Notre Damus Issue 2 2015

THE NOTREDAMUS 2015 || Issue 2

FROM THE EDITOR Hello and welcome to another edition of the NOTRE DAMUS!

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It’s a busy time of year for us all, with exams looming closer and closer, so within these pages we’ve compiled a few helpful pieces of procrastination to help you through these last intense weeks of Semester 2. And what an incredible semester it has been! You just need to flick through these pages to see all the incredible things that have happened since we last Words of met.

wisdom from Big thanks to all the amazing, multi-tasking people who have Prof Nick Talley

found the time to contribute to this edition. Here in you’ll find all the usual stuff, plus much more. MSAND has had an incredible Social Justice presence this year under Volunteering: the guidance of the walking sunflower Anna, so please read up about all the great Fiji Village Project things ND students have been doing. Then there was the Kimberley trip, that amazing camping trip organised by Sorcha, and all things Gala Ball thanks to ND student puts smiles Jack. On a more serious note and after many requests from students, Nestor back on children’s faces has compiled an article on research as a medical students, including some examples from current ND students. On a definitively less serious note, The Esperance experience the residents of Steve’s house have finally agreed to give us a glimpse into the slightly dysfunctional but very hilarious world at 9 Binns What’s going on at Court.

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Med100

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Med 200

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Med300

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Med400

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2015 MSAND Gala Ball

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Med200 Takes the Kimberley

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Rural camping trip

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The John Flynn Placement Program

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Research

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Social justice

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Sports and wellbeing

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Listen | Watch | Eat | Read

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Med sketches

A massive congratulations to the fourth years on completing your final exams! The rest of us are incredibly envious of your current ‘Almost Graduate’ status. Enjoy grad week and your last prolonged holiday before it’s back to the workforce!

TS EN NT CO

Steve’s house

I hope you once again enjoy reading the NOTRE DAMUS, and that this edition might provoke ideas, provide a few laughs or at the very least, fill a much needed study break!

Read on!

Liesl PS. Welcome and best of luck to Amelia Botts, Editor in Chief for 2016!

Cover features artwork for a 2011 Mercedes-Benz print campaign created by Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv, Israel. The campaign draws on the ties between left and right brain.

PREZ MEZ SAYS What a year! While I know that you’re all probably trying to schedule 30 odd weeks of work into a two week study period, lets take a moment to reflect (that’s right!) on the year we’ve had. I honestly do believe that this year’s MSAND committee is the most talented and wonderful group of people ever to have walked the earth. That being said. I’m sure our newly elected committee will also continue to shine the way that only an MSAND committee can.

Damian: Did an amazing job of sponsorship, making it rain like never before. He’s been the less creepy Doug Stamper to my Frank Underwood… with less political underhandedness and more general awesomeness!

Adam: MSAND’s first ever VPI made the role his own, attending a million meetings and organized the perfect MOSCE. Amazing for a chat and all round amazing guy.

Jess: Managed to be master of the coin and stayed smiley and fun at the same time. Without a doubt was “the ideas girl” of MSAND and an amazing support.

Big thanks to all those who minutes or of their day to together. We’re really appreciate it. what i’ve done with

Aaron: MSAND’s own in house counsel and all round great guy. Kept us organized, read 8000 emails a week and solved everyone’s problems!

Erin: Lead convention and GHC delegations and started up a whole common room in aid of mental health. Five points for awesomeness.

Nestor: Made sure MSAND was well represented and organized phenomenal education events.

Sorcha: Took the rural portfolio to new heights, running a camping trip that I hope will be continued in future years.

Anna: An absolute “go to girl”, she made SJ about so much more than just puppies.

Ryan: Organised fantastic boys’ and girls’ footy, plus10/10 for meeting banter.

Jack: The 2015 social calendar has been so much fun that I’ve demanded all photo evidence be destroyed.

CO NT RI BU TO RS

Liesl: Not only did she do it with substance, she did it with style. The Damus has been something special under her stewardship.

Megan and Jesse: I don’t know how two people can be this nice and do such a great job! First years, buy these people a drink.

Alex: An amazing advocate for MED200 and one of the best guys I know.

Sharing a beer with this man is an absolute privilege.

Steve’s House

Lisa and Glen: Held an amazing clinical sundowner and helped keep the Med300 family in touch!

Lauren and Kelsey: Two absolute super heroes who will be very much missed, most of all by me.

MSAND is so much more than just these people. It’s the subcommittees, those who show up to education events and those who fire up the dance floor. It’s been a pleasure to get to know you all, and I for one think we’ve had a great year (so long as no-one mentions Curtin).

To the Class of 2015, good luck with the beginning of your brilliant careers. Have an amazing graduation week and remember that you’re welcome back any time. We’ll miss you.

Liz and Alex

Nick McInerney

Amelia Bott

Emmie Willis

Ayala DeMel

Jess Crawley

And that’s it from me! Thanks to all who have made this year the blast it’s been. Stay beautiful

Mez xoxo

Jesse R.

Glen Smith

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM PROF NICK TALLEY

By Liesl Larsen

As medical students, we are forever on the look out for meaningful advise, whether it be from our clinical mentors, students in higher years or our peers. I decided to skip the queue and go straight to the man who wrote the book! Below are a few snippets of advice from Professor Nick Talley, co-author of “Clinical examination: a systematic guide to physical diagnosis.” so we have revised both books. With each edition we have worked hard to ensure the books are contemporary, evidence based and fun (or at least interesting) to read.

And we have deliberately included jokes, anecdotes and other information that we hope will amuse or even enthuse readers.

There were even cartoons in the original edition of Examination Medicine; I sometimes wonder if we should we resuscitate them.

Your text ‘Clinical Examination’ is a highly sought after book amongst the student’s of ND Fremantle.

Can you tell us the impetus behind the publication and the evolution of this incredible book?

Pure serendipity! As a medical student I was inspired by a textbook I was required to read in 3rd year (Hamilton Bailey’s Physical Signs, written by a British surgeon). As a student and subsequently a medical registrar however I struggled to find a clinical examination textbook that covered all of the core skills. Nothing was available in a single source that addressed advanced clinical examination techniques.

Plus the textbooks in those days were uniformly dry and boring! Having accumulated extensive notes filed in a card index system in preparation for the Fellowship examinations of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians while a medical registrar at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, it struck me at the party celebrating passing the examination they should be compiled into a book. I asked Simon if he would join me as a co-author at the party (we had studied together) and happily he agreed. So in blissful ignorance I started writing and we refined and revised together. We had no publisher, we were very junior but we had an idea and it turned out to be a very good idea. The first book (Examination Medicine) was aimed at candidates sitting the FRACP exam, with a focus on how to pass the clinical components, but we hoped medical students would like it too. By a stroke of luck we did find a publisher (in fact two bid for the book!). And it was published before we had our Fellowship letters. But it was an instant hit much to my amazement, and many who purchased the book were medical students or graduates sitting clinical exams in various specialties.

Success breeds success; in view of the interest we decided to next write the best book on physical examination we could aimed at medical students but including advanced techniques, applying a systems based approach. We wrote Clinical Examination while we were both senior registrars at Royal North Shore Hospital. It was a bigger hit, and so every 4 years or

Many clinicians seem to have their own favourite or ‘can’t miss’ sign, often based on experience, specialty or just gut instinct. Can you tell us about your own ‘can’t miss’ sign?

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In clinical practice, diagnosis is key; by attaching the correct label, optimal management is most likely to follow (as is a good outcome). And no one sign in isolation is usually enough to make a diagnosis; it is the combination of clinical features that is critical (hence the need for a systematic approach). My own can’t miss signs include papilloedema in a patient with headache (so look in the fundi and learn how to do it), neck stiffness in a patient with fever (don’t miss meningitis), and unexpected blood on the glove in a patient with a change in bowel habit (rectal examination has become a technique that is seriously undervalued and underutilized to the detriment of patients). My favourite sign is Carnett’s test for abdominal wall pain; this can help make the correct diagnosis in a patient with chronic abdominal pain that otherwise will remain undiagnosed and cannot be sorted out by CT scans or other tests!

Thinking back to when you were a medical student, what did you find to be your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome this?

Can you tell us about the focus of your research and where it might lead to in the future?

I like solving clinical mysteries. My work has focused on unexplained chronic disabling gut symptoms currently classified as functional gastrointestinal disorders. Originally thought to be psychosomatic, we have learned subtle gut inflammation and immune activation are key in many of these cases, in some arising after or with gut infection. We have recently identified new diseases in the duodenum (duodenal eosinophilia and dyspepsia) and colon (colonic spirochaetosis, colonic eosinophilia and irritable bowel syndrome). Further, we have observed gut changes can drive changes in the brain and other systemic symptoms through circulating cytokines and T cells driven by the gut. Modulating the gut including changing gut microbes may in the future cure disease not just of the gut but also the brain, and is a focus of our current research.

