Contents From the Editors................................................. 3 From the President.............................................. 4 O’Camp............................................................... 7 Intro to PBL........................................................ 8 Textbooks 101...................................................... 10 Guide to Campus.................................................. 14 Taking Care of Yourself....................................... 18 Bonded Medical Places......................................... 19 The Land of Oz.................................................... 20 The Next Hurdle Ahead........................................ 22 Graduate Reflections............................................ 26 All About AMSA................................................... 27 UnConventional Memories..................................... 29 Calendar............................................................. 30 The Sporting Goods............................................. 32 Indigenous Health................................................ 35 Musical Musings.................................................. 36 Welcome to the Ball............................................. 37 The Social Scene................................................. 40 Lending a Hand.................................................... 42 Med Fashion Review............................................ 44 Newcastle Beaches.............................................. 46 Kiwi Survival Tips................................................ 47 Guide to a Cheap Ride.......................................... 49 UNMS Committee................................................ 54 2
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From the Editors To the First Years, Over the past two years I’ve seen quite a few analogies for what medical school is like. A few of the more polite ones include drinking from a firehose, having to eat an elephant, or having to eat 10 pancakes a day. While I haven’t made my own it would probably involve swallowing too - but of something a little less palatable than simple water or sixtonne grey beasts of the African plains. This may have a lot to do with that fact that I am writing this after finals, a time during which your mind will melt out through your sweating ears and the only remaining emotions available to you will mainly consist of despair at how illegible your writing is and mild amusement as you watch your 200th straight episode of Friends. I thought my handwriting was ok until it was pointed out that my last line detailing the intricacies of thyroid hormone synthesis also happened to read, “The Sons of Immortality came from the village.” in near perfect Sanskrit. The appearance of my pharmacology study appropriated the wild footprints of an angered bird and my notes on sensory
pathways would have been better scribbled by a distracted toddler during a non-fatal skydiving accident. This also may have something to do with the heat, which today reached such comedic extremes that I could probably move into some prime real estate on the actual sun and not notice the difference. Or perhaps that’s just me. Whatever the case, please don’t be overly intimidated if things can seem intense during your coming year. Medical school is fast some times and slow others, as anybody who has been lulled to sleep by a gentle French or Ukranian accent (which you will soon be familiar with) can attest. And if you give it a chance, it will also be an extremely fun and full year. Luckily for you, the nervously good-looking and widely praised medical student magazine Introductus is here to help. Within its excitingly glossy covers and sweeping margins you will find the latest in academic advice – which books should I buy? Which pens should I use? What is the correct meaning of chootz? Is that really how babies are made? You’ll hear the knowledge of Newcastle’s social scene, which came at great personal cost
and only after controversial TV appearances, riot squads and countless number of lost possessions – and with it you too will be able to turn it up. Inside there are the details and hints about social, academic, sporting events and opportunities available that will help you take charge and make your coming year as much as you can make it. So on behalf of the Ductus team and the entire UNMS, welcome to Medicine at Newcastle! And you should be forewarned that before you know it, you’ll be sitting on the other side of your 2015 finals looking down at next year’s prospective students with a few more lines on your face, a glass in your hand and a look in your eyes that with any luck will speak of experience, knowledge, friendship and of the good times just gone by. Ed.
Lachlan Gan & Natalie Puchalski Publications Officers
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From the President To the Fresher class of 2015, I’d like to welcome you to the University of Newcastle and congratulate you on earning a place at one of the best medical schools in the country (at least in our opinion). In five years’ time you will all have become fully qualified doctors and will hopefully be living out your dreams in one of the most rewarding professions in the world. My question to you, is why wait five years for this to happen? Why not live fun and fulfilling lives right now?
Here are five things for you to look forward to in the first month of medical school: 1. First Day Try not to get lost on the golf course or in the Hunter building, you will make new friends and be treated to a free lunch by MedSoc. 2. First Incision One of the premier events of the year. The chance to socialise in style and meet 600+ medical students from the University of Newcastle.
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Cliché as it sounds, medical school is what you make of it. We all have and will continue to spend endless hours jumping through hoops and studying for exams. My advice to you is don’t just sit in your room all day, take advantage of all the opportunities afforded to you, broaden your horizons, make new friends and live fun and fulfilling lives as medical students. I remember my first day vividly. I walked out of my house ready to impress, my hair was done perfectly so it looked like I had just rolled out of bed, my clothes had been picked a week in advance; firmly pressed and ready for action.
3. PBL It will take you a while to get used too, those of you used to structured curriculum and knowing everything will get thrown a bit of a curveball. Overall, it is a fun environment and a great way to learn. 4. O’Camp To this day, my best friends at medical school were made here. It is a great weekend and I think 99% of the year usually attends so don’t miss out.
As I walked along the notorious Sunset Boulevard up to the front gates I was trying really hard to remember the vague instructions my housemates had given me on how to get to HB15. Unfortunately for me, it turned out that “follow the path and cross the bridge” were not specific enough to land me at the destination I sought. Instead I somehow managed to find myself in the middle of the 18th green of Shortland Golf Course. Needless to say I missed the morning of my first day of medical school. Whilst this was disappointing, the next few years were filled with so many events, first times and good memories that soon all was forgotten.
5. Your First Patient I still remember going on my first clinical session at the John Hunter. It was one of the most terrifyingly exciting moments of my life, somewhat helped when my patient said “oooo I get the young handsome doctor today”. If you are like me, and this small taste has awoken a hunger for bigger and better things, this is where I would like to introduce you to our medical society.
The thing that makes our medical students so unique is that we are a very tightknit, family-like community. The majority of students have moved away from family and friends in order to pursue their dream of becoming a doctor. The end result is hundreds of kids who are keen to meet new people and make new families here in Newcastle. This, combined with over 30+ hours together each week and it is only natural that strong bonds and friendships quickly develop. The University of Newcastle Medical Society represents the 700+ medical students here at the University. We run a plethora of events and there is something for everyone when you consider the vast array of portfolios actively working to bring you some wicked ways to spend your time in 2015 (Social, Academic, Sports and Charity to name a few).
Social
The mythical social seahorse is a name whispered amongst medical students. He is a descendant of seahorse royalty and always manages to put together a social calendar packed full of exciting events. For those of you that think you have been to good costume parties, think again. Med students, like with everything else, are overly enthusiastic and take their costuming to the next level.
Academic
These events are meant to stimulate and inspire all of our young medical minds. We have past students and leading medical professionals to help us explore the possibilities we can pursue not only in future careers but in overseas placements during our degree. We also have events such as The Great Debate, which allow our medical students to pit their wit and extraordinary vocabulary against doctors and fellow students.
Sports
For those of you who want a fun way to relax or just have a few too many brain cells that need to be knocked out of you, sport is a great way to go. We have 10 sporting teams that offer a variety of sports (Netball, Basketball, Touch, Soccer) and there are big scale events such as Med Vs. Law rugby and Interfaculty Sports Day. If that hasn’t got you hooked, you may be lucky enough to see me in a pair of tights trying really hard to pirouette in one of our Musical Productions.
Charity
What is the term used to describe the intense fear of having to cook? This is one of the questions asked in last year’s Charity Trivia Night. We also have BBQs, bake sales and fun runs to raise money for our nominated charity. This is a great avenue for those who entered medicine to “help
people” and want to give back to the community. Oh and for those wondering, the answer is mageirocophobia. Aside from running all of these events, we also look to advocate for you our students at a local, state and national level. We work closely with the Australian Medical Students Association (AMSA) as well as the Newcastle Medical Faculty to ensure you get the most from your student experience. Now for those of you who have made it this far you have probably heard just about enough from me. Before I go however I want to leave you with a few tips: 1. Bring PBL Food: Bring something good to your first PBL and set a good precedent for the rest of semester. 2. Get Involved: I couldn’t recommend this more. It is a long degree and there are many amazing things to do. My favourite thing last year was the annual Med Revue (Harry Potter and the Principles of Medicine). 3. Get a Mentor: These students will be able to offer you words of wisdom and access to a large amount of resources (past papers, notes and most importantly advice). Tobias Hunt, UNMS President
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O’Camp Ways to get to know people in medicine:
So what do you have to do? SECURE YOUR TICKET! O’Camp is a joint JMP event so there are more first years than O’Camp spots. Tickets always sell out quickly so play it safe and get yourself on the list ASAP. It’s really a once-in-a-degree event and the only easy way to get to know everyone.
1) Awkwardly walk up to someone and say, “Hi, I’m Fred and I do Med, what is your name? We should be best friends?” 2) Go to O’Camp and enjoy an awesome weekend where you can just let your hair down and enjoy the fact you’ve made it into the JMP. Whilst having your name rhyme with Med is in fact a handy way to have new people remember your name, for everyone less fortunate, sharing the best weekend of your degree with your fellow Freshers is definitely the way to go. So what is O’Camp? O’Camp is an annual camp run for the new batch of First-Year Medical students, where both Newcastle and Armidale come together and forge friendships that will last you at least the length of the degree if not a lifetime. With heaps of activities on offer across the whole weekend, as well as two great parties planned, we challenge you to come along and not have a good time. You might be wondering if this is all signaling a three-day bender? The answer to that question is the same as the one you will be using a lot in Charles Douglas’ ethics lectures – “maybe”.
Some of you don’t drink or aren’t 18, and that’s okay because the activities won’t force you to do so. In fact, the activities run by the Surgical Society and WakeUp! might even help you learn something on the weekend other than how good you are at picking up, or how many standards you can physically consume. Where is O’Camp? Just where you’d want it: by the beach in sunny Port Macquarie, which is about a two-hour bus ride from Newy and three from Armidale. In terms of transport, we’ve got you sorted to and from Sundowner Breakwall tourist park, where all your linen will be provided as will your meals, courtesy of your amazingly good looking O’Camp convenors.
Details will be up on unms. org.au but also keep a lookout for a facebook event on your JMP group fb page. Also, keep a look out for updates during O’Week and the first couple of weeks of uni before the camp, scheduled for March 13th-15th. We hope you’re excited because we’re super excited to meet you all and party at O’Camp! If you have any questions, comments, ideas, concerns, or just want to chat - don’t hesitate to email us at ocamp@unms.org.au or talk to us in person – we’d love to hear from you! Much Love, Krishan and Grayson, O’Camp Conveners
Hell, we’ll even throw in a souvenir T-shirt, which may come in handy should you forget the one and only thing you require to bring yourselves: clothes. Introductus
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Intro to PBL What advice would you give yourself if you could travel back in time? Some go for the obvious ‘sports almanac’ or lotto results. On this occasion I have been asked to give myself advice as a
first year medical student about the Problem Based Learning (PBL) tutorial. I am not going to waste your valuable attention explaining the structure of the tutorials because this will be
evident after the first week. I draw on my experience as a student and a tutor to offer my humble opinion and some practical tips.
THINK PBL asks you to generate ideas (hypotheses) for what could be causing a patient’s problem (symptom or sign). Initially it will feel like this is impossible because you have no knowledge. But you are wrong; in fact you have a great deal of knowledge already. In your years in the world you have absorbed so much information about the human body, what can go wrong with it and what doctors do that if you ‘think’, you will amaze yourself. The effect is amplified when you add the collective experience of all group members to the process. Think about the following question; what could cause a headache? If you were able to give a list of
diseases, the list would probably be short. You are not a doctor, yet, so how could you know all the common or important illnesses? Using your own experience and problem solving the structures and mechanisms that might be involved, you will generate a surprisingly thorough list. The ideas might begin as a problem with the skull, brain, nerves, blood vessels, eyes, ears, teeth, or muscles. These ideas could be expanded into skull trauma, brain infection, nerve misfiring, blood vessel rupture, increased eye pressure, ear infection, tooth abscess or neck muscle strain to name just a few.
SIMPLIFY Many students bring a desire to know everything which is a strength. What makes this very difficult is the number of different topics and the volume of information you encounter. From week to week there simply isn’t time to become an expert at each topic. What is more achievable is to start with a simple understanding on all the topics and build on each topic when you revisit it.
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While many will ask ‘how much should I know’, a better question is ‘how much time do I have’. You will need to pay very close attention to time management and study technique. It is a good idea to approach this like a job, have your own study timetable and be pragmatic about when to move on. Writing a textbook out word for word is probably not a good use of your time. It is also important to be realistic
about where to look for information. Try not to get caught up in the medical student trend of the biggest hardest textbook is best. Start with a resource that is easy for your stage of learning and build on it. Focus on the common and important things – common because they happen frequently or important because they are lethal or highly damaging. You are in charge of your own learning and you will need to prioritise.
CONFLICT
TEACH The PBL tutorial will be of greatest benefit if you talk and genuinely engage each other. It is invaluable to really listen to the ideas of others and to understand their way of thinking. It is important that you can talk about a topic without relying on reading notes in front of you word for word. Summarising and being able to discuss the most important facts in a systematic way is the key skill. Ask the group questions, explain yourself using the whiteboard and be able to answer questions using your own words off the top of your head.
