noticeboard - issue 3

noticeboard - issue 3GUMS

www.gums.org.au

contents04 so what’s an amsa

06 the PPDP

08 GUMS FB Page

09 Qld RACS papers prize

10 student mental health

11 coffeehouse

12 RBWH vocational expo

14 achieving a work-life balance

gums clinical skills guide is comingThat’s right - it’s been a while, but the GUMS Clinical Skills Guide is back. With a fresh new design and all new content you’ll want to get your hands on this one!

But that’s not all. For all those students in clinical years, GUMS has designed a book just for you. The GUMS Pocket Essentials has quick guides for examinations to revise before Mini-CEXs and other must-know information that will fit in your pocket.

So stay tuned because these books will soon be available and you’ll have the chance to win a free copy via our GUMS Facebook Page.

Rhys YoungGUMS Publications Officer 2013

www.gums.org.au

www.gums.org.au

so, what’s an amsa?felicity mcivorThe Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) is the peak representative body for Australian medical students. The key mandate of the Association is to connect, inform and represent every one of Australia’s 17,000 medical students.

What does AMSA do?

The activities of AMSA are all based around our key objectives of connecting, informing and representing Australian medical students:

• ADVOCACY: AMSA provides a voice for medical students, ensuring their concerns are heard by all levels of government and other relevant stakeholders in the medical education arena.

• STUDENTS: AMSA provides a wide range of benefits to prospective, current and graduating medical students. The Association also actively engages with medical students through local AMSA Subcommittees.

• EVENTS: AMSA holds many national events each year, connecting Australian medical students and providing educational and leadership opportunities. Some key events include the National Convention, Global Health Conference, National Leadership Development Seminar, Life in the Real World, National Rural Leadership Development Workshop, Training New Trainers and Think Global Workshop.

• PROJECTS: AMSA organises projects based around two main categories: health and wellbeing, and community.

• GLOBAL AND RURAL: AMSA advocates strongly on global, rural and Indigenous issues, and maintains strong relationships with affiliate organisations with similar aims.

• PUBLICATIONS: AMSA produces many publications which are distributed in electronic and hard-copy. These publications form a key conduit by which the Association informs and connects Australian medical students. Some examples of the publications include: Panacea, Intern and Residents’ Guide, Medical Schools Guide, Embolus, AMSA? Your Orange Guide, Wellbeing Booklet, Guide to Working Overseas, and The Other Side.

How do I get involved in AMSA?

AMSA is your voice on national issues. To make sure your voice is heard, contact your local AMSA Representative (email [email protected]), and attend your local AMSA ThinkTank meetings.

What is an AMSA ThinkTank?

AMSA ThinkTanks are the extension of AMSA at the medical school level. AMSA ThinkTanks are chaired by the AMSA Representative and are open to all medical students at each University. The most important role of the ThinkTanks is to provide a direct and accessible link between the local medical student and AMSA, allowing individual students to contribute to the national body. Through its ThinkTanks, the Association is therefore able to collect and analyse the concerns and views of Australia’s medical students – your AMSA Rep will make sure your voice is heard at a national level.

ThinkTanks also assist the AMSA Rep in undertaking and implementing AMSA events and projects. Members of AMSA ThinkTanks can undertake a number of roles depending on local conditions.

How else can I get involved in AMSA?• Check the AMSA website regularly.

• Attend GUMS meetings and the many events AMSA holds.

• Participate in the health and wellbeing projects and community projects that AMSA organises each year.

• Watch each new episode of AMSAtv and AMSA Podcasts.

Felicity McIvorGUMS AMSA Rep

the PPDPmat wongHi all, the year is in full-swing and has so far seen 2 PPDP meetings held with students from all year levels represented. I thought this would be a good time to remind everyone about what the PPDP is and what it means to be called to it.

What:

The Professional Practice Development Panel is formed by a small group of staff and a GUMS advocate and is usually made up of:

• DLEPP Lead & Chair (Eleanor)

• Year Convenor (Jeff or Claire)

• Staff member trained in psychology or psychiatry (Harry McConnell)

• Sometimes: DHC or DP theme lead

• GUMS student advocacy officer (me)

The panel meets once a month to talk to any students who have been referred for any reason relating to their behaviour, professionalism or wellbeing. Meetings are generally informal but to a student being asked to attend, it can feel quiet formal and nerve-racking.

