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Christine Mausolf President

As we lead into semester 2, I’d like take the time to reflect on the hard work of our committee members, not just for the medical student community but also to excel in their own studies and health. We have begun the semester by focusing less on a busy social calendar and more on ways to recharge ourselves and learn new skills.

In the spirit of student wellbeing and environmental stewardship, we organised a day away from study for all FMSS committee members, planting trees with Bio-R at Frahns Farm at Monarto. This new event was a great way for our committee to get to know each other better and to spend time outdoors on something productive that was not study. We all learnt new skills and interesting facts about the land and trees we were working with, fostering a sense of responsibility to promote a healthier and greener future.

With a focus on keeping active, we worked with the Adelaide Medical Student Society to host a new inter-society mixed soccer competition. While the Matildas contested the World Cup, we competed against the University of Adelaide’s medicine, dentistry, engineering and law societies. It was a successful event we hope to see continue in the years to come.

FMSS has also collaborated with our new Psychiatric Society to enter the Push Up Challenge for the Push for Better Foundation. This is a fundraising event run in June, in which participants are challenged to complete 3,144 push-ups, representing the number of deaths by suicide in Australia in 2021. Each day there is a new mental health fact to help raise awareness and funds for mental health in Australia. Our members completed 34,971 push-ups, raising $1,400.We are immensely proud of their commitment to raising awareness and funds for Lifeline and Movember Australia. Together, we have made a tangible impact on the lives of those affected by mental health issues.

On the theme of mental health, FMSS members have attended and hosted events to educate and raise awareness of mental health in medicine. Several committee members were invited to attend the SASMOA Crazy Socks for Docs breakfast on the first Friday in June. This event highlights the many challenges doctors and medical students face with mental health and seeking help, aiming to break the stigma and encourage people to talk about it. With guest speakers including Federal Health Minister Mark Butler and author Dr Ben Bravery, students had a thoughtprovoking morning. We were able to meet some health VIPs and still make it back to class before 9:30 am! More recently our wellbeing officers staged an insightful Mental Health in Medicine workshop for our students. Here the students were able to learn from experts in the area on the management of common mental health crises as well as the services Flinders has to offer for students.

Our educational event calendar has continued to be busy. FMSS successfully ran its annual AUSLAN Workshop. Here, students were able to learn some basics to assist with clinical communication, as well as gain an insight into deaf culture and access to translation services. For our MD3s (third years), the end-of-year OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations) are creeping nearer. Our incredible MD4 FMSS representatives, Rachel James and Will Burden, have created a whole new schedule of weekly teaching sessions and two full-day practice runs with volunteer patients and assessors. This outstanding work is helping ease the minds of the MD3s, giving them valuable knowledge and skills for their exam, taught by students who have just been through it. The education portfolio has organised the annual specialties pathway night, hearing from doctors in general practice, pediatrics, plastics and medical education. In collaboration with our surgical society, the team also hosted the Intro to Dissection night with advice on how to survive the anatomy subject, as well as an intro to suturing with pig trotters. Proceeds were donated to the Hutt Street Centre.

With our annual focus continuing to be on First Nations health, we also hosted our inaugural First Nations communication workshop. This brought together speakers with extensive experience working with local Aboriginal communities to improve medical students’ communication skills. We hope to continue hosting it in the years to come. During National Reconciliation and NAIDOC Week FMSS worked with the Adelaide-based Kumarninthi Cultural Workshops to host a silk painting workshop as well as canvas painting in the library.

On our advocacy side, FMSS has been continuing to work closely with the MD course directors and year-level representatives to ensure student issues are raised and information is shared. FMSS senior vice president Jordyn Tomba and I attended the College of Medicine and Public Health’s annual retreat, learning more about the goals and participating in various workshops. We also attended the University’s open day to answer new and prospective students’ questions about applying for the degree.

I look forward to the last few events of the semester that our incredible committee has organised, and to encouraging the next year of students to step into the various leadership and advocacy roles.

Palya (hello)!

Every year, the Adelaide Medical Students’ Society (AMSS) organises the APY Exchange, a school holiday program for the children living in the communities of the APY Lands. This year, eight students had the privilege to visit the communities of Pukatja and Kaltjiti from the 14-24 July with the support of the NPY Women’s Council. There will be another group of eight students travelling to the APY Lands in October this year.

The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands are a local government area in the north-west corner of South Australia and home to the Anangu people. Anangu is a term used to describe Indigenous Australian peoples who speak the languages of Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, or Ngaanyatjarra. The Anangu people have lived in what is now the APY lands for thousands of years, and it was a truly special experience to see the relationship Anangu people have with their country.

Health, social, and cultural services in the APY Lands are in part run by the NPY Women’s Council. The NPY Women’s Council was created in 1980, and part of its current role in the APY lands is to provide a youth program to provide structure for children outside school hours. This is particularly important during school holidays, when most teachers return to their families outside the community. Each youth program is typically run by a youth worker who works alongside Anangu support workers to ensure the program runs smoothly. Our role was to help them provide a fun, educational and health-orientated youth program for the children.

Each day in community began with offering the children breakfast, to ensure they started their day with a healthy meal. After this, we would play sports (football or softball) or work on arts and crafts activities with the kids.

One of the highlights was taking the kids on a bush trip with the adults. From digging for honey ants to cooking kangaroo tails, it was an absolute privilege to see how Anangu culture has remained strong for thousands of years.

At night we ran activities including ‘girls’ night’, basketball games, a community barbecue and a disco. The community barbecue was a bittersweet experience, as it was amazing to see so much of the community in one place, but it was also incredibly hard to say goodbye.

The AMSS APY Exchange has been an incredible educational experience for the medical students, providing us with valuable hands-on experience in a unique cultural setting. We’ve developed an awareness of Indigenous health and culture that contributes to our preparation for future practice in Indigenous health. We can say without a doubt that everyone who went on the exchange would be keen to return to the APY Lands. As convenors, it was our second time in the APY Lands, and it is an experience we cannot recommend enough.

The 2023 APY trip would not have been possible without the support from NPY Women’s Council, the Adelaide Rural Clinical School and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. If you or your organisation would like to support this unique program, please contact apyexchange@amss.org.au