Mildura Regional Clinical School has been successful in receiving a grant for $38,000 through the Mallee Health Foundation to purchase a SimMom. The Foundation, previously known as the Mildura Base Hospital Foundation, was established and began fundraising in 1987.

The Mallee Health Foundation was one of the generous donors towards the purchase of SimMan back in 2010.

The entire family of SimMan, SimMom, SimBaby and SimNewby will complete the recently upgraded skills lab in Mildura.

Kristy Allen

Your name and position

Kristy Allen, Simulation Technician/ Sessional Teacher

Describe your job/role

I began at Monash 16 months ago in a funded position by HWA for the delivery of Simulated Learning to the  Lower Murray Region. I coordinate the bookings for the skills lab.  I am responsible for controlling the high fidelity manikins during simulation scenarios while our lecturer teaches within the session. I am also a current practicing registered nurse and occasionally teach procedural skills to our medical students.

Why is it important?

My role is important for the delivery of simulated learning to the students of Monash University and to keep Howard Cook company.

What is the best aspect of your work with the School of Rural Health?

The best aspect of my job would be the opportunity I have to work and learn so closely with the university’s lecturer.

When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing?

When I’m not at work I love being a wife and mum.

What was your most recent holiday destination and why did you choose it?

Sydney – for the shopping!

If you were Emperor for a day, what is one thing you would implement?

I would give us each a set of wings to spread, fly, feel free and have faith.

Surprise us! What is something about you that most of your peers would not know?

I was a competition line dancer (bootscooter)

Mildura Regional Clinical School have developed Mini Medical Academy Days (MMAD) to expose local secondary school students in the Sunraysia region to rural health careers. The days involved hands-on clinical experience run by medical students and Monash University staff to raise awareness of pathways to further studies in health. The students have the opportunity to engage with current medical students at the clinical school and to learn about what it is like to study in the rural setting.

The half-day program consists of four stations focused on a different skill required of a medical student, which the students rotate through over the course of the session. These involve a grand tour of the hospital, plastering, a simulation session with SimMan 3G and basic life support. For some students this may be their only exposure to life at university, which may otherwise be offered at open days in Melbourne. It gives them a chance to ask questions and experience a day in the life of a medical student.

One of the highlights of the program so far is the stories from Monash medical students about their personal journeys at university and the application process. This highlights to the secondary students that attending university is a real and achievable goal. To date, four local secondary schools have participated in the initiative and in future years this will be offered to all schools in the Sunraysia region.

On Tuesday 17 September 2013, the Monash University Surgical Interest Group (MUSIG) held its inaugural clinical skills workshop at the Mildura Regional Clinical School. MUSIG has held similar workshops in metropolitan hospitals for clinical school students at Monash Medical Centre and The Alfred Hospital as well as workshops for pre-clinical students at Monash University. Last year, MUSIG held its first event in the Bendigo Regional Clinical School.

The aims of this event were to educate and inspire medical students about the exciting area of surgery and specifically, about trauma and its application to rural medicine. Thirty-seven students attended the night from years 2 to 5 which included the Year 2 pre-clinical students who were up for their 2 weeks rural placements. Students had the opportunity to rotate through three different stations throughout the night. There were three tutors who volunteered their time including Kristy Allen, Dr Marli Williams and Ms Cathryn Wakefield.

The stations included a surgical skills station with the surgical registrar Dr Marli Williams, a plastering station where students learnt how to put a forearm cast on and a SimNewB station where students learned how to tackle tricky situations and learn about neonatal resuscitation.

The support from the Mildura Regional Clinical School contributed to the success of the night.  Furthermore, a big thanks to year 3 student and Mildura Clinical Site Liaison, Hui Ling Yeoh, for helping out with the organisation of the evening. There has been excellent feedback from the students who attended the night and MUSIG hopes that these workshops will continue in Mildura into the future. Furthermore, MUSIG hopes to expand these workshops into other rural sites in the years to come.

Jennifer Tang
MUSIG Mildura Representative 2013

During semester two, Mildura Regional Clinical School hosted 16 students, and the program was certainly up to expectations; Orange World, Glen Esk Station, Mutawinji – all whimsical or exotic names for places which the students might experience during their rural health immersion based in Mildura for two weeks.   The aim of the Mildura team is to make rural health REAL, through the people, the sparse outback landscape, or interaction with local Aboriginal peoples.

A network television ‘infomercial’ raising awareness of domestic violence and its implications has been filmed at Monash University’s regional clinical school in Mildura.