I loved medical school! I think time management is the biggest challenge. I worked hard and did reasonably well. I suggest creating an effective study group with your peers is one technique you should exploit to themax. I do wish I had done a bit more of everything before internship; more clinical exposure in all of the different specialties and more time acquiring core procedural skills really is helpful. But learning only begins in medical school, so don’t despair!

We’re very excited for our fourth year students who have now completed their final exams. In your vast experience of teaching and mentoring students, what is it about their clinical practice that indicates students have progressed from medical student to professional clinician?

You never stop learning and clinical experience is cumulative. No one knows it all but when you can obtain the needed clinical data accurately, join the dots and come up with sensible differential diagnoses you know you are closer to mastery. See as many cases as you can and learn from your patients; they teach you the most.

Read widely and read around your cases; this will help consolidate your learning. Question everything including what your mentors say and do, and find the evidence based answers. Seek out and learn from your senior colleagues; role model yourself on the best clinicians in your institution. Aim high! Mediocrity in medicine is not acceptable; excellence is the goal.

Research is an ever-growing interest for medical students, with the question evolving from ‘if I should do research’, to ‘when/where should I do research’.

Can you tell us your advice on this?

My advice is become multi-skilled as this will help you in the ever increasingly competitive job market of the future. And research is stimulating and fun, and a core skill in medicine in my view (how can you really interpret the literature if you have never done any primary research yourself?). If research appeals find a mentor in an area that interests you and offer to do a project. You often don’t need to develop this on your own; most mentors have plenty of projects and need pairs of hands to help even if you can only work part time. Preferably try to join a large research group where you can obtain advice and learn from multiple sources. The mentor however is key. You must learn the scientific method and most of us need guidance here even if we know the principles.

Some of our readers may not be aware that you are in fact a renowned gastroenterologist. Can you tell us what drew you to the world of gastroenterology, and how you suggest current students find their own specialty?

I fell into gastroenterology but I like the mix of cognitive and procedural skills. I knew I wanted to be a physician and not a surgeon (I didn’t feel I had good enough fine motor skills to become an excellent surgeon, plus my main interest was in solving and managing complex medical problems). As I rotated through different terms my role models (senior consultants) influenced me both positively and negatively in terms of career choice, and neurology in particular appealed. But I also wanted to try clinical research and solve clinical mysteries. I was lucky; I grabbed the chance to undertake clinical research with at the time one of Australia’s premier gastroenterologists (Professor Douglas Piper at the Royal North Shore Hospital). It meant lengthening my training and taking a risk but I never looked back. Best decision I ever made! I completed a PhD, wrote several major papers and then went to Mayo Clinic in the USA where my career in neurogastroenterology really took off.

And finally, any parting words of wisdom for our students and graduates as we continue our medical journey?

Thank you for asking me. Medicine is a great profession and it is a privilege to be a part of it. My advice is remember why you entered the profession – to help and to heal. Always put your patients first. As a professional there will be many demands placed on you but you will make a real difference. Enjoy the journey.

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VOLUNTEERING: FIJI VILLAGE PROJECT 2015

By Alex Carle and Elizabeth Jenkins

“It was an amazing clinical experience and a phenomenal life experience.”

Last January, we were given the opportunity to volunteer alongside Fijian medical students for the Fiji Village Project. The Project is completely student run (ANU, ND Fremantle and Sydney, UoW USyd and Auckland University) with the aid of doctors and other medical professionals. In this sense it is one of the first ever transnational student based projects in the South Pacific region.

The project involved providing free health clinics and medical procedures to two remote Fijian villages, including post-consultation health education sessions and constructing clean water facilities.

The project involved providing free health clinics and medical procedures to two remote Fijian villages, including screening, post-consultation health education, and improving local water accessibility and quality.

The two villages, Naloto and Naivuruvuru, welcomed us with warm smiles and open arms. Each clinic involved a general health check - BMI, vision assessment, diabetes screening, women’s health check, cardiovascular risk assessment, dental assessment and teeth extraction if required. After each assessment took place, each patient was counselled individually about the good things they were doing in regards to their health and possible lifestyle modifications that might improve it. By bringing this basic healthcare service to the villagers, we were able to overcome the massive barrier of travel and expense that the villagers would usually face if they had to go into the capital.

The villages were incredibly hospitable and welcomed us with warm smiles and open arms. Each clinic involved a general health check - BMI, vision, diabetes screening, women’s health check, CV risk assessment, dental assessment and teeth extraction if required.

Patients were counselled individually about their health and possible lifestyle modifications that might improve it. By bringing this basic healthcare service to the villagers, we were able to overcome the massive barrier of travel and expense that the villagers would usually face if they had to go into the capital.

Diabetes was the biggest concern, with 50% of the Fijian population being affected.

the chance to work in ED, surgery and obstetrics.

Everything was hands on – if you didn’t know how to do something, you were shown once then it was up to you! The interns responsible for running the ED were fantastic. One of the stand out things they taught us was how to stretch scarce resources a long way. In addition, we both saw our first live births… without the use of anaesthetics or painkillers! All we can say that they breed the women tough in Fiji!

The major health concern we witnessed in Fiji was diabetes, with 50% of the Fijian population being affected. Just like in Australia, type 2 diabetes produces the vast majority of disease and has drastic sequelae. In contrast, the diagnosis occurs much later in Fiji, making the complications so much worse. We saw m a n y r o t t i n g f e e t a s t h e fi r s t presentation. There were so many barriers to health that would hasten the development of diabetes unhealthy foods were so cheap in c o m p a r i s o n t o f re s h f r u i t a n d vegetables. Cultural barriers also exist, with most village women indicating that they didn’t do regular exercise. It was simply not seen as something women should do. Their jobs were largely house based, while the males undertook the physical jobs. One of the major counselling points was therefore about how to include incidental activity in the women’s lives, which was generally well received.

One of the most amazing and rewarding experiences that we had in Fiji was spending time with the local children - they really lived everyday with joy and laughter. We have come away with a true soft spot in our hearts for Fijian culture and way of life - and know we will find ourselves there again for both medical and personal reasons.

All the services we provided to the villages were free, so the project is unsustainable without funds. Every dollar donated goes towards the medical equipment used during the consults and procedures, with other expenses paid for personally by volunteers. Each year the Fijian medical students re-visit the past villages to document the change in health outcomes. The results show the project is worth every dollar and minute, as people act on the advice given. Below are details of how you could donate and get involved. If you have questions in regards to the project we would be more than happy to answer them. The Fiji Village Project was an amazing clinical experience and a phenomenal life experience, so jump on board if you can!

In addition to population and preventative health, we also spent time in the hospital in Suva. We were given

Want to get involved or donate?

April Pascoe - FVP National Coordinator Email: u5515200@anu.edu.au www.facebook.com/fvpaustralia

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NOTRE DAME STUDENT PUTTING SMILES BACK ON CHILDREN’S FACES   By Amelia Bott

Notre Dame medical student and dentist Phuong-Nam Nguyen established the non-profit organisation VN Smiles back in 2012. His goal was to establish an organisation that would provide free dental care to under privileged children in poor regions across Vietnam. The organisation is built on volunteers who donate their time, sweat and tears to bring "smiles" back to the faces of children, far less fortunate than ourselves.

Amelia Bott spoke to Phuong-Nam about the organisation and his recent volunteer mission.

What inspired you to establish VN Smiles?

The primary aim of the organisation is to provide free dental care to under privileged children in poor regions across Vietnam. We want this to be an ongoing project and our goal is to have organisation procedures in place so every volunteer new and old can continue our work.

Being registered also helps us obtain support from universities and businesses.

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What sort of dental issues do the children generally suffer and what contributes towards this?

Predominantly dental caries (decay) in all stages, resulting in need for extractions and or restorative procedures. This is due to poor dental hygiene and lack of education. Therefore, there is also an emphasis on education and prevention.

Secondly the mission acts as a screening for other unrelated developmental problems such as cleft lip and palate and congenitally missing teeth.

Where in Vietnam does VN Smiles focus its work and can you tell me about the communities you work with?

VN Smiles mainly focus its work on orphanages, disability centres and poor families that can’t afford dental treatments. We go to remote parts of Vietnam where communities have significant barriers - both access and financial - to dental care.

These clinics are often run by the Catholic sisters, but 80% of the children there are non catholic Can you tell me about your recent mission during the mid-semester break?

We visited three orphanages on our April mission.

The first was a Disability Centre of Mother Teresa, Vinh (150 children). The second, a Support Centre of Nam Dinh (100 children) and third, the Quang Ninh Orphanage Centre for difficult children (120 children including Deaf, Mute and HIV). We also visited a Leprosy Hospital in the Thai Binh area to make donations to the hospital and patients.

Can you describe a typical day volunteering with the organisation?

The days spent volunteering in Vietnam are usually very long but extremely rewarding. We would typically arrive early in the morning at the orphanage. An hour or more is spent setting up

equipment prior to starting dental work. Over the course of the day up to 100 or more children are treated by dentists. When all the children have been treated then we start the cleaning and packing up procedure. This in itself can take up to two hours.