* The PPDP is not punitive and does not impose punishment or penalty in any way – it is merely a chance for discussion about an issue and how best to manage things. The panel can refer to the PBC (Professional Behaviour Committee) for serious breaches in behaviour and this panel can organise academic suspension/remediation or exclusion.

Why:

The aim of the PPDP and meetings is to identify and help students who are at risk of getting into trouble as junior doctors and provide as much assistance as possible to help their development as a professional clinician.

How:

You can be referred to see the PPDP by a staff member of the school, supervising clinicians on placement or even fellow students. If you are referred to the PPDP, you will usually receive a written letter from the school with an explanation of the situation and a date/time to come to GH1 for the meeting. Some reasons people have been called to the PPDP are:

• Breaches of patient confidentiality

• Failure to attend class/placement

• Failure to hand in assignments

• Signing attendance records without attending

• Poor/unprofessional communication or behaviour

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• Inappropriate behaviour on social media

• Miscommunications

• Anything else that may be seen as unprofessional or jeopardise your ability to work as a clinician/graduate

What if I am Called Upon?

If you are ever asked to attend the PPDP, your letter will usually state the reason and background. The meeting itself is your chance to explain the situation. It is best to reflect on the issue and how it could be avoided in the future or resolved. The panel is looking to see that you have insight into the issue.

Sometimes the panel will recommend activities or actions for you and follow up in the future to see how you are going or the issue may be resolved and require no further action.

If you are ever in doubt, nervous or not sure about attending the PPDP, you are more than welcome to see me to discuss things prior to the meeting. In the very least, I may be able to dispel any rumours or fears you have.

More questions?

The full ‘Professional Practice Development Guidelines’ are available under program information on Learning @ Griffith.

Mathew WongGUMS Advocacy Officer

GUMS FB PAGEHey, did you know that GUMS has a website?

Okay, so you’re probably at least aware of its existence. But, admittedly, the content on offer isn’t updated nearly as frequently as it should be. And for those who don’t regularly use Facebook, we realise that this may be your only source of information.

In an effort of increase GUMS’ online presence, we’re going to be working on improving various aspects of the website. The GUMS website member area, home to our Forums which are already loaded with a number of past exam papers and helpful tips for clinical rotations, is also set to be reviewed in an attempt to make website membership more appealing.

The creation of our new Facebook page is the first step in this process (give it a like if you haven’t done so already!). Set up as a page, rather than a group, it allows the exec greater control over the content displayed (less spam), and means that important announcements will reach your news feed.

The changes are going to take place over the next couple of months, so stay tuned. If you have any comments, suggestions, or have any ideas for articles/content that you’d like to see displayed on the website, please feel free to send me an email at [email protected].

David MaletskyGUMS IT Officer

www.gums.org.au

www.gums.org.au

time to address student mental healthOn the 23rd of March, the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) released its Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy, which calls on the Federal Government to work with Australian universities to address the significant mental health burden afflicting Australian youth.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows that more than a quarter of 16 to 24 year olds experience a mental health disorder over a 12 month period.

AMSA (Acting) President Mr Richard Arnold said that despite their high burden of disease, only 23 per cent of those with a mental health disorder access health services.

“The Federal Government is aiming for 40 per cent of 25 to 30 year olds to hold a Bachelor degree by 2025. This means at least 40 per cent of Australia’s youth should pass through a tertiary institution, creating an ideal opportunity for the institutions to help prevent mental health conditions or provide

access to early intervention,” Mr Arnold said.

“Students who suffer from poor mental health are less likely to perform well at university, which will impact on their long-term productivity and contribution to the Australian economy.

“We call on the Federal Government to work with Universities Australia to take a lead on this issue and take advantage of a huge opportunity to better serve Australia’s youth.

“We need planning to start now, so that Universities Australia can provide recommendations to individual institutions about the initiatives they should be implementing.

“To ensure action is taken on this critical issue, we call on the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) to include minimum student mental health service standards in their Higher Education Standards Framework.”

TEQSA was established under statute in 2011 as the national regulator of Australia’s higher education sector.

“Similarly, we call on the Australian Medical Council to include minimum student mental health service standards in its accreditation criteria for Australia’s 18 medical schools,” Mr Arnold said.

“Research and intervention now, will benefit the Australian community and economy into the future.”

