Jan 2023

The first edition!

Author

HEIDI ANNAND
January 21, 2023

Edition #1

January 2023

Welcome to the first edition of Fluoro! Your CHARMS Newsletter, here to highlight medicine and keep us in the loop in Orange and beyond. We're hoping to release it monthly-ish but need content from you all to keep it fun! So if you're heading on Outreach or Bursary trips this summer, any informal placements, conferences etc. let us know and send through a happy snap and some comments afterwards (e.g. best coffee in peak hill, day in the life of a dietitian, etc.). Our hope is that this can also be a bit of a noticeboard for opportunities. So any scholarships, professional learning stuff, jobs and fun stuff too. Not dissimilar from Coo-ee, Embolus or everyone's favourite, Orange City Life. We also welcome book reviews, editorials, memes, anon love letters and more.

Scroll down to read about Outreach, news from CHARMS as well as some summer book and local spot recommendations.

News from CHARMS

We have a new committee! Congrats to our peers that have stepped up and taken on a role. Support us to support you by letting us know your thoughts and what you want by chatting to us or emailing [email protected] 

  • Keep an eye out for O-week plans, we'lll be looking for some vollies on the ground in Orange to help welcome the incoming cohort of 2023.

  • We're also working on clarifying and establishing training for the student representative roles across SoRM and JPM committees, so if you have any input on this get in touch with Caitlin, Eve and Grace.

  • We'd also like to congratulate our President Caitlin del Solar for selection as Secretary for NSWMSC (NSW Med Soc Council)!

  • A late addition to this too is Larissa Martin as our AMSA Global Health Rep.

Opportunities

What's On in Orange

RDN Outreach Programs

Outreach Programs as supported by the RDN have started for the summer.

Heidi on Outreach at Peak Hill AMS

Heidi Annand

I attended an AMS Clinic in Peak Hill with a dietitian/diebetes educator. It was a great opportunity to learn about the role of the AMS in community, what a dietitian does and to have the best/cheapest BLT + banana milkshake of my life. Every patient that came through had a different concern and needed different management and it was great to hear how the dietitian promotes difficult lifestyle changes and sensitive topics like alcohol intake and bariatric surgery.

Heidi Annand

In early November, I was fortunate enough to attend the RDN’s Outreach placement program to Bega NSW. Here I spent a day with two haematologist specialists and an amazing team of nurses in the oncology ward. The haematologists drive down from Canberra once a month for a day of patient check-ups and monitoring. I learnt so much from the staff and a highlight was learning how many cancers that were once considered terminal are now seen as chronic illnesses – still extremely devastating for patients and their families but very inspiring to see just how medical research has developed in the past few years. I was able to sit in on many consultations and meet many of the local Bega residents who had very close relationships with the health staff- a true testament to the team who were all very compassionate and knowledgeable. Of course, it would be rude not to visit the cheese factory on the way home… I had a great time and am so grateful for the beautiful team at the oncology ward in Bega.

Grace Ross

RDN Conference

NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) hosted its Rural GPs conference in Coogee late last year. It saw like-minded GPs and RDN Cadets come together for a three-day event, including many clinical workshops and social catch-ups. From RFDS resus simulations to a Coogee Beach Yoga session, it was all in the name of Rural Medicine. While the conference concluded with an outbreak of Covid, dubbed the “Coogee Cough”, it hardly put a blemish on an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable weekend. I would implore all students to consider similar future events which give unparalleled context to Rural Medicine. Cheers to Chris and the RDN team for the invitation - namaste.

Jamil 🧘🏼‍♂️

Something else

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

If you like me enjoy a cry can I recommend this classic memoir. It tells Didion's experience of deep grief and mourning in the wake of tragedy befalling her two closest family members. It's a moving read that ponders death and care, enjoyable whether you are an existing Didion fan or just interested in end of life.

Heidi Annand

Orange Hidden Gem

Not so hidden but rather very well signposted and easy to find, The Falls in Mullion Range State Conservation Area makes for a great summer swim + picnic spot. Only a 15 minute drive from town and then short walk from the carpark (birks are fine) means that your hot chippies will still be hot as you find a shady rock. Best swimming pools vary with the water levels but we've been frequenting a pool above the big falls with a sandier entrance. Make a day trip of it and hit up 4th Crossing further down the road afterwards if you're a keen bean. Oh and wear your river togs, weed and muck will stain anything light.

If you're interested in contributing for next month's edition get in touch with Heidi on facebook 💗