Once we have cleaned up and packed up we can then spend some time with Sisters, Nuns, Priests, carers and children playing and on most occasions join them for an evening meal.

What is the most rewarding or best experience you have had through VN Smiles?

Helping unfortunate children and seeing them smile and giggle. Enjoying the cultural exchange with the children and their carers. The wonderful interaction with the volunteer group.

How can others get involved?

• By volunteering in Vietnam with us • By helping fund raise • By donation of dental hygiene products, tooth paste, tooth brushes • By donation of dental equipment • By donation of educational books and toys

www.vnsmiles.com.au info@vnsmiles.com.au 9

The Esperance Experience

By Emmie Willis

Emmie fills us in on her experience of RCS in southern WA… the amazing beaches, the clinical experience, and what those venturing rural next year can expect.

Emmie thanks so much for finding the time, once again, for the NOTRE DAMUS. It’s nice to have you back on these pages! Now tell us…

What has been most valuable about your year rural?

Putting into practice all of the book learning in a really hands-on and supportive environment has been invaluable. We spend our time between the ED, theatre, obstetrics ward and the GP clinics. It means you’re scrubbing in once a week all year, delivering babies all year and seeing patients in ED and GP all year. This gives you the chance to constantly be practicing and using your skills and knowledge, rather than doing it for an 8 week block and then not touching it again for maybe a year. It wouldn't suit everyones learning style but for me it’s worked well.

Why did you decide to go on RCS? I had a hope that RCS would inject the halfway point in my medical degree with the enthusiasm that is so easy to lose in the recesses of the physiology book chapters during the pre-clinical years!

And that is exactly what it has done. It’s reminded me why I chose this career.

Do you feel like you missed out on anything that the city kids got?

Ummm. I don’t think so. Maybe social interactions with peers...and maybe being able to shop for clothes at places other than Country Target.

My partner and I also wanted to move back to a smaller town and get a taste for living in rural WA. And then there is just the part of me that couldn't say no to opportunity and adventure of it all.

What is Esperance like?

Esperance is a town of about 18,000 people with a 42 bed hospital and I’m here with three UWA students. Its on the road to nowhere and it is honestly one of the most beautiful places I have been in Australia. I think it’s remoteness is part of its charm as you drive 8 hours from

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Perth through wheat belt and salt-lake desert and then you hit ice-blue panoramic coastline and everything feels very wild and vibrant. There are around 16 GPs here and they are mostly rural generalists, meaning they do all the anaesthetics, obstetrics, general surgery and emergency medicine here. These are incredibly inspiring doctors and it is such a privilege to learn from them. Patients are flown out each week

by RFDS as there are no permanent specialists in Esperance only visiting specialists.

give or spirometry or ECGs to do. Usually there is a room free and you see patients yourself, however sitting in on rural GP sessions is so so different to my experiences in city GP. The medicine is more involved for example, often you’ll see a patient one week and then be scrubbing in the following week to assist in some general surgery on that same patient with their GP operating as their general surgeon. Or you will follow a woman through her pregnancy visits to the GP (who will also be her obstetrics doctor) and then also assist in delivering her baby and then see them again for her 6 week check.

ED is a fantastic learning space also. There is always lots of suturing, cannulation, plastering and wound management to be done. There might be a specialist down who you can sit in with and they are always very generous with their time as they recognise that we don’t get a lot of access to specialists down here.

There is a little tradition of whatever specialist is visiting taking us out to dinner and a tute which is always nice. We also have three half days of tutes a week and one video conference lecture.

How have you been involved in the community?

As a part of RCS you have to do a ‘community project’.

We chose to do our training to become volunteer ambos at the start of the year so we put ourselves oncall about once a week and go on call outs and treat people with first aid in the field or take them into hospital. Its been fantastic to see this side of the prehospital care. The town is supported by volunteer ambulance officers there is only one paid paramedic so there is a real sense of community spirit in being involved in St Johns here. I also am part of the pottery club and it’s been great fun getting involved with that!

What would you recommend for people going on RCS next year?

What does an average week consist of for you?

We meet each morning at a seaside cafe for coffees and a tute with one of our doctor mentors. Then it might be up to the hospital quickly to follow up on a patient you met the day before in ED or just to have a peek to see if anything interesting came in overnight.

Then I’m either off to GP or ED. The town has 4 GP practices which are all procedural GP surgeries with involved practice nurses. There is always a day a week of lesions, someones ear to syringe, vaccinations to

Contact the people who are at your sites now and pick their brains. Put some thought into your mid year to do electives early on. Prioritise clinical experience over book study, you’ll invariably soak up what you need to know just by seeing patient after patient.

Take weekends off and enjoy the town you’re in. The year will fly so make the most of it!

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3425 07/15(0352)

WHAT’S GOING ON…

E S U O H S ' E V E T AT S

As part of getting to know some of the members of our university medical family a little better, this month we sat down with the members of Steve’s House. Steve’s House is a bright and sunny 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom dwelling located at 9 Binns Court, North Fremantle, exactly 2072.54 Barns from the front door of the School of Medicine (1 Barn = distance from the floor to the top of Ryan’s head). It’s Wednesday night and the residents of Steve’s House have invited me around for Wednesday Night Spa Night.

Notre Damus: Wow its cosy in here. Do you do this every Wednesday?

Steve Lewin: Yeah just about. Especially if we’re all home.

ND: It’s a little weird but I guess its warm so we’ll carry on.

First of all, would you like to tell the readers who lives at Steve’s House?

Ryan Barnett: Well there is obviously Steve, Steve’s girlfriend Suse, Steve’s friend Nick, and Steve’s other friend, Me. And we have a recent addition, Steve’s friend Alex.

ND: Is that it? Or are there others?

Nick McInerney: Well we also have our pet cat Horace and our lizard Gregg. Sometimes the dogs (Milo and Otis) from next door come in and use our couch and steal our balls too.

ND: Sounds like a busy household. I noticed there are lots of balls lying around. Tell me more about this.

Nick and Ryan wrestling

Steve Lewin: At last count I think we had 38 balls in the house. We mainly use them for indoor sports and doing classic catches - Ryan hits them from the mezzanine and we dive onto the couch. Suse has probably got the best hands in the house but she needs to practice her jumping a bit more because she struggles to get over the arm rest sometimes.

ND: Any other indoor activities?

Suse Lissiman: We’ve just started our bagpipe band but we’ve only got one set of pipes so I play and the boys just march around the lounge room. I’ve let Nick have a go once and he’s got some potential, and Ryan is usually pretty happy pretending the vacuum cleaner is a bagpipe.

Ryan playing the vacuum cleaner

RB: I’m the reigning sock wrestling champion too.

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Suse classic catching

NM: We also have our indoor basketball hoop and we play a game - if you get your first shot in from the tiles you can tell someone in the house to do whatever you want. Ryan once had to take a bucket to uni instead of his backpack for the day. We are still waiting on him to get his belly button pierced though.

ND: Well that explains the marks on the TV and walls.

I’m surprised nothing else has been broken. Or has it?

RB: I think we’ve only broken one light from indoor activities so far. Oh and Steve fell through the flyscreen taking a classic catch once too. Apart from that the Foxtel debacle probably resulted in the most broken things in the house.

ND: The Foxtel Debacle? What the devil is the Foxtel debacle?

Steve Lewin: Well the Foxtel Debacle all started around the time we first moved in. We decided we all wanted Foxtel so that we could watch repetitive loops of Fox Sports News to ensure we stayed up to date with all the various sports (and hobbies) on TV. Unfortunately we needed to get the satellite and the cables installed and that’s when all the problems began. Apparently we had a Wasp infestation in the roof and the cable guy didn’t want to fight them trying to install the dish. He said he would come back in 2 weeks when the problem was fixed which gave Ryan Foxhedonia and sent him into a severe Foxpression.

Because we are good at spraying Mortein, DIY pest control was the obvious option. We donned all the most important personal-protective equipment and we managed to rid the house of the wasps! We also broke a lot of tiles on the roof while we did it. The broken tiles caused leaks in the roof so we had to put buckets up in the roof cavity to catch the leaking water. After a few months we remembered we put the buckets up there and were worried we would all get Legionella and so had to do a reconnaissance mission to get them back. Nick managed to retrieve the buckets and doesn’t seem to be too affected by his pneumonia but he accidentally sat on and broke the man hole cover to the roof in the process which has meant that the Babadook that lives in the roof can haunt us at night. It was probably all worth it though as we now know everything there is to know about Fox Sports News.

ND: Goodness, that’s quite a debacle! Now Alex, you're a new addition to the house. How did this come about?

Alex Wright: “Yeah, I’ve only been in for a couple of months. I’m not 100 percent across the specifics but apparently there was a bit of a situation between Barney and their live in ironing lady Ann-Yong (pron;

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ann-yang’) that didn’t end so well. Barney thoughtthey were taking it real slow but apparently Ann-Yong thought differently. She moved out in a bit of a hurry and so there was a room available. The room’s quite small, but so am I so that’s fine.

