and we came up with the working diagnosis. We admitted the patient, collected blood, put up an IV line and the cycle continued. Some of the patients were stable and were managed as outpatients. At around 23H20, we received a call from Casualty to go attend to a patient in the resuscitation room. I rushed behind my intern with enthusiasm, going to save a life I was excited. We reached the resuscitation room, where the nurse was waiting for us and busy putting up IV line. We were briefed about the patient; it was a 43 year old female who tried to commit suicide by ingesting an unknown quantity of pills after a quarrel with the fiancée while they were out drinking heavily. We could not establish the name of the pills taken but on examination the patient was semi-comatose, tachycardic and slightly hypotensive. We initiated the resuscitation process, with the ABC principles. We secured the airway by intubation and I helped with urinary catheterization.
While we were busy with resuscitation, one family member came in with the pills container of which the patient ingested. I do not remember the name but it was a combined analgesic and one of the ingredients was acetaminophen, and from that my intern decided to initiate the N-acetylcysteine infusion right away. We were busy administering the antidote when the patient decided to relieve herself of her gastrointestinal problems. She was lying in the right lateral decubitus position and we were standing at her posterior aspect. She passed a very big, solid, foul-smelling, shiny stool. It happened so fast, in a millisecond this stool was in my hands and for a few seconds I froze I did not know what to do with it. I could not drop it on the floor. After a few seconds I dropped it in a rubbish bin after the Sister directed me as she saw I was shocked and traumatised. The patient recovered well after 2 days she was discharged through a social worker. From this day whenever this intern (now a Medical Officer) sees me she has a big grin on her face. She gives me priority for procedures and she gives me all the signatures that I need anytime. Lesson: Choose one Friday night to go on call, it is interesting. C
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NORTHBOUND
This year was a rather different year for the fifth year medical students, because they spent half of it working in the north. They were split into two groups; where one group would spend a semester in the north, then alternate with the second group, and spend the second semester in Windhoek. Here are some of their personal experiences.
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There are a great number of patients with a diverse disease burden, especially because of the proximity to the Angolan border and thus we saw a lot of new and fascinating activities as far as clinical medicine and practice is concerned. The doctors always allowed us to be part of the team in all rotations and took time to always provide tutorials and seminars to enhance our teaching. The preparations with regards to accommodation and transport were well done. I would wholeheartedly like to thank the school for the opportunity to having expanded our training to this part of the country and would definitely return to contribute to the great work that’s being done there and elsewhere in the future.
Simon Antindi
On a positive note, these are some of the important lessons I have learned: I learned to classify and organise my thoughts before I answer a question. I assisted in theatre about 20 times as the assistant surgeon during my Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynaecology rotation. I can confidently say my hand is stable and comfortable with the scissors and the stitches. I delivered more than 10 babies. My hands are now also very comfortable in the labour room; they know what to look for. I learned that medicine is a very demanding field and should not be taken for granted; one has to continuously work every day.
The doctors were very welcoming and easy to talk to. I came to realize that some doctors are very passionate with their patients and they may literary give a punch if the patients are mistreated or mismanaged. All the doctors were eager to teach us. Community members and patients were proud of us. They encouraged us to study hard.
“This was the best experience of my medical school, but it could be better” On a negative note: I learned that there are many challenges and setbacks that the hospitals face due to insufficient financial support. Oshakati Hospital is overwhelmed by referral patients from the regions with minor conditions which could be managed at the districts levels. The doctors are overworked and patient management/ quality of care is sometimes compromised in the process.
This was the best experience of my medical school, but it could be better. Structures and guidance from the faculty need to be strengthened. If the School could come up with timetable or schedule in consultation with the Specialist doctors in the north, things shall improve greatly. The schedule should also try to involve rotation at Medi-Park Private Hospital. There were several invitations to attend medical presentations at Medi-Park but the students had pre-scheduled duties at IHO or OKWE. The School, the Heads of Departments or course coordinators should design guidance documents/ templates for the doctors involved in teaching the students in the North. All the doctors are willing to teach but some end up not knowing what to do with the students for 2 weeks.
Fransina Frans
Initially, most of us thought it was a bad idea. We were reluctant to go, but once we got there we had and amazing experience. It was a rather different atmosphere compared to Windhoek. There was no politics and everyone was very welcoming, doctors and nurses alike. They were also very eager to teach us and as a result we have seen many cases that we’d never come across in Windhoek, and we’ve learnt a lot. Overall, it was a really good idea to send us there. C
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Tjamena Lucky Murangi
The past 6 months or so in northern Namibia have been a life changing experience and the major highlight of my entire medical school career thus far. The teaching, clinical skills and knowledge acquired during this period have really been overwhelming and have contributed considerably to my professional maturity in this noble profession. The reception from the healthcare workers at Oshakati Intermediate, Onandjokwe Lutheran and Ongwediva Medipark hospitals have at all times been great and encouraging for us.
