Associate Professor Fiona Wright from the Mildura Regional Clinical School and Laura Major from the School of Rural Health Rural Education Program office headed to Malaysia in May to assist with implementing the Monash Malaysia Year 2 MBBS Integrated Rural Program (MIRP) pilot study.

The pilot was undertaken in Segamat, a rural town and district which is located about 172 km from Johor Bahru.

Year 2 student volunteers undertook the pilot under the watchful eye of Professor Shah Yasin, his team from Monash Sunway in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and colleagues from the Johor Bahru Clinical School.  Students had the opportunity to undertake daily ward rounds at the 320 bed Segamat Hospital, which serves patients from a large area, some as far as Gemas and Rompin about 45 minutes to an hour away.

Students also enjoyed the opportunity of attending daily clinical placements at district community clinics that deal with a range of health issues, as well as attending regular placements at much smaller village clinics which deal primarily with maternal and child health issues.  In addition, students undertook PBL tutorials as well as clinical skills sessions within a rural context. This was to ensure that they kept up with their central curriculum learning activities.

The regular recording of lectures at Sunway campus in KL allowed the student pilot cohort to download these each day in Segamat and view them during timetabled self-directed learning sessions or in their own time.

Fiona and Laura moderated an evaluation feedback session on the last day of the pilot.

The universal consensus among the students was that they felt the new rural program, focussing on the introduction of clinical skills to Year 2 students in a rural context and experience of rural health service systems rather than a focus on the Sunway curriculum, would enable them to feel better prepared to commence their Year 3 clinical studies.

More importantly the students stated that they felt this model would lessen the “transition shock” that many MBBS students experience as they move from pre-clinical to clinical years training.

The Malaysian Year 2 MIRP pilot student group on the last day of the study.

In collaboration with the Central Gippsland Health Service, Year 3B students at the Sale campus of East Gippsland Regional Clinical School joined transition nurses as part an interdisciplinary education program.

The skills session scenarios focused on detection of and communication with the deteriorating patient, both paediatric and adult.

All participants gave very positive feedback and it is hoped that opportunities for this type of interdisciplinary education continue and expand in the future.

Medical students and transition nurses enjoyed the chance to work in the interdisciplinary program in East Gippsland.

West Gippsland-based students had an opportunity to meet and discuss issues around chronic illness with a person suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (MND), thanks to an event organised by community advisory member Mavis Gallienne.

Mavis has been organising such meetings from some years now and the current cohort at the West Gippsland Campus of the Gippsland Regional Clinical School were fortunate to meet local lady Barbara Phillippi.

Barbara has been living with MND for about eight years but remains a fiercely independent woman who is determined to raise awareness of the illness by telling her story.

An active sportswoman, Barbara told the students how she had first noticed that she was starting to trip and stumble for no apparent reason when playing netball.

As the illness progressed she lost the ability to walk and has little use of her arms, but can drive a motorised wheelchair.

The students heard about the frustrations felt by someone who is now almost totally dependent on family and carers. They also learned a lot about the team available to provide assistance, including Barbara’s GP, a neurologist, physiotherapist, dietician, specialist MND nurses and staff for the Victorian Respiratory Support Service, as well as home care support.

In a recent news item in the local newspaper, the Warragul Gazette, Barbara is quoted as saying: “It is really important for people to understand that minds are not affected by this disease.” This was another key message to the students.

The sessions are important for students as it gives them an insight into the whole range of issues, other than the medical, which impact on people with chronic disease. These include the impact on and role of family, services and support mechanisms, as well as the reaction of other people.

Students have also been encouraged to look at other literature available, including a book out at the moment called ‘Until I Say Goodbye.’ It is by Susan Spencer Wendel, a person living with a form of MND.

West Gippsland students are pictured with Barbara Phillippi and community advisory member Mavis Gallienne, at left.

Gippsland Regional Clinical School has hosted the first of a five-day series of workshops as part of an interprofessional program on managing delirious patients.

The workshops include medical students and nursing students and are designed to teach people from different health professions to work together to improve the care of patients.

In this case, the workshops focus on patients with delirium, using case studies and opportunities to practice on a patient actor who is simulating a delirious episode. Managing patients when they are in a state of delirium – which can often include agitated, confused and even aggressive behaviour – can be very difficult.

In years gone by such patients may have been strapped down or sedated but these often caused further issues.

The new program promotes methods such as helping patients to orient themselves by explaining where they are, offering them a phone or a clock, and attempting to de-escalate the agitation. It’s an area of health care in which professionals working together as a team have much better outcomes for the patient.

In the GRCS program, workshops run for about three hours, half in tutorial and half in simulation.

It is the first time GRCS has been involved in the workshops, which also run at Berwick and in Melbourne. The program is based on the PhD studies of Lecturer Debra Kielgaldie and developed by the Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Wendy Cross and Director of Geriatric Medicine at Eastern Health Professor Peteris Darzins.

Bernadette Hayes is pictured with local students, playing a very convincing role as a confused and demanding elderly patient with delirium.

Dr Julie Willems at MUDRIH is to be congratulated following her selection for the 2013 Mentoring Scheme for Women.

The E-Learning Designer and Educational Developer will be a mentee on the scheme, which is designed to increase women’s access to the learning and developmental opportunities provided by a mentoring relationship.

The Scheme involves a senior, more experienced individual (the mentor) facilitating the learning and development of the mentee by offering support, information and advice about career planning and skill development, and access to organisational knowledge and networks.

The next step for Julie is to attend a Mentee Preparation Session, held to help both the mentee and mentor prepare for the program.

Each mentee is matched with a suitable mentor, with the pair meeting about once a month during the course of the program from June to December this year.

