Murmur. Issue Three, 2012
My Magazine Rules - One on Two with Peter & Gary
Surgical Conference Why I like the PBL marking process
The Cafe Review Series: Southport Strikes Back
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Murmur n. a rumour a soft indistinct sound made by a group of people a low continuous sound, almost inaudible a recurring sound heard in the heart, a sign of disease
Murmur.
Issue Three, 2012
Editor’s Welcome Elliot Dolan-Evans Page 6 Letters to the Editor Page 7 President’s Welcome Jono Davies Page 8 Med Revue Page 10 GPSN Symposium Jen McAuliffe Page 11 Northern Uni Games Nathan Price Page 14 Wonderfactory Sarah McNamee Page 16 Gary & Peter Interview EDE Page 19 First Year Report Tommy Brennan Page 21 Brissy to Bay Claire McAllister Page 23 GUDSA Update Dinusha T. Page 24 Third Year Report Samantha N. Page 26 H4H Update Marrillo Jay Page 27 Fourth Year Report Caitlin Witt Page 30 Queensland Medical Orchestra Nicola Campbell Page 31 Healthy Eating on the GC Carlin Saldanha Page 33 What I like about PBL marking Elliot Dolan-Evans Page 35 ASSC 2012 Siobhan Fitzpatrick Page 36 Murmur Cooking Corner Liz Forrest & Jasmine Davis Page 38 AMSA Convention Stefanie Tran Page 40 Cafe Review Series Elliot Dolan-Evans Page 45 GC Fun Run Jasmine Davis Page 47 Sleeping on the Job Page 49
Publications Sub-Committee Disclaimer: Siobhan Fitzpatrick MBBS 1 Kristel Kemmerling MBBS 3 Christopher Maguire MBBS 1 Claire McAllister MBBS 3 Felicity McIvor MBBS 2 Tegan McMonagle MBBS 2 Samantha Nataatmadja MBBS 3 Carlin Saldanha MBBS 1
All published articles and images represents the views and attitudes of their respective authors and do not reflect the policy or beliefs of the Griffith University Medical Society. No warranty is made to the accuracy or currency of the information. GUMS, its executive and associated people will not be held liable for any claim, loss or damage arising out of reliance on the information in Murmur.
Murmur Edition Two 2012 Editor Elliot DolanEvans Cover Beautiful illustration by Siobhan Fitzpatrick MBBS I
GUMS Would like to thank our wonderful sponsors; without them we wouldn’t be able to produce Murmur, please show them your support! Gold Sponsors:
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A Lesson from the Executive Editor When Elliot Dolan-Evans gives his lessons, he normally likes to do it on a leather couch, nestled in his collection of fur coats, wearing nothing but a mahogany pipe...... Run, quickly. Come on Murmur fans, take a seat, it’s real Velour... mmmmmm.... When I’m not being raunchy, I’m typically the editor of Murmur; so we’ll focus on my career in this later domain, before I get reported to AHPRA for my participation in the former. I do hope you are all doing well my faithful readers! Although I have not yet received any fan mail or queries through the official publications stream (email publications@gums. org.au) all year, I do know you’re reading... whoever you are, out there... and I do know you care... you care a little bit too much some would say. I can predict the plethora of tears that will be spilt, like a steamy bowl of scotch poured over my mahogany leather couch, will be the most painful you shall every spill when my tenure at Murmur finishes next issue. So, I give you all permission to print out my ‘Lessons’ to frame and hang up over your favourite family photos. Enjoy being continually taught long after my tenure - much like Jesus. Blasphemy aside, I should probably start discussing the magazine before I get GUMS closed down. I am delighted to announce that I do have
yet another fantastic issue for you, one that is as controversial as ever, and as lighthearted as a man on fire. In this issue, I have an exclusive one-on-two interview with the head chefs at the Griffith School of Medicine, Dr. Gary Rogers and Mr. Peter Hamilton - I reveal that Peter has a soft spot for medical students, and Gary just wanted to be loved. Ah how I joke - Peter has brought law action upon me six times in the space of writing this. I hope you enjoy the interview and all of the other wonderful content we have to offer here at GUMS Publications! And I would like to issue a huge THANKYOU to all of the contributors throughout the year, I certainly could not have produced this magazine without you. I am indebted, and a mahogany pipe is on your way as payment. Just another hint - keep an eye out for exciting new initiatives headed by Griffith Medical Students for the remainder of this year.... It’s coming.... Kind Regards,
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Ya talking to me? Huh? If you’ve got something you’d like to contribute to Murmur, or if you have any opinions, feedback or abuse for the editor, please drop us a line at: publications@gums.org.au Well, punk?
