July 2025

This editor goes on holidays tomorrow so you’ll forgive me for a short intro. But hope you’re all staying warm/sane, and huge congrats to all of the fifth years who can start booking their moving trucks for December, with some semblance of a plan for the next 2 years beginning to take hold. A job offer? whodathunkit. One day it will be you opening an internship offer @everyone else 🤩 

Read on for a CHARMS Update, some first year placement tips, insights into Con and cadetship, and some gorgina sunset spots from around Orange.

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 [email protected] 😚 

🧡 Hot off the Pres🧡 

BIG UPDATE THIS MONTH! (I went easy on you for June so make sure you read everything 😉).

This year has been full-on for students across both pre-clinical and clinical years, and it’s been great to see so many of you staying connected, supporting each other, and getting involved when and where you can.

Student Advocacy
This month, I wanted to update you on some advocacy work CHARMS have been doing in partnership with AMSA. All 24 medical student societies across Australia (including CHARMS) have been asked to complete a “Report Card” assessing how well their medical school supports students. It covers areas such as financial wellbeing, academic resources, placement experiences, and student support services. AMSA's aim is to allow medical schools to gauge how well they are supporting their students compared to other medical schools in Australia.

Rather than submitting our Report Card for national publication, we’ve chosen to use it internally for this year. One of the key reasons for this is the strong and ongoing relationship CHARMS has with the School of Rural Medicine. SRM has shown that it’s open to student feedback and willing to act; a great example being the introduction of the Wellbeing and Professionalism Policy, which underwent extensive student consultation last year before the finalisation of the policy at the beginning of this year.

We’re confident that continuing this conversation directly with SRM will lead to meaningful improvements, and that the best way forward is through collaborative, ongoing dialogue.

Some of the key issues we’re raising include:

• Financial stress during placements

• Limited accommodation support across all rural clinical schools

• Access to external learning resources

• Timely access to emergency financial support

• SRM specific grants and scholarships

Recent discussions between other medical societies presidents demonstrated that SRM (alongside Australia’s biggest medical school UQ) is leading the way nationally when it comes to wellbeing leave, and CHARMS is committed to advocating for students so that SRM can also become a leader in other areas that matter most to our cohort. We’ll continue to advocate strongly on these points, and we’re grateful for SRM’s openness to hearing them.

What’s Coming Up
There are a few things happening over the next couple of months that we’d love you to be part of:

AGM & Committee Roles
We’re preparing for the upcoming CHARMS AGM in October where we will elect the 2026 CHARMS committee! Roles and Responsibilities have been drafted and will be finalised at our next CHARMS meeting to make sure everything’s clear and accessible for those interested in joining the 2026 committee. If you're interested in learning more about what CHARMS does, how our committee is structured, or what different roles involve, send me a message! If there’s enough interest, we’ll look at putting together an info night.

Mentorship & Getting Involved
If you’re thinking about getting more involved with CHARMS, even in a small way, now’s a great time to reach out. We’re encouraging students to connect with committee members, volunteer, help out with events, or shadow roles such as Socials and Marketing Officer to see what it’s all about.

CHARMS Restructure
We’ve approved a restructure of the CHARMS committee to better reflect how student societies operate at other medical schools. One key change is that committee members will now sit on various SRM committees, as well as SODA Officers will now be a part of CHARMS, which will strengthen communication between students and staff and help ensure feedback is acted on more directly.

Thanks again to everyone who’s contributed to the CHARMS community this year, whether formally or informally. Your energy and involvement help shape the student experience in real and lasting ways. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or feedback.

As always, in coffee and burnout,
Jacques, MDIII

🎬✨ LIGHTS, CAMERA… LAST CHANCE! ✨🎬

This is your FINAL CALL to secure tickets to the most dazzling night of the year… the 2025 Hollywood Glamour Medicine Ball! 💃🕺

Channel your inner movie star, strut the red carpet, and dance the night away under the spotlight 🌟 but only if you’ve got a ticket! 🎟️

🗓️ Ticket sales close 31st July; no extensions, no encore, no backstage passes.
Don’t be the one stuck watching the glitz from the sidelines.

🎥 BUY YOUR TICKET NOW and get ready for a night of fame, fortune, and unforgettable fun.🎟️ https://charms.shop.csu.edu.au/
✨ Dress code: Iconic, Elegant, Hollywood
📍 Date: 16th August 2025
See you at the ball, superstar. 🌟 charms.shop.csu.edu.au

Opportunities

• RDN Cadetships

  • $30k spread across your final years of study (longer period for Aboriginal and Torres Strait cadets) plus countless opportunities!

