Faking it: Mildura-based clinical educators learn how to simulate wounds

School of Rural Health (SRH) clinical educators hosted their counterparts from Latrobe University and Mildura Base Hospital recently to learn the unique art of moulage at a training session in the SRH Mildura Clinical Simulation Centre.

Moulage involves the application of mock injuries for the purposes of simulating real-world experience. It is widely used to train health care professionals and military personnel in emergency medical responses.

Moulage achieves realistic simulations of injuries and medical conditions. Wounds, fractures, amputations, gunshot wounds, burns and various diseases can all be realistically portrayed.

The impact of work place accidents, violent crime, motor vehicle accidents, terrorism, nuclear, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction and other medical emergencies are also simulated through the use of moulage.

Laerdal Australia, a renowned provider of training for lifesaving and emergency medical care, introduced the use of moulage modelling to the Mildura-based professionals.

Among some of the very realistic wounds produced by participants on the day were those created by Clinical Skills Lecturer Howard Cook who wore his proudly, for all to admire.

Participants responded positively to the training, with everyone keen to try some modelling of their own. The success of the event leaves Mildura well positioned to become a centre for future moulage training.

Recovery: Year 4C medical student Kim congratulates these budding young doctors on the miraculous recovery of a “very sick” little dog.

Sick teddies and dolls made a quick recovery much to the delight of youngsters who visited the special “toy hospital” set up by the School of Rural Health Latrobe Valley & West Gippsland as part of the Latrobe Regional Hospital Open Day.

SRH staff and students had a constant stream of young traffic, helping bandaging cuts to the toys, using stethoscopes to check their “hearts” and even getting to don a surgeon’s cap.

The simulation room proved popular however some smaller children were left wondering about the very still and compliant  “patients” lying on their beds.

School director Dr Joseph Tam said it was a great day, with young visitors in particular keen to try some of the equipment. “It also allowed us to show off our facilities to the public and give them an idea of the work we do in training medical students,” he said.

Dr Tam praised staff and students who assisted on the day.

Intestinal: Dr Bob Irungu explains the workings of the intestines using a very long sausage to students Madeline Jong, Sophie Nicholls, Jamie Chin, Piper Stubbs and Grady Blake.

A group of 17 enthusiastic grade 6 students from Gippsland Grammar School in Bairnsdale recently spent a few hours getting hands-on experience with body parts.

The day was coordinated by Laurea Atkinson, Marnie Connolly, Eleanor Mitchell and Angelo d’Amore with the aim of generating interest in science.

Four stations of body systems were set up: respiratory, the skin, digestive and cardiovascular. Students rotated through the various areas, learning how long the short intestine is, where our food goes, how to look after skin abrasions and how the heart works.

The digestive system station required getting the local butcher to make a 17 foot long sausage/intestine to illustrate the digestive system.

Dr Bob Irungu had the students fascinated explaining the various parts of the body involved in digestion of food. (more…)

WONCA is an acronym for World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians.  A shorter version is ‘World Organization of Family Doctors’.

Dr Jan Cole, Monash graduate, is featured as WONCA’s family doctor for August.  Jan is an associate professor and academic family physician at Monash University in Melbourne and has been a family doctor for more than 25 years.

Jan is only the second Australian GP to be honoured in this way.  The previous Australian was another Monash Graduate, Professor John Murtagh.

Hands-on: a local secondary school students gets up close to a neonatal unit during a Hands-On Health day at Sale.

Forty-five senior secondary school students from Sale, Maffra and Yarram had a taste of working in the health sector when they took part in a Hands on Health day in Sale on 30 July 30.

Based loosely on a similar program at Monash University Clayton campus, the Hands on Health Workshop was put together by Ros Pearce and staff from the SRH East & South Gippsland in collaboration with Central Gippsland Health Service (CGHS) and local secondary schools.

It was held at the School of Rural Health’s  Sale site, under the auspices of the Community Advisory Committee.

Senior students from Sale, Maffra and Yarram secondary colleges, Gippsland Grammar School and Sale Catholic College, interested in pursuing a career in health, attended. (more…)

Delegation of women from Myanmar visiting SRH Mildura

A GROUP of women from Myanmar (Republic of the Union of Myanmar) hope the  information they gained from a visit to Mildura will help improve community health issues in their country.