The full policy can be found at www.amsa.org.au/advocacy/official-policy/

Do you think we get enough access to mental health services at Griffith University? Have your voice heard by emailing [email protected].

www.gums.org.auwww.gums.org.au

coffeehousesam gilesThis year GUMS is injecting some culture and sophistication into the lives of Griffith med students with the bi-annual Coffeehouse event. Last years inaugural event was a huge success, packing the Loft and raising nearly $400 for the newly up-and-running Healthy Starts program.

This semester we have many of our previous musicians returning to the stage as well as some new talent, who will be gracing the stage at the Griffith Uni Bar at Parklands. We will also be serving up espresso from the Coffee Kart, brewed using award winning Cre8tive Coffee’s special uni-bar blend.

So whether you’re a budding musician, a groupie, or just enjoy socialising over a cup of coffee, come down and support your fellow med students. Entry is a gold coin donation and all money raised will be going to Headway, a not for profit, community based organisation offering support to people with an Acquired Brain Injury, their carers, family and friends.

Any questions about the night or maybe want to be our new talent for the year? Email [email protected]. Look forward to see you there.

`

Metro North Hospital and Health ServiceRoyal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

Great state. Great opportunity.

Hosted by the Centre for Medical Officer Recruitment and Education (CMORE)

2013 RBWH Vocational ExpoCareer pathways and advanced training opportunities for junior doctors and medical students

Get on target.

Friday, 3 May 2013 from 6pm in the RBWH Education Centre, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

For more information, please phone 3646 1525 or email [email protected]

www.health.qld.gov.au/rbwh/events/voc-expo.asp

www.gums.org.au

achieving a work-life balancecan you have it all?In the wake of rising pressures to get into and maintain your place in Medical School – never mind securing yourself an internship, it is no wonder Medical Students are notoriously poor at maintaining extra curricular interests.

Prior to our Medical School entrance interviews we had such extensive lists of hobbies, activities, volunteering and academia that even Simon Broadley was impressed. But how many of those activities have we been able to maintain since PBL, Clinical Skills, HBCT, Anatomy Practical’s, LGRS, Workshops and LO’s took their toll? And I put to you, of those that survived the pragmatic cull, which were maintained for your own enjoyment and which did you prioritize for their CV weight?

It would be completely wrong to characterize all medical students as research-orientated automatons who attend class only to break the monotony of their library lair. The American Medical College Admissions Test actually rewards students who speak a foreign language, play an instrument or sport, have travelled, are certified in a unique field (for example scuba diving) or have a distinctively personal Hobby (Comic book collecting was cited by one student as his foot into Vermont College of Medicine).

But why! Why do our up and coming JHO’s need to collect comic books and scuba dive whilst speaking French?

Traditionally, (and I see no reason why this is no longer applicable) doctors are high achievers by nature. They demand excellence of themselves and their work at the expense of other life commitments. This is further exacerbated by the medical culture that expects long hours of overtime from its colleagues and uses hours in practice as a measure of achievement. So, we are putting naturally high achievers in an environment that rewards them for working long arduous hours. Anyone see the issue here?

The obvious rebuttle to this statement is that, yes, we are medical students, we knew what we were getting ourselves into and we want to be good doctors, that means sacrifices! Stop being idealistic

and get your head back in the game. But does self-sacrifice to the medical gods really make you a better doctor?

Mohammadreza, H., et al would disagree. In their 2009 longitudinal study a team of doctors from The Jefferson Medical College found medical students became decreasingly less empathetic to their patients as medical school progressed. This was most worrying as the end of medical school revolves around patient care learning, preparing you to be released into the wild as fledgling doctors. Couple this with the fact that 60% of practising doctors suffer symptoms of psychological job-exhaustion, physician burnout, diminished career satisfaction leading to substance abuse, divorce, quitting the profession and suicide and it’s not hard to draw the connections. Chen goes further, he believes the constellation of emotional exhaustion, detachment and a low sense of accomplishment linked with burnout, leads to unprofessional behaviour such as incorrect patient assessment and diagnosis and inter-professional lying and cheating, obviously at patient expense.

Dr. Karen Sibert recently spiked controversy with her mantra ‘if work life balance is important to you then don’t become a doctor’. In the New York Times editorial submission Dr Sibert stated, “You can’t have it all, medical education is a privilege, not an entitlement, and it confers a real moral obligation to serve. If you want to work and be a [parent], then you can find a job in journalism or professional cooking or law. But ‘if you want to be a doctor, be a doctor’,” wrote Sibert, an anesthesiologist, concluding: “Patients need doctors to take care of them. Medicine shouldn’t be a part-time interest to be set aside if it becomes inconvenient; it deserves to be a life’s work.”

