Professor Debra Nestel will head to New York City early next year to deliver a keynote lecture at an international symposium on paediatric simulation techniques.

Professor Nestel will address the International Paediatric Simulation Society’s 5^th International Paediatric Simulation Symposia and Workshops in New York City in April. Her topic is dedicated to the theme ‘Distributing high quality paediatric simulation to the masses: lessons learned from the AusSETT experience (faculty development and quality assurance).’

She has also been invited to lead a workshop on ‘Simulation theory – sociocultural learning theorist – how theory sits with design of educational programs and communities of practice’.

The availability of the hi-fidelity simulation models for clinical skills scenarios, including the newcomer Sim Newbie as well as SimMan, has taken off in Mildura.

Howard Cook and Kristy Allen have facilitated a number of training sessions for nursing staff from both Mildura Base Hospital and Mildura Private Hospital.

Sim Newbie has a weekly date with local midwifery staff while Howard and Kristy also transported SimMan to a training day ‘Immunisation Updates for Practice Nurses’, working on scenarios involving Anaphylaxis.

Regular bookings are being established for Sea Lake, Manangatang, Ouyen and Robinvale health professionals, particularly following the end of academic semesters.

Warragul students have again performed well in the annual John Desmond Prize in Occupational Medicine, open to all Year 3B MBBS students across Monash.

All nine Warragul students took part and passed with marks ranging from credit to high distinction. The two who achieved high distinctions were Margaret Young and Liying Chen.

The efforts of the group were mentioned in the final report, which stated: “Superior performance in this examination was achieved by the candidates from Warragul and Cabrini followed by The Alfred and Box Hill, followed by Southern Health at Monash Medical Centre, Dandenong and Casey.”

The two students who achieved high distinctions in the John Desmond Prize, Mararet You (left) and Liying Chen

The John Desmond Prize is donated by Drs Robyn Horsley and Peter Desmond, who asked that the Prize be named in honour of their late son, John Desmond, who died in infancy.  Robyn practises occupational medicine as a specialty and finds it to be a family-friendly and diverse area of medicine.

The objectives of the John Desmond Prize in Occupational Medicine are to encourage students to contemplate occupational medicine as a career and, secondly, to encourage students to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to effectively practise occupational medicine as part of any general or specialist medical practice.

Warragul students have also celebrated their year together with a ‘last day’ morning tea, when the John Desmond Prize certificates were handed out.

The reputation of Bendigo Regional Clinical School’s Trauma Day has been upheld with yet another successful event.

More than 30 enthusiastic Year 3 and Year 5 medical students arrived ready to be put through their paces, with Simulated Learning Environment Clinical Educators Adele Callaghan and Cathy Driver ready to guide them through the day.

Dr Diana Badcock kicked the day off with a relevant and practical revision of primary and secondary survey. By the end of her session, the students were dreaming about Airway, (with cervical stabilization!), breathing, and circulation.

Diana’s innovative presentation design ensured that each and every participant was able to contribute to and share intellectual material. (more…)

The concrete slab went in at the start of October

The last of the major building works to complete the makeover of Gippsland Regional Clinical School facilities at Traralgon are well underway.

The breakout area adjacent to the Roger Strasser Auditorium is being extended substantially, so that it can used as extra space when running conferences and sessions. As well as being suitable for break-out purposes, it has been designed for multi-use such as an area to run education sessions and have displays.

Once the new area is completed early in the New Year, work will start on refurbishing and upgrading the existing auditorium. It is scheduled for completion around May 2013.

The work will finalise what has been a major redevelopment program for the School of Rural Health, the Monash nursing program and for Latrobe Regional Hospital.

By the end of October, the extension was taking shape

Construction of new accommodation off-site but adjacent to the hospital grounds early in 2012 enabled the upstairs area to be redone as office space and a new library established. The new break out area followed on and with refurbishment of the Auditorium the program will be complete – at least for now!

Pictured with the new books is Baringa staff member, Laura Hollands (centre), along with students from left, Peter, Coleen, Brianna and Alex

The Gippsland Regional Clinical School has said thanks to Baringa Special School for its assistance throughout the year, with the donation of a series of books designed for those with learning disadvantages.

Each of the nine students from the Warragul Campus of the School of Rural Health spent a day at the Baringa School in Moe, learning about communications and working with people with a disability.