ND: Can you tell me if there was an initiation process, or a test you had to pass?

AW: There wasn’t an initiation as such. I just had to bring a ball of some sort. Between you and me I don’t think the housemates were very impressed with my contribution as I ended up bringing my kettlebells. Turns out they aren’t very well suited to indoor sports. Classic catches in particular ends pretty badly almost all of the time. Luckily I also have quite an extensive collection of spices and exotic condiments. Housemate Nick seemed particularly impressed with these so I think that might of been the clincher. Each night he tries a few different combinations on his ice-cream. Sometimes I think about telling him they’re not really meant for icecream. But he seems happy.

ND: Hmm. It seems like you’re all very close and do lots together, does anyone ever get annoyed with anyone else in the house?

Suse Lissiman: Sometimes Steve gets chizzy just because he is Steve, but mostly we just do pranks on each other. When Nick went away, Ryan and Steve unscrewed his light fitting, filled it with jelly, set it and then screwed it back on. That made his room glow red for a while. Nick got him back by moving his whole room, including his bed, downstairs and setting it up in the lounge room. And lately the boys have been taking to waking me up from my sleeps on the couch with an air horn. Probably the best prank we do is when people come to visit us and we hide in the house and make them come and find us.

ND: Wow, there really is a lot of things going on at Steve’s House. Do you ever find the time to study in amongst all your activities?

NM: Yeah of course! We each have a desk up-stairs where we do our work and we are extra productive when we sit in our study cubicles. The study cubicles are great because they allow for a little extra privacy.

ND: Yes speaking of privacy I might take this opportunity to hop out of the spa. Thanks all of you for having us and taking the time to chat to Notre Damus. I’m sure our readers will enjoy hearing about things here at Steve’s House. We look forward to visiting again soon.

All: No worries, Bye!!! Miss you already!

Nick Scissoring the Big Prawn

DIY Pest Control

First Aid Officer

Ryan Scissoring the Big Banana

Ryan’s room downstairs

Retrieving the buckets with appropriate PPE

Nick and Ryan going to Bunnings as Tradies

Study cubicles

Ryan Injecting IV Coffee

Ryan cleaning vomit after exams

Suse Angry Face

Classic morning obstacles

Steve and vomit bucket after exams

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Good notes, good practice, good defence

Legible notes are good practice and support a good defence – so does MIPS 1800 061 113 | mips.com.au Medical Indemnity Protection Society | ABN 64 007 067 281 | AFSL 301912

Dear MED100s…

By Jesse Hults and Megan Neervoort What a year! As the dust settles on semester 2 and the prospect of a two-month hiatus, free from thoughts of hemochromatosis and aortic aneurisms, is just around the corner, most of us are torn between desperately needing more time and wanting the exams to be over tomorrow! For many of us, this break will be a welldeserved opportunity to return home to friends and family who are probably wondering what has happened to us and why we haven’t been returning their calls this year.

While the glow of O-Camp and the early weeks of Semester One now seem like a dull flicker in the distance, we can take heart (or panic!) in the fact that we are now almost through our first year of medicine.

Looking back at the year that was, I’m sure everyone feels that they have had some significant experiences.

Besides the obvious lessons from PBL – such as to always be suspicious of elderly ladies with big handbags (Min – Week 18) and that no, they do not train physios to deliver babies (Julia – Week 20) – I don’t think I’m exaggerating in saying that many of us have made some life-long friends in PBL this year.

Don’t forget that your MED100 reps are still here and happy to listen if you have anything that needs to be said. At this point of the year we feel we have a reasonably good grasp on the major issues affecting the cohort, but if there is anything you feel we have neglected or missed, please do bring it to our attention.

As always, please don’t hesitate to approach us in person, or contact us via our MSAND email accounts: megan.neervoort@msand.org.au and jesse.hults@msand.org.au.

And finally, we would like to just congratulate everyone on making it this far. This has been a tough road at times and everyone has worked extraordinarily hard, keep pushing on and the year will be over before we know it! Remember to look after yourselves and each other as we head into these last exams… See you on the other side!

Signing off for now,

Jesse and Megan P. A big belated congratulations goes out to Michael MacPherson and his wife Kelly who welcomed baby Owen into their family back in June! And to Phung-Nam and his new wife!

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MED200: DRINKING A MEDICAL DEGREE FROM A FIRE HOSE

By Alex Wright ‘Drinking a medical degree from a fire hose’ still pretty much nails it better than any other description I’ve come across. The final pre-clinical year is reasonably hectic, notoriously long and certainly not without challenge.

It’s taken almost the entirety of the two year window we’re given. Propped up by a truly stunning amount of caffeine, the odd episode of ‘social drinking’ and all the self belief our collective B+ personalities could muster. While I don’t want to call it early, there does finally seem to be a sense that our cohort has wrapped our heads around how to play this game.

Just in time for it all to change once we hit the wards next year. That said, we’re absolutely up for it. The desperation to finally get out amongst it and start learning from the bedside is palpable across the year. Absolutely nobody will be sorry to see the back of PBL. What will provoke some nostalgia is the realisation that these are the last days of our centralised campus life. The morning pilgrimage to the preferred caffeine dealer, lunchtimes spent loitering in the lobby of ND/35, and early doors knock offs post Friday PBL are all traditions in their final hours.

The opportunity we’ve had to spend so much time together is not one that’s been squandered. Resolute friendships established over these two years will stand us in pretty good stead to roll with the punches of the clinical years and beyond.

As is likely the case with each second year cohort to come through ND, our time up in the Kimberley will

stand out as a cherished memory for quite some time and remain a formative experience for the vast majority of us. The top end of WA really was a captivating place and the chance to share it with our crew largely outside the context of med was pretty damn special.

Congratulations to the 2016 RCS kids amongst us.

From all reports the year ahead promises to be a brilliant introduction to clinical medicine. For those staying metro, we’re sure you’ll do the ND name proud. Make sure you make the most of our distribution across the state and come visit at some stage. Country race meets are a very worthy weekend away.

To those amongst us taking time out next year for the worthy pursuits of travel or childbirth, we wish you all the best. You’ll always be counted amongst us and we hope you keep us in the loop with your adventures during your time away.

Family Dinner, the last of the pre-exam shenanigans was a few weeks ago and ended up a ripping night celebrating with our closest supporters what has been a pretty remarkable couple of years together.

Finally, on a personal level I’d like to say thank you to our cohort for the opportunity to represent you all over the last couple of years. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to of been given the chance to come to the west and do what I’m doing with this group of people. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Study well. Examine brilliantly and enjoy the summer.

You legends.

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MED 300 : THREENAGERS

By Glen Smith

Third year, three rotations down, and just under three weeks until we free (three!).

Three has been coming up a lot lately. We are officially Threenagers. This got me thinking, how much of a difference is there between a three-year-old, and a MED300 student at this time of year? To help me compare, I have taken select advice from top Google result ’Signs You Are Living With a Threenager’ on Huffington Post Australia.

1. You live in constant fear of how to cut the shape of their sandwich or toast. Do they want triangles today, rectangles, squares? And when they do tell you, they change their mind right after you cut it.

4. They want three of everything because they are three.

Three coffees? Three CEXs (in the last few days of a rotation)? Three day weekend? Whatever it is you are offering, I’ll take it.

The average MED300 student doesn’t mind how their sandwiches are cut, as long as they are the free ones in the doctors lounge. That also goes for the muffins, donuts, pizzas and fresh fruits that magically appear every day. If you’ve been at FSH you’ll know what I’m talking about.

5. You go through three or more wardrobe changes a day. Please just pick a princess already!

Clinical clothes, scrubs, back to clinical clothes, and then the moment you get home, the most comfortable thing you can find (potentially a princess outfit).

2. They say things like (with hands firmly placed on hips), "I don't want to clean up, I want to do what I want to do!”

While there are slight situational differences, overall I would suggest that on a base level there is not a wide disparity between the two. Fortunately, we all have been able break away from our three-year-old frame of mind when it’s needed, and now we are beginning to look sound and act the way we are s u p p o s e d t o ; a s a b s o l u t e g u n n e r, u n p a i d professionals.

The posturing is the same, replace ‘clean up’ with ‘study’ and you’ve got yourself the perfect caricature.

3. To nap or not to nap, that is the question. A threenager's answer will always be emphatically "NO!" Unless of course it's time for school, and they crawl into bed because they're “tired."

With the approaching end of the hard working year now able to be counted on two hands, it is time to knuckle down. Good luck to everyone, and all the best for the weeks to come!

Silly three-year-old, the answer is Nap. It’s always nap. Especially when it’s time for school.

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MED400

By Kelsey Sweeney and Lauren Tyack

Hello from MED400 land, where the end is so close we can almost taste it!

This year has absolutely flown by. With two-week rotations that you miss if you blink, being away for rural GP, putting job applications together, spending too much time on audit, endless mini-CEXs and long cases, organising elective, tackling honours (for the masochistic amongst us) and a few social events thrown in for good measure, we’re left scratching our heads wondering where the time has gone!