Remember that one day you will be doctor. That one day you will be standing there with a patient in front you, your patient. Their problem will be your problem to manage.
Keep this clearly in mind because when that day comes it will feel like you were a first year medical student yesterday. Thinking about this endpoint should help guide
Healthy conflict in a PBL tutorial requires diplomatically challenging each other on ideas and knowledge. If you don’t understand ask for clarification or if you disagree explain why. Watch out for assumptions that are often made and be sure to question everything. It is OK to make ‘good’ mistakes because it is a ‘good’ learning opportunity. It is preferable to express yourself in these situations than to sit quietly. It is meant to be a safe environment where group members respect each other and learn from these experiences. you in what is important to know. The more you know, the less stressful it will be. You have five years and your learning is your responsibility. If I could go back and talk to myself as a first year medical student these are some of the things I would say. I wonder what you would tell yourself, only time will tell. I wish you well and be sure to have a little fun along the way. Dr Ben Walker
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Textbooks 101 Being a good doctor does not mean being able to recite textbooks, but being able to know which textbook to use for what information. With millions and billions of textbooks around, how do you know which are good? Here’s a con¬cise guide to give you a heads up. ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY
ANATOMY
HISTOLOGY
CLINICAL
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PHARMACOLOGY
MEDICAL
Anatomy & Physiology
Anatomy
A&P books are the only textbooks you’ll need in semester one and the classic two are Martini and Tortora. You’ll often be asked if you’re “a Tortora guy” or “a Martini kinda person” although there are barely any differences between the two. Most people, however, find that they are more comfortable with one or the other. My advice is not to buy either one before you try both! I bought a Martini in first year and realised I was a Tortora person. Heartbreaking. Also note that easily 80% of semester one MedSci won’t require sources outside Martini/Tortora.
It’s quite a known fact that Newcastle is not renowned for its anatomy education but this should not stop you from gunning anatomy. The two classic anatomy texts are Gray’s Anatomy for Students and Moore and Dalley. Gray’s barely goes into depth, but is concise and has clear, straightforward diagrams. M&D has been known for its insane depth and never lacking info. I like depth, so I like M&D but if you’re the concise type, go for Gray’s. Atlases are also useful. Netter’s have beautiful images, while Rohen and Yokochi uses labelled specimen photographs.
Histology
Pharmacology
No doubt Shotgun Histology on YouTube is brilliant but don’t base your histology off that! A good textbook can help you get more out of histology labs and easily 75% of these books are labelled photos of histology slides. If you’re a loser for pretty drawings like myself, then you’d want to go Netter’s Histology. Wheater’s is by far the most used histology textbook (because there are more Wheater’s in the Med Reserve than Netter’s, which you can only find at the John Hunter library). Histology is just histology and there really is no difference at all which textbook you use.
Rang and Dale is really the only textbook you will ever need for pharmacology. It has depth, it is concise, and it explains pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics in the clinical context. Note that you’ll barely use it in semester one but you’ll be using this book well into your degree. Havard’s Nursing Guide to Drugs is no R&D but a good drug companion. It is nice having a concise drug guide for the million different drugs out there, and it is particularly helpful for patient write-ups and to find out about the weird-sounding drug your patients go on and on about.
Clinical
Medical
Talley and O’Connor’s Medical Examination and Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine will be your medical bibles. No day goes by in medicine when Talley and O’Conner isn’t mentioned – even consultants use them and it is no rumour that passing OSCEs and clinical exams comes easy to those who are able to recite contents from T&O’C. No joke about Oxford being the bible of clinical medicine. It has everything you need to know about everything medical in the most concise way possible. Like T&O’C, you’ll be using Oxford well into your medical career.
Textbooks on medicine systematically run you through diseases and guide you through etiology, pathology, diagnosis, investigations, management, etc. Three books come to mind when talking about textbooks on medicine: Davidson’s, Kumar and Clark’s and Harrison’s. To-may-toe, to-mah-toe. I don’t see much of a difference between the three. Like Tortora and Martini, it really just comes down to which one you feel comfortable with and to which you take a personal liking. I for one prefer Davidson’s but that’s only because I like its layout. Continued next page Introductus
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Misc
There is a saying: “Guyton is God.” I believe in that. I love Guyton. So much. Putting bias aside, Guyton is the most used physiology textbook in BMed and presents in-depth physiology in a straightforward and easy-tounderstand way. People tend to complain that Guyton goes into too much unnecessary depth but if you know what you need and what you should leave out, you’ll be fine. I hate pathology so I won’t make recommendations. But I heard Robbin’s Basic Pathology is good for semester one and Robbin and Cotran is good from semester two onwards.
Dictionary
Jargon is a common struggle when you first start medicine, that’s why having a medical dictionary is a good idea especially in semester one. Besides having a go-to when you come across words like polycythaemia, cholelithiasis and dysdiadokinesis, medical dictionaries are also good first point references for systems and diseases you study each week, since they are good at providing an overview in a concise form. Mosby’s and Black’s medical dictionaries are some I would recommend, since they are medically comprehensive (unlike some tailored to be colloquial). The thing about textbooks is that you may sell your soul to one but your best friend may hate the same one with all his guts. That said, do not under any circumstances buy a textbook without having a test run of it first! Textbooks are very expensive, so you should only buy those you are certain
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you will use. If you’re after medical textbooks in Newcastle, be sure to check out the UNMS Bookscheme at the John Hunter Hospital (behind ward K2, near the JHH library) – it’s quite easy to find a bargain there! Ming Yong
Disclaimer: The textbooks reviewed here are those commonly used by BMed students (as observed by the author) and are reviewed in the most honest opinion of the author - he has used all of these textbooks at one point or another. Except those pathology ones. He really hates pathology.
UNMS Bookscheme • The UNMS Bookscheme is a non-for profit medical bookshop whose aim it is to provide textbooks to medical students at a subsidised rate, of up to 20% off RRP. • Besides textbooks, the bookshop also sells medical equipment like stethoscopes, examination equipment and anatomical wall charts. • If the Bookscheme does not have the book or equipment you are after in stick, purchase orders can be made. • The primary reason for the Bookscheme’s existence is to serve the medical student body, specifically those who are UNMS members. Make sure you get a UNMS membership to earn some good discounts. • Want to buy a MedSoc hoodie or a “BMed because there is no BS in our degree” T-shirt but can’t find anyone selling it on campus? The bookscheme also stocks on UNMS merchandise if you ever end up in this situation. • Can’t find someone to buy event tickets off? Like merchandise, event tickets to MedSoc’s latest events are also sold here! • You can purchase second-hand (or pre-loved, whatever rows your boat) textbooks here. • Somehow have too many textbooks lying around? Have a few books you never use anymore? You can sell your textbooks here too for some extra moolah! Win. • No idea where JHH Room 6019 is? It is on the ground floor of John Hunter Hospital to the left of the main entrance (the RNC), past ward K2 and just before the Library. Simply turn left at the main entrance and walk all the way to the end. You can’t miss it if you just keep walking. See you at the Bookscheme!
UNMS Bookscheme Room 6019, Level 1 John Hunter Hospital Opening Hours Mon-Fri: 11:00am - 2:00pm Mon-Thurs: 5pm - 6:30pm unms-bookscheme@newcastle.edu.au ph: 49213790
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Guide to Campus For many of you, university life – let alone Newcastle Uni life – may be a whole new world. On top of medicine, having so many new corners to explore and so many new experiences to unfold may seem like just too much to tackle, especially when all you want to know is where the nearest toilet is!
B.med fresher life Congratulations once again for getting into med at Newcastle! Studying med is a lot different from high school because a lot of the work you need to do yourself. It’s called ‘self-directed learning’ so make sure you try and stay on top of the work. But at the same time don’t hesitate to ask people in older years for some advice and help if you need it – we have been through it so have some idea what you guys are going through! Each week you will do what’s called PBL – problem based learning – where you are in small groups and work on a problem. After an opening session, you go away and do some work yourself before coming back and presenting it to the group. To keep up, you have to work between classes so you can be prepared each time.
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The social life in med is great. Get to as many of the of the parties, academic events and everything else that MedSoc runs as you can because they are sure to be worth your time! [Editor’s note: Sam, Pat and Alex were not paid by Medsoc to say this. Promise!] So this year, make the most of it: make new friends, do some study and don’t forget, have fun!
College If you are staying in college this year, then brace yourself for the best year of your life! Many debates, disagreements and debarcles have been had on the best college – Ted’s, Barra, International House, Evatt – take your pick! Definitely get involved in college life as much as you can. Each college has their own parties, which go off, and also have many sporting events and other activities. These are great to meet new people both from med and other courses. It is also good to meet senior med students who can give you help whenever you need it! Remember: college is fun but make sure you do a bit of study at the same time so you get the best of med and college. Enjoy!
Living off-campus There’s nothing to stress about if you didn’t get into college on campus. Many share-houses in suburbs surrounding uni can provide you with an equally enjoyable year, provided you take the time to hang out with and befriend your housemates, rather than be a room hermit. After all, a house is not a home unless you love one another. Well, sort of. The university has a very comprehensive off-campus accommodation database, which can be found on the university accommodation page. We sincerely hope that your accommodation is settled by the time this is published, though.
Killing time on campus The two main libraries on campus are Auchmuty Library (Shortland side) and Huxley Library (Hunter side). They provide access to more than a million and a half physical items and an extensive collection of online books and journals. Which library is better is like differentiating between lemon and lime. Huxley is on the Hunter side, where 90% of your classes are, and is therefore a more convenient library to go to. Although
less equipped than Auchmuty, it is the perfect place to kill the 5 hours you have between a lecture in HB15 and a tutorial in the PBL rooms. Auchmuty, on the other hand, is the main library at Callaghan and houses the famed Medical Reserve collection. Auchmuty is much bigger and is far more equipped with textbooks you’ll need than Huxley but is on a different continent called the Shortland side. However, it’s the perfect place to kill time if you have an anatomy lab session in the building behind Auchmuty, or want to camp-out during stuvac. The Auchmuty Information Common (AIC) is under the Auchmuty library and is open 24 hours – definitely a good place to hit up come exam time! Again, it is on the Shortland side, far from the places in which you’ll spend most of your time at uni.
Fitness on campus The Forum is the campus gym equipped with all sorts, from a 50m heated indoor pool to 18.5m climbing wall. Even better, the Forum is only a five-minute walk from the Hunter building, making it convenient to exercise a little before, between or after (or sometimes during/instead of) classes.
Free lunch For social clubs and activities on campus, it is best to check out NUSA: the student representative body that provides information for any and all types of student clubs and activities. They also provide two free BBQs a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for lunch so definitely hit them up.
Chill-out spots There are two bars on campus: Godfrey Tanner Bar at the Shortland side and Bar on the Hill over on the Hunter side. GT Bar often has stuff going on like regular trivia events, bingo or pool tournaments. Open from 11am, GT Bar is a great spot to grab a drink or some food if you’re over that side. Bar on the Hill is the main place to be on campus. Head there for lunch to treat yourself to an infamous Barger *. The Bar also hosts great events throughout the year, like toga parties, Back to School night and of course, the Newcastle Uni Autonomy Day party.
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They also put on gigs throughout the year, with some pretty big name acts having played in the past, like Hilltop Hoods, Jinja Safari, Boy & Bear, and Lisa Mitchell. Make sure to grab yourself a calendar during O’Week to keep a track of what’s going on. There are plenty of places to eat on campus: Shortland has a whole variety of food outlets and cafes: Marmadukes and Isabellas, sushi and noodles, Subway and Gloria Jeans. Hunter has fewer spots to eat, namely just the cafe. But worry not, the Bar on the Hill provides a good feed. If you like cheap pie and long walks, we highly recommend Pie House on the Shortland Side. And when we say cheap, we mean uni student cheap: so much so, it sometimes make the long walk so worthwhile. Both libraries also come equipped with coffee shops, making the library your one-stop shop for the knowledge-thirsty and/or caffeine-fuelled. *the authors take no credit for coining the term “Barger,” which is trademarked by BMed’s own Elias Sack-wars.
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The tos and the froms In terms of transport to uni, trains can take you straight to uni from town or anywhere on the Hunter Regional Line, with Warabrook Station being on campus grounds. The 100, 104, 225 and 226 buses have stops at uni, making it easy to travel from a multitude of suburbs to uni. Bus and train timetables can be found at student hubs. You can also park on campus, but make sure you get an annual pass (for $75.83 per semester) because parking inspectors are always out in force. If you live in suburbs near campus, you can get the shuttle bus to transport you from within campus or from campus to home, especially at night, for safety purposes (or if you’re just lazy). The security shuttle bus can be contacted on 0407 951 470 and is a worthwhile service to use.