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surviving
do not disturb
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There was this one day I got home and a certain blockmate was using a rather large amount of milk. A few hours later I opened the fridge they had used and to my surprise there was only one box of milk-MINE!
“Did you hear about the public lecture?” “What is it about?” “There are refreshments.” ***END OF CONVERSATION***
So I enter the kitchen to serve me a plate to eat. My plate has mysteriously disappeared from the kitchen. FIve days later it’s still missing. Three weeks later I find it in my housemate’s bedroom drawer. He was surprised that it wasn’t his. Like WHY? There is nothing like coming home at 3 AM and finding the security guards fast asleep and the hostel entrance gate wide open. One day I went to the kitchen to make coffee. I looked down and a mouse staring at me... So for 3 seconds there as this awkward moment where we were just staring at each other. I named him Billy lol.
I’ve lived in the SOM hostel for almost 2 years. It’s not the worst life to live, but everyone’s who stays in the hostel knows that like any other life, hostel life also has its awkward moments. Here are my top 5: 1. Not locking my door when I should have. People have walked in on my rechoreographing music videos in the mirror, scolding my pet fish & getting dressed.
2. Have you ever tried to get an early start to your weekend? You walk into the corridor and catch a complete stranger taking their first steps of the walk of shame? You try to give them that, “You shouldn’t be here” look but it’s kinda hard to do when you’re standing in a towel, holding a face cloth. 3. Walking in on someone stealing your food.
4. When your body finally decides to let go of the Indian food you had last night. You know there’s that perfect window when you can get it all out, but when you get to the bathroom, the cleaner has JUST mopped it & she gives you that ‘Don’t you dare’ stare.
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5. That (more than) one time I walk through the hostel gate with my older sister. The security guard lets her waltz right in & he tells ME to sign myself in. Hello! I’m the one that lives here! C
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HOSTEL FUN DAY
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The SoM hostel was named The Cranial Volt. Although the actual hostel naming ceremony hasn’t yet taken place, a Hostel Fun Day held on 30 August to commemorate it. The Fun Day started around noon and included games, quizzes, food, drinks, music and prizes up for grabs—the works. There was even a mass Ice Bucket Challenge with a total of six brave volunteers. Unfortunately, this doesn’t yet seem to have made it onto YouTube. The whole event attracted a healthy turn out, and was overall a resounding success.
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SOMP STUDENT Congratulations on your medical/pharmacy student! Before you can start reaping the benefits of free medical advise on tap (whether you actually want it or not) it’s very important to properly care for your medical student to help them through the daily trials they face.
Studying AKA “Training”
Your med student will need to study. A lot. So much so that you may begin to feel neglected. Don’t make them feel guilty for that, they probably feel bad enough about it already.
In fact, encourage your med student to study. Encourage. Not enforce. This doesn’t mean hover over them while they’re making their notes, but you can be in the same room if they’ll allow it doing your own thing so they don’t feel so isolated sometimes (it’s lonely being up at 3AM studying the pathopsyiology of the eye). Help quiz them if they’ll let you, proof read their 30 page research proposal even if you don’t understand half of what they’re talking about. Be their alarm clock if they ask you to. Surprise them with a cup of coffee or decent snack. Every little bit helps.
PRAISE
Communication
Med schools in general have a different way of measuring things. So 67% may look average, but to a SOMP student for something like Pharmacology that could be rather impressive. Learn the differences and praise them for it. Your SOMP student is his/her own biggest critic so it’s important that you keep them motivated when they’re beating themselves up about messing up an answer in a test or during a rotation (“Hey, at least you’ll never get it wrong again” after being chewed out by the Consultant).
Show a genuine interest in what they’re doing. Ask them to explain terms and conditions to you in plain English (be warned they may get carried away with this). Ask how their day and classes went, being as specific about modules and lecturers as you can be (“Prof Hunter sprung a quiz on you guys again?!”)
AKA “Good Med Student”
discipline
AKA “Bad Med Student” Yes, the day will come when your SOMP student will be out there saving lives and making medical and pharmacological discoveries. But that doesn’t mean that just because you have more free time that you should drop whatever you’re doing whenever they decide they’d like to do something normal. Don’t let them use the “I’m a Med Student” card as an excuse for not considering your feelings.
AKA “Woof Woof”
Clinic visits and hospital rotations open them up to real life cases some of which can be hard on your med student. Asking them to talk about it helps them work through their feelings about various situations.
AKA “Woof Woof Meow”
Be your med student’s connections to the outside world and remind them occassionally that something other than med school exists. Talk to them about “normal” things, do “normal” things. What we non-SOMP people often take for granted may be a treat for your SOMP student. C
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KEEPING SHEEP IN BUSINESS since 2013
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Xmas in October Xmas in October - the year end event for the SoM hostel was held on 4 October 2014 with a Chinese new year theme.