We’ve all received our job offers for next year which is both exciting and absolutely terrifying. Responsibility is a very daunting prospect!

That said, I think we speak for everyone when we say we are completely sick of being students and are ready to move on to the next chapter. Most of us will be kicking around at FiFi, Royal or Charlie’s, but a bunch of east-coasters will be leaving WA after securing jobs back home. Big congratulations are in order for those in this boat; it’s notoriously difficult to gain interstate intern positions! It’ll be very sad to see you go but we wish you all the best on your new adventures.

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost at the end this degree. As we reflect (we’re pretty good at that now) on our time at Notre Dame, we realise how much we have learnt and how far we’ve come. We've all had our ups and downs, but we’ve had some incredible experiences (the Kimberley trip being a standout), and have had the opportunity to learn from some of the best clinicians out there. It’s been an amazing four years and there was certainly a mixture of emotions being thrown around on the afternoon of the 17th of October!

400s… we did it!! thanks for making this journey a memorable one. Good luck on your electives wherever they are, and see you all in December for a week of grad celebrations!

Love,

Kels & Lauren 21

2015 MSAND 
 Gala Ball

The theme was A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a dream it was! The flowers were plentiful, the fairy lights magical, and all the fair folk were dressed to impress! With everyone ready to party, we ate, drank, danced and reminisced about the year.

While some would argue that the ceremonial dropping of the pants to the tune of Eagle Rock was the highlight of the night, none can go past the awards for the students and educators of the year, and winners of the student bursaries.

A huge thank you to our sponsors Hollywood Fertility and MDA for making the night possible, the Social and MSAND committees for all the hard yards and ideas. It was an amazing night. Lets do it all again next year!

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MED200 TAKES THE KIMBERLEY What an amazing experience! Whether is was Rossy’s sweet sweet cover of ‘Drops of Jupiter’, the biggest bonfire you ever did see out on the marsh (don’t ask how many med students it takes to light a bonfire!), swimming in crystal clear gorges or cracking open a cold one after a day on the station, there was something special about this trip… not to mention the amazing people who went on it.

hundred medical students. One charter plane. And One lots of red dirt. Many wouldn’t sign up for such a challenge, but Professor Donna Mak isn’t just anyone.

She’s a special kind of someone, we all know that! Not only is this initiative her brainchild, but her time and effort goes into making it a reality every single year. Thank you Donna, Sharon and the rest of the staff involved - we so appreciate your efforts.

Thinking back to this amazing trip, makes us all so thankful that we go to a university that values medical care for ALL Australian’s, no matter where they live. And they believe in this so much that they are willing to spend time and money to send us on this amazing journey. A journey that has opened our eyes to rural Australia. A journey that has changed many of our perspectives on practicing in remote locations. A journey that has bonded us as a cohort. A journey that revealed who has singing prowess… and who doesn’t!

We feel incredibly privileged to have been given this opportunity, so thank you Notre Dame, and thank you to the amazing collection of people that is Med200 - it wouldn’t have been the same without you!

ANNA ON BROOME Where were you placed? I was one of ten students selected to attend the pilot Aboriginal Health Program based in Broome. We stayed at the Notre Dame Broome Campus. Our time was spent at the Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, hunting for Gubbinge (fruit that has the highest vitamin C content in the world!), and learning how to speak Yawuru with the local language App! Highlight of the placement? We spent 5 magical days soaking up Aboriginal Culture, both the triumphs and hardships. Not to mention glorious beach time and sun! The highlight was the selflessness we saw in Dr Kim who gave of her time and energy to teach us and shows us the pride that the Yawuru people have in their land and culture.

Major lessons learned? That there is no ‘one solution’ to bridge the health gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. There are multiple solutions and the Yawuru people are leading that change for a better future for their people.

How this experience changed your perception practicing rurally? I am still very open to practicing rurally but rather than going in thinking I have all the answers, I will go in looking to learn as much as I can and just listen.

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KERNY ON WANANAMI REMOTE COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Where were you placed? Wananami Remote Community School, with its picturesque grounds and proximity to awesome geographic features, is located approximately 300km east-north-east of Derby along the Gibb River Road. The school is part of Kupungarri Community. The school began serving the community in 1990. Students live in Kupungarri Community or travel by school bus from Imintji Community (67km) or Dodnun Community (50km).

MEL ON MYROODAH STATION

Highlight of the placement? Listening to Rossy belt out some top-notch karaoke. Hanging out with the school kids and swimming in the gorges.

Where were you placed? I was placed on Myroodah station, 110km inland from Derby, which houses 24,000 cattle. The station is owed by the Indigenous Land Corporation, and the main focus is training Aboriginal Stockman.

Major lessons learned? Fresh water crocodiles don’t do a whole lot except sit around with their mouths open. Taking the time to genuinely invest yourself in a place is the best way to start truly helping.

Daily duties: I was pretty much a cowboy/farmhand. I did everything from mustering, vaccinating cattle, “Dehorning” (it’s a bloody affair but has to be done), getting absolutely covered in dirt (I looked like I had a rocking tan), and was asked to hold the tail of a bull… nekminut… A TESTICLE WAS THROWN AT MY FACE (I think this was called male sterilisation).

How this experience changed your perception practicing rurally? Be certain that you want to be somewhere and genuinely contribute to the betterment of a rural community before you commit.

Highlight of the placement? I’m not going to lie… the work was hard… I woke up daily at 4.30am and we returned at 6pm…. but there’s something about seeing the sun rise and set every day that makes it ok.

The stockmen I worked with were total gentlemen and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. They had a wonderful sense of humour and they were so hard working. I was able to ask them literally anything.

The workers were also asking me lots of questions about my life, work, health and what it is like to go to University. I felt that throughout this experience I was able to get some small key public health messages across, like the link between smoking and lung cancer, why its important to eat fruit and clarification of STI transmission. I really struggled to explain these key message simplistically and in a way that was meaningful to the stockmen.

How this experience changed your perception practicing rurally? I am now strongly considering a career in a rural community. I can’t wait for my fourth year rural placement experience. This placement demonstrated to me that at an individual level, I CAN ACTUALLY create a change, that is meaningful to others. I now have a much better insight into how I can help people from rural communities.

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RYAN ON LOOMA Where were you placed? Looma, an Aboriginal community 120 km south-east of Derby with a population just under 400. Our placement was at Looma Remote Community School where we were allocated to classes from kindergarden to year 3.

During the school day we would assist teachers by working one on one with children who were struggling with their reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Our afternoons were spent learning about Looma and surrounds.

Highlight of the placement? My highlight were the discussions had and relationships built, with the local community members. While the beauty of the surrounds never ceased to amaze us, the many enriching and engaging conversations and sharing of experiences helped us to feel an overwhelming sense of connectedness and responsibility for the Looma community Major lessons learned? What didn’t I learn? I learnt how to make damper, what a diagraph is, how hard it is to keep up with a five year old’s energy levels, and the difference between a hawk and an eagle (life skills!). Most importantly though I have experienced first hand the health, education, and socioeconomic disparity present only two hour’s flight out of Perth.

How this experience changed your perception practicing rurally? Almost entirely! I had never travelled to the Kimberley region and never knew how beautiful it is, how incredible the people who live there are, and how important ongoing and committed healthcare workers are to the short-term survival and long-term prosperity of the region.

EMILY ON MIMBI Where were you placed? Mimbi, a small community on Gooniyandi land about half way between Fitzroy crossing and Halls Creek. Our hosts, Rosemary and Ronnie operate Giroorloo Tours, guided tours of the Mimbi cave system. Mimbi caves are part of the 350 million year old Devonian Reef system that runs through the Kimberley forming the better known Geikie Gorge, Tunnel Creek and the Windjana Gorge National Parks.

Highlight of the placement? It’s hard to choose a highlight from the week. We were treated to magnificent sunrise and sunsets, and to tours of the caves including the traditional birthing cave where generations of Gooniyandi people were born. We also learned about bush tucker and traditional medicine, spent time learning woodcarving from renowned local artists and enjoyed nightly fireside concerts from our host - a Kimberley music legend.

Our placement gave us an insight into both the strengths that traditional owners draw from their connection to the land and also into difficulties accessing appropriate medical services while living remotely. It was a privilege to spend time with different generations and families to see and hear how their country and culture is integral to their identity and wellbeing.

How this experience changed your perception practicing rurally? The purpose of the Kimberley trip is for students to develop an understanding of living in remote areas. The placement achieved not only that, but also highlighted the impact that a committed doctor can make to rural and remote Australia. This experience will continue to resonate as we continue with our medical studies over the upcoming clinical years, and into potential rural practise in the future.

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Rural Camping Trip 2015 Over the 19th-20th September, twenty MED100 and MED200 students took off on a camping trip to the Midwest of WA. The weekend involved driving up to 'Gero' where we balanced visiting the health services with some general camping good times. We visited the Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS) and heard from the amazing Dr. Sann Lwin and also got an excellent tour of the Geraldton Hospital by the Medical Director, Dr Andrew Jamieson.