Staying safe Besides offering free security shuttle services, campus security work around the clock (literally) to provide you with the safest uni experiences. Some of their services include escorting anyone from the library to their car after late night study sessions at the AIC and giving out free rape whistles. Frighteningly loud, rape whistles can be used at your discretion, be it to gain attention, ward off sexual predators, or to simply annoy people.
Other The post office is located in Shortland and you can purchase textbooks from the Co-op Bookstore on the Shortland side. Pinkies, located next to the Huxley library (and one in Shortland too, but no one cares about that one) is also a good place to stock up on study supplies. Besides notebooks and pens and those boring stuff, Pinkies is famous for its lollies. Its wide variety of lollies has the ability to make lectures seem shorter than they really are and study sessions marginally more bearable. The uni is also equipped with its own GP and counselling services, all conveniently on the Hunter side.
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The Student Hub, (there is one on both the Shortland and Hunter sides), is where you make your student ID, get a concession and buy a parking permit, among other things. It also houses the university cashier, if you ever need to settle any uni payments. Attractions to look out for on campus include ‘the dapper gentleman’, ‘rasta man’ and ‘the ridiculously built black guy who rides around campus shirtless on a bike with a massive boombox attached’. Ultimately, the lush greens and unique attractions are everywhere around Callaghan, and no guide big or small can replace the experience you get from playing Dora the Explorer (or Indiana Jones if that’s your preference for an Explorer analogy). The uni is your playground, so head out there and explore away! Alex Dennis, Sam Green & Pat Bray
Campus Cheat Sheet Typical week as a first year: Monday: Lectures Tuesday: Lectures Wednesday: PBL Close Thursday: Public Health, Labs Friday: PBL Open Off-campus accomodation: Check out the off-campus database on the accommodation page of the university website. Libraries: Huxley Pros: Close to HB15 and PBL Rooms, making it the most convenient stop between classes. Cons: Under-equipped with medical textbooks. Auchmuty Pros: Has the Med Reserve, which houses all the medical textbooks. Cons: On the Shortland side, nowhere near the places you’ll spend most of your time at uni. The AIC Pros: Open 24 hours/7 days. Cons: Not a library but you are allowed to bring books down from Auchmuty after-hours. Food: Hunter Bar on the Hill is the most recommended place to get food on the Hunter side - good food at reasonable prices. It also contains a sushi and crepe bar. Other places include the university cafeteria, which contains an espresso bar and a cafe outside HB15. More importantly, free lunch at NUSA Tuesdays and Thursdays!
Shortland Isabellas, Marmadukes and the university cafeteria (with a noodle bar, a kebab shop and a cafe) offers a variety of food. Also home to Subway and a sushi and crepes bar.
Fitness: The Forum is the University’s own gym. A five-minute walk from Hunter, it is a convenient place to get in shape, housing a pool and climbing wall, plus heaps of social sports games.
Coffee: Hunter Espresso Bar opposite the Hunter Courtyard and coffee shop in Huxley Library. Get a VIP card, which you can use in both coffee shops - you’d be surprise how much money you save, getting a free coffee after 9 cups. Shortland Marmadukes and Gloria Jeans in the Shortland Building, and the coffee shop in the AIC. Again, use your VIP card. If you happen to be close to the CT building, also check out the coffee cart at the CT building foyer, which apparently serves the best hot chocolate in uni.
Transport: Trains Best take the Hunter Regional Line to Warabrook station (few minutes walk from Hunter Building) if you live near a train line. Buses The 100, 104, 225 and 226 buses stop at uni. Get off at the Design bus stop, just a three-minute walk to the Hunter Building. Get bus and train timetables from student hubs.
Beer and Music: Bar on the Hill Home to food, beer, pool tables, bean bags and the occasional live band. All you need is friends and with that, it will prove to be the best hangout spot on campus to relax and unwind. GT Bar Located on the Shortland side. The miniature version of Bar on the Hill. Nice place to chill if you have time to kill nonetheless.
Security: Campus security provides free shuttle bus services from uni to nearby suburbs after dark. Also provides escort services and free rape whistles. For the shuttle bus service, call 0407 951 470. For general enquiries, emergencies or to report an incident, call (02) 4921 5888. Other POIs: Student Hubs Post Office GP and counselling service Pharmacy Pinkies
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Taking Care of Yourself Unfortunately medicine isn’t just about wearing scrubs and flaunting shiny new stethoscopes pretending you know how to use them. There is a lot of hard work involved, and combine this with other woes like moving to a new city, it’s easy to see how it can become overwhelming. With this in mind it’s important to take care of yourself and your mates, so you get through the next five years happy and healthy. So here are a few words of wisdom to help guide you on the way.
Get to know your peers
As a first year it can be daunting if you’ve moved away from home. So take advantage of some of the great social events UNMS offers early on like O’Camp and First Incision.
Take time to smell the roses
I still remember a clinician in first year telling us to ‘take time to smell the roses’. I can’t stress enough how important this advice is. Studying medicine can be demanding and it’s easy to get caught up in everything. But it’s important that we all take a break and take time for ourselves, whether it’s catching up with friends you met at First Incision or chilling out at one of the pristine Newcastle beaches.
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Get involved
At the risk of sounding cliché, med school really is what you make of it. So get involved and make the most of it! UNMS and the broader university community has so much to offer you, including sports teams, music groups and charity committees. So there really is something for everyone.
Take care of your health
“Medical students’ disease is a condition in medical students, who perceive themselves to be experiencing the symptoms of the disease they are studying” (Wikipedia 2014). Don’t worry, you won’t be the first JMP student who has suffered from medical students’ disease. But rather than self-diagnosing yourself during a PBL tutorial it is important to have your own GP. As tempting as it is to DIY diagnose, if you have any concerns about your health make an appointment at the University Health Service. They’re sure to sort you out and it’s also bulk-billed.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Remember, someone has walked the same road before. Hundreds of medical students have gone through the JMP and whilst everyone’s journey is a little bit different you can bet
many have asked the same questions and had the same concerns as you. I encourage you to take advantage of the Medtor program, buddy up with someone in another year group and pick their brain. Ask them questions about anything from textbooks or balancing a part time job with study, through to where to get the cheapest eats in Newy. If you’ve got a more academically orientated question, then your tutors are your main point of call. Have a chat with them about your study methods, the best textbooks and resources, or how you like PBL sessions to run. Finally, find out who your year manager is. Life happens, sometimes things don’t go as planned and year managers are very understanding of this. Make sure you know how to contact them so they can help you out when you need.
Got more questions?
Send me an email at: vicepresident@unms.org.au and I’ll try to help you out. Immy Andrews
Bonded Medical Places Welcome to the JMP! If you are a domestic student, this may mean that you are joining us via a Bonded Medical Place (BMP) – a scheme offered to a quarter of all Commonwealth-supported applicants at all medical schools.
an attractive option for those who do not wish to commit to years of practice in a rural area (for whatever reason). An unintended consequence of this is that for many a BMP is an alternative to a full-fee paying medical course.
The BMP scheme was introduced in 2004 to address the doctor shortage in outer metropolitan, rural and remote areas of Australia. Those who accept the BMP scheme are contractually obligated to undertake a return of service obligation (RSO) in a district of workforce shortage (generally outer metropolitan or rural areas), equal to the length of their medical degree. The RSO only becomes compulsory once the participant gains fellowship of a specialist college, although up to half of the RSO can be completed in the vocational training period prior to fellowship.
Commitment to this scheme is fraught with other issues too. Many participants have expressed concern over the complexity of the scheme and its lack of flexibility, the perception that it is a coercive program, and a perceived lack of support and mentoring for those practitioners required to go work in a district of workforce shortage. The Australian Medical Students’ Association has taken issue with the scheme too, believing that “The Bonded Medical Places scheme is exploitative of prospective medical students and takes advantage of their desire to study medicine”, and that other means of attracting doctors to areas of workforce shortage should be prioritised.
At this point it is too early to formally evaluate whether the scheme is effective, as few practitioners have commenced their RSO period, although at this early stage it is looking like the scheme is failing to meet its target of supplying medical officers to under-supplied areas. As at the writing of the Mason Review (in February 2013) only one participant has commenced their RSO, and three participants have “bought out” of the scheme. Buying out of the scheme equates to repaying 75% of the total Commonwealth contribution towards the medical degree,
If this scheme is failing to work (and there are certainly some strong reservations) then should it be reformed or abolished? The scheme is unlikely to be abolished at this stage, but reform is certainly on the cards. Some options discussed in the Government’s Mason Review are to cut the length of the RSO in half, in order to make “buying out” less attractive, and increased support for BMP students by increasing their engagement in rural communities through sponsored placements. A more radical alternative is to require a universal RSO of all recent medical graduates in workforce shortage areas, as done in South Africa through a “community service” year. Interestingly, medical conscription (which an RSO may be interpreted to be) is constitutionally prohibited in Australia. So what does all this mean for you? At this point it may seem that 10 years from now you will either be commencing a five-year RSO or not (if you fork out the big bucks) but watch this space and maybe if we make enough noise, the powers that be will change things for the better. Alex Scott Alex is UNMS’s representative to the Australian Medical Association (NSW Branch). If you have any thoughts or questions about BMPs he would love to hear them at alexander.j.scott@uon.edu.au
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The Land of Oz The one thing you always feel when first embarking on your first day of medical school is fear. For any newbie this is the one thing that strikes everyone, as you begin a lifelong journey of continuous studying (don’t believe the five-year study period, it lasts a lifetime), as you head down the path of your future profession. The profession of medicine is a nobel albeit exhausting one, which requires discipline and concentration that will no doubt push you to your limit, but fret not, all is well. As an international student, your first instinct will be like that of E.T. Yes, you read that right, E.T. the adorable alien from our childhood, with your very thought being, “E.T. phone home”. This will no doubt be an alien environment for you – you’ll feel lost, scared but no doubt curious as to what lies ahead.
Of course, you like myself will probably think of what I like to call, The Three F’s – namely, Family, Friends, and Food. These three things are normally the things we think of when we think of home. How do you survive with all these things nagging at the back of your mind? Not to worry, as with the amount of work you’ll have, you’ll be too busy to feel homesick for long, let alone scratch your head. The workload is heavy enough to keep you on your toes and yearning for your bed to collapse onto at night. Don’t worry about the anxiety and sadness that you initially feel - as my grandfather always tells me, “this too shall pass”. Trust me when I say to give yourself at least a few months to get used to Australia.
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As for your new home away from home, once you have found your new accommodation, whether on campus or off, decorate it with things or memorabilia, basically anything that reminds you of home. Make it your fortress of solitude, the one place you can feel comfortable and run to after a day of studies. Now with today’s modern advances, home isn’t really that far away anymore. Probably most, if not all of you are tech-savvy, with at least a smartphone at your disposal. I have one word for you and you’ll probably already know this by now: Skype. Skype with your family and friends to lessen the homesickness and to give you comfort. After a while of regular Skype, you will definitely feel better. Apart from that, WhatsApp is a fantastic alternative if you prefer
texting instead. Finally, Viber is highly recommended in order to make long distance phone calls, without needing to pay a cent, as it uses wifi and therefore is free. Avoid making calls via your mobile carrier, they will charge you like mad on every minute of talk time. You’ll probably wonder also where to get stuff like groceries and appliances, well say hello to your new friend Jesmond Shopping Centre. A shopping centre five minutes from the uni, you can reach it by bus (route 100) or take the free shuttle bus every Thursday between 6:00-9:00pm, in front of Edwards Hall, Accommodation Office (every 10-15 minutes). In Jesmond, you’ll find all the necessities as well as restaurants to satisfy your hunger. This is probably the closest place to
get whatever you need or want. Apart from this, there are other shopping centres like Charlestown and Westfield Kotara you could explore when you’re free.
get good friends. Remember lots of them are in the same boat as you. Making good, lasting friendships takes time, but be patient, you’ll find them.
As for Australians, they are friendly and welcoming, as are the staff at the uni, who will help you whenever necessary. If you need to ask any questions pertaining to medicine, you can head to the Bowman Building next to the Hunter Building and ask the staff. Don’t hesitate to approach any of them about anything you may want to ask, they’re more than happy to help you out.
I hope this article has been helpful to all of you who have just joined, and worth at least the few minutes you took to read this. If you still need any more help, I’ll be here to help wherever I can. Enjoy your first year of medicine and all Australia has to offer. Welcome and cheers. Devin Deo International Officer
Finally, if there is anything I want to leave you with, it’ll probably be this: don’t worry. If you initially find it difficult to make new friends, don’t get anxious. Before long you will
Lost On Campus™ Find every tutorial room, lab, lecture theatre, coffee shop, carpark, bus stop, sports field, toilet, even your nearest vending machine and free microwaves. Plus campus “secret locations”. The app tells you how far each location is from you and how much time it will take to walk. It’ll get you to any place on campus you need to be. Blackboard Mobile Learn™ Blackboard Mobile Learn™ makes it easier for you to keep up with your courses by letting you access them whenever and wherever you want. DoubleMap™ A bus tracking system allowing riders to track the exact location of a bus in real time. We know how busy your day is. Don’t waste it waiting at the bus stop. The simplest way to catch the shuttle bus is to go to your nearest shuttle stop or CALL 0407 951 470.