  • Bound to return of service in rural NSW (certain hospitals only).

  • Check RDN’s socials for some insight into the program or speak to someone who’s been in the upper years, there’s a lot of us. It is competitive but people have also accepted and then declined, or dropped out of the program later. So worth applying even if you’re still tossing it up.

  • Applications open July 7th and close July 28th

• RDN Bush Bursary and CWA Scholarships

  • 1st and 2nd years are eligible to undertake a rural 2-week placement this summer, with up to$1500 to pay your way!

  • Apply here by July 28th

• PVOGS Women’s Health Conference

  • July 26-27

  • Webinar part is free, and submissions are now open

  • More info here

• GHC ‘25

  • AMSA’s annual Global Health Conference returns, this time to stunning nipaluna, August 8th - 10th

  • More here

• RMA 2025

  • in Boorloo (Perth) in October, sadly often tricky around our exam dates but the speaker lineup looks sick. Full program out now and Early Bird tix extended.

  • Sponsored Future RG Program

  • Student Volunteer Program

• Balint ANZ

  • Reflective Essay Competition

  • Cash prizes of $500 up for grabs

  • More info here, opens in July

• NSW Medical Council Essay Prize

  • Whip up a 1200 word essay on “How does public trust in the healthcare system impact health outcomes and in what ways might your personal or professional behaviours affect this?” and you could nab yourself $1500

  • Enter here before August 3rd

What’s On in Orange

• Summer Hill CreekCare

  • Bird Survey this Friday 0900, from the Horticultural Centre shed on campus, and then propagation from 1000

  • Sunday September 14th tree planting

  • Sunday October 26th 21st anniversary celebration!

  • Contact Cilla for more info [email protected]

• East Orange Produce Market

  • Small market of assorted produce very Saturday Morning

  • 148 McLachlan St (tucked in behind Bills Beans)

• Orange Farmers Market

  • 2nd Sat every month

  • Orange Showground Pavillion (check socials for updates though)

  • Recommendations

    • Trunkey Creek Bacon and Egg Rolls

    • Bodhi Garden Deep fried mushroom or sweet potato balls

    • Fourjay Farms Hazelnut Pancake mix

• Orange Society of Model Engineers

  • 2nd Sat every month

  • ride miniature trains through Matthew Park, Moulder St

  • More info here

• Orange Fire Festival

  • August 1st-10th, tix now available!

  • Various free and paid events across Orange, Millthorpe + surrounds

  • In previous years I’ve attended the: stargazing/bonfire/mulled wine @local vineyard, Viking Feast @ the Oriana, Night markers and music in Millthorpe + more

  • Itinerary here

• Orange Wine Festival

  • Oct 17th - Nov 2nd

  • 40+ different events, with more info to come keep checking here

✏️ First Year Placement Primer

Bella of 3rd year has collected some advice from across the regions to set you on the right path when it comes to placement! Here’s an excerpt, but check out!

First years!! I hope you’re excited to trade the lecture rooms for hospital wards as your first practical placement is nearly here! You may feel like you are out of your depth but this is where your learning takes a massive leap forward. It’s the moment where textbooks become patients, acronyms come to life and coffee consumption hits heroic levels (just stay away from the scalpels after). Whether you are perfecting your history taking skills or just trying to work out which is the right end of the reflex hammer, this is your chance to start to experience what being a doctor is all about. Take a deep breath (and a spare pen) and make the most of these next few weeks! 

Don’t Forget: 

- The classics; stethoscope, scrubs, name badge and comfy shoes — that you don’t mind if bodily fluids end up on them.

- A small note pad (to stash in your pocket) & many pens.

- Your ears… you will be asked questions so always listen. 

Make sure you know where, when and who you are meeting on your first day. Contact your CSSO if they haven’t already reached out to you a week before you start. Also, campuses have associated libraries / study spaces, ask your CSSO or any clinical year student where they are. Ignore the med-guilt if you just want to crash after placement though, it is a new kind of exhausting. Watching takes a lot of work okay. 

In true work smart not hard style, I got some help from other students. They sent through tips to survive your first placement and local recommendations for while you’re away exploring a new (or familiar) area… 

10 Hot Tips: 

1. Be ! On ! Time! ~Jacques, Hastings Macleay (Could follow his own advice… but seriously, nothing makes a worse first impression than getting there late).