Commissioned by Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS), the production features three Monash students as actors playing the part of surgeons in filming at the Mildura Regional Clinical School’s simulation laboratories, which doubled as an emergency ward in the storyline.

Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria and Mildura Base Hospital also participated in the production, shot at locations around Mildura.

MDAS, north west Victoria’s major service provider for Indigenous people, worked through a rigorous community consultation process in the development of this confronting campaign publicising an important regional issue.

The infomercial will screen on WIN TV Mildura and Bendigo during the Christmas period.

Year 3 student currently in Mildura, Adam Louws, has a long list of talents that includes acting, a skill he has utilised to good effect since moving to the north of the state.

Adam considers that there are many benefits to this outside interest.

“I’ve been involved in productions since 2002, most notably playing John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible.’

“When I moved up to Mildura, I decided to get involved in the local community, and joined both the Red Cliffs Players as Oliver for their performance of ‘Spider’s Web’, and the Red Cliffs Musical Society as Carmen in Mel Brooks’ ‘The Producers.’ I even had a minor role as a father in the Mildura Base Hospital’s obstetrics Prompt training day!

“Being in the groups allowed me to make lots of new friends, develop my talents further, and have a lot of fun. It also helped me to feel like a part of Mildura, like I was giving back to the community that had welcomed me.”

RFDS trivia winning team

Travellers from the Sunraysia community flocked to The Grand Hotel in August for a special event – the Royal Flying Doctors Service Trivia Fundraising Night 2013, hosted by the Monash University’s rural health student club Wildfire.

Headed by MC Captain Fleur Muirhead and assisted by the air hostesses from Wildfire Airlines, all passengers had a pleasant and enjoyable flight.

There were 110 passengers from the local and wider community who participated in the evening. Among the attendees were staff from Monash University’s Mildura Regional Clinical School and the Mildura Base Hospital as well as members from sporting and Rotary clubs.

Gary Layton, General Manager of Primary Health Care with the Royal Flying Doctors Service was also present and spoke about future initiatives as well as what the service does in the Sunraysia area and across Australia.

After departure the questions and games got underway. And it is fair to say that while some teams took off, others were left to travel with the baggage! Several tables were in close contention for first class although the wooden spoon was clearly taken out by the netballers.

In the end it was all down to the music round and famous faces that determined who took out the top spot. Upon arrival, it was a combination of medical students and out-of-towners that took out first place. Prizes included hampers from local businesses that generously donated vouchers and goods to support the night.

The event was very successful, raising a total of $2500 for the Royal Flying Doctors Service from both ticket and raffle sales. It was well received by both the local community and particularly by the RFDS. Without the support of the community, the Wildfire Mildura sub-committee and the staff from the Mildura Regional Clinical School this would not have been possible. We hope that Wildfire initiatives such as this can become an annual event to continue improving our relationship with and support for the RFDS, who provides such a crucial service to our rural communities.

– By Catherine Smale, Secretary Wildfire Mildura sub-committee 2013

Six Mildura-based students with their RFDS award

Congratulations to the six Mildura-based students who’ve been named best Health Check-In team by the Royal Flying Doctor Service for their work at the recent Mallee Machinery Field Days. In partnership with the RFDS, The students conducted free health assessments to help raise awareness of high blood pressure and diabetes.

Sibon Fuzzard

The Northern Victoria Regional Medical Education Network (NVRMEN) is a collaborative partnership between the rural clinical schools of Monash University and the University of Melbourne.

Established in 2006 to address the need for more doctors in rural areas, it provides extended clinical training in rural Victoria to 60 students each year, 30 from each university. This group is known as the Extended Rural Cohort.

Bendigo hosts students from both universities for their first clinical training year, and this year’s group included Sibon Fuzzard.

Sibon has lived in Bendigo most of her life and chose to study at the University of Melbourne but spent time at the Monash Bendigo Regional Clinical School, along with other University of Melbourne students. The next stage of Sibon’s studies is a trip to Africa. This is part one of Sibon’s story.

Medical school can seem like a series of obligations – exams, study, lectures, and ward rounds.

It can seem like hard work with little reward, a road that winds on and on with no apparent end in sight!

I am thankful that all of these worries are melting away with the rapid approach of graduation and internship. I now see the study as a pleasure, expanding my knowledge and opening my eyes to solutions for healthcare problems.

The exams are done and dusted; with the power of hindsight they didn’t even seem that bad. Those niggling doubts that the rewards of my labour were minimal have vanished.

I am about to become a doctor; and before I do, I have the life changing opportunity to travel to Africa for my elective placement.

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