Following this we headed out to Ellendale Pool for camping which included a BBQ cook up, campfire and chats. People also spent time exploring the area, taking pictures and setting up the many tents. On Sunday morning we enjoyed a breakfast courtesy of GPSN, where we did a little more learning. And last but not least we explored down the turquoise coast of WA and grabbed a seaside lunch at the Lancellin Tavern.

Overall it was an excellent weekend full of new friends, exploring WA, camping at an awesome site and seeing medical practice in a rural area.

Big thanks WAGPET and MIPS for funding and to everyone who helped plan this trip and come along. We all learned a little more about what is on offer for students interested in rural health and made some great friends along the way.

If you’re interested in rural healthcare and enjoy the great outdoors, make sure you jump on the bandwagon next year!

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The John Flynn Placement Program

The JFPP is a great opportunity for students to get a taste of rural practice, amazing clinical experience, and some pretty sweet times exploring regional Australia.

Karratha - Anna Civil MED300 I was placed in Karratha, a mining town in the middle of the Pilbara. It’s rife with pindan (red dirt) and fluoro workers gear, maccas does delivery and every woman at the shops is either pregnant or has a toddler or two hugging her legs.

I spent most of my time in ED. I was seeing patients on my own and presenting cases, it’s a great time to practice as there is no pressure and no one marking you! The rest of the time was on the ward, in maternity catching babies or flying out to remote clinics for day trips (all equally amazing).

On the weekends there’s lots of outback to explore… cycling out on the mud-flats is pretty spectacular at sunset and poking sticks into holes at low-tide to find crabs was a great excuse to leave hospital early. Karratha holds a special place in my heart - it’s a great town filled with lovely welcoming people. Nickol Bay Hospital is big enough to keep you busy but small enough to make getting to know people on a first-name-basis achievable.

Mullumbimby – Sorcha Stapleton MED200 In late July of this year I was lucky enough to travel to Mullumbimby NSW for my second instalment of my JFPP. The town is an excellent mix of hippies, ravers, artisans and surfers.

Over the two weeks I got to do my first pap smear on a very understanding patient, a skin incision to remove a SCC growth and suture it (whilst simultaneously being taught the mattress stitch) and also got to lead two consults with a young patient currently battling paranoid schizophrenia. It was amazing!

In addition to the amazing clinical experience I also spent the time taking advantage of north coastal NSW. I went surfing, hiking and exploring waterfalls…. And I also enjoyed the Splendour music festival (very convenient timing!). I am super grateful to the program for allowing me such an amazing experience.

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RESEARCH:

A GROWING INTEREST AMONG ND MEDICAL STUDENTS

By Nestor Gahungu Research is a vital part of medicine and an important part of life-long learning. With all speciality fields becoming increasingly competitive, it is now expected that candidates have significant research exposure, presentations and publications by the time they reach this stage. This creates quite a difficult juggling conundrum for students interested in such specialties, trying to balance studies, research, family, and other personal responsibilities.

Due to the overwhelming nature and immense change associated with the pre-clinical years, only a minority of students manage to undertake research prior to clinical years. Fortunately, the SoM offers research exposure in these latter years, traditionally in the form of a clinical audit and optional honours project. It is very exciting that an opportunity for studies in research methodology will be given to the class of 2017 and onwards as part of the new MD program. It is great that research is becoming an increasingly significant focus for ND, as this will put us all in good stead for our future careers.

Matched to this increased focus on behalf of the SoM is the phenomenal interest shown by ND medical students. This has become evident by the attendance at our annual SJOG research night, as well as at research institution open days, and at the regular research seminars at SJOG and The Mount hospitals.

One popular option for students to gain exposure and take their first steps in research is to get involved in a summer research project. Most supervisors are very accommodating to students, and want to make sure you take time for yourself and family too! I did exactly this over the Med100-200 break. My reasons for doing so were simple: I see research as a fundamental part of my future career, and (fortunately!) I really enjoy it. If you’re interested in giving research a try, I strongly encourage you to consider summer research. There are many ways you can find a project and a supervisor and MSAND is always here to assist if needed!

NAME: Daniel MaGee YEAR: Med200 PROJECT: neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma.

I ’ m a s e c o n d y ea r medical student and am involved in a project focusing on ovarian cancer specifically the prognostic role of tumour response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma. As neoadjuvant chemotherapy is now considered the new method for managing this cancer. However, prior to this project the trials and data for this therapy consisted of a maximum of 60 patients in the literature. The project I am fortunate enough to be involved in gathers information from about 200 patients making it the largest study in this area in the world.

I was wanting to do a project that was related to Obstetrics and Gynaecology as I hope to one day specialise in that field and alter my focus to organ prolapse rather than oncology. As a rookie, this project has allowed me to gain some valuable research experience. Further, I hope that the work done will be published and I can be noted as a coauthor as this will help with my CV and future endeavours. The way I got this opportunity was from a random encounter at a research seminar early on during the year held at SJOG, I happened to sit next to a gynaecology oncologist who’s PHD student was presenting that evening, after the event I politely asked him if there was any projects that I could be involved with since I had an interest in OB/GYN and we discussed where best I could help out and this project seemed perfect to me. It is a slight increase in workload but I think the relationships and experience I gain now will help me greatly in the future as I progress my career.

NAME: Oliver Ash YEAR: Med200 PROJECT: neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma.

Over the 2014 summer, at the end of my first year, I was lucky enough to participate in a research project at the Perkins research institute. I completed the project with Dr Aron Chakera, a renal physician at Charlies and Christine Carson, a microbiologist with UWA/Perkins. The purpose of the project was to assess the ability of a range of organic acids, for example acetic acid/vinegar, against common causative organisms of peritoneal dialysis (PD) associated peritonitis, with a particular focus on P. aeruginosa. Peritonitis is a common and potentially devastating complication of PD and renders the mesothelium incapable of future dialysis. The project involved growing bugs within differentially titrated levels of the test compounds (organic acids and their salts) and then visually determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the given compound. Plating of the MIC onto fresh plates then yielded the MBC (minimum bactericidal concentrations), this shows the concentration of organic acid needed to kill the bacteria. I was also able to assist in other experiments in the lab that involved tissue culture, RNA extraction and microarray analysis.

I completed the project due to my interest in both renal medicine and microbiology. Although I’m unsure of what I would like to do in the future, it’s hard to envisage research not being an essential part of whatever I’m doing. The project gave me some good basic skills in microbiology and molecular biology as well as a good grounding in how translational medicine operates.

To get involved in projects at Perkins, as well as other research facilities is very simple. The first step is to find a topic or area that interests you. Google said topic, incorporating the word research and the capital city you would like to complete the research. Alternatively check out the Perkins website or telethon or IIID or WAINR or UWA websites (you get the idea) for projects available. Once you have found a supervisor or project, email them about it, and remember to be enthusiastic! If they say no, try again. And again! Doing research, particularly in an area you enjoy is both fun and really beneficial - it looks good on a CV and gives you experience for future projects and research.

The 2015 Honours students have been very busy this year, with their work culminating in a presentation of their research on 5 October 2015. Their projects are listed below to give you a little inspiration in choosing your own!

• Hamish Johnston: Indications for enucleation in a Western Australian population • Nicholas Faint: Investigating the association between disease knowledge and treatment adherence in adolescents with CF • Carolyn Mercer: Impact of an exercise intervention on tibial bone mineral density and lower limb fitness measures in an adolescent population with motor difficulties • Arabelle Douglas: The teaching and learning of health advocacy in Australian medical schools • Piyush Grover: Exploring and comparing compassionate access programs to cancer medicines in Australia and New Zealand • Lachlan Baxter: Evaluation of maternal near miss identification tools in a developed health care setting involving a retrospective analysis of ICU admissions • Will Kennerson: The effect of Immersive Virtual Reality as a anxiety distractor • Wei Yao Tee: The impact of anxiety and distress on falls in Parkinson’s disease • Tim Tynan: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension- Clinical significance of switching medications • Min-Hi Han: Predictors of post-operative atrial fibrillation: potential role of epicardial adipose tissue • Liam Walsh: Early changes in lipoproteins and apolipoproteins following elective cardiac surgery

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

By Anna Davies

PUPPY TALK The second ever ‘Stress Relief Puppies’ event was a huge success. Not only did we all get to snuggle 7 week old labrador pups and let go of our pre-exam woes, we also raised over $200 for Guide Dogs WA! Unfortunately for us (but lucky for the!) all the newly born pups have been adopted out, so they won't be able to relieve our stress this time around. However, these photos should be enough to put a smile on your dial. Just think puppy thoughts!

From top to bottom:

- Kaitlyn King with the beginning of a baby bump!

- Ash Evans (puppy whisperer) with Simba - Ben Southi, male model - Your friendly MSAND SJ rep, President and Vice President External

- Med2&300s taking a quick giggle break from study/ward rounds.