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The Next Hurdle Ahead Firstly: congratulations on becoming a med student! You’ve survived the UMAT, Tracey Bristow’s interview obstacle course, the psycholanalysis of the PQA, and worst of all, the wait between interviews and the UAC offers date. If the average university course is a relaxing walk in the park, studying medicine is a 3-hour, post-Christmas buffet, marathon that inevitably ends in tears, frustration and just enough comfort food to negate the exercise. It can be intense but, having passed the application process, the passion and intelligence you’ve shown has more than equipped you to tackle medicine. We could lecture you on study techniques and time management skills, but getting into medicine means you definitely know how to study, or at least do a time-efficient, pre-exam cram. Studying medicine is a little bit different however, so here’s some sage wisdom that will hopefully help you survive first year.
Efficiency is Key
The biggest difference with medicine and other courses is volume of learning. The amount of content is – to be put bluntly – huge, and grows exponentially each year. Wait until you hear the (warranted) complaints of fourth years. To deal with this workload there are several important things to keep in mind. 22
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• Consistency. With this amount of content, you need superhuman cramming skills that resemble the looks of Chris Evans to scrape through exams without doing anything during the semester. Try not to leave all 12 PBLs to Stuvac because, no matter how much you tell yourself you’ll watch every lecture, you will never make it through a whole semester’s worth in seven days (or if you do, see us at the end of semester, that is seriously impressive). • Take each week as it comes. Making a To Do list for each week helps put into perspective how much you need to do, especially in first semester when you’re juggling Public Health and an elective, as well as PBL and lectures. It’s tough to get through everything each week but don’t be disheartened! Getting through at least some of it early helps out so much by the time it gets to Stuvac. • Understand principles holistically. You probably have heard this phrase already and told not to memorise words on a page. The truth is you probably will resort to memorising when it’s the night before exams, but we strongly recommend against it. There are simply too many long words that we need to already memorise (ie drug names). You seriously don’t want to increase that list anymore. Understanding the principles even helps you to retain information after
exams and apply them in your careers, a radical benefit that your future patients are likely to appreciate. Don’t worry if you don’t fully understand everything straight away, because spiral learning is on your side to revisit it later on in the course. • The more the merrier. Studying in groups can be a double-edged sword; you can end up wasting time, chatting it away or you can do some amazingly efficient studying. However, if you do happen upon some productive studying – whether you are teaching someone else or being taught – both ways enhance your understanding of the concept. • Don’t get caught up in the word count. If you decide to type out your PBL notes, don’t get stuck in the trap of copying directly from textbooks or websites. A factor of PBL that most people don’t understand until second year is that regardless of how many words or how well set out your notes are, if you haven’t actually taken time to learn the content, that PBL is redundant. Spend time getting your head around the learning targets and understanding what you’re reading before putting it into your notes. This will help in the long run, and in PBL itself when you understand the concept rather than having to read out the same paragraph from Totora that every person has in their notes.
Get Proactive!
Medicine is definitely hard but can be made so much simpler by seeking out help and resources when you need them. • Textbooks. In first semester, your bible will either be Martini or Totora. Different people prefer different textbooks, or some people prefer no textbooks at all. Try both, experiment with different textbooks and resources but don’t make the mistake of trying to condense every medical resource under the sun into your PBL notes. If you’re pasting together more than 10,000 words per PBL you will never be able to remember all of the content by the time exams come around, so find one good resource and get as much as you can from it. Then supplement this with other resources if you have time. The beauty of PBL is that someone will always bring up something from a resource you have never heard of which gives you a lead into new information. • YouTube and online videos are an excellent resource for people who don’t like reading straight out of textbooks, and perfect for understanding the broad concepts you need to in first year. Many of the concepts in first semester are simply explained in YouTube videos by Handwritten Tutorials, Armando Hasudungan and
Khan Academy. Dr Najeeb’s videos are widely used in second semester and second year but are probably a little too in depth for first semester. They are a hit-or-miss with most students – he explains concepts very thoroughly and clearly but his videos for some topics can be 3-4 hours long. If you have time and enjoy a learning environment more like that of high school, have a look at his videos (also his accent adds a nice bit of entertainment to a boring concept). Definitely use videos if you’re someone who understands concepts better when they’re visually represented rather than by reading them. • Lectures. In first semester, don’t make the mistake of disregarding the lectures!! While there are often much better resources out there, they give you an idea of the scope of which you need to study, and most of all what the exams will be testing. Learning targets in first year are very broad and it’s quite easy to spend hours on something that won’t be tested and is in PBL to lay a foundation for future in-depth study. Focus on keeping within the depth that the lecture goes into in order to be most efficient. This isn’t as much the case with second semester but keep it in mind for first. • Past notes. Your MedTor will no doubt hand you a hard drive with hundreds of gigabytes of
past notes on it and you will think it is a shining beacon of light in the dark, dark world that is your very first PBL. Beware! Despite how beautifully presented Ming’s notes are we highly recommend you use them as a guide for depth of detail but do all the rest by research and not by copying notes. As explained above, copying and pasting may make your notes have the highest word count and even mean you finish PBL in a few hours but very little will actually go in. Read, process and understand before you add to your notes – you are bound to learn more of your content this way. • Don’t be afraid to ask questions and clarify people’s ideas in PBL. This is actually the most effective way to learn new concepts, as your peers build upon your initial understanding. Challenge each other and be critical with your knowledge. • Ask for help. The beauty of our university is that there isn’t a competitive environment. People are more than willing to share textbooks, past notes and tips. Don’t be afraid to ask your for help from your MedTor, students in older years, your PBL tutors, lecturers and most of all, your peers. Some of the best resources you’ll find are with the people around you. Continued next page Introductus
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Tips for first year success
• Firstly, a quick message about first semester: you will probably feel a bit over your head if you haven’t done medical science, biology or chemistry before. Don’t be too worried. Everyone feels like they aren’t cut out for it at the start. This is mainly because the faculty is giving you a taste of each system over the first 13 weeks. You will go from embryology to the gastrointestinal system within the first month. You go much more in depth into these topics in the coming years so don’t fret if you can’t remember every Trisomy or the ligaments of the lesser omentum. You will come back to them, so go as far as the lectures indicate and if you’re unsure, ask your peers, your PBL tutors or even lecturers. • Do the public health tutorial worksheets! Every week, a worksheet will be uploaded onto Blackboard before Public Health. These are usually riddled with mistakes, poorly worded and most of all, much harder than the exam. One of the best ways to survive this is to grab a group of people (usually 15 minutes before the tute starts) and work together to get through it. Doing the tutorial worksheets each week really helps when it comes to the exam (simpler than it’s made out to be). 24
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• Go to anatomy labs. If you’ve never seen cadavers before, these labs are an excellent opportunity to visualise how everything comes together in the body and to actually have a feel around. Most of all, the demonstrators are 4th and 5th year medicine students who are a wealth of knowledge on all things exams, clinical and mnemonics. • Electives. We both did HUBS 1105 (Musculoskeletal Anatomy) and absolutely loved it! Especially as high school leavers, it gave us a really good foundation for anatomy. It is, however, a lot of work; 3 hours of lectures and a 90-minute lab per week is a lot to get through. If you’re someone who commutes from the Central Coast, has a busy family life or has already done anatomy at uni, it probably isn’t the course for you. That being said, it is definitely worth the commitment. The entire cohort will be thrust through the entire upper limb in one week, where you will have gently been guided through it in the space of a month. Heaps of other electives are available too, everything from Stroke Management to Sign Language and Keyboard, so if you’d like to try something new or have a bludge subject – this is your chance!
The Long Run
By now you have either skim read our word-vomit of an article or are sufficiently overwhelmed by medicine. Medicine is difficult, but everyone is finding it the same! In addition, medicine is all about competency so feel liberated from the competition you faced to get in. Instead, re-align your goals and search for interests both in medicine and outside your study. Play a sport, sign up for a research project, read, paint – whatever you fancy. Medsoc is great in providing team sport, MedRevue, leadership
and other opportunities to get involved with but don’t forget about life outside of medicine too! Remember, everyone is in the same boat and if you ever need a hand, you only need to ask. Medicine is all about lifelong learning so hang in there. Perseverance and determination will help the next five years fly by and before you can believe it, you will have an illustrious B.Med next to your name. Medicine may require an unprecedented amount of studying but it is also incredibly rewarding.
We wish you the best of luck! If you want more sage advice or just a chat, add us on Facebook or intercept us in the Hunter building. We are always up for a coffee and a bit of banter :) Love, Pam and Andrea Academic Convenors
Academic Events in 2015 Great Debate The most anticipated night of witty banter, the great debate gathers students, lecturers and clinicians to come battle over controversial topics and alike. Come along for a night of laughter and see a different side to your revered clinicians. Specialties Night No idea what an otorhinolaryngologist does? Neither do we. Specialties night features talks from a consultants at the top of their fields, giving you an insight into their lifestyles and area of expertise. Saving Jane Doe Get hands on with Saving Jane Doe! Come along and put your studying to use and get right into some cannulation and ECG reading. These real-life stimulated first-aid scenarios will test your knowledge and skills when it comes to emergencies. Electives Night Everyone is talking about Health Equity Selectives (HES), travelling and how much money they are saving. Come along to Electives Night so student speakers and faculty staff can help give some insight into different placements; rural or overseas and all the information you want to know.
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Graduate Reflections On my first day on the hospital ward as an intern, I saw the medical student on my team head home at about two-thirty in the afternoon. I watched with longing eyes, as it was only a couple months ago I was leaving early and taking long lunches too! Medical school provided me with some of the best years of my life. Being a medical student comes with many privileges. Patients let you into their lives. They share personal, sensitive and intimate information with you, they let you poke, prode and examine them even when they’re in extremely vulnerable situations. I found this both incredibly rewarding, and occasionally quite confronting. There are even more privileges. Society views medical students as altruistic and intelligent people. This opens up many doors, which I think encapsulate the best thing I found about med school- the opportunities! There are just so many chances to follow your interests and really enrich your time at university. I remember being inundated with student societies to join in first year: Medsoc, Wake Up!, BREAATHHE , NUSA and the list goes on. I interacted with each of these groups over the years, some more than others, whether it be joining a
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committee or just attending one of their parties. While some may do more than others, the best thing I found with groups like these was that it connected me with other medical students across all the years in Newcastle and even with students across the country. This helped make some really strong friendships that I still value immensely today. I was concerned that medical school would confine me to the books for 6 years. I often felt like I wasn’t studying enough, but I soon realised this feeling would remain irrespective of how much time I spent preparing for a PBL or exam. Once I had this realisation I found myself enjoying medical school much more and embracing the extra-curricula opportunities around me. However, even within the confines of the curriculum there’s plenty of room to spread your wings. The elective (HES) in 3rd year allows you to go almost anywhere in the world and in 4th year you can actually complete one of the semesters overseas on exchange in Norway or the UK. One student even completed the optional Bachelor of Medical Science (which I highly recommend) in Sweden!
Med school wasn’t easy. There were times when I doubted that I was cut out for it. In the pre-clinical years I sometimes lost sight of where I was heading. In the clinical years I would sometimes get exhausted and overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge they expected us to know, but I was never alone during this. So many of my close friends went through similar thought processes, but the beauty of studying in Newcastle is that like a herd of wildebeest, we get through it together. Med school is amazing. Congratulations on getting in, you’ve got an incredible five years ahead of you. Dr Steve Hurwitz BMed Intern, St George Hospital Sydney
All About AMSA This is Sparta AMSA! Dear Fresher, Let me introduce you to the wonderful world of AMSA. It’s a place where in one moment, you can be debating some of the brightest future minds in advocacy techniques on the current Australian Internship crisis, while in the next, you’re squirting UV paint over a fellow scantily clad medical student as part of an all out 1,000 person paint war. AMSA, short for the Australian Medical Students Association, is the peak representative body for Australian Medical Students who aim to Connect, Inform and Represent. AMSA’s great and that’s because… actually, screw it, instead of telling you about the wonders of AMSA – I’d like to show you instead. Here are some of the plethora of events/engagement opportunities that you can participate in.
The Holy Grail – Convention
AMSA’s premium annual event. The largest student-run conference in our solar system. Students from 22 medical schools gather on a journey of self-discovery, inspiration and interstate loving. Your body will be pushed to the limits, physically
and mentally, as you try to soak up all the life lessons, all the medical inspiration and all those great memories. Often dubbed as “The best 7 days of your life” Convention, 2013 most definitely was mine… until I went to r’Adelaide 2014. If you go to anything AMSA. Go. To. This. It’s held in Melbourne this year and promises to be the biggest and best yet.
