state of the union.
state of the union.
NG
E EMILY D We l c o m e to the second half of the first semester! We hope everyone managed to have some rest during the midterm break and are ready to conquer new knowledge. I’m Esther, a board director in AUU and a third year student in Bachelor of Nursing. I’m Emily, a third-year Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery student. This state of the union is written by both of us and we want to focus on health topics and placement specific experiences as we are both from the Health and Medical Sciences Faculty. Firstly, we would like to mention that while other students are having their mid term break, some students are having placements, those of you can pat yourself on the back and know 8
that you’ve done a great job. This might have not been acknowledged enough but students during placement are an important part of the health system, especially during Covid-19 where there is a staff shortage in every unit. We hope you can feel proud of yourselves for being able to help and support those in need. (Esther) While being at placements, you can learn alot, however, the complex environment and experiences can also cause a lot of stress and be emotionally overwhelming. The clinical facilitators are the first go to person, and also keep in mind that free counselling services are available in uni. Bookings can be done online, and they will get in touch very soon! Fixed shift times can mean that students are leaving the hospital and travelling home late at night. While other careers and areas might be talking about increasing female ratio, it is the exact opposite in Nursing. As in 2018, 89% of the nurses and midwives are female. Unfortunately, late night travel can mean higher risks of being exposed to certain danger, especially for females. All AUU director and elected Representatives were given the opportunity to attend had to undertake the SASH First Responder Training. Which I found very useful and used the knowledge when helping a female nursing student who experienced sexual street harassment while returning home from placement at midnight. I had then advocated for clinical facilitators and other teachingstaff to take this training as well. It is very important to know that