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Campus COUTURe University has always been portrayed as the time in our lives where we are free from most responsibilities, free to express ourselves. The one thing that many can agree on is the freedom from school uniforms! Whether it was gray, blue, white, or even yellow, green and red, you had to wear your uniform, ironed and tucked in. However, when it comes to being in the School of Medicine/Pharmacy, things are a bit different. We still have a piece of uniform that defines our group of students: The White Lab Coat. What’s underneath it? Is completely under our control!
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Hair Whatever style it’s in, DO have hair that’s on point. DON’T let a bad hair day ruin a great outfit! DO remember that headbands, hair ties and scarves can save the day.
Tops DO wear what makes you comfortable. DON’T think less is more, in this school more is always better. Accessories DO use the less is more method, the simplest of jewellery can make the biggest impact.
Bottoms DON’T wear anthing too short. DO have clothes that fit your body.
Shoes DO know that confort is more important than looking good! DON’T wear shoes you have problems walking in.
Dr Her
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Campus COUTURe
Hair DO make sure your hair is kept neat. DON’T have a bushy beard! (Unless you can pull it off then it can become a DO.)
Shirts DON’’t wear a vest (unless it’s UNDER a shirt). DO have T-shirts that DON’t have rude or inappropriate logos. DO own at least 3 button-down shirts. DO refrain from wearing the hood of your hoodie (especially in class).
Accessories DO have a watch. DO wear wristbands that either hold sentimental value or positive messages, DON’T have earrings.
Pants DON’T wear pants that are too tight. DO try experimenting with different types of pants (not just denims).
Shoes DO have a solid pair of comfortable black shoes. DON’T wear bathroom slippers!
Dr Him
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What quotes got you through 2014?
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Believe
inked skin
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“Breast cancer hasn’t skipped a generation on my mom’s side of the family… It’s the “believe”/ belief to go for regular check-ups, screening...fighting the disease”
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What song lyrics best describe how the year has been?
I’m an overcomer Fighting til the final round x Overcomer Mandisa u Rosalia Shuuya
I know I’ve got a long way to go But I’m just getting started
x Me Myself and Time Demi Lovato u Olivia Fikameni
You can be amazing You can turn a phrase Into a weapon or drug x Brave Sara Bareilles u Tracey Shaahamange
This is my Vietnam I’m at war Life keeps on dropping bombs and I keep score x Vietnam Pink u Isabelle Fourie
I’m on top of the world Been waiting on this since I was a child Been paying my dues to the dirt
x I’m on Top of the World Imagine Dragons u Given Sishekano
x Drunk in Love Beyonce ft. Jay-Z u Anonymous
I’ve never feared death or dying I only fear never trying
x We Own It 2Chainz & Wiz Khalifa u Anonymous
All that we suffer through Leads to determination The trials we go through Give us the strength to carry on x In Due Time Killswitch Engage u Chantell Theart
You see the world in black and white No colour or light You think you’ll never get it right But you’re wrong, you might x Low Coldplay u Mary Amweelo
Today I don’t feel like doing anything I just wanna lay in my bed x The Lazy Song Bruno Mars u Tashinga
I tried so hard And got so far But in the end It doesn’t even matter
x In the End Linkin Park u Santos Immanuel
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x Titanium David Guetta ft. Sia u Kellané de Klerk
I’ve been drinking... I’ve been drinking
first year edition
Shoot me down But I won’t fall I am Titanium
Prima Anniversium I reserve my right to be uncomfortable I reserve my right to be afraid Imake mistakes and I am humbled Every step of the way I want to be a better person I wanna know the master plan Cast your stones, cast your judgement You don’t make me who I am x Sometime You’re the Hammer Sometimes You’re the Nail A Day to Remember u Dané Nel
We will make it Although we don’t know how
x Feels Like Coming Home Jetta u Olivia Mabuku
I came in like a wrecking ball x Wrecking Ball Miley Cyrus u Martha Jona
I don’t wanna go there We should never go there (damn) x Don’t Judge Me Chris Brown u Olivia Fikameni
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Afternoon lecturers be like Four o’clock and we ain’t going home
If at first you don’t succeed Dust yourself off and try again
I found it hard It’s hard to find Oh well, whatever, nevermind
I learned working with the negatives can make for better pictures
x Pour it Up Rihanna u Albertina Kalyenge
x Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana u Anita Mufaya
Nobody said it was easy Nobody said it would be this hard x The Scientist Coldplay u Isabella Moses
I’m so so high and I’m so so tired
x Koko Gazza ft. Sunny Boy u Lahja Iiyambo
Try your best Don’t look back Look forward
x Siwelewele u Victoria Ashipala
x Try Again Aaliyah u Katrina Nahungi
x HYFR Drake ft. Lil Wayne u Kamonga James
Block mates be like Lend me some sugar I am your neighbour
x Hey Ya Outkast u Julita-kitwe Mbangula