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Local Joy – AMSA @ Newcastle
Think Tanks In these sit down sessions we review AMSA policies, which direct our advocacy efforts. They range from discussing the Bonded Medical Places scheme to Global Climate Change and the Carbon Emissions tax. Don’t worry if you don’t have an opinion because by the session’s end, you’ll most definitely be fired up. Blue Week There are some slightly scary mental health statistics among medical students - over half have reported experiencing mental illness symptoms. One in five medical students in the last 12 months reported having suicidal thoughts. Blue Week at Newcastle is here to help look after your mental health. Whether raising awareness through keynote speakers, or starting the conversation through a forum for current students, it’s a week jam-packed with activities you won’t want to miss. Vampires – The Cup AMSA runs an annual blood drive competition between all national medical schools. Last year we had a record 100 blood donations from Newcastle, placing us 4th overall and 2nd most improved. Please think about rolling up your sleeves and signing up! The competition traditionally takes place between July and August. 28
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Business Time – Council Some famous Australian once said: “No one is the suppository of all wisdom” and while that may be true, the collective group of council attendees could definitely come very close. Students from various backgrounds debate and pass policy, ratify events teams and iron out our advocacy direction. All medical students can now attend, and as long as you join AMSA, can also vote on certain issues. Come along, voice your opinion, or just come along to soak in the knowledge. These Councils will occur in March, July and October.
National Gems – Conferences
Global Health Conference If you don’t shave your neck, I can guarantee you that those neck hairs will be often standing during this event. With keynote speakers
that have ranged from the CEOs of global charities to Julian-freaking-Assange, it’s a conference with an academic itinerary that will always impress. With plenty of networking opportunities, GHC is a perfect place to meet like-minded medical students and think BIG. Set in Perth this year, it’s the perfect excuse to travel cross-country. National Leadership Development Seminar (NLDS) This is a cosy yet prestigious event – focusing on medical leadership and political advocacy. It always receives rave reviews from those attending. Situated in Canberra, attendees of this event have often gone on to do some pretty awesome things within AMSA. This four-day seminar will do its best to give you the skills and ideas to fuel your ambitions. AMSA’s my baby. I genuinely love this organisation. It could become your baby too. Come to an AMSA event. Come try out your new baby. Please shoot me a txt at 0420 590 488 if you have any questions or if you want to find out more about any particular event. I’m always happy to talk AMSA. From your chow-filled AMSA rep, Jim Fann
UnConventional Memories Convention is all about pleasantly surprising you. Whether it’s Hugh Jackman welcoming everybody at last year’s opening ceremony or Patch Adams (the original clown doctor) giving a very unique talk or Kevin Rudd as a surprise interview guest, the team at Convention are always trying to out-do themselves.
This year is the only opportunity you will get in your life to experience AMSA’s National Medical Convention in Melbourne. You will never again be given this chance unless you literally stop studying medicine for a few years and re-apply to get a second chance. So what is this life-altering Convention you ask? And why do the older years keep frothing at the mouth when they describe it? AMSA National Convention is the largest student-run event on Earth. Last year around 1,700 Australian and New Zealand medical students, including myself, gathered in Adelaide for the largest Convention on record. And this year’s Convention in Melbourne is set to be even bigger. So if there is a time to try it out, 2015 is the year. Over 1.5 million dollars is pumped into one week to guarantee you will have one of the most unique, inspirational and enjoyable weeks in your life.
Convention is also a one of a kind opportunity to meet future doctors outside Newcastle, as well as new potential friends for life - one of the best aspects of the week. When I was deciding whether to go to my first convention, every person I asked told me that the friendly welcoming vibe at Convention could not be matched. And they were right.
Luckily enough, your first year of medicine is also the best time to try it out as the workload is light enough to allow you to go without any issues. There are people in fifth year who waited too long and now regret not going every year, and by internship they are no longer able to go. Don’t let yourself suffer that same regret. Open yourself up to the infinite possibilities of Convention. Anything could happen. Jenis Catic
The week will change you and make you a happier, more inspired and social person. Some of the best memories from last year’s event include: • The creativity of costumes on display • Late night chats and drinks with some Melbourne and Adelaide med students in the hotel sauna and hot tub • Watching one of Australia’s greatest magician/physicians blow everyone’s minds • The unique social nights and trading stories of the aftermath the next morning • Paint gun fights, laser tag, dodgeball, tug-of-war and the sports day in general • Getting to know your Newcastle med friends better • Practicing simulated surgical techniques • Delivering simulated babies • Jumping castles, petting zoos, and all sorts of games and prizes • And much more
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Calendar
February
January
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March April
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1 New Year’s Day 2
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Years 3-5 20 begin 26 Australia Day 27
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6 Year 3 break
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Year 1 & 2 break 15 Pub Crawl
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Years 1&2 begin
International Meet & Greet
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WakeUp! 19 Jazz in the Park
WakeUp! Birthing Night
Years 4&5 Meet & Greet
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27 Charity Trivia
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2 Year 3 break
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16 Great Debate
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23 Charity Movie
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Year 3 OSCE Night
Year 1 2 Med Pals 8 Queen’s Birthday 9
June
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Night Good Friday
Warehouse Social
Year 1 & 2 break Sports Grand Prix
Med Ball
12 19 Hill to Harbour
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Night
Year 2 OSCE Night
Years 1-3 assessments / Year 4 stuvac 12
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Years 1 & 2 break
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2015 Mon
Tue
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November
October
September
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Sun 5
AMSA Convention
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Years 1 & 2 break 9 10 AMSA Convention Years 1 & 2 break 16 17
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30 Electives Night 31 WakeUp! Code 1
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Green Party 7 Autonomy Day 8
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Thu Years 1 & 2 break 3
Labour Day
WakeUp! Code Green
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Interfaculty Sports
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24 Halfway Party 25
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15 MedRevue
Saving Jane Doe
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Rugby
Year 1 OSCE Night
Pub Crawl
WakeUp! PHS Night
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Years 1 & 2 stuvac 5
ER Party
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Semester holidays
Charity BBQ City2Surf
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The Sporting Goods New UNMS Sports co-ordinators, Jack Mackenzie and Ravi Naran, promise bigger and better things in 2015. Will they have what it takes to take UNMS Sports to the next level? Our UNMS Insider Lachie Gan sits down for a chat with the Audacious Aussie and the Quickfire Kiwi. PLUS, a look ahead to the 2015 schedule.
What are you looking forward to most in your roles as UNMS Sports Convenors in 2015? Jack: Despite being comprehensively average at most sports we are both massive sports fans. Therefore any activity remotely associated with sport or general competition will be sure to have blood rushing towards our internal pudendal artery. We both agree that many of our friendships in Medicine have been forged by sport in some way. Whether it is a social game of touch or netball during the week or getting distracted far too easily by Kenneth streaming basketball live from the back of HB15 during biochemistry lectures, sport is inclusive, universal and a fantastic way to keep fit and meet people. We’re looking forward to providing a wide range of different sporting events and having something on offer that anyone and everyone can get involved in. Ravi: Yeah, what Jack said. I personally came into Medicine thinking that sports might be something that I would have to cut back on but I ended up playing more sports in the year than ever before. So if sports is your thing, MAKE TIME FOR IT! We’ll do the rest. Even 32
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if you’re a highly organised over-achiever, stress is going to be a reality you have to deal with in Medicine. What better way to let off some steam than to follow in the footsteps of our current president and get sent off for back-chatting to referees? Think the competitor within will die at the hands of our UP/F grading system in Medicine? Band together with your fellow med students and show the other faculties you reign supreme over them. New to Newie? Joining a team is a great way to meet people and bond over common interests. Sports was a great way for me to settle into a new place, establish new friendships, keep fit (mostly), and stoke the competitive fires. So I’m most looking forward to being able to pay it forward and provide a sports environment that can give you so much. What do you consider the greatest sporting moment of all time? Jack: Australia’s thrashing of England in the 1989 Ashes series to win for the first time on English soil in 55 years and set up the onslaught that was Australian cricket in the ‘90s. I didn’t have to experience an Ashes series loss until I was 15.
Ravi: I cannot go past my ABs finally getting one back against the old foe in the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-final at Eden Park, largely because it was the most enjoyable and memorable match I’ve ever attended. The roars whenever Quade Cooper made a mistake (which started with the opening dropout) and the chant of “FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!” at the end were deafening. Could only have been better if George Gregan had still been playing.
talk to, it may or may not have resulted in a few tears. Couldn’t bat the rest of the session. Just kept backing away from everything bowled at me. Only way I could eventually get past it was to buy a carbon-fibre reinforced groin guard the following week. After successful retention of the [Law vs Med] Rugby Trophy in 2014 how do you propose to again bring victory to UNMS in 2015?
Jack: I’ve played rugby union my entire life. When I was in year 12 I played for the 5ths. The worst team in my age group. I was sitting on the sideline waiting for the 1st team to run on when the coach walked past handing out reserve jerseys. He accidently handed me one not knowing who I was. Once he realised it was me he said “You better give that to someone else”. That was the closest I ever got to playing 1sts in any sport.
Jack: Imports. The short answer is imports. It’s not a favourable topic amongst Medical Societies but everyone is doing it and if we are to maintain our competitive edge we need to recruit well in the off season. With the UNMS budget in surplus we jumped at the opportunity to bring in some international talent. We are proud to announce our new signing for 2015 is Michael Jordan. The transition from retired basketball player to rugby union is a code switch not seen before and we are yet to see whether it pays off. It is, however, safe to say that we are confident.
Ravi: I’m the typical Indian stereotype and played cricket most of my life. At a club team training a few years back I was facing up against one my good mates who’s a quick. He bowled me a short one, I rocked back for a pull shot and got hit pure in the ‘nads. Depending on who you
Ravi: Courage. Bravery. Playing with a lot of heart. All things medical students have in spades. Establishing ourselves at the set pieces will be key, and Jack himself will be crucial to this in the locking position. Delivering quick, clean ball to our backs also. Look, Law is a wonder-
What is your worst or most humiliating sporting moment?
ful side with a lot of talented players across the park and we’ll certainly have to look at the tapes and do our homework. But we’re confident in our systems, confident in our game plan, confident in our skills. And at the end of the day if we score more points than them we should be a good chance of winning the game. If you secured a spot in the 2015 Premier League Darts season what would be your nickname and walk in music? Jack: Jack “The Ripper” Mackenzie walking in to Macy Gray’s “I Try”. Not that it says anything about my darting ability… It’s just a great song. Ravi: Nah man, no way! How could your intro music be anything other than B.O.B feat. Rivers Cuomo “Magic in Me” (when you meet him, ask him why first years). Mine would probably be Ravi “The Rocketman” Naran walking into Elton John’s “Rocketman”. Darts involves drinking, I sing Elton John (terribly) whenever I drink, alliteration is always great in a moniker... NSW and QLD have had a fierce rivalry for many years; likewise for Australia and New Zealand. Does that create any difficulties at all managing a primarily NSW team? Continued next page Introductus
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Continued previous page Jack: If Ravi keeps bringing up the 2011 Rugby World Cup then yes, there will be issues. As for the QLD and NSW rivalry, I spent the second semester eating a sizeable portion of humble pie following the State of Origin loss so let’s just see what happens in 2015. A taste of what’s to come in 2015: Social sport UNMS will have teams in the University competitions at The Forum. If you’re interested in playing soccer, touch football, netball or basketball (either socially or competitively) please get in touch with us and we’ll find you a team. Med v Law Rugby It’s always nice putting those lawyers in their place once a year. Hotly contested, the annual Med v Law rugby match is open to anyone who fancies their footy skills. This is also an event we love getting spectators to so come along and support the team, get in on the sausage sizzle and join us for a round or two after the match. (As two ex-students of law, redeemed from the dark side, we also have a vested interest in retaining the shield so losing is NOT an option)
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Ravi: I too spent the second semester eating a sizeable portion of humble pie following The Rugby Championship. Oh wait, no I didn’t. The All Blacks played their worst game in recent memory in Sydney and still BS-ed a draw. That comeback in the third Bledisloe Cup match was a thing of
Interfaculty Sports Day It’s really not enough to triumph over the lawyers in rugby. In 2015, we also felt the need to prove we’re better than all the other faculties in touch, netball and six-a-side football. Help us do it again. That trophy is pretty big and shiny. And we really want to drink from it. MedSoc PGA Golf Day A day on the fairway, being classy, possibly schmoozing with faculty members or local surgeons (TBC). If you want to get anywhere in the medical profession, you’re really going to need to work on your handicap. So why not join us for a round? MedSoc Grand Prix If you weren’t aware, go-karting is really fun. But go-karting with Med students? Whole 'nother level. Reckon you can knock Jack off the top of the podium or beat Ravi’s fastest lap time? Bring it!
beauty. And I have a cheeky $50 on the Black Caps BS-ing their way to cricket world cup win. Add a RWC repeat and 2015 could be magical. OK, yeah. There could be issues...
