Best wishes: Julie admires her farwell cake.
Colleagues at MUDRIH sadly said goodbye to Julie Irvine who starts a 12 month secondment to SRH Latrobe Valley & West Gippsland on 1 September.
Julie is filling in for Michelle Ryan while she is on maternity leave and will be greatly missed at MUDRIH. Staff wished both Julie and Michelle well.
Dr Anton Isaacs has been invited to be editor of a special issue of the journal, Advances in Mental Health. The issue will examine mental health services and suicide prevention strategies for Indigenous people. See details on the journal’s call for papers.
Bon voyage: Mollie opens her farewell gift
Staff from the Monash Department of Rural and Indigenous Health and the Latrobe Community Health Service farewelled long-time colleague Mollie Burley.
Mollie, who decided to retire at the end of July, was farewelled on several fronts. Firstly, at a MUDRIH morning tea, Associate Professor Darryl Maybery paid tribute to her significant contribution going back 22 years at Monash. He noted that Mollie had always been a strong voice for nursing and allied health in SRH.
Mollie started work with the School of Rural Health (then Centre for Rural Health) based in Moe. She began as a lecturer, working on a Gippsland health promotion project being undertaken at that time. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr Anton Isaacs acceptes his award from Professor Ross Coppel, Deputy Dean (Research)
Congratulations to Dr Anton Isaacs from MUDRIH who has won the 2014 Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Faculty ECR (Early Career Researchers) Publication Prize for Social and Educational Research for his publication: Help seeking by Aboriginal men who are mentally unwell: a pilot study.
Anton’s article was published in Early Intervention in Psychiatry. The findings from his study informed the development of a new model of integrated mental health service for Aboriginal men in Gippsland.
Video: Anton describes his work developing the Koorie Men's Health Day program
Informative: medical students George Tsihlis and harmee Kavr (left) with Associate Professor Joseph Tam and consultant physicianm Dr Megan Brown at the recent careers night.
A team of experienced physicians and specialists gave Gippsland-based medical students an insight into studying, training and working in regional areas at an engaging and informative evening recently.
In a first for the region, 11 clinicians covering a diverse range of fields spoke to a packed auditorium at Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH) in Traralgon last week. The third, fourth and fifth year medical students are studying medicine with the School of Rural Health Latrobe Valley & West Gippsland
The event was organised by the director of the local clinical teaching site, Associate Professor Joseph Tam, also a well-known local paediatrician.
Associate Professor Tam said the careers night was in keeping with the School of Rural Health’s philosophy of vertical education and training for students. He praised senior medical staff who “overwhelmingly” agreed to help with advice on training requirements, pathways and working in the Gippsland region.
“All speakers have a passion for their profession and acknowledge the importance of having these services available to regional and rural areas,” he said. “Our major regional hospitals and general practices are doing outstanding work.”
Associate Professor Tam hopes the information imparted by the doctors will “help and inspire” students in selecting their field of practice. Read the rest of this entry »
Four medical students – two from East Gippsland and two from New Zealand – exchanged places recently, experiencing each other’s courses and cultures.
New Zealand exchange student, Gracie Soutar, was based in Bairnsdale.
New Zealand exchange student, Natalie Ron, who was based in Sale.
Year 4 students from the Monash School of Rural Health East & South Gippsland have spent two weeks in New Zealand. Mayuri Raviskanthan from the SRH Bairnsdale and Jo Borgelt from the Sale site were part of an exchange program initiated by Otago University. At the same time, New Zealand year 5 students, Gracie Souter and Natalie Ron, were in Bairnsdale and Sale respectively.
The exchange program was set up some years ago between the two schools, emanating from the friendship between SRH East Gippsland director Dr David Campbell and his close friend and colleague, the late Dr Pat Farry. Both men are highly respected for their contribution to rural medicine and GP education. Both have also been honoured by the Queen in their respective countries’ honours list.
Otago University offers its medical students the opportunity for rural practice experience through its Rural Medical Immersion Program while Monash University allows students to study medicine in a rural setting through its School of Rural Health.
According to Gracie, New Zealand’s fifth year is the equivalent of Monash’s Year 4.
A “city girl” from Auckland, Gracie jumped at the chance to study medicine in a rural setting. “That’s why I applied for the exchange program,” she added. “I chose to do it (the course). It is exciting, interesting and a great opportunity to do more medicine while seeing the country.”
Medicine runs in her family; she has a sister studying medicine at Flinders University in Adelaide.