I think Dr Siberts sentiments perfectly encapsulate the dogma that haunted older generations of doctors, who suffered from the characteristic ‘Physician Burnout’ I’ve already cited. However, I do agree with Doctor Sibert on one thing, patients do need doctors to take care of them. But contemporary research that suggests the best doctor’s are those that are happy, healthy and well balanced.

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But how can we achieve this unattainable nirvana of “balance”? Ballard exhorts us to consider “It’s an ongoing process and not something you achieve [once] and it stays that way” He dislikes the phrase “work-life balance” because it implies a false dichotomy between two parts of life, not a whole life that includes many elements. “It also implies it’s a 50-50 balance,” Ballard said. “It’s all about whether the way you actually spend your time matches your goals.”

The first - and possibly most important - step in creating a fulfilled, balanced life is to assess honestly what you need and what you want out of your whole life, not just work or home in isolation. Do you need time to exercise? Do you want time to volunteer outside of study? Do you set aside one day every weekend to spend with your family?

Please don’t feel I am condemning your work-life balance if you’re not out jogging around the block to deliver meals on wheels. Ballard also reminds us, “If there’s a physician who feels completely happy working 12 hours and is communicating with his family, and the family is fine with him staying at work for 12 hours, that might be a work-life balance definition that works for him”.

So I implore you, ask yourself, what is work life balance for you? What do you really want to do, and please be distinct from “what you think you should do”. Do you want to do well in your upcoming OSCE? Study that D&P! Do you feel alone and isolated in Southport? Make the time to call that hometown friend for 30 minutes, even if Learning Issues are due the next day. It’s a brave new world!

For those realists out there who are still sceptical of the worth of including non-medical aspects into your life, and believe it is simply not practical, I would like to provide two real world examples of successful professionals who have achieved a balance between personal interests and medicine, and the impact it had on their practice.

Dr. Amande Ie

Recent Griffith Medical School Graduate, Amanda has achieved academic distinction in her time at Griffith being awarded the “Excellence in Elective Studies Award” for working with the Ophthalmology Department at Harvard University Hospital and Graduating Griffith with Honours. However, when Mandy is not wearing her Doctor pants she is wearing something quite distinct all together.

A well known Fashion and Lifestyle blogger, Amanda is heavily involved in the Australian fashion scene promoting Local Designers, Artists and Photographers through her blog “Frocks and Frivolities”. A quick scroll through the exquisite sartorial selection Amanda has included on her Blog shows her Medical School life was far from all books and no play. Regularly frequenting local cafes, restaurants and Boutique stores in between regular trips to the beach and other rare spots of beauty in Southport, it is obvious Amanda’s life is brimming with things she enjoys. I think Dr Ie proves that making time for non-academic activities you enjoy does not impact on your medical school performance, if anything it enriches it.

Dr. Ken Conolly

2000 km and a lifetime away, experienced GP Ken is a local practitioner for some of the rural town’s located on the Atherton Tablelands. Graduating Medical School when residents were still completing 100+ hour weeks, Dr Conolly is no stranger to the stressors practicing medicine can have on your personal life. However, he is well known in the community for his photography and artworks, as well as the hand made boat’s he has crafted and the Sailing Kayak he makes time to utilise every Friday afternoon. On top of all this Dr Conolly is a well-loved father and grandfather, often making time for camping and hiking holidays with his family, whilst being involved in many community activities in the area. Many of you may be thinking we have found the last of the renaissance men, hidden in North Queensland, however Dr Conolly simply prioritises his time to match his needs and goals. Quoted as saying, after 40years of practice in the same area, “I find every patient who walks through the door interesting, there is hardly anyone I dislike” I believe he has found the prevention to burnout. If you still want to be a successful, well respected doctor who enjoys their work in 40 years time, it is evident you need interests outside of medicine.

Mikaela SeymourGUMS Treasurer

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noticeboard - issue 3

Documents

amsa thinktanks

extension of amsa

amsa advocates

activities of amsa

local amsa subcommittees

local amsa thinktank

medical schools guide

medical education arena