Rural health introduced
Students get hands-on experience during transition week
The School of Rural Health has again played an important role in the MBBS Year 1 Transition Program for 2013.
It was held at Monash University, Clayton Campus last Friday and Saturday (1 and 2 March) and the School of Rural Health introduced the Monash Rural Health program to the Year 1 students during the last day of their Orientation Week.
Representatives from Mildura, Bendigo, Gippsland and East Gippsland ensured that Year 1 students were given an opportunity to learn about what awaits them across the next five years within the SRH.
Professor Judi Walker gave a presentation entitled ‘Monash Rural Health: Setting the Scene’ which highlighted rural clinical placements across the MBBS curriculum for direct entry and graduate entry students, as well as raising students’ awareness of rural generalist pathways.
The new ERC students had the opportunity to meet current ERC students across Years 2 – 5 as well as attend an informative and very enjoyable information session presented by Professor Geoff Solarsh from Bendigo Regional Clinical School. This was followed by a lunch hosted by NVRMEN. Jenny Timmis from Mildura Regional Clinical School was able to provide information in relation to new ERC students about what awaits them in Mildura.
Staff from the SRH Rural Education Program office at Clayton managed and coordinated the day, the highlight being the running of clinical skills simulation sessions for the new-to-course students so they could start to practise their basis life support skills.
The scenario was written last year by Elyssia Bourke and John Clark, former Co-Chairs of WILDFIRE and current Year 5 MBBS students. The activity was set around a fictional drowning incident in Mildura, where a Swedish backpacker ‘Sven’ had a few too many drinks of the delicious local wine and broke his neck diving into the Murray River.
The Year 1 students had to plan how they would manage Sven’s injuries. This started with the basic CPR technique and moved on to introducing an airway, defibrillation and performing a log roll when the ambulance ‘arrived’. The activity also drew on the rural health issues and local rural academic staff that assisted with the session were able to bring a local flavour to the scenario.
Students were very interested in how the patient would be transferred to Melbourne and the health services that could be provided at a local level.
I would like to convey my thanks to all our enthusiastic WILDFIRE student volunteers and staff from our Regional Clinical Schools who made the effort to come to Clayton. Also, a huge thank you to Central MBBS Clinical Skills Unit and the Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice Centre at The Alfred for providing the necessary clinical skills equipment on the day.
By Laura Major,
Manager, Rural Education Program