Gracie was keen to compare the health of rural people in New Zealand and Australia which she said was “slightly different”.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to see what happens here (Bairnsdale),” she said. “It was also great to work so closely with the local General Practitioners in both a hospital and clinical setting.”
Gracie said Maori health was a significant part of the training in New Zealand. “We not only learn the language but we tailor consultations in a culturally appropriate way. The health problems for Australia’s Indigenous people are very different.”
According to Gracie, it is “too early” to think about her field of specialising yet. “I’m still enjoying everything but I really enjoy GP work and the continuity of care. I also enjoy surgery. It’s important to get a mix of these things.”
Natalie, from the rural area of Masterton in New Zealand, has spent her exchange in Sale.
She embraced the chance to see many more patients on her exchange. “It’s much more hands-on for students here and that is the major appeal of the course,” she said. “I also found people here much more stoic.”
However she said health issues were similar between Sale and Masterton. “The teachers and doctors here are especially helpful – it seems like everyone loves teaching,” she added.
Natalie appreciated her time spent in surgery at Sale hospital however she too is undecided about the area of medicine in which to specialise although it will be surgery of some kind.
Meanwhile another highlight of the connection between the two medical schools is an annual knowledge competition between East Gippsland medical students and their New Zealand counterparts. They compete for the Pat Farry Memorial Trophy (see additional story).
Laurea Atkinson is now a board member of the Australian Society for Simulation Healthcare
Simulation Learning Environment project officer with School of Rural Health East & South Gippsland, Laurea Atkinson, has been elected to the Australian Society for Simulation Healthcare (ASSH) as a member of good standing.
Laurea, together with other new board members, was officially welcomed to her new position at the SimHealth conference in Adelaide by ASSH chair Michelle Kelly, and introduced to those attending the conference.
ASSH’s mission is to promote simulation education, training and research to enhance the safety and quality in healthcare.
It represents a cross-section of the Australian healthcare community who share simulation as a common interest, including healthcare professionals, academics, industry groups and policy makers. ASSH operates under the auspices of Simulation Australia Ltd and is officially affiliated with the international Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
Laurea Atkinson explains a research poster to research fellow, Dr Eleanor Mitchell.
Job done: third year nursing students farewell Bairnsdale ( front l-r) ) students Fiona Veith, Brooke Conduit and Jo Blake with (back l-r) Christina McGowin, lecturer Beth Jacob and Leah Wardhaugh
Year 3 nursing students with the School of Rural Health East & South Gippsland completed their on-campus component recently.
They celebrated the milestone with a morning tea and a “thankyou” to their lecturer, Beth Jacob.
The students are now on clinical placement for eight weeks to complete their degree. All have applied for graduate nurse placement for 2015 and are eager to start practising as registered nurses.
Meanwhile, Year 2 nursing students hone their plastering skills under the watchful eye of tutor, Darren Jacob.
Cross Tasman challenge: Respected quiz master “Buzz” Burrell (aka Big Bird) ran the videoconferenced competition from Otago University.
It may not have been the Bledisoe Cup, but the rivalry between the New Zealand and Australian teams was just as fierce. And the teams were competing for a prize just as important for them….the coveted Pat Farry Trophy.
Year 3B and 4C students from both Sale and Bairnsdale sites selected a combined team to compete against the Year 5 NZ students studying in the Rural Medicine Immersion Program with Otago University.
This time it was New Zealand who recorded a narrow win over SRH East & South Gippsland in the annual cross Tasman challenge. Read the rest of this entry »
Award: Professor Christina Mitchell (left) presents Dr Jane Graecen and Associate Professor David Campbell with the Dean's Award for Social Inclusion for their work in Aboriginal health in East Gippsland.
Two leaders at the School of Rural Health East & South Gippsland have been given the Dean’s Award for Social Inclusion.
Director, Associate Professor David Campbell, and senior lecturer Dr Jane Greacen received the award to acknowledge their work towards improving the health and wellbeing of the local Aboriginal community in East Gippsland.
The award nomination highlighted four areas in which David and Jane had contributed. This included establishing and providing a significant amount of ongoing support for the Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Health in East Gippsland (CEAHEG).
David and Jane significantly assisted with the establishment of this centre and its associated not-for-profit organisation, obtaining support from the Faculty Dean as well as local health services and schools.
They have undertaken local community-based research alongside CEAHEG to understand the barriers and issues faced by local Aboriginal families and students for them to complete school, attend university and aim for health careers. Read the rest of this entry »