Not really sure how to feel about it x Stay Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko u Aloisia Nangombe
I’ll survive you! Even with all these wounds I’m alright x I’ll Survive You BC Jean u Yivienne Hakaaje
battle of the
TITANS The Battle of the Titans marked a new journey for the Pharmacy Student Society of Namibia (PSSN) as one of its first annual traditions. The occasion was an opportunity for both medical and pharmacy students to get together for fun whilst trying to prove they had paid attention in Pharmacology. In the opening round the contestants were asked quick fire questions, adrenaline rushing through them as they all tried to hit the buzzer first. The rest of the competition also included a general knowledge round. When all was said and done, the judges rounded up the scores and announced Team Amphetamines as the winners of the first ever Battle of the Titans. C Angelique Mrefu C BPharm II
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Ode to Cadavers MBChB II
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BATTLE OF THE THEATRE
The second annual UNAM Student Surgery Society (USSS) Surgeons’ Debate was held on the 4th of September 2014. This year the battle was fought between Team Orthopaedics—Dr van der Horst, Dr Rigalado and Dr Walters—and Team Anaesthesia made up of Dr Obholzer and his partner. Introductory statements set the tone for the evening’s debate with both teams making striking comments and laying the foundation of what their angle would be in pursuit of being named the Kings of the Theatre. A rapid fire question session followed where 10 questions were posed to each team. Dr van der Horst and his team entertained the audience with witty answers and quirky videos, thereby cementing their case for Team Orthopaedics and winning the debate. Sapientia Manaque Apta! Monique van Alphen
C MBChB III
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Tongue Latin name: Lingua Medical name: Lingulus Common names: Tongue Speciality: Otolaryngology/ ENT Top 5 Ailments: Leukoplakia, Oral thrush, Geographic tongue, Strawberry tongue, Hairy tongue Some Interesting Facts: Women have shorter tongues than men. The longest female tongue was 2.76 inches long. The five known tastes detected by taste buds are: Bitter, Sour, Salty, Sweet, and Umami. The saying “cat got your tongue” originated 2500 years ago in ancient Assyria where conquered soldiers and criminals had their tongues cut out and fed to the king’s cats. The hardest tongue twister in the English language (according to Guinness World Records) is “The sixth sick sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick.” Statistically, the left breast is commonly larger than the right. Taste buds only react to chemicals that dissolve in water. This is why we get salty tastes first because salt dissolves rapidly.
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Breasts
Latin name: Mamma Medical name: Mammary Common names: Breasts, Boobs, Bosom Speciality: Gynaecology/Mastology Top 5 Ailments: Fibrocystic Breast Condition, Gynecomastia, Breast Cancer, Fribroadenoma Mastitis Some Interesting Facts: Smokers will have more saggy breasts than nonsmokers, because the chemicals in cigarettes break down the body’s elastin. Men have breasts too, no kidding! And these are not overweight men, but men with the condition gynecomastia, where the mammary glands are abnormally overgrown. Nipples vary in size as well as shape. They can also point in different directions. There are different “types of nipples.” Four different types: normal, flat, puffy and inverted. Statistically, the left breast is commonly larger than the right. Some people have polythelia (additional nipple(s)) that can lactate!
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Dear Lisa I hope you are well. I'm writing this postcard to address a few conversations we have had in the past. F irstly, congratulations on your engagement, it brings tears to my eyes. I'm very happy for you and John. Getting down to business, there are a few matters I wish to bring to light. F irstly, you don't have to ask how school is going in our Whatsapp conversations; school never changes, the curriculu m is pre-set and most of the academic teaching students have no control over, so this question really answers itself. "How are you?" is also not necessary as I a m an active participant of The Struggle, Clinical Medicine is not child's play. Sometimes, when you talk to me and I don't respond, it's not that I'm being rude, I get distracted and my mind may be focused on a man with veins so handsome I would put up 12 IV lines in him if I could. Furthermore, if I don't respond to a text or call, I'm probably just in the library cra mming medical formulae, jargon and mnemonics or running around competing with other students to do a phlebotomy or put up an IV line. For the sake of our friendship "We have five modules this semester, I don't know how I a m going to cope" is not a valid complaint if English and CSI are included in the five. Please also don't complain about having two afternoon modules to someone who goes home after sunset. That said, I would also like to apologise for discussing rectal exa ms over lunch the other day-next time I'll save them for dinner. Love always Ruth
A Postcard to an Old Friend P.O. Box 2017 Real World
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