The 19 senior representatives of Myanmar’s health sector were hosted for three days by Monash School of Rural Health Mildura.

Organised by the Monash Sustainability Institute, the 10-week visit to Victoria was funded by a range of organisations including the Australian and Myanmar Governments, and the United Nations.

The women have been to various Monash campuses including hospitals and rural health care facilities. Monash researchers are keen to learn about current issues in Myanmar community health while the Myanmar group is learning of Monash initiatives in community health and related areas.

The group included doctors, allied health professionals and representatives of non-government organisations (NGOs) with specific interests in maternal and child health.

According to the Head of the School of Rural Health Professor Judi Walker, maternal and child health, and HIV/AIDS present serious health issues in Myanmar.

‘However, mortality and serious illness can often be prevented through adoption of primary health care interventions,” Prof Walker said.

The first day in Mildura saw the visiting fellows tour the Mildura clinical school which included time in the simulation and women’s health training facilities. There was discussion on the role this equipment has in the education of medical students, junior doctors and allied health professionals. This equipment is not generally available in Myanmar and the chance to simulate various obstetric scenarios was a valuable learning opportunity for the delegates.

They also toured the Mildura Base Hospital and at dinner that night, spoke to local medical students about HIV/AIDS issues in Myanmar.

The evening, hosted by Associated Professor Ian Pettigrew, saw final year medical students from Monash University on placement in Mildura discuss differing healthcare perspectives and approaches to medical practice with members of the delegation. Areas of particular interest for students included the allocation of healthcare resources, access to medical treatment within rural Myanmar, and prevalence of infectious diseases, in particular the prevalence of HIV within Myanmar and means of disease prevention and management.

A highlight of the evening was a performance by the delegates of the traditional Myanmar Village Renewal dance. Performed in authentic Myanmar dress, the dance involved highly coordinated hand movements, highlighting the connection with cultural traditions and values that remain an important factor in their lives and work as healthcare professionals.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) hosted the group on the following day which included a visit to Coomealla Health Aboriginal Corporation. The final day saw a visit to the Robinvale Medical Clinic followed by a cruise on the River Murray.

Professor Walker said understanding the social context in which community health care was extended was as important as understanding conventional medical practice.

“Monash and Myanmar will establish an enduring collaborative relationship which is responsive to improved health outcomes,” she added.

Arrangements for the Myanmar visitors were organised by SRH Mildura’s Regional Manager,” Kendall Livingstone. “It was a pleasure to meet these outstanding women and we hope that one day some of them may return to Mildura for a follow-up visit,” she said.

Simulation: Pam Harvey (left) discusses mobility aids with a student during an occupational therapy session, and (right) a student practices wound dressing in the Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre.

This year’s revamped Year 2 program in Bendigo involved a mix of new and tried educational experiences.

“With a cohort of 39 students, activities were often split into three so that smaller groups could get to know each other,” said Lecturer Pam Harvey.

“This year, students travelled to either Rochester, Dingee or Lockington to visit a working dairy farm and look at health services in the town.

“These communities embraced our students, giving their time and knowledge generously,” she said, adding “community involvement was a theme of our program.”

Pam said 13 GP patients had participated in the program’s simulated general practice consultation, and volunteered to return ‘any time’.

“They willingly talked to students about their health issues, offering students insight into how people manage their daily lives while coping with often complex issues.

“Students were also able to discuss illness and its effects with two people living in the community who have had strokes.

“We called these sessions ‘Stories of Recovery’ to highlight the role that rehabilitation and community care have for people adjusting to disability,” said Pam.

The Year 2 program also saw students spend time in local hospitals with senior students, and in the skills lab with clinical educators.

“The best outcome was that nearly half of the students wanted to know how they could apply for a rural placement in Year 3,” said Pam.

“My thanks to the hard working Bendigo Year 2 team for their organisation, patience and ingenuity.”

Dr Tim Spelman of the Burnet Institute introduces the evening.

The 20^th annual Matthew Campbell Memorial Evening on 2 May 2014 adopted the theme “Indigenous Wellbeing Solutions and Success” and featured stories of achievement in different fields.