The Baringa students and staff were delighted to help out the medical students and the books were a small gift – which the special school nominated as something it wanted – to say thanks.

Pictured with her prize for taking part is Kellie Lamarino (centre) with Mark Heald and Samantha Hoyle from St Joseph's College Mildura

Mildura Regional Clinical School has put Monash’s Qualtrics software licence to good use, developing a survey for upper secondary school students to get their thoughts on entering medicine, and also to give them information about issues including enter scores.

As an incentive to participate in the survey, a $30 iTunes voucher was offered. The eventual winner was Kellie Lamarino, a Year 10 student from St Josephs College in Mildura.

Kellie and 33 other students from St Josephs College and Ouyen Secondary completed the quick survey relating to Medicine at Monash University.  Kellie received her iTunes card and some Monash merchandise after she was randomly selected from the survey participants who volunteered their name and school in their responses.

The Mildura Regional Clinical School is grateful for the participation of the local students, and also recommends the use of a survey such as this one to spread messages to potential undergraduate students.

New arrival: going through the intubation simulation training session are, from left, Dr Suri Hariprakash, Dr Chellam Kirubakaran, Dr Dan Turn, Associate Professor Fiona Wright, and Laerdal trainer Amy Dearsley going through the intubation simulation training session.

Amy Dearsley from Laerdal Melbourne spent two days in Mildura installing new additions to the Simulated Learning Environment and training key staff in their correct use.

Scenarios which are used in teaching sessions cover a range of situations including, for the Sim New Born, Resuscitation with Positive-Pressure Ventilation and Chest Compressions, Resuscitation with Positive-Pressure Ventilation and Endotracheal Intubation and Care of the Infant with Asthma for SimNewB.

The new scenarios for the sim baby covered areas including Care of the Infant with Asthma, Pediatric Nasogastric Tube Insertion for SimBaby and Management of the Child with a Bradycardic Episode.

The range of new scenarios will add substantially to the learning opportunities provided by the sim lab.

One of the MMI interviews last year.

While some areas are looking forward to a quieter time during mid-semester break, staff at Gippsland Medical School are gearing up for two of the busiest days of the year, the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) for applicants hoping for a place in the 2013 cohort.

Over two days, 130 applicants will be interviewed. There will be 56 interviewers including staff from SRH, Gippsland and Clayton campuses, current students and community volunteers.

A team of Year A students will be on hand to assist with coordination and to chat to applicants and calm their nerves. Staff will be assisting either as interviewers or with coordination on the days.

The MMIs are the culmination of a year of hard work for the GMS Admissions team, Judy and Lauren, led by Dr Marg Hay, Director of Admissions. The intention is to select the best possible students within the pool of applicants, while increasing the numbers of rural, particularly Gippsland-based, students offered places.

The year-long process for applicants begins in January when they register for the GAMSAT. After sitting in March, applicants apply through GEMSAS (Graduate Entry Medical Schools Admissions System) preferencing the Medical Schools they wish to attend. Judy and Lauren then work with QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre) to manage the simulations and rank and select those lucky few who make it to interview. After interviews comes the nail-biting waiting period for applicants prior offers being released in October.

International interviews this year have already taken place in Singapore, Canada, Malaysia and Gippsland, with 78 international applicants interviewed before last week.

The MMI originated from McMaster University in 2001 and now plays a heavy role in the selection of medical students in Australia.

Gippsland Medical School would like to thank staff from School of Health sites for their assistance as interviewers.

The RETAINR team at MUDRIH, from left, Adrienne Forsyth (Research Project Assistant), Dr Margaret Stebbing (Team Leader), Marillyn Harkness (Project Administrator).

Adrienne Forsyth has joined the Retention of Allied Health Professionals at Retirement Age in Rural Victoria (RETAINR) study team at MUDRIH as Research Project Assistant.

Adrienne holds degrees in Human Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and is in the writing up stage of a PhD thesis.

The RETAINR research and action study aims to identify important beliefs and attitudes of those who decide to continue to work as an allied health professional beyond retirement age.

Allied Health Professionals aged 55 years or more, who are retired or about to retire, who live in rural Victoria or intend relocating from the city to a rural area in retirement, are all invited to participate in this study.

Further information email adrienne.forsyth@monash.edu or see the RETAINR recruiting website.