This year’s program includes 32 academic and 30 professional staff from across the University who have been selected as mentees.

… and also becomes an author

Further congratulations to Dr Julie Willems of MUDRIH for the recent publication of her new book ‘Global challenges and perspectives in blended and distance learning.’

The book highlights the perspective, challenges and current practices within higher and distance education around the world. As a reference source it brings together a unique view of global research essential for academics, managers and leaders, researchers and practitioners in higher education and distance education.

The book co-authored by Dr Julie Willems.

Professor Debra Nestel has signed a contract with Wiley Blackwell to edit a book on simulated patient methodology.

The book is co-edited with Associate Professor Margaret Bearman, HealthPEER and has a publication date of 2014.

School of Rural Health lecturer and a long term Pharmacist at Latrobe Regional Hospital, Anne Leversha, has recorded her thoughts on pharmacy and changes to the industry as part of Pharmacy History Week.

The interview was one of four recorded by the Society of Hospital Pharmacies of Australia (SHPA), which spoke to a number of its members about how things are different these days.

Anne is a senior lecturer at Monash University and was an obvious choice to take part, as she is one of the first clinical pharmacists to hold an academic position in an Australian medical faculty. She also brings a non-metropolitan perspective as the SHPA’s Rural Advisor.

Anne’s half hour discussion can be heard by going to the following link: https://soundcloud.com/shpa-1/anne-leversha

Matthew Campbell's family, Noel Campbell (third from left) and Christine Campbell (third from right) are pictured with (from left) Alba Anderson, Kyle Vander Kuyp, John May, Liz Wearne and Sam Alexander

Every year Monash University’s rural health club, WILDFIRE, holds a lecture dedicated to Indigenous health.

The first organised in 1994 by Matthew Campbell, then a second year Monash medical student and was attended by hundreds of medical and allied health students from Monash and other universities.

Tragically, just after the event, Matthew was killed in a car accident.  Each year, WILDFIRE holds the lecture in memory of Matthew and his passion for Indigenous health.

The seminar provides medical and allied health students at Monash University with an opportunity to hear about possible solutions to difficulties faced by Indigenous Australians that affect their mental and physical wellbeing.

This year’s 19^th Annual Matthew Campbell Memorial Evening was opened by Professor Geoff Solarsh, Director of the NVRMEN program. Guests participated in a Welcome to Country given by Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Bill Nicholson followed by a traditional smoking ceremony before enjoying the One Fire Tribal Dancers and Didgeridoo.

Speakers this year included:

• Sam Alexander, a Monash graduate entry student who intermitted his studies in 2012 to ride more than 5000 km on horseback from Victoria to far north Queensland to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  Read about Sam’s adventures on his website.
• Dr Elizabeth Wearne, a Monash graduate who is now a GP in East Gippsland.
• Alba Anderson, a Monash John Flynn Scholar undertaking her John Flynn Placement Program in the Northern Territory and working in remote Indigenous communities.
• Kyle Vander Kuyp, an Indigenous Australian and Olympic athlete who competed in the 1996 and 2000 games and broke the 110 metre hurdles Australian record in the 1995 World Championships.  Kyle has since been involved with AIME Indigenous mentoring.  Kyle is from the Worimi and Yuin tribe of North and South Coast NSW.

John May, Year 3 Monash student and active WILDFIRE member did a great job as MC on the night and was congratulated on his great effort in organising the event.

It was great to see the Campbell family enjoying this annual event which commemorates the work of their son Matthew and what he believed in most – to extend other students’ knowledge and experiences with Aboriginal health.

By Laura Major

Manager, Rural Education Program

Podiatry student Cameron Chaplin (middle) and Year 3B Gippsland Regional Clinical School student Steve Xu at right, with simulation patient 'Sharon'. The year-long program is based at Warragul hospital.

West Gippsland-based students are taking part in the Gippsland Regional Interprofessional Partnership in Simulation (GRIPS) as part of their learning and communication skills unit.

The program is being run by the West Gippsland Healthcare Group, working with Monash University to run the 12 month program. Health Workforce Australia (HWA) funds the program to help train healthcare students in five selected Gippsland sites.

It is an interprofessional learning process, with medical students paired with a student from another discipline such as physiotherapy or podiatry. Together they develop a care plan for a simulated patient and provide input based on their own fields of study.

The students carry out their initial interview with a person who plays the role of a real client of West Gippsland Healthcare Group. The experience means students can practice interviewing skills with complex clients in a safe environment without any negative consequences for the client.

By sharing the interview with a student from another discipline, medical students are able to collaborate in collecting the client’s social and medical information, work out a care plan for the client, and advise the client on possible referrals to other services.  Working closely with a student from another discipline helps both students know more about the roles and responsibilities of the other profession.

The feedback from the sessions has been enthusiastic, with one student in the West Gippsland program commenting that the scenarios were quite challenging but thought provoking and that it was good working with a student from a different discipline.

Overall the GRIPS program aims to improve healthcare students’ communication, collaboration and co-operation with clients/families and colleagues. This helps to improve client/family care.

The next Education at Technology In-Service is scheduled for Wednesday 15 May on the topic Virtual Learning Environments.

Dr Julie Willems from MUDRIH will be the presenter. For further details, or to suggest or offer to present a session, please contact Dr Julie Willems at Julie.Willems@monash.edu

How to join the session: In person at the MUDRIH videoconference room or from a videoconference endpoint:

• inside Monash dial 35929
• outside Monash dial 35929@monash.edu or 130.194.20.3 then enter conference 29
• From a telephone (audio only) dial 03 9903 5929