The first event was organised in 1994 by then Year 2 medical student Matthew Campbell to promote awareness of Indigenous health and look at strategies that can be used to improve it. A few days after the event, Matthew was tragically killed in a car accident. Monash’s rural health club WILDFIRE continues to organise the event each year in Matthew’s memory.

Dr Tim Spelman introduced the evening this year. A public health specialist currently working with the Burnet Institute, Dr Spelman was also a classmate and close friend of Matthew Campbell and helped organise the original event. Four speakers followed Dr Spelman.

Inala Cooper, Senior Advisor of the Yulendj Indigenous Engagement Unit, discussed the University’s Indigenous Action Plan and the processes which were taken to develop it.

Ngaree Blow, the 2013 AMA Indigenous Peoples Award Winner, discussed her experience as an Indigenous medical student and work with the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association.

Dr Rob Roseby, a paediatric respiratory physician with substantial experience working in central Australia, detailed some of the tragedies and successes of his time in Alice Springs along with providing useful advice for the future practice of those attending.

Bianca Graham, the first Indigenous woman to complete the New York marathon, spoke of her experience training with the Indigenous marathon project and then completing the marathon and the effect it had on her home community in upper north Queensland. (WILDFIRE announced their involvement with the Indigenous Marathon Project.)

Speakers for the evening included (L-R) Robert Roseby, Bianca Graham, Ngaree Blow

Tom Nice from AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) attended the evening. He talked about the possible involvement of students in the program.

Each year the Paddle Prize is also awarded for an essay on that year’s theme. Alannah McLaughlin was this year’s winner for her illustrated essay on the topic.

The Koorie Men’s Health Day is an innovative mental health delivery model that was trialled in Gippsland.

The PhD research of Anton Isaacs inspired the development of an innovative model of community-based mental health delivery for Koorie men.  Anton’s research highlighted the difficulties faced by Aboriginal men in accessing mental health services and adhering to treatment.  The study also demonstrated the difficulties faced by staff in addressing the unique needs of Aboriginal men who need mental health care.  As a result, the Koorie Men’s Health Day was developed and trialled.

The Koorie Men’s Health Day model was written up in “The Koorie Men’s Health Day: an innovative model for early detection of mental illness among rural Aboriginal men” by Anton Isaacs and Berwyn Lampitt. (DOI: 10.1177/1039856213502241). This paper describes how a mental health clinician, an academic and Aboriginal Elders worked as a team to design and implement an innovative model for early detection of mental illness among Koorie men in Morwell. The model of service is based in the community, overcomes most barriers faced by Koorie men in accessing help for mental health problems, de-stigmatises mental health and services.  The model appears to be cost efficient, being self-sufficient from beginning to end.

Interest in this model is growing.  Two more Koorie Men’s Health Days are planned for March and September in Gippsland with an expression of interest from Echuca.

Anton is a lecturer at the School of Rural Health – MUDRIH.

Forty-five battered, scruffy, highly loved teddy bears made the exciting journey with children from Parkland’s kindergarten in Morwell to attend the teddy bear hospital at Gippsland Regional Clinical School recently.

A number of Year 3B students put aside their study to introduce the children to a range of positive experiences relating to going to hospital.

Discovering x-rays and bones was a highlight for the children who got to see what our finger bones look like under our skin, plus a teddy bear x-ray. This led into a session about plastering and the lucky children were able to get their thumb or finger plastered.

Students spoke to the children abut emergencies and the number to call if there is an accident.   However, it was pleasing to see that a number of them already had this knowledge. They also got to play with stethoscopes, oxygen masks, and tendon hammers to become familiar with some common equipment they may encounter if attending hospital themselves.

Finally the weather was beautiful and allowed the children to have some time to play outside exploring the topic of exercise. Medical students Sean and Cindy even learnt how to play “duck, duck, goose” and the children’s giggles could be heard across the courtyard.

A big thank you goes to Manny’s Market Traralgon who donated a box of fresh fruit for the children to snack on and discuss healthy eating options.

Overall the teachers, parents and children from Parklands were very impressed by the professionalism shown by the Year 3B students and cannot thank Alex and the students enough for giving up their study time so close to exams to provide such a wonderful, educational learning experience for all involved.

Meagan Presley, Clinical Educator, Gippsland Regional Clinical School