GMS student, Sam Alexander, with the three horses he will ride up the east coast of Australia.

Gippsland Medical School Year B student Sam Alexander has put his studies on hold this year while he takes off on what can only be described as a great adventure – riding his three horses 5,330 kilometres along the east coast of Australia.

It is not just a whim for Sam, however, as he is undertaking the journey to raise awareness for a cause close to his heart, the importance of medical care in rural Australia, while also raising money for the Royal Flying Doctors’ Service.

Sam left late in February and just before heading off dropped into the Gippsland Medical School with his three steeds for a meet and greet with GMS staff and Year A students, enabling everyone to wish him well on his endeavour.

If you would like to assist or want more details about Sam’s quest, see  www.headingnorth2012.com.

One of the most common questions asked at Open Day is: will I be disadvantaged educationally by studying outside Melbourne? Students are concerned they will miss out on resources and support provided to their Clayton-based counterparts. An analysis of Year 4 MBBS assessment results for 2011 has clearly demonstrated this is not the case. Read the rest of this entry »

One of Monash’s important partners in the north-west medical program, the Brooke Street Medical Centre in Woodend, officially opened its expanded facilities in late February. The clinic hosts eight students each year who spend a full semester based in general practice.

Speaking at the opening, Director of the Bendigo Regional Clinical School and Head of the Northern Victoria Regional Medical Education Network, Professor Geoff Solarsh, acknowledged the clinic’s pioneering role in the GP super clinic program and the care taken to integrate medical students into the practice. Read the rest of this entry »

The East Gippsland Regional Clinical School is expanding its accommodation and its programs it reports in its summer 2011/2102 newsletter. Extensions to the Bairnsdale campus, expected to be completed in April 2012, will provide facilities for a larger cohort of nursing degree students. Years 2 and 3 of the Division 1 nursing program will be delivered from East Gippsland RCS. The clinical school also hosts medical  students from both Gippsland Medical School and Monash’s central program in Clayton.  The East Gippsland summer 2011/2012 newsletter also reports on the research and educational programs, and Ruth Briggs remembers the challenges and excitement of her Year 4C rural placement.

MBBS and nursing students who spent 2011 with the East Gippsland Regional Clinical School

The Gippsland Medical School welcomed 90 Year A students as the 2012 cohort, all starting on Monday 23 January.

The first day included a ‘Welcome to Country’ by Mr. Wayne Thorpe, then Gippsland Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Helen Bartlett and Professor Judi Walker, Head School of Rural Health, along with Associate Professor William Hart, Director Gippsland Medical School, each addressed the students.

The next day the students attended an awards presentation for the highest achieving students from the 2011 Year A cohort. First Prize in Academic Excellence for the Highest Achiever in Year A 2011 was awarded to Elizabeth Duffett, while Matthew Brain and Frances Harkin also received awards for high achievement in Year A 2011.

For the 2012 students, last Wednesday (25 January) included an ‘Inspirational Speakers’ session given by Professor Ed Byrne and Dr Ranjana Srivistava to help inspire them for their first year of medical studies.

Associate Professor Shane Bullock hosted a tour of the Gippsland Medical School by a Japanese delegation from the Seirei Christopher University in December.

The Seirei Christopher University is part of the Seirei Group and offers a range of courses (undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral) in the health field.

The group was undertaking a study tour to better understand the medical courses offered in Australia and the regulation and framework involved in the accreditation process.

Opportunities for students and health services to use simulated learning environments for clinical training are expanding, with a $2 million state government grant in January to the Loddon Mallee Clinical Placement Network (CPN) of which Bendigo Regional Clinical School is a member.

Expanding training opportunities to health professionals
Over two years, the grant will cover the expansion of simulated learning environments at the Bendigo and Mildura Regional Clinical Schools as well as some additional staff, including a facilities co-ordinator.

Professor Geoff Solarsh, Monash’s representative on the Loddon Mallee CPN, is enthusiastic about the broader implications of the grant. Read the rest of this entry »

Simulated training is an important means of teaching procedural skills. This group attended a procedural skills training session held recently in East Gippsland.

A survey of procedural skills practice and training needs of health professionals in Gippsland is now underway.

The School of Rural Health in Gippsland, in partnership with regional GP training provider Southern GP Training, is undertaking a large survey of the training requirements in procedural skills amongst doctors, nurses and paramedics in Gippsland.

The project is being led by Professor Debra Nestel from Gippsland Medical School and Associate Professor David Campbell from East Gippsland Regional Clinical School, and is funded by a grant from General Practice Education and Training (GPET).

Project aims

The aim of the project is to identify the need for continued education in procedural skills amongst these professional groups, to inform planning for simulation-based education in particular, in this area of clinical practice in Gippsland.

As many doctors, nurses and paramedics as possible – working in hospitals, community health centres, private medical clinics and in community practice – will be contacted to contribute to the study. Vocational trainees in each of these disciplines are also being contacted. Read the rest of this entry »