We also anticipate a number of unofficial sporting events including competitions, attending matches and viewing games throughout the year. Whilst we cannot officially promote coming to the pub and watching one of the many sporting events on the decadent platter that 2015 has to offer, that will be happening… regularly. And if you enjoy a sport not offered by UNMS please get in touch and we’ll point you in the right direction. The University of Newcastle also has a wide range of sports that you can get involved with including tennis, water polo, hockey, and skiing/ snowboarding and much more.
Indigenous Health Indigenous health: time to get our heads out off the sand. My journey into medicine started when I witnessed one of my relatives experience a delay in treatment that ultimately led to her death. She was 61 years old, an elder who was loved and respected within the community and had a crucial role in caring for her family. I was working as a registered nurse in our local hospital emergency department and on this particular morning I was charged with the care of my relative, not an uncommon practice when you work in the bush. My first set of observations revealed a respiratory rate of 46 breaths per minute and that she had not passed any urine for the previous 12 hours. As part of my role, I reported these finding to the doctor and the doctor replied, “Don’t worry about it, she has been breathing that fast all night.”
At this point I knew that she was in a lot of trouble and from would have a battle on her hands to make any recovery. The doctor handed over the care of my relative to another doctor and I immediately expressed my concerns to the new attending doctor. I requested that one of my colleagues insert an indwelling catheter and this revealed not urine, but pus about 20cm along the catheter tube. She had urinary sepsis with acute on chronic renal failure and needed renal dialysis and antibiotics long before I had started my shift. Further delays in getting her to a tertiary facility meant she deteriorated further and when she left our facility by ambulance she was in a critical condition. She died later that day. That is the moment when I decided to attempt to get into medicine. Anyone that has lived in Australia for a period of time should have some awareness about the issues that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people face in relation to health. I am not going to give you statistics on the health of Indigenous Australians – you’re all smart and I’m sure that you can do a bit of research on Google and quite frankly, stats for me are really boring.
In case you not aware, it is a massive health challenge which is multifaceted. The health of some ATSI people has been compared to those in third world nations and in some cases it is worse. The problem cannot be changed by one person; the key is to work together in order to make any real change in the future. In my opinion this change starts with us, the future generation of doctors. This year we will be running skills nights for people who are interested in learning basic medical skills. You will also learn about Indigenous culture and be formally welcomed to country by one of the traditional owners of Awabakal land. We will have guest doctors come and teach us skills like suturing, IV cannulation, ECG and blood pressure measurement. We have also set up a mentoring program for the new Indigenous medical students. So watch this space, it will be a great year! Lucas Booth Indigenous Officer
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Musical Musings Ah yes, medical school. You made it! Firstly, congratulations! Secondly, a difficult truth: if you spend the next half decade here and the only thing you walk away with is a medical degree, you’ll probably be a little bit disappointed (and not much fun at parties). Don’t worry; you’ll have plenty of opportunities to avoid this. In fact, every article in this magazine will probably have bombarded you with options for doing exactly that! And while they’re all good options, I can tell you (with the literary equivalent of a straight face) that the best thing you can possibly do while being a medical student is MedRevue. What is MedRevue I (pretend to) hear you ask? Good question. MedRevue is a musical performed, written and directed entirely by UoN medical students. It’s an epic production that, over two sold-out nights, thrills audiences of hundreds and raises thousands of dollars for MedSoc’s charity of choice. Students from all five years are involved in the show but because the upper years typically have distractions like placements and clinics, a successful show depends on first years just like you getting involved. Don’t worry, this isn’t much of a burden... getting involved in MedRevue is a lot of fun! And as anyone who has ever performed on stage will tell you: it’s also a bit of a rush.
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Time for another difficult truth: slowly but surely you’re going to become the kind of person that spends most of their time talking about the specifics of the endoplasmic reticulum. Terrible, I know, but it’ll happen, trust me. Worse still, most of your friends will join you in this unfortunate predilection and you won’t be able to have a drink with another med student without your conversations resembling a PBL session. What’s more, joining MedRevue will give you some important skills. You’re going to spend a lot of your time as a med student pretending to be a doctor. You’ll go into hospitals and take medical histories with three weeks of training, carry a stethoscope while trying to look like you know what it’s used for and have some practical exams. All of this is essentially acting, and you’ll have a much better time if you’ve had some experience as an actor.
If I still haven’t convinced you to sign up, you should know that a not insignificant portion of our budget goes towards an after-party regarded as one of the best events of the year… and the only way to get into this party is to be in the show. So if you can act, sing, dance, play an instrument or can’t do any of those things but would like to (or even just want to help out behind the scenes), listen out for more info during the first few weeks of your lectures. Joining MedRevue will be the best decision you made since you decided to take the UMAT. Andrew Shannon
Welcome to the Ball Ladies and Gentlemen, Don your ball gowns, shine your shoes and prepare your dancing feet for what promises to be the event of the year – UNMS MEDBALL 2015! This is the most elegant event on the MedSoc calendar. It is a rare opportunity for you to become the sophisticated socialite you have always dreamed of being (let’s not lie, King Street and Fanny’s... sorry, The Argyle... do not exactly exude dignified charm, do they?) Set against the beautiful backdrop of Newcastle Harbour, MedBall 2015 is shaping up to be a snazzy, jazzy event – after all, we do have rather high heels to fill following the successes that were the Inaugural MedBall of 2013 and last year’s fantastic ‘shaken, not stirred’ 007 themed evening.
So what can I expect from MedBall 2015? Perhaps the better question to ask is what can you NOT expect from MedBall? As the name suggests, this is a more upscale event, and so you may expect no less than sheer class and elegance. MedBall will be held in early May. Thus, it will remain shy of exams, yet far enough into the semester for you to prepare your outfits and to have consolidated exactly who you require on your table to ensure playful, yet tasteful, banter and flanter! Ladies: your dress hunt starts now! Floor-length or short and sweet, whichever takes your fancy. Adorn yourself in that jewellery you have been keeping for a special occasion. This is your chance to prove that just because you study in Newcastle and drink goon, that does not mean that you don’t brush up nicely! Continued next page Introductus
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Continued previous page Gentlemen: dust off those tuxedos and polish those dancing shoes! The time has come to show off your suave side. Trust us when we say you will definitely want them this year. We guarantee that after a delicious meal you will be hard pressed to find anyone who won’t want to get their boogie on and dance the night away with a dashing young man in a tie! Ok, so it’s a classy event, I get that. But what do I get with my ticket? It is true that an event such as a ball often means you must fork out for a more expensive ticket. Do not fret, this year we are certain that you will get your money’s worth! As mentioned previously, we have a delightful venue lined up situating MedBall on Newcastle Harbour,
complete with harbour views. You will have the opportunity to mingle with fellow med students over a glass of bubbly, before sitting down for a twocourse meal. Once your meal has settled (and you have had your fill of the banter... less so the flanter), you will have a tough time resisting the allure to dance the night away with top-notch entertainment. Food, beverages, friends and dancing... you are certain to have a nice night!
Right, so it is a big night out then. Is it worth the effort though? Are you kidding!? How could you pass up the opportunity to get dressed up to the nines and party all night with some of your best mates? We guarantee that we, MedSoc, will do our part to make this event better than the last, but it is up to you to get involved and really make the night a memorable one! If you still need convincing, just talk to ANYONE who has experienced a UNMS MedBall and they will tell you this night really takes the cake! If that doesn’t do it for you, take a look at these snaps and see if they don’t get you excited!! Xoxo Amanda and Amanda
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The Social Scene Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! Get ready for an action-packed and socially saturated 2015, with the Social Seahorse’s extravagant and exciting #MedMen events!
‘First Incision’, the most successful event of 2014 will return at a new, fancy location, so fancy it will make Aly Bissett’s fancy dinner party look not very fancy at all (thanks for the invite). First Incision is our first social event and will be held on Wednesday 25th February. So girls, find a fancy dress and lads have a shower, or even two, because First Incision is a cocktail party where you might just spill a drink on your future Mrs (Congratulations Angela and Myles!). Once you’ve finished eating fancy canapés and making an impression, anyone old enough and fun enough kicks on to Fannies (or is it named The Argyle, who cares?), one of Newcastle’s clubs which has free entry and cheap drinks for uni students on a Wednesday night! So grab your tickets ASAP as First Incision is a highlight not to be missed! (If you do miss it, that’s fine, you’ll just have no friends).
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If you like golf, you’ll probably like pub golf! If you’re not a fan of golf, then you’ll still like pub golf. So pull your socks up, put on a white sweater and fasten your cabbie cap; 2015 shall see the return of a pub crawl, the dress theme being heinous golfing attire! We will be crawling through Newcastle, wetting our birdies at some of the city’s coolest drinking holes. But be sure to pace yourself, you don’t want to end up passing out at one of the first venues (I’m talking to you President Tobias), especially as there will be prizes on offer throughout the night!
Five years at uni is a really, really long time. So at the end of semester one, we shall be having a ‘Halfway Party’ to celebrate 3rd years reaching halfway through their degree! This will be another event with a dress theme (TBC) so try and make it as seductive as possible as there are number of older students who join in! First year guys, this is a perfect time to find yourself a cougar! As for you ladies, you will have the pick of medicine’s maturest, manliest men all keen to get a piece of fresh meat! Isabella and JP hope you guys are going strong xoxo.
Do you even med bro? If you thought Stereosonic went off, then you’ll be pingin’ at the thought of the 2015 ‘Warehouse Party’ – a new addition to the social calendar, as promised by #MedMen! This EDM rave is shaping up to be an even more incredible event than stereo (lol jokes, but it is still going to be a great night). Think black lights, fluoro paint, smoke machines, Jim Fann with his shirt off and good times! So be on the lookout for further directions to this underground hoe down and make sure you have time to shred!” The final party will see our lovely members getting all scrubbed up for what is another highlight of the year! The excitement surrounding this event is palpable (lmao med puns). ‘ER Party’ is the last event for our 5th years, which will ensure a massive turnout! The dress theme is Emergency Room and the majority of attendees will grab a set of hospital scrubs to wear. Have a chat with other students about UoN’s tradition for obtaining scrubs!
Apart from the events put on by your spectacular Social Seahorses, there are also a number of other things to do around Newcastle! For those of you who are new to the area and university life, here’s a few tips for being sociable and maintaining healthy human interaction! (On those odd occasions you emerge from your study dungeon.)
• Wednesday night is student night! Bar on the Hill is on campus and your major location for pre-entertainment. There are cheap drinks and free buses into town, where The Argyle is your destination for free entry, cheap drinks and siiick beats. • If you’re looking to head out on the weekend, there are a number of bars and clubs around Newcastle. These range from boutique venues such as Bar Petite, The Commons, Terrace Bar and The Lucky Hotel, to larger bars and clubs such as Finnegan’s Hotel, Customs House and King Street Hotel. • If you’re feeling fancy and have the mature taste buds to go with it, the Hunter Valley is in close proximity to Newcastle and is renowned for its wine! • Newcastle has some world-class beaches. Nobbys Beach is very accessible from the city centre and the stretch of beach leading out to the lighthouse is a great opportunity for anyone on Instagram. Bar Beach is south of Nobbys, and a little trickier to get to without a car, but worth the trip as it boasts incredible surf, access to Mereweather Ocean Baths and the Surfhouse which has great food!
• Speaking of, Newcastle boasts a great, undiscovered food scene. A number of restaurants and cafes are located along the water in Honeysuckle, on Darby Street in Cooks Hill and Beaumont Street in Hamilton. Notable venues also stray from these locations, some of which include The Edwards, Estabar, Doughheads and Bank Corner Cafe. So get keen for 2015, clean the cobwebs off your dancing shoes and start practicing your seductive moves (lol rhyming). Studying medicine is difficult, so if you don’t find a balance between work and play odds are you’ll die. We’re looking forward to this action packed #MedMen year ahead!! Love from your friendly, neighbourhood Social Seahorses... Seahorsii?
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Lending a Hand So you say you would like to help people… …Or at least you that’s what you told your interviewer about why you wanted to do medicine. But if you really mean what you said, UNMS Charity is right for you! If you are an expert at BBQs, avid movie buff, trivia extraordinaire, agree that runs can be fun or an excellent baker, then you should absolutely get involved in what we have in store with Charity in 2015.
So with the assistance of medical students here in Newcastle, this incredible charity will be able to continue providing the support these kids need, allowing them to get the FAIR GO they deserve! This year will be action-packed with some amazing events, such as continuing participation in the City2Surf, our annual trivia night, a movie night, major raffle prizes, BBQ fundraisers and many, many bake sales. What you can do to help
UNMS Charity is proud to announce that again this year our main focus will be supporting Fair Go For Kids, an initiative of Leap Frog Ability. Fair Go For Kids (FGFK) provides much needed treatment, equipment and support to children in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley who are disadvantaged or living with a disability.
