Eleven of the cohort of 14 nursing students who completed their studies at the Bairnsdale site

Monash University nursing students at the Bairnsdale site have had a successful year with all 14 third year students receiving a graduate nurse placement. These placements range across several health services including Monash Health, Northern Health, Latrobe Regional Health Service, Central Gippsland Health Service, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Omeo District Health and a private GP clinic.

Well done all.

The weather over the last few weeks has been rather unlike what would be expected in spring. Spring should be bbq weather, so with that in mind a farewell for the Year 4C Bairnsdale medical students was planned and, as has been the case lately, the usually beautiful Gippsland weather turned on us.

Despite this, and with a couple of minor modifications, the students were farewelled in style by staff and others who had played an important part in the program throughout the year. Rain and cool temperatures didn’t dampen the enjoyment we all had and it is with a mixture of sadness and optimism that the 2013 student cohort was farewelled and sent on their way with our best wishes and hopes that we see them again in Gippsland, perhaps as practising doctors.

David Campbell, Director, and Marnie Connolly, the Academic Coordinator of the Year 4C program at Bairnsdale, congratulated the students for their hard work and commitment throughout the year and thanked all staff for their valuable contributions to the ongoing success of the integrated program in East Gippsland.

Each student was invited to give a vignette of one occasion they remember about their year. The guests were engaged with stories of humour, compassion, humility and generosity.

We look forward to following the students in their progress. They will be missed by everyone.

Lionel Dukakis (Program Manager of Wulgunggo Nglau) and the students in front of a sculpture made by the program participants and local Indigenous Elders.

Early on a cold and drizzly September morning 14 undergraduate students left Inverloch with their trusty tutor and coordinator in tow. It was a journey that would see them traverse the beautiful South Gippsland country side in search of the elusive Wulgunggo Ngalu Learning Place nestled high in the hills above Yarram.

Wulgunggo Ngalu Learning Place is a program run by the Department of Justice for adult indigenous men undertaking a community-based order. It is a live-in facility that aims to connect and strengthen indigenous men back to their culture. In the Gunai Kurni Language “Wulgunggo Ngalu” means “which way together”, a sentiment strongly held by all who lead this program. Our amazing guide for the day was the passionate Lionel Dukakis who, after warmly welcoming us to country, took us on a very informative tour of the facility explaining as we went the education, skills and lifestyle programs the facility run. The participants also have the opportunity of “giving back” to the local community and to take part in local community activities, like lawn mower racing!

After sitting down to lunch together, the students took part in a forum where they could openly discuss contemporary indigenous issues. Lionel encouraged students to ask the questions that they always wanted to ask, but were maybe a little too embarrassed to broach. An excited discussion followed, and it was hard not to be taken by Lionel’s contagious fervour for indigenous welfare. I think it was unanimous – an informative day was had by all and  at the end of the day 14 students left with a new found enthusiasm for indigenous health and welfare, and a greater understanding of indigenous culture.

A combined student farewell for Year 3B and Year 4C was held in Sale with approximately 50 people in attendance. Tutors, practice managers, specialists, interns and registrars all came along to farewell a terrific group of students.

Drs Iain Nicolson and Howard Connor addressed the group to wish the students well and to thank all those who have contributed to the program throughout the year. The Year 3B students received a special mention for their effort in the John Desmond Occupational Medicine exam which is held each year and to Dr Lloyd Waters, their tutor.

The East Gippsland Regional Clinical School wish the students all the best in their forthcoming exams and we are looking forward to welcoming a number of them back for another year in 2014.

Tracey Zakazakaarcher year 4C medical student has won 3 gold and 1 silver in the Australian Masters Championships 2013. This competition only runs every two years and involves athletes from 13 different countries in 50 different sports. Tracey was successful in the athletics competition taking first place in the pentathlon, shot-put and the hammer throw, as well as second place in the discus throw.

Tracey is a mother of eight children, is studying medicine, as well as coaching other children in both soccer and athletics.

Tracey was also chosen to represent the Masters Games competitors on the “Weekend Today Show”, Channel 9 national TV, as well as local radio stations in Geelong Victoria.

