Jan 2025

welcome year of the ssssnake 🐍

Author

HEIDI ANNAND
January 20, 2025

January 2025

Ello ello ello đŸŽ© Welcome back to another magical year of med school! Can’t believe that some of us are in our final year?!? But that we also have new meshers amongst us?! It do be the year of rebirth. This year will be a period of last times of a lot of things for us fifth years (mainly hospital work for free lmao) so let’s cherish it but also stay on top đŸ’Ș we’re the favourite year group for a reason 💗. And don’t forget to start thinking about internship apps
 This amsa guide is a great if not huge resource, with the main difference for next year being that Victoria (metro) have moved to a ballot system woohoo.

a cutie patootie throwback

Again (verbatim from last newsletter because I’m lazy); if you find any lost lambs in your travels, make sure to point them in the direction of the DoM facebook group, and of course welcome them with big arms! And if you’re new here if you take one thing from this newsletter please follow @doctorofinfluencing on ig to keep you grounded 🙏 (you could also check out this AMSA guide to starting med)

As always we are after contributions, including anything from research updates to movie recommendations. If you’re really keen and interested in joining fluoro as an editor (would love someone on the ground in Orange) please email heidihorseradish@gmail.com đŸ˜š 

🧡 Hot off the Pres 🧡 

CHARMS President Report

Welcome First Years!

Congratulations on receiving and accepting your offers to the School of Rural Medicine! It’s a real pleasure to welcome you all to our fantastic medical school.

As you begin this exciting journey, here’s a bit of advice: Listen to the second-year students. They’ve just been through what you’re about to face and can offer plenty of helpful tips. Remember, medicine isn’t a competition, it’s all about supporting one another. You’ve all made it this far, so now you’re allies in this together. Help each other through the challenges ahead and make the most of this amazing opportunity. Welcome again, and best of luck as you start this exciting new chapter!

we’re all in this together (clap)

Abortion Services Position Paper

As many of you may already be aware, abortion services at Orange Hospital were restored several weeks ago. This significant milestone addresses one of the key concerns raised by CHARMS regarding equitable healthcare access in our region. On Monday 23rd of December, we received a formal response from the Hon. Ryan Park MP, Minister for Health, who acknowledged the importance of this issue and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring safe, affordable, and timely access to abortion care services.

The Minister confirmed that abortion services at Orange Hospital have been reinstated, with referral pathways in place to safeguard access for women. He also emphasised that the personal beliefs of clinicians cannot impede care, ensuring that a woman’s right to choose is upheld. While this is an encouraging step forward, CHARMS remains committed to advocating for further improvements to rural and regional healthcare services where necessary.

I am also pleased to share that CHARMS was recently approached by Dr Anna Noonan, a PhD student affiliated with: School of Rural Health USyd, and SPHERE Centre for Research Excellence Melbourne.

Dr Noonan is a researcher focussing on issues that align closely with our advocacy around abortion services. In response to her outreach, we provided her with our position statement to support her work. While this was not an actively built alliance, it reflects community members appreciation for our advocacy efforts whilst also highlighting CHARMS’ willingness to contribute to research that informs evidence-based solutions for improving rural healthcare.

Additionally, we have spoken with the current and incoming Presidents of the Australian Medical Students' Association, both of whom acknowledged our efforts and expressed their willingness to support CHARMS in future advocacy initiatives. This endorsement strengthens our capacity to amplify the voices of rural and regional communities on a national platform in the future.

These developments demonstrate how our advocacy is being recognised locally and nationally, and how it is bringing about positive change. We will continue to advocate for women’s rights and access to abortion services when consulted in the future. Thank you for your continued dedication to creating a more equitable healthcare system.

Warm regards,
Jacques

note from the editor: subsribe to this substack https://jessica.substack.com/

While you wait for sem to start check these out (or don’t and enjoy the last of your summer!)

AMC Report Update

Hey team,

Just wanted to throw out a massive thank you to everyone who took part in the AMC Accreditation Survey. Jacques, Will and myself are currently in the process of developing this report, and once complete, it will become available to the student body.
I really appreciate you all taking the time during your break to get this sorted!
Good luck everybody for the start of 2025!

Take care,
Harvey

never trust a survey unless it’s a CHARMS survey

If you’d like to know more about CHARMS or even take on a role in this year’s committee get in touch with Jacques!