First and foremost, we would love it if you could be a part of all the amazing events we will be running this year for FGFK, they’re bound to be lots of fun!
If not for their support, these children can end up on waiting lists for up to two years or with no assistance at all for detrimental issues, as most of these children have no community or other resources allocated to their needs.
Join the subcommittee! This year we will form a subcommittee from students across all years to help with fundraising events and activities. Being in the subcommittee means you’ll help us on the day and get involved in fundraising and advertising events and spreading the word to your fellow peers. If you think you’d be interested please email your name and year level and a bit about how you’d like to get involved further to us at charity@unms.org.au
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But if you’re feeling like truly living up to your word of helping people and you’d like to get even more involved, there are several things you can do!
Lend a hand at events If you don’t want the responsibility of being a committee member, why not just give us a hand at an event? If you’re an aspiring baker or just fancy helping out we’d love you to! Chuck us any suggestions This year we are aiming to make UNMS students some of the most charitable people around. Whilst still focusing primarily on Fair Go For Kids, we would like to get involved in other charity fundraisers in the Newcastle/ Hunter area throughout the year, so if you feel passionate about any cause we could help with email us at charity@unms.org.au Bryony Beal & Jess Redmond Charity Convenors
UNMS Charity 2015 Events: Trivia Night Finally a use for every seemingly useless piece of information you’ve collected over the years! Come along and book a table with friends to rack your brains with a few drinks and some food as well as freebies and a raffle on the night! Movie Night Your chance to see a brand new film with your friends for a good cause! The night will be at Event Cinemas so bring along all your mates to have some laughs and enjoy a good movie over popcorn and other delicious treats. City2Surf Again UNMS Charity is giving the option of entering the 14km fun run in pursuit of fundraising for Fair Go For Kids, so come walk/run/ crawl and bawl across the finish line at Bondi Beach for the kids! BBQs Whilst it may not seem as exciting as a movie or a run, we promise a good feed! This year we will be hosting two BBQs at Bunnings, so help us and show off your sausage-cooking skills or support us by choosing a delicious lunch!
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Med Fashion Review Whilst last year we saw fashion take an evitable trip through the revolving door, bringing back our much loved midriff tops, chokers and black lipstick, we also saw medical student fashion evolve – well, evolve is a strong word. Evolve implies that we have ‘developed gradually’ and let’s face it, we have gradually depleted. The year started like every other, students (especially in ‘Med Soc’) rock up in either two styles; a clinical approach, in the hopes they’ll achieve the glance of a first year whom will undoubtedly think they are an intelligent specimen, giving them an ego boost. Or students will take the ‘I just got back from a trip around the world, I’m so inspired and zen, I love life type of thing’. These people are usually tanned, happy and most definitely will wear sunnies. After the first few weeks of med, when everyone is done trying to fool one another into thinking we can be good-looking, intelligent, sane individuals, we saw the trends of last year flourish. Here are the top 5 trends: 5. The infamous coffee trend. No medical student clothing ensemble is complete without a smart phone in one hand and a double-shot large espresso in the other. This trend was predominately rocked by the crammers, over-achievers and BMedSci students – those who didn’t sleep really.
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4. Our beloved chinos. Chinos are trousers made from 100% cotton, making them a very popular, comfortable trousers substitute. Even UNMS President, Mr. Hunt, is addicted to this fad. He is often spotted pacing the halls of the Hunter side in beige chinos that really say, “I’m a responsible, nice guy”. 3. The trend that every Med student can relate to… weight gain. Around exam season cohorts start to turn to food as a source of emotional support to cope with the pressure of achieving a ‘Ungraded Pass’. Yes, those UPs are what we live for, and as they say, a year that fluctuates together, stays together. 2. A slightly more uplifting trend that seems to be captivating particularly the girls in med. Some say female menstrual cycles sync to the dominate female, well it appears in medicine, so does women’s fashion. At number 2 we have the ‘matching clothing’ craze. Girls across the years, either co-ordinated or coincidently, have been spotted wearing matching outfits. And we aren’t talking about pairs of girls, we are talking groups, clicks, collections of girls all sporting the same outfits to lectures!
1. The trend so prominent in medicine, anyone reading this article is probably guilty of it. It is the promo shirt look. Around the end of semester when students are falling behind on their washing, the people of med display collections of Medical Society promotional T-shirts. These promo shirts range from the vintage style Med Soc hoodies, old promo shirts from sponsors and for the most desperate, even the O’Camp shirts make an appearance. And as the Merchandise Officer, I 100% support our merchandise wearers!
So to the newbies and the fashion victims out there: if you don’t want to end up on this list or any other list, then buy the 2015 new merchandise range. How else will people know that you’re studying Medicine? Aly Bissett
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Newcastle Beaches Since you are now in Newcastle, you might like to get acquainted with the city by exploring its attractive features. Newcastle was, much to everyone’s surprise and amusement, rated number 9 in
Nobby’s Beach is the northmost beach in the city. The south end sometimes acts as a bit of a haven in bigger conditions. It also has a banging shorey that can get pretty heavy. If you are feeling adventurous and are ready to deal with crowds and coal ships (and are an experienced surfer or bodyboarder), you might like to check out Harbour, a pretty gnarly wave that breaks on the inside wall of the harbour in big swell. Newcastle Beach is the next proper beach south of Nobby’s. The surf often picks up out from shark alley and leads into a proper left. Crowds can get heinous and swell to comedic proportions. Parking is a nightmare.
Lonely Planets top 10 cities to visit in the world, far ahead of Sydney and Melbourne, whose pitiful ranks were so low that my finger cramped before I could scroll down to find them.
Bar Beach is very popular with swimmers and surfers alike. Around the corner from Susan Gilmore and across the road from the skatepark, it also boasts a kiosk whose chips are delicious but whose waiting times are less palatable. From here down to Merewether are the Cliff and Dixon Park, which are less popular but no less good. Merewether is the southmost of the town beaches. It too has a kiosk and also the Merewether Surfhouse, a fairly new establishment with lots of glass and tasty pizzas. The Beaches hotel is just up the road from the beach and is a nice place to grab a schooey and a bite to eat.
But then perhaps we should not have been so surprised because once you scratch the surface, Newcastle has a lot to offer. • Exercise caution and common sense at the beach. • Always swim within the flags and your abilities. Burwood and Dudley beaches are unpatrolled. • Observe proper surf/ bodyboarding etiquette and don’t snake or drop in on anyone. • Never swim/surf alone. But wait! There’s more… Burwood Beach, Dudley and Redhead are all worth exploring. As always, each beach has its own quirks and characteristics and the best way to discover them is personal experience. Glenrock is worth a look, with loads of jogging, walking and bike tracks. It is very close to the Fernleigh Track (which extends from Adamstown to Belmont) as it passes near Kahibah. The bush may spit you out at the lagoon or Leggie reef, a delightful and secluded break whose secretive locals would give me a paddlin’ for even mentioning it in print. So go and have fun! It’s out there waiting for you. Lachlan Gan
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Kiwi Survival Tips Kia Ora, I moved to Newcastle from Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud, two years ago. At the time, a survival guide like this didn’t exist. To be honest, it’s a miracle that I’m not dead. Australia is a strange, dangerous place. Fellow Kiwis, what I’m going to share with you are your new commandments, recite them, memorise them, learn them. Your life depends on it. 1) Be vigilant, for dropbears are everywhere. You will hear of a thing called “Dropbears”. They are a mix of koala, bear and the devil itself. They hang on trees, drop onto you and have been known to cause deaths. They are very real. Please remain vigilant when walking under tall trees on campus. Remember the rule of 3s: when walking through bushy areas, stick in groups of 3s so one can watch down at the ground for snakes, one straight ahead for emus, and one up for dropbears.
2) Don’t fight it, your voice will begin to change. Just like how your voice changed during puberty, it’s going to change over time in Aussieland. That kiwi accent is a great party trick and only becomes more prominent as you drink. However, it will inevitably fade. As soon as you can count to ten without anyone snickering at you, you know you’ve crossed the land of no return. 3) Jandals and chilli bins have been replaced with thongs and Eskimos. Australians have literally kidnapped all the Jandals and chilli bins and replaced them with thongs and Eskimos. You now wear thongs to the beach while carrying an Eskimo who keeps your beverages cold. Most, if not all the Eskimos are affectionately known as “Eskys”. It is definitely very weird but just go along with it.
4) Count your coins twice as Australian coins are on a permanent opposite day Because you will feel your pocket for change to visit that delicious pie shop on campus. You will believe that you have enough money, because you have learnt from a young age that the thick large gold coin is worth two dollars. You will then get to the pie shop and have an awkward interaction with the shop lady when you give her the two dollars, only to realise that it’s a one dollar coin because their gold coins are the opposite. Don’t be that guy. And don’t even get me started on that dodecagon. 5) Their sheep apparently: “Don’t do that here” Uhh, just trust me on this one.
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Continued previous page On a more serious and practical note, there are some things that I wish I’d known before I moved across the Tasman: 1) You most likely will not be able to get an internship in New Zealand This means you can’t return and work right after you get your degree. Currently, the internship situation in New Zealand is bad, a lot worse than the current Australian one. (In case you didn’t know, CSPs are guaranteed an internship in Australia when we graduate). Over the past few years, New Zealand’s been barely able to grant their own graduating medical students internships. No international students studying in New Zealand were offered internships for the beginning of 2014. You can still apply and there are different types of short-term internships – but if you were intending on moving back as soon as you finish your degree, please be aware that this may not be possible.
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2) Surprise your family and friends. You now have this ridiculous power to bring joy and happiness to the lives of the people you love in New Zealand, just by appearing. Tell everyone some lame excuse about why you can’t go back for the break and just show up. Of course, it always helps to have an inside informant so you don’t miss them, or you could always just show up a day or two early. 3) Homesickness will hit you like a bitch and there isn’t much that you can do. I didn’t think I’d get homesick. Then over a year and a half in, I’d run out of Marmite, I was listening to six60, and I’d missed a home All Blacks match because of that bloody time difference. Not much makes it feel better, but doing this does help: 4) Embrace and love this city. We’ve been conditioned to dislike Australian things from a young age: the Wallabies, Vegemite, that Mitre 10 sandpit ad (Google it if you haven’t seen it yet). But every single Kiwi that I’ve met here, myself included, I think, has fallen in love with this city. It’s hard not to. It might take a while, but that nasally, donkey-like accent begins to grow on you.
You realise that you’re complaining about Australian politics, not to make fun of it, but because on some deeper level you begin to care. You realise, and I hate to say this, that you stop rooting against Australia in the sporting world and may even find yourself secretly cheering for that Aussie Olympian. Over 700 days since moving from the East Auckland suburbs, I can safely call Newcastle my home. Fellow Kiwi, I hope you find something like that too. Just please, watch out for those f**king dropbears. Jim Fann
Guide to a Cheap Ride Those of you reading this in the hopes that I will share my wisdom on how to pick up girls are going to be sorely disappointed. The name of this article has many connotations but unfortunately this is not tinder or grinder, so I am going to steer clear of ‘most’ sexual topics, and focus predominately on how to live life in Newcastle on a student budget. Now first years, I know this is the first time many of you have lived away from home and trust
me, it’s hard. I have received many questions and shall try and answer them in as much detail as possible. A few of my favourites: “How, am I going to live without the subtle fragrance of rich mahogany to wake up to every morning?” Anonymous 1st year, No.1 “Is there any possible way to be classy on a budget, and not end up living like a peasant?” Anonymous 1st year, No.2
Now, many of you are opposed to living on a budget, preferring to live life lavishly and rack up that credit card debt. Others budget like noobs, considering tinned bake beans and mi goreng as culinary wonderfood. There is another option and you can still have all the things you love. With a few simple tips and tricks to increase the longevity of your money each week you will eventually be on the path to monetary enlightenment.
Accomodation Where?
Distance Suburb/region from campus
Public transport
Birmingham gardens
~1km
Average – buses
High
Easy
Close to Jesmond
Limited PT, ~$40 cab
Far
North Lambton
~1km
Average – buses
Moderate -High
Easy -Medium
Close to Jesmond
“
Far
Jesmond
~2km
Good – buses
Moderate
Easy
Major shops here
“
Far
On Campus
0km
Good – bus and train
High
N/A
Moderate distance from Jesmond
Some buses, trains stop earlyish
Far
Mayfield
~3km
Average – buses
Moderate
Medium
Major shops here
Some buses, long walk
Moderate
City (i.e. the hill etc.)
~7km
Good – buses and trains
Moderate -High
Medium -Difficult
Lots of ma- Easy jor shops
Close
Merewether
~8km
Limited buses
High
Difficult
?