OUR SPONSOR CHILD, JOVIA Jovia, who lives in Uganda, is MSAND's sponsor child. She goes to school at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School near Uganda - providing her with an opportunity to become self-sufficient, independent and informed through education. Our sponsorship also goes towards funding Bujuuko Primary and Vocational School and Bujuuko Secondary school, enabling students to receive high school education as well.

A parent from Katuuso Primary School says "Before this school opened up, I could not afford to send my children to school. On top of that even if I could afford it, the schools were too far away. Now my boys are getting the best education around here. They speak English, even if I do not understand what they are saying, I am proud when they speak to my friends" Wants to know more? Please visit http://schoolforlife.org.au. The Social Justice committee have sent a parcel of letters, stickers and other small things to Jovia to thank her for the beautiful pictures she has given us.

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Apps to chill, organise & learn iAnnotate - lets you import, store, organise and annotate PDFs, including free hand, insertint text boxes, highlighting and more.

Headspace - Another very popular mindfulness and meditation app. Comes with a variety customisation options to suit your needs and meditation skills.

Notability - a note-taking and annotation app that allows you to handwrite, import and annotate PDFs and record audio.

Stop, Breathe, Think - a huge range of meditations using various techniques and lengths.

This app also monitors your progress to make sure you are on track to keeping your mindfulness goals.

Infinite storm - Does the sound of the rain instantly make you calmer? This app is perfect for blocking out noises when you want to study, or help you relax when you want to sleep.

Nature melody - provides you with a variety of background soundtracks - rain, camp fires, frogs, and the ocean. Or why not try airplanes, twilight and turkey talk.

Organisation

Smiling mind - developed by a team of psychologists to help you improve your mindfulness techniques.

Pocket - keep track of interesting things you come across on the internet and want to remember for later.

Once imported, your videos, recipes, webpages etc. can be viewed offline.

Trello - “Like a whiteboard with superpowers”

Quizlett - This app believes that it can make study fun! It lets you create flashcards and study with images and audio.

Study

Peaceful listening

Mindfulness

By Clare Reitchstein

BMJ on exam – log in with help from the library and have access to 1000s of questions

Anki - generate flashcards and be reminded when you are about to forget (last years’ Med100 dux swears by this app!)

Food for thought

Need help? A friendly face?

Don’t underestimate the power of good nutritious food to keep you on your game and get you through exams!

Not feeling ok? Stick in there - there’s help available.

Please talk to someone if you’re feeling overwhelmed – people care and want to help you. Start with a friend, an MSAND committee member or a professional.

Raspberry and oat smoothie

By Clare Reichstein

People to talk to at ND – free and confidential

Ingredients: 1 cup of frozen raspberries, ¾ cup of milk, ¼ cup of oats, ½ cup of low fat Greek yoghurt. Optional extras: add a ¼ cup of crushed almonds or a teaspoon of honey

• Susie Stewart, Head of Student Matters: susie.stewart@nd.edu.au | ND35/106 | 94330989 or 0417940111 • Notre Dame Counselling Service: ND9 | 9433 0580 Helplines, resources and crisis support*

Method: Blend all the ingredients together adding more or less according to taste.

• Beyondblue*: 1300 22 4636 (available 24/7) | beyondblue.org.au

Hummus recipe – the ideal study snack

By Ash Cargill

• Lifeline*: 13 11 14 (available 24/7) | lifeline.org.au • Suicide Call Back Service*: 1300 659 467 (available 24/7)

Blend 1 can chickpeas, 3 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 3 tablespoons tahini, ½ teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth. Add water to reach desired consistency.

Serve with Turkish bread and vegie sticks.

• Headspace: 1800 650 890 | headspace.org.au

• AMA Doctors’ Health: ama.com.au/resources/ doctors-health MSA: For a comprehensive list see mentalhealth.amsa.org.au

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A SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECT REVIEW:

lEADING YOUTH FORWARD

Top right: Nick NcInerny with teen Darrin. Bottom left: Teen Lucas having a great time on camp

BY Nick McInerney I was probably thinking about two things when I joined up for Leading Youth Forward (LYF) in 2015; firstly, that this would be a good opportunity to get my street cred points up by hanging out with some pretty progressive teenage kids; and secondly, did teenage kids still know who the Red Hot Chili Peppers were or was I really out of touch? These couple of musings aside I’m really glad I took the plunge to be a part of LYF as it’s been a fantastic year. Getting to know my teen mentee, Darrin, and getting to learn a bit more about myself in the process has been a thoroughly rewarding experience.

If you aren’t already in the know, LYF is a Perth based charity organization that looks to pair up at-risk teenagers in years 8-10 with young adults in a mentorship program. The aim is that this mentorship will provide for some positive experiences, interactions and guidance for these teens to achieve their goals.

To say I was nervous to meet my teen mentee for the first time was a complete understatement. I had resigned myself to the fact that he would see me for the massive dork that I was almost straight away, but regardless I hoped that we could still form a pretty solid relationship.

Although Darrin is shy and reserved, we managed to bond over shared interests

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in basketball and our love of movies, particularly Cool Runnings. We also managed in a backward sort of way to bond over our polar opposite music tastes (apparently he didn’t really like the Red Hot Chili Peppers).

So far we have hung out together at the LYF camp, which is a 3 day bush camp run at the beginning of each year, as well as the few ‘Big Day Out’ - 1 day activity days interspersed throughout the year. The LYF organized activities are pretty great as they’re designed for both the mentees and the mentors to get out of their comfort zone, try new things, and hopefully learn a lot from each other in the process.

Then without really knowing it, a lot of new friendships have been forged. Already this year Darrin and I have successfully gained some of those extra street cred points I had been wondering about at the beginning of the year by becoming mad hip hop dancers, learning all about it at BDO#2.

Being a part of LYF in 2015 has been a really rewarding experience for me and hopefully for Darrin as well. I couldn’t recommend more highly getting involved with the organization. I’m looking forward to the remaining activity days that we have this year (we’re going trampolining this weekend), as well as continuing on my mentorship in to next year.

Although its clichéd, it’s definitely an organization where the more you put in the more you and your teen get out of it. For that reason I hope to be able to continue to build on my budding friendship with Darrin and hopefully guide him to achieve some of the goals that he has set for himself in the future.

About Leading Youth Forward Leading Youth Forward (LYF) is a youth mentoring charity based in Perth, WA. We have 80 teens in the LYF program from a range of difficult backgrounds with challenges that limit their opportunities to learn, grow and develop in to confident young adults.

The Leading Youth Forward program pairs each teen with their own dedicated mentor. Our exceptional mentors are young professionals who volunteer 12 months to mentor their teen at our annual weekend camp and four Big Day Out events as well as small group activities through out the year. To get involved email volunteer@lyf.org.au. ing ra hav in Cia w t r n y e Louw and h ya and orcha S o t t a n L e ud teens ND st s with laugh e m o s

ND me

ntor Ry

an sha

ring his

wisdom

with h

is teen

mente

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An interview with ND volunteer Jess and his teen MENTEE Jacob Mentor So rcha hanging w ith teen Louwyn

Jacob about Jess: Jess is pretty cool. He is fun. I don’t like it when he talks about studying. I like the support he gives me at the LYF event challenges.

Jess about Jacob: Jacob is really easy to hang out with. He is polite to all of the other kids.

He responds well when we chat together. He is a confident guy who likes to be an individual. I like seeing it when he gives things a go.

ND’s Ben K earny hangin g teen M out with his ichae l

What do they both think about LYF: LYF is challenging and fun at the same time!

SPORTS AND WELLBEING: A GREAT YEAR OF FOOTY, TOUCH, AND GENERAL WELLBEING

By Ryan Barnett

IN A NUTSHELL It’s been a busy year as far as Sports and Wellbeing goes. The family Easter BBQ got the best weather it could have hoped for and everyone involved was able to show their prowess in finding and disposing of mass Easter eggs. Wellness boot camp and breakfast was also well received by a few keen students who were taken through their paces by head trainer Emily and then met to refuel with a nice health breakfast by the water in Fremantle. The MSAND touch and footy jumper presentation was also a great night and acted to welcome the new boys and girls to the team and to ensure they were appropriately dressed for their games starting in September. The weekly Thursday night training has also continued for the touch and footy teams and has paid off nicely after the girls went undefeated (again!) and the boys were victorious against WAMSS.

FOOTY REVIEW: ND VS OLD BOYS The boys first game of the season was against an MSAND Old Boys outfit who had appeared to have recruited well through the hospitals of Perth, local football clubs and even managed to defer some of the MSAND boys themselves. Despite their recruiting, the time spent on the training track by the MSAND boys proved too strong as they used the wind to their advantage and opened up an early lead in the first quarter before the rain bucketed down and turned the game into what resembled water polo more that football. Despite the rain, the boys looked comfortable in what was the first match a lot of them had ever played. Special mentions to Rob Cameron for giving away the first free-kick of the season in the opening seconds, Daniel McLennan for what may remain the goal of the season, Mitch Barns for taking the lead in the race for most goals of the season with three goals, and Adam Trytell for taking away the honours of man of the match.

TOUCH REVIEW: ND MED VS NURSING The girls’ touch team took on the girls (and a couple of boys) from Notre Dame nursing and looked good from the outset with excellent ball movement, speed, and a few desperation touches. Some slight confusion of the rules at times saw tempers flare but the girls kept their composure and held on for a well-deserved 6-2 win capped off with an outstanding jinking run by Charlotte Woollard after cutting in off the wing for a try.

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LISTEN | WATCH EAT | READ LISTEN OK

, so reading,

RESIDENT EXPERT: JESS CRAWLEY

eating out, watching movies and chilling out to some tunes may not be your top priority as we count down to exams. BUT, there will be a time in the near future when life will return to normal, and your leisure time will be restored! And when this time comes you might need some sweet sweet inspiration as to where to go and what to try. In preparation for this day, I’ve compiled a panel of experts* to help your decision making process!

This guy knows his music and has kindly offered (not at all under duress) to share a few of his faves here.

ADAM LEVINE…I’m a bad person in that I am a music snob. I always thought that music was like food in that, what is good comes down to personal taste. If a guy wants to eat piles of dirt and think it tastes good thats great for him but I know he is still eating a pile of dirt and sometimes that gets hard to stomach. This seems like a good introduction to our first featured artist Adam Levine, who first plunged to fame as part of the sextet that is maroon five. His latest album titled “V” (a demonstration of creativity) plunges into self reflection as Adam comes to terms with male pattern baldness and questions the once unthinkable view that he may not be a sex symbol forever. The lead single “Sugar”, a breezy disco jam describes Levine’s transition from sex symbol to sugar daddy. Lucky for Adam, his heart felt lyrics will live on long after his looks fade.

BJORK… Like a conversation with Kayne West in which you must introduce a new topic that isn’t about Kayne West, there isn’t an easy way to introduce the next musician. If you don’t know Bjork understand that if you look up Bjork in a dictionary it reads “See business” because she really means it when she makes music. She once ate her the dress she was wearing in a fit of rage because she couldn’t remember her lines. She has a few songs that sound like epic post-appocolypto war dances so check out Human Behaviour, Joga, Big time sensuality.

* the NOTRE DAMUS gives no guarantees as to the accuracy of this statement.

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LISTEN | WATCH | EAT | READ

WATCH

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015), Directed by Alex Gibney This film is perhaps one of the most comprehensive insights into the enigma wrapped in a riddle that is the Church of Scientology. This is a collection of often intense personal interviews with formerly high ranking scientologists, rare footage from within the church as well as an amazing look back into the life of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard. It also delves into the modern state of the Church and the battles it is facing with maintaining it’s controversial tax exemption, as well as its mounting litigation from former members regarding allegations of abuse.

RESIDENT EXPERT: GLEN SMITH

As if his fashion sense, taste in music and all-round-nice-guy attitude weren’t enough, here Glen bare's a little more of his soul through these movie reviews.

Behold! Ex-Machina (2015), Written and Directed by Alex Garland Behold! This film in my eyes, is perfect. It ticks just about every box on my list of things I like in films.

While this documentary provides a very close and often critical look into the Church, it does so without feeling like a day time TV exposé. The perspective is honestly inquisitive, well informed and deeply personal. Upon finishing the documentary, it is easy to feel a little bewildered; it is honestly a lot to take in. Brilliantly crafted, and gently presented this documentary aims to inform, tug at your emotions and ultimately leave you in shock of how entangled, buckled and broken a persons belief system can become. Watch this if you want answers, but even more questions.

-

Science fiction Believable science fiction Filmed almost entirely in a single location A very small cast A subtle and reserved approach to a big idea Sleek, minimal, incredibly polished and astonishingly beautiful.

The film explores the ideas of artificial intelligence, the rights of intelligent beings, and what it is to be human.

The cast of the film constitutes essentially only three speaking characters, all who play their roles to perfection. Unlike many other sci-fi films, which tend to be set in rather industrial, cold and glaring environments with characters to suit, Ex-Machina is set in a stunning ultra-modern home, with a warm colour palette and a non-defined edge between the indoors and outdoors. Ava, the artificial intelligent being sits balancing on the weird divide between enchanting and unnerving. Nathan, Ava’s creator similarly toys with your feelings, sometimes seeming like a charismatic mentor while at other times a threatening and controlling tormentor. Like any good thriller, this film has the ability to capture you and manipulate you, and in the end leave you changed. A work of art as much as it is a brilliant and important film, this is essential viewing for the thinking film goer.

Additional Viewing

- We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013) -

Additional Viewing

- Sunshine (2007) - also written by Alex -

Garland, and directed by Danny Boyle Stoker (2013) - an equally as visually appealing thriller, with incredible thought put into the films colour palette and set work - surprisingly written by Prison Breaks, Wentworth Miller.

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also written and directed by Alex Gibney - an eyeopening documentary The Master (2012) - a brilliant film, with the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman perfectly playing an L. Ron Hubbard-esque cult leader, also starring the role consumed Joaquin Phoenix

LISTEN | WATCH | EAT | READ

EAT

READ

RESIDENT EXPERT: AYALA DEMEL

RESIDENT EXPERT: JESSE RAUBENHEIMER

This girl has a life! As in, she goes to restaurants and bars with friends and stuff.

Remember those good ol’ days? So, should you need some nutrients or a beverage (medicinal purposes only, of course!), Ayala’s got you covered!

This lady loves to ready, and unlike the rest of us in this category, she actually makes time for it in her busy med-schedule. Here she shares a few words on a favourite.

ALABAMA SONG… A new small bar addition hopping on the American bandwagon, taking you straight to the deep south. Saloon doors, steer heads mounted on the wall, unshelled peanuts and a fine selection of over 120 rye whiskies, bourbon and craft canned beers gives it a real authentic feel. The atmosphere is buzzing and the bartenders suggest an incredible drink - the Alabama ice tea is a must try but can knock you out pretty quick.

Check it out for a late night honky tonky! hahahah Location: William St, Northbridge (Next to Mechanics Small Bar, Above Joe’s Juice Joint) Opening Times: Wed – Sat from 6pm - late

PLEASED TO MEET YOU… An oldie but a goodie, fairly inconspicuously located on Roe St, Northbridge serving up cuisine inspired from Central & South America with a few twists. It’s an order as you go at the till affair, which is ideal for group dinners so that no one has to deal to with the yucky splitting the bill situation at the end. The menu offers a wide selection to all, varying from raw beef san choy bau, salt & pepper squid bahn mhi, watermelon salad and ice cream nachos. The star behind the bar is their suckling pig, chunks of delicious flavoured pork with unreal crackling pieces is all kinds of amazing!

Location: 38 Roe Street, Northbridge Opening Times: Mon – Thur: 5pm till late Fri – Sun: 12 noon till late

MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World

By Tracy Kidder It’s not very often that I come across a book that I simply cannot stop talking about. Mountains Beyond Mountains is the exception. From the moment I finished this Pulitzer Prize winning biography, all I wanted to do was pick it up and start reading it all over again.

The work chronicles the remarkable life of Dr Paul Farmer: a Harvard graduate, infectious diseases physician, anthropologist and human rights activist.

Tracy Kidder’s account takes us on a journey. We follow Farmer as he travels through Haiti as a young anthropologist. We see the evolution of an individual who starts out wanting to learn more about the suffering of others, to one who will dedicate his entire life to alleviating this suffering. We continue to follow Farmer as he builds clinics in some of the poorest areas of Haiti, undertakes a medical degree at Harvard and goes on to be one of the most important public health reformists of our time. From the slums of Haiti to the halls of Harvard, the hospitals of Cuba to the prisons of Russia, this work provides sparkling insight into the moral, philosophical and medical challenges of working in a world where health resources are not equitable. Kidder’s writing is poignant and introspective and allows you to feel the impact that Farmer has on those around him.

“Mountains beyond Mountains” is an antidote to apathy. It provides unflinching criticism of the policies and behaviours that lead to global health inequality. At the same time, it demonstrates the wonders that can be achieved by one person in addressing these issues. As a medical student, this biography helped me find my way at a time when I was questioning the purpose of everything I was doing. Read it, keep it by your bed for times when you doubt your path in life. I promise that like me, you won’t be able to stop talking about it to anyone who will listen.

MED SKETCHES BY @MIKE.NATTER These are the doodles and drawings from Mike Natter as he makes his way through med school at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Follow him on instagram @mike.natter for more!

Digital rectal exam #DRE #DrDre

#heart failure

#bacterialvaginosis gardnerella vaginalis!

#subarachnoidhemorrhage #SAH Worst headache of my life, thunderclap ! ⚥

#Parathyroid glands... Woops

NG tubin'

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#hemochromatosis HFE hepcidin defect in iron absorption. Iron overload.

#crescents #RPGN #doughboy #nephritis #bloody pee pee

Studying too much... Starting to talk to crickets

2015 || Issue 2

THE

END

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