2. Use this time to observe and get your bearings. Understanding how the hospital works now will make Year 3 feel a lot less overwhelming. ~Nayma, Bathurst 

3. Take opportunities as they come and don’t be afraid to ask to get involved or go with other health staff (the nurses are amazing at teaching clinical skills). ~Himanya, Northern Rivers; Jacques, Hastings Macleay; Alicia, Murrumbidgee 

4. It’s normal to feel unsure or overwhelmed, especially when you don’t know something. You’re not expected to know everything—your attitude and engagement matter more than having all the answers. ~Himanya, Northern Rivers; Sophie, Riverina; Alicia, Murrumbidgee 

5. Find a friend in the clinical years you can message if you need help or feel lost—they’ve been there before ~ Joe, Parkes.

6. Watch how the team interacts and works together—there’s a lot to learn just from the dynamics ~Nayma, Bathurst 

7. Stay engaged—even when you're just observing. Ask questions, be curious, and be friendly— it goes a long way. ~Alicia, Murrumbidgee; Sophie, Riverina 

8. In Albury they use paper notes, the JMOs appreciate if you take the initiative to hunt down those binders ~Chloe, Albury 

9. Set aside time to reflect on your day, or debrief with a friend—it can be emotionally and mentally intense. ~Himanya, Northern Rivers 

10. Most importantly, never say no to a coffee!! ~Chloe, Albury

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🐑 Cadetship 🐑 

Being a cadet with the Rural Doctors Network (RDN) scholarship program this year has been an incredible experience and not just because of the generous financial support, but because of the wide range of opportunities it has provided. The Rural Doctors Network funded my attendance at a conference in Port Macquarie, and I was able to take my kids with me, making the experience both enriching and accessible. Let’s face it that’s about the best holiday a Med student can get!!

As a cadet, I’ve been invited to networking dinners where I’ve connected with former cadets, built a professional network, and met a rural generalist mentor who has already helped shape my thinking about future career pathways. We’ve also had the opportunity to tour regional health sites that we may want to consider for internship, which has been invaluable in helping guide those decisions. This scholarship has given me far more than financial relief, it has offered support, connection, and inspiration as I work toward a future in rural healthcare. If you’re considering becoming a cadet, do it. You won’t regret it.

Tabitha, MDIV

👯‍♂️ CSU delegates shine at the 2025 AMSA National Convention

This year, a spirited group of Charles Sturt University medical students headed to the 2025 AMSA National Convention, and let’s just say, CSU made its mark.

From dawn ‘til dusk (and well beyond), our delegates immersed themselves in the full convention experience, striking the perfect balance between academic brilliance and unmatched party energy.

By day, we were all business. With incredible academic sessions that pushed our minds and sparked new interests. A highlight was the suturing workshop, where some of our keen first-years absolutely slayed it (paging Dr Meredith Grey!). And when it came to clinical skills under pressure, CSU turned heads in the Emergency Medical Challenge (EMC). Led by our powerhouse fifth-year delegate fresh off final exams, our team handled everything from rural trauma retrievals to DKA, croup, labour, mental health assessments and a full-blown cardiac arrest. The teamwork, leadership, and clinical sharpness (especially from our pre-clinical students) earned glowing feedback. Big love to our clinical students who anchored the team throughout.

Sports Day brought a whole new kind of energy. Teamed up with UQ and UniMelb under the mighty chant “CS-UQ-MELB! CS-UQ-MELB!”, we hit the field dressed in our matching country club fits, battling all day with grit and good humour. No grand finals this time... but just wait till next year (maybe we won’t need joint teams to dominate).

By night, the CSU crew showed up and showed out at the three iconic themed socials: Sin City, Brat Haus, and Savage Pride. Not only did we kill the dance floor; we absolutely nailed every theme (some might say best dressed three nights running). And of course, it all wrapped up at the Gala Ball, where new friendships were toasted, future catchups planned, and memories made that we’ll be reliving for years.

We also made CSU history this year with a semi-final placing in the Cascade and PIPS Cup (iykyk). It’s the furthest CSU has ever gone, and the pride is real. Word on the street is that UQ should be very nervous about next year’s final…

All up, the 2025 AMSA Convention was a whirlwind of connection, learning, laughter, and teamwork - and CSU was right at the heart of it all.

Will, MDII

Hidden Gems of the Central West