Close
Safety
Walking or riding
Shops
Getting home late at night
Long walk
Beach
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Continued previous page How much to pay? There are really nice places for decent prices if YOU START LOOKING EARLY, around $170 a week with all bills included will get a nice place. This will vary with location though, for example it becomes more expensive in town.
Tip No. 1 If you happen to have a housemate who eats all your food every month, don’t passive aggressively sit at a table for 4 hours and eat everything she has in the fridge and cupboard. 1. Lentils just aren’t that great 2. The stomach ache isn’t worth it.
Where do I get information? The easiest place to start looking for fully furnished, university student accommodation is by looking on the university’s website: http://offcampusaccommodation.newcastle.edu.au/ Otherwise just peruse the available places through the regular means i.e. type it into google and start searching through the property websites you find.
Tip No. 2 It is really great in your first year if you can find a house with other medical students. I got really lucky when I first moved up here and found myself with four other medical students. There are always older years looking to fill rooms so if this is an option you are interested in don’t hesitate to send me an email at president@ unms.org.au and I will see what I can find for you.
Other things to watch out for with accommodation: If you are planning on going home over the summer finding a 6 month lease with 1 month extensions is ideal as it will save you money, but keep in mind it can be difficult to find. In most cases you’ll be committing for 12 months so make sure you like the place. Another tip is to inspect on a day when any people already living in the house are around. It is not always possible and if not, asking the landlord what they’re like, or a little bit about them, can help guide you to a house that will better fit you.
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Transport
Around Newcastle It pretty much depends where you live. If you are close to the university you can walk or ride to class but it will cost more to visit the city when you go out. If you live in the city, the opposite is true. The good thing about buses in Newcastle are that they are time-based as opposed to trip-based. This means you can buy a ticket that suits your travel needs more appropriately. For more info, visit: www.transportnsw.info
To Sydney The first thing you will notice about your year is that the large majority of people are from somewhere in Sydney. For those of you who are, it is understandable that you may have commitments that require you to travel to and from Sydney every now and then. However, it becomes very easy for you to start losing track of money to travel expenses. Car Cost: Petrol costs roughly $25 each way, equating to $50 for a round trip. Even if you are only traveling once a month, this quickly adds up to $600 dollars for the year. Any more than that and you are wasting thousands of dollars. Train Cost: Catch the train for $4 each way and a grand total of $8 return. It’s a no brainer, it is way cheaper and you also have the added benefit of being able to do some study/work while you are sitting there.
Food
Buying 1. Write a List For me personally, I find it always helps if I work out exactly what I need before I leave and then when I get to the shops I can just systematically cross things off my list. I do this purely because I am a very spontaneous buyer and am easily persuaded by all the lucrative specials. It means I don’t buy unnecessary things and put a hole in my budget. 2. Buy in Bulk Buy larger amounts than you will need that week and put the rest in the freezer. It’s a great way to save yourself time and money. 3. Be Wary of the Specials Specials can be awesome and if you see something you want, I thoroughly recommend you go for it. However, often you just end up buying things you don’t need, so think before you buy.
Cooking Now I have heaps of tips and tricks that I use when cooking to save me a bit of money. Here are just a few, but if you would like some more I am happy to share. 1. Cooking Food In Bulk Is the best trick you will ever learn for cooking food cheap. If you make friends with your housemates early in the year, you can all cook 1 or 2 dishes a week and share on a nightly basis. Not only does this save you money but it saves you a lot of time. Another option is to cook all your lunches at the beginning of the week (spaghetti bolognese), and then you are set for another 7 days. 2. Learn To Make Things That Can Be Easily Frozen Curry pastes, are really easy to make, and you can make a massive batch at the start of year that will last you 6 months if you store them in the freezer. I usually spoon the paste into ice cube trays and that way you can just crack out however many cubes you need when you want to make dinner. I prefer thai currys, green, red, massuman and yellow. If you need any recipes, just send me an email and I can hook you up with some goodies.
3. Slow/Pressure Cook Everything I have this theory that everything slow cooked tastes awesome, I also have theories that anything on a sandwich and anything with bacon is awesome but I’ll leave that for another time. The good thing about slow cooking things is that you can use lower grades of meat and less pricey cuts from your local butcher. By the time this meat has been sitting and basting for hours in whatever luscious sauce you have concocted, it pretty much melts in your mouth. If you are like me and don’t have time to wait three hours, somehow hint to your very lovely and thoughtful girlfriend to buy you a pressure cooker. Same result, 1/10th of the time.
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Dining Out
Now there is no real secret to dining out, it is always going to be more expensive than doing things at home. My one word of advice to you is to find the places you enjoy and then you are more willing to let go of those precious dollars you have earned. There is the ritualistic pub crawl that all Newcastle students flock to every Wednesday night, consisting of the Great Northern, Customs, The Brewery and The Argyle. However, if at any stage you want to release that inner dapper gentleman from your heart, I have two local haunts that allow me to relax and enjoy a few drinks and nibbles with my closest Medpals. 5 Sawyers Is a cuboidal little cocktail bar situated almost dead in the middle of Darby street. It’s a great little venue to sit back, relax and either sip on that secret girly pleasure or ask for something with lots of shots that more closely resembles rocket fuel. The best promo they have running at the moment is $10 Cocktail hour (Sun-Thurs not Mon, 9-10pm) but they also have Slider and Cider Wednesday ($16) and $5 Happy Hour (Beer & Wine, Tues-Fri, 5pm6pm).
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If you want to know a few of my favourite cocktails, I would say in no particular order: Pisco Sour, Espresso Martini, Old Fashioned, Bloody Mary and Negroni (with Hendricks of course). None of them are on the list but the bartenders are always happy to oblige me. The Grain Store If you are really into your beer and cider, this is the best place to go in town. They have 20 taps and change all but a few every week. If you like lagers, pilsners, pale ale, dark beers, ciders, you name it, they have something you have never tried before and will love. I tried two awesome ciders last week, one infused with ginger and another infused with pomegranate – delicious. They have board and card games in the middle of the room to bring back to your cute little booths or hunting tables. And if you are a little bit hungry, order their 2-foot sub, it is mammoth in proportions, is only $22 and can easily be shared between four people. Thanks for reading guys. If you need any help or recipes just send me an email at: president@ unms.org.au Tobias Hunt
AD?
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UNMS Committee Speaking of their biggest win/fail in medical school...
Tobias Hunt President Win: Accidentally hit on my cardio clinician. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” #Lovedoctor
Imogen Andrews Vice President Win: Getting to perform in the MedRevue for three years in a row with a group of extremely talented musical med students.
Stephanie Hopkins Secretary Fail: Nearly fainting in my first anatomy lab. Win: Having an excuse to stand next to the most muscular guys - just in case someone needs to catch me.
Ruidi Liu Treasurer Fail: I forgot that humans had more than one knee.
Jim Fann AMSA Representative Fail: After zoning out in a few lectures, I thought I’d sit in the front row. I still fell asleep. As I opened my eyes, Dr Jobling was holding full eye contact with me. Sometimes I still see the disappointment in those eyes.
Naseer Abdul Sponsorship Officer Win: Delivering my first baby in Tanzania on HES. Fail: Not attending AMSA Convention in first year.
Pamela Wu Academic Convenor Win: Stress-eating a full 900 gram tub of vanilla yogurt the night before an anatomy exam and being blessed by aforementioned yogurt that I passed my exam.
Andrea Fernando Academic Convenor Win: Made the mistake of not eating breakfast before an abdominal examination lab... I may be the only person who’s fainted at the sight of a man’s hairy stomach.
Brett Scott Social Convenor Win: Wore my bed sheet as a cape at O-camp. Fail: Getting manhandled by the butch female security guard (shorter than me) of the caravan park because of it.
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Lachie Jackson Social Convenor Fail: I made a woman cry because I called her rare presentation of herpes simplex virus ‘interesting’. I think she was being a wuss, the sore presented on her hand - better that than on her genitals.
Bryony Beal Jess Redmond Charity Convenor Charity Convenor Fail: Being locals, so the professors knew your name and picked on you in the first lecture.
Ravi Naran Sports Convenor Fail: Telling the course coordinator at the end of year party that one of our lecturers was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Died of embarrassment the next day.
Jack Mackenzie Sports Convenor Fail: I had to ask my Semester 1 PBL tutor what Na+ was... it’s sodium.
Hannah Sycamore Education Officer Fail: The operation list was swapped around on me. Taking a quick history I asked the carpal tunnel patient if they were having a circumcision. Awks.
Lachlan Gan Publications Officer Win: By now I surely hold a record for committee meeting non-attendance.
Natalie Puchalski Publications Officer Win: After living in a hotel for a month, happened across a new house to rent near uni with great housemates, in mid-March.
Aly Bissett Merchandise & Membership Officer Fail: A 15min morning nap turned into a 3-hour sleep and I missed my first Med Sci exam.
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Devin Deo International Officer Win: Getting through my first PBL with only two words: Trauma and Inflammation.
Lucas Booth Indigenous Officer Win: getting involved with other medical students in study groups, the medical society and also attending some social occasions.
Basheer Alshiwanna Jr AMSA Representative Fail: Didn’t know what degree we were doing until the end of first year. I think it’s spelt BMed?”
Rachael Zuzek AMA Representative Fail: Being unable to pronounce almost every medical term I have come across. Took me almost 13 weeks to get ‘homonymous hemianopia’ down pat. My life is a constant struggle.
Nick Hewett NSWMSC Representative Fail: Got a lesson in projectiles this year #nevergatecrashmedrevueparties
Ned Merewether Website Officer Fail: Turning up to my first ever OSCE in a t-shirt and shorts.
Krishan Maheepala O’Camp Convenor Fail: Not knowing what JMP stood for when asked what I liked about it during my interview.
Grayson Genn O’Camp Convenor Fail: Slept through my hospital placement after Wednesday night at the argyle. Win: Lived in Jesmond for 12 months... Still haven’t been robbed.
Josh Diamoy MedRevue Convenor Fail: Charles Douglas once medical ethics’d me in the face.
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Andrew Shannon MedRevue Convenor Fail: Took so long to correctly palpate lymph nodes that Bhavi decided he’d rather lose consciousness and faceplant onto the hospital ward floor than watch me flounder around the axilla.
Amanda De Silva MedBall Convenor Win: I won the icosahedron award at AMSA Convention in ‘Erth 2012. Think about that.
Amanda Paterson MedBall Convenor Win: Exchange in Oslo, HES in Africa, assisting in the neurosurgical OT for a fortnight.
James Wayte Immediate Past President Fail: Beat Ming in gay chicken.
Jack McDonogh 3rd Year Representative Fail: Waking up 10 minutes into an exam in first year.
Zoë Lambert 3rd Year Representative Fail: Falling in love with my boyfriend’s best friend.
Tahl Zagron 3rd Year Representative Fail: Learnt about premature ejaculation the hard way.
Ben Jacobs 2nd Year Representative Win: Perfecting choosing the right seat so that Dr Douglas wouldn’t ask me a question in ethics lectures.
Dylan Rajaratnam 2nd Year Representative Win: Jumping in the pool at O’camp with my phone, putting it in cereal, and …….breaking it.
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Letters to the editors or Dr Ductus Got something burning up inside you? Want it addressed or just want some advice? Are you all that desperate to get a question answered? Dr Ductus is here for you - ready to answer your questions about love, life or anything on the surface of your cerebrum. Or do you have an opinion you want heard? Or you just have something to say about the world? Do you have something you want to shout out from the rooftops? If so, then send your letters or questions to the editors at publications@unms.org.au! Letters will be published and/or answered in the next edition of Ductus, anonymously at request. Still have questions and want to talk to someone on the committee? President
president@unms.org.au
Vice President
vicepresident@unms.org.au
Treasurer
treasurer@unms.org.au
Secretary
secretary@unms.org.au
AMSA Rep
amsa@unms.org.au
Sponsorship Officer
sponsorship@unms.org.au
Academic Convenors
academic@unms.org.au
Social Convenor
social@unms.org.au
Charity Convenors
charity@unms.org.au
Sports Convenors
sports@unms.org.au
Publications Officers
publications@unms.org.au
Membership Officer membership@unms.org.au International Officer international@unms.org.au Indigenous Officer
indigenous@unms.org.au
Education Officer
education@unms.org.au
Jr AMSA Rep
jramsa@unms.org.au
AMA Rep
ama@unms.org.au
NSWMSC Rep
nswmsc@unms.org.au
Website Officer
admin@unms.org.au
O’Camp Convenors ocamp@unms.org.au MedRevue Convenors medrevueuon@gmail.com MedBall Convenors medball@unms.org.au
Or send all your general enquiries to secretary@unms.org.au.
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Want to contribute to the next edition of Ductus? Have a love for writing and want your works to be read? Simply keen to join the publications team? Send an email our way at publications@unms.org.au! Introductus
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