Tracey’s TV interview can be found online.

Tracey admits, “I enjoy my athletics – it keeps me fit, however, the most important thing right now is passing the exams!”

A fantastic day was had by all, we'd like to thank Liddiard Road for coming along with 40 lovely smiles and teddies.

One fine day, the year 3B medical students invited 40 prep students from Liddiard Road Primary School to come and visit the clinical school for a very special morning. Our aim was to introduce the kids to the concept of good health, good eating and emergencies.

Being kids ourselves (sort of), we wanted to make the day as fun as possible – so naturally, the kids were invited to bring their Teddies along to help. The kids learned about exercise, healthy eating, x-rays, what to do in an emergency, and got a real plaster cast on their thumb – very exciting stuff.

Peter Nightingale, Year 3B Student, GRCS

Left to right – At the Docklands Channel 9 Studios – Jeremy Siow, William Bay (contestant), Matthew Howard, Darius Tan and Shayne Camilleri

It was with great excitement that the Warragul site of GRCS learned that William Bay (3B student at Warragul) had been selected to appear on the quiz show ‘Millionaire Hot Seat’ with Eddie McGuire as compere.

William, ably supported by Matthew Howard (3B student), and with a delegation of 3B students in the audience, went down to Channel 9 studios at Docklands in mid- October to appear in his ‘million dollar’ session.

To see how William and the team did, keep an eye out for the show which is scheduled to show at 5:30pm weekdays on Chanel 9 in the next couple of weeks.   The experience at the studios is one that the students will not forget in a long time!

John May achieved a high distinction in the John Desmond Occupational Medicine exam

Each year there is an opportunity for Year 3B students to sit the John Desmond Occupational Medicine exam. The John Desmond Prize is donated by Drs Robyn Horsley and Peter Desmond in honour of their son who died in infancy. Dr Horsley practices occupational medicine as a speciality and finds it to be a diverse area of medicine.

The objectives of the John Desmond Prize in Occupational Medicine are to:

• encourage some students to contemplate occupational medicine as a career;
• encourage most students to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to effectively practise occupational medicine as part of any general or specialist medical practice

The results this year were very pleasing with special mention made of Sale students as achieving overall ‘superior performance” in the exam. Special mention should be made of John May from Sale who achieved a high distinction.

Our congratulations go to the students and our thanks to Dr Lloyd Waters from the Clocktower Medical Centre in Sale for tutoring the students and for coordinating their on-site visit to the Esso Gas plant at Longford.

Dr Elizabeth Farrell, gynaecologist, pictured with a gynaecologist she is mentoring whilst in Australia for continued training.

A series of three inspirational dinners have been held at the South Gippsland campus of the East Gippsland Regional Clinical School. The dinners, the brainchild of Dr David Iser, are held for the Year 4C students to show them the myriad opportunities that doing medicine opens up to them.

The first dinner was held in August this year with Dr Andrew Steer speaking about infectious diseases and rashes. Dr Steer is an Infectious diseases physician with the Department of General Medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital and a senior research fellow at the Centre for International Child Health, Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne.

Following Dr Steers talk, retired Paediatric specialist, Dr Robert Birell, spoke of his journey as a doctor at the Royal Children’s Hospital and his work to introduce mandatory reporting of child abuse, for which he is recognised.

The second dinner was held in October with Dr Elizabeth Farrell as the guest speaker.  Dr Farrell talked to students about her involvement over the past 20 years in the management, education and research of the menopausal woman. Dr Farrell has her own private gynaecology practice and is head of the Menopausal Unit at Monash Medical Centre, a senior lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with Monash University and a Director and consultant gynaecologist at the Jean Hailes Foundation.

Dr Farrell established the first Early Menopausal Clinic in 2002, the first Adult Turner’s Syndrome Long Term clinic  and in 2009 established the first Women and Cancer Clinic in Victoria at Monash Medical Centre.

The third dinner is scheduled for November and by all accounts the dinners have been extremely successful events, rewarding and informative experiences for the students fortunate enough to be involved.

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