Support us to support you by letting us know your thoughts and what you want by chatting to us or emailing csucharms@gmail.com 

that’s brat

Opportunities

  • AMA Indigeonus Medical Scholarship

  • RANZCP PIF Retreat

    • There are 20 scholarships available to attend this year’s 2 day retreat in Naarm for those interested in psychiatry. Includes flights/travel, accomm and program. Reserved spots for PIF members who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

    • Closes Jan 27th here

  • Vic Rural Health Conference - Wodonga

    • May 16th-18th

    • RWAV are often keen to sponsor student ambassadors to attend so check their website as it gets closer.

  • Other Scholarships

  • Rh+

    • Remember to join our university and discipline wide rural health club or follow us for events and opportunities

    • We’re still looking to fill some positions (small $ attached) and to continue our rural high school visits into next year so get in touch!

  • Survey; ‘Exploring perceptions of health and wellbeing of women and non-binary individuals in rural and remote Australia’.

    • 👋 Calling all women and gender diverse people living in regional, rural or remote Australia! CSU academics are running this survey, fill it out here.

  • What’s on in Orange?

🌞 How is your elective?

A summer column where we post postcards from the 4th (omg 5th now) years currently out and about on elective đŸ›©ïž đŸ§‘‍⚕ 

Caitlin and I were lucky enough to spend a month at Chris Hani Baragwanath academic hospital (bara) in the trauma emergency department. Bara is the third largest hospital in the world and situated on the edge of Soweto, one of the largest townships of Johannesburg South Africa. We spent our time in the trauma resus bay, which consisted of 16 beds, 2-3 doctors and 3-4 medical students. Daily we experienced stabbings, gunshots, assaults, burns, motor vehicle accidents and more. Even though there was so much trauma coming through these doors, the department was so under resourced and understaffed that it was hard to even find supplies for cannulas. It was hard to fathom how little this hospital had for the severity of cases it saw and quality of care it provided. On a busy day, there would be stretchers in hallways and a line up out the door of just resus patients (only the patients actively dying). Clinically we got to do so much, including chest drains, central lines, femoral ABGs, primary surveys, e-fast scans, suturing as well as very active roles in arrest and resuscitations. This placement also highlighted the extreme divide in racial class in South Africa and the impact of inequity in social justice and health care. - Cameron M

I travelled to the big smoke to complete my elective with the Diabetes and Endocrine service at Liverpool Hospital! My regular day was usually ward rounds in the morning, then off to clinic until lunch, before rejoining with the ward team to help out with jobs and sit in on a variety of interesting consults! Clinics included thyroid clinic, diabetes clinic, GDM, high risk foot clinic, pituitary + neuroendocrine clinic(!!), and general endocrine clinic. Everyone was so welcoming and excited to teach and I had an absolute blast! - Chloe J

I'm doing electives in Japan. I had a good time and was able to see cool surgeries like heart transplant and live liver transplant. People in Japan are really friendly as well! -Yosuke F

I had a great time at the Royal Women’s Hospital, organised through UniMelb. There were about 15 of us obs/gynae elective students with jampacked schedules that saw us rotate through specialist clinics, antenatal clinic, gynae theatre and delivery suite. Highlights were multiple pregnancy and vulva clinics, lactation consults, seeing how quickly the pros can pull out a baby, and the people. It was primarily observing, but being a teaching hospital you were talked through everything. Also in a really funky part of town, loved catching the tram to work. Great for practicing CTGs, antenatal exam and catheters! I’m now doing OBG in India so it’s been great to compare the two - Heidi A

I had an unreal time during my elective at Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. I spent my time in psychiatry and emergency medicine. It was an eye-opening experience that gave me insight into practicing medicine in a different cultural context and meeting many like-minded health students. Would definitely recommend and it was great to explore Nepal and go on amazing hikes! - Richard L

📖 Get quizzy

Hot tip for those road trips most of you will probably be making to move to Orange or to your new RCS homes. Have a few quiz sources lined up on your phone that you can do with a loved one, whether they’re in the car or on the phone. It’s a pastime that may bore some so pick your audience, but can also act as a great icebreaker. Some favourites include: SMH/The Age (a classic, with the GW iteration available on their instagram), The Weekly Fifty (if you’ve got time), Gatekeepers of Knowledge (more common knowledge and features a conversation prompt, all on instagram). Obviously Swan Hill doesn’t have a trivia night so I have to get my fix elsewhere.

eMedici is like doing a quiz but also study. Warning do not attempt with non-med friends.

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