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The Presidential Address It’s a bird, it’s a plane.... no! It’s the GUMS President! Jono Davies lets you know what’s been happening at YOUR university... G’Day GUMS Members! (…can I pull that off yet?) So, we all made it to the other side of exams! Hoorah! We hope you enjoyed all the festivities our Social team put on for you. Also we hope you had a responsible night and can remember them sufficiently… I for one was completely sober at one particular party, leading by shining example. Totally wasn’t just because I had severe Conventionitis. Yes, Convention has come and gone for another year, and the 30 eager Griffindors that crossed the Nullarbor truly represented our fine university. We also attended AMSA Council to keep GUMS in touch with the other universities across Australia and tackle important issues facing medical students today. Speaking of issues affecting medical students (I sense a segue-thon coming on…), GUMS continues to advocate for members! Keep an eye out for our progress in seeking reductions and exemptions for medical students from the recently introduced Student Services and Amenities Fee. A great place to find information on all things advocacy is on our website, at gums.org.au/category/ advocacy. Also to be found on our new website (at gums.org.au/gums-website-treasure-
quest), is the opportunity to win a $50 preloaded VISA card! You can be entered into the lucky draw by completing our Treasure Quest. I’ve heard it’s great fun, and all the answers can be found by browsing our pages, photo galleries and publications. Publications you say? Well, rumour has it GUMS will soon be launching the first ever edition of the GUMS Wellbeing Cookbook! The Cookbook will be a must-have guide to concocting the most amazing and healthy food, suitable for home or PBL! If only Peter and Gary had a copy, their MKR fate could have been so different… Peter and Gary attracted much media attention for their controversial observations about their fellow contestants. Anticipated to be equally as controversial, is the upcoming first EVER GUMS Med Revue! Set to be staged over 3 nights from the 22nd August, you won’t want to miss it. That’s enough segues for now, If you have any feedback about GUMS, or my segue capabilities, please email me at president@gums.org.au Happy reading! Jono GUMS President 2012
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The Griffith Med Revue, a fantastic example of the great work medical students at Griffith can do to get an idea off the ground, show your support this month!!!
Have you heard of the latest edition to the Griffith Med School Calendar! Do you want to see Kwong in a toga? Do you want to see Micheal Yelland playing obscure horn-like instruments? Do you like taking the piss out of medicine and patients? Well this is for you!! Tickets on sale now at www.gums.org.au
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GPSN Symposium Our local GPSN demi-god, Jen McAuliffe, lets Murmur know a particularly outstanding guest she hosted for a quiet evening... named Professor Murtagh.. you may have heard of him? A man like Professor Murtagh needs little introduction. The Prof is, well amazing, no wait… Uh-MAY-zing!! So when I met him back in March (along with the ambassador from UQ and Bond) the three of us wasted no time at all in asking him to come and pay us a visit up in sunny QLD. And thankfully he was keen to accept! So for those that couldn’t make it, the event comprised a welcome reception with dinner, the key note presentation from the one and only Prof Murtagh and concluded with door prizes and the sponsorship tradeshow. It included students from Griffith, Bond and UQ and was held at the lovely University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus. Rarely does an event like this happen. All three south east Queensland GPSN clubs worked together to put on an evening symposium for 400 students, staff and sponsors. We managed to buy enough pizzas to literally create a wall of pizzas 4ft high and just as wide. And because of the outstanding generosity of our sponsors, we were able to give away over $1500 in lucky door prizes.
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Our best reaction was from the lucky GPSNer who walked away from the night with a Welch-Allyn Sure Temp with covers worth more than $530. Holy smokes Batman!! The most spectacular part of the evening was of course the key note address from “The Prof” who spoke on the topic of: GP4Me - My Life’s Experience. Students were treated to a wonderful insight into the beginnings of an impressive career, embarrassing moments from along the way, and some sage advice and cautionary tales for us as training doctors. And for those who have never met Professor Murtagh, I can tell you, he could not be more sweet, humble or friendly. The Prof Even caