September 2023

Spring has sprung

September 21, 2023

Edition #9

September 2023

Hope that you’re all lapping up the Vitamin D and enjoying the fruits of Spring. This edition features the clin school update you’ve all been waiting for, a recap on the Women in Surgery event, banging podcast recommendations and a bunch of opportunities!

A word from CHARMS

mOSCE

First and second years keep an eye out for a mOSCE event coming up in Orange. It’s a great chance to practice your skills in an exam setting and for second years to revise your basics. There will be pizza too!

AMC Report

Thanks a bunch to everyone who filled out our survey. We recieved really insightful answers and a lot of great feedback. We’re busy working on the report atm and will share it with the school for response before our final submission. If you have more to say you’re always welcome to message one of the team.

Oceans to Outback is on!

I think you can still sign up (?), or donate tomorrow’s coffee $$$ to whoever you think is most likely to get swooped. https://www.oceanstooutback.org.au/fundraisers/csucharms

Nominations

It is now AGM and Nomination season. The CHARMS AGM will be October 5th on zoom, and if you’re interested in holding a position or getting more involved it’s essential that you attend. Voting will be held at this meeting for all attendees, and by proxy for current position holders. You can read more about our current roles here, but we’re a new club and so are always looking to evolve these to match your skillset. For more info on what it’s all about chat to anyone you know in CHARMS, or reach out to the person currently in the position you’re interested in. Nominations will open Sept 24th via facebook.

Opportunities

There are also a bunch of other AGMs coming up with callouts for new position holders:

Speak to Heidi about NRHSN!

Speak to Chloe C about AMSA Groups!

Speak to Caitlin del Solar about NSWMSC!

What's On in Orange

  • Twilight Markets Canowindra: 3rd Friday of the month

  • Cumnock Markets: 3rd Saturday of the mont

  • The Molong Show: Sept 17th

  • The Canowindra Show: Sept 22nd

  • Country Night @ The Blind Pig: Sept 23rd

  • Orange Wine Festival Night Market: Sept 29th

  • Baroque Music Festival Canowindra: Sept 29th - Oct 1st

  • Lonely Mountain Ultra: Oct 14th-15th

  • Lebanese Night @ Banksia: Oct 6th

Women in Surgery, presented by SoRM

Last month, on Tuesday 15th August 2023, we were honoured to have the privilege to attend the ‘Women in Surgery’ event at our Bloomfield Campus! It was lovely hearing from amazing surgeons here in Orange on how they have triumphed through the years to achieve their ranks and paved the way for aspiring female surgeons like myself! They spoke about what it’s like being a female in a male-dominated profession, were raw about the daily challenges, especially as mothers working in a demanding industry, and gave us insight into the amazing joys of the job to look forward to! Thank you Dr Natalie Rainger, Dr Clair Whelan and Dr Rebecca Anning for sharing your experiences and expertise!

Nayma Bilal - MDI

Clin School Communiqué

Mallee (Swan Hill)

Milloo, (the Murray River)

If you’re a fan of swans or hills, I hate to disappoint but Swan Hill isn’t for you. However if you love sunshine, the river, Asian grocers and Victoria, then Swan Hill is perfect.

4 of us are on placement here currently from Charles Sturt, but there is an established med student program thanks to Monash Med School, who is still sending 6 or so students per semester. They’re a year ahead of us and we share teaching, facilities and rotations, but they’re mainly parallel consulting in GP. The hospital services a 100 km radius area with an estimated catchment area of around 35,000 people, many of whom live very rurally. This year we’ve had rotations through GP (parallel consulting approx 8 patients/day), ED, Gen Med, Surgery (encompassing Anaesthetics) and a mini Midwifery term. Highlights for me have been assisting on the birth of my neighbour’s first baby, scrubbing in to vaginally manipulate the uterus for a huge ovarian torsion, and getting to see patients several times across their interactions with GP, ED, Acute and Sub-Acute (through to palliation at times). Although we don’t have many resident specialists, the regular visitors are superstars who are always keen to teach. We also get to attend MiC placements with just about any community health services, and just yesterday we hosted a Teddy Bear Hospital at the library for school holidays.

Outside of placement there’s plenty to keep you busy. There is a beautiful river walk (flat) that’s great for birdwatching as well as many river forests to explore, or this year I’ve played soccer and am about to start futsal and social tennis seasons. There’s also a great gallery and frequent community arts events (we spent a recent Sat attending free workshops on charcoal, pottery, ukelele and more). For the foodie there is great sushi, two bubble tea shops, and one grocer makes a mean kimchi. If you’re a fan of aldi we’re also the perfect size, not too big that you have to line up for special buys. And if like me you love op shops you’re treated with a selection of 5 overflowing treasure troves just in town. It’s also a farming centre so you can buy seasonal fruit and veg at roadside stalls and spend time driving through farms of citrus, stonefruit, veg, vines, canola and almonds. Oh and I can’t forget the Big Murray Cod (currently on a special stamp collection). Coming up in November San Cisco are playing here and we were lucky enough to host Rogue Traders earlier in the year for our food and wine festival!

Heidi Annand

Wellbeing - Treat yo ears

Hello everyone! I’m sure everyone is starting to feel the exam scaries start to set in I know I am. But hey the best way to channel that anxiety into something good is to sign up to RFDS Oceans to Outback. So please sign up so I get a tone of sign-up emails!

For this month I wanted to list some good podcast recommendations. Don’t worry they are not all educational I will throw some fun ones in as well.

We Mean Well – No educational content at all. The best podcast for a laugh and a good way to turn your brain off. Credit to Mr Oscar Ricardo for the recommendation.

The Flying Doctor Podcast – Great stories and educational through osmosis. Good to get some inspiration.

Dr Matt and Dr Mike Medical Podcast – If we are not already onto this what are you doing? My fav passive study ever.

No Filter – Great podcast on some inspiring and topical people. A great listen and not med related.

Med conversations – Are you even on placement if a JMO has not told you to listen too this? Educational and lots of recommendations from people who know a thing about medicine.

Destination Medicine – Stories from rural doctors and even one very cool CSU lecturer. I won’t spoil who.

BlA.C.K Medicine – a great podcast on First nations health and rural medicine. Gives some really great insights into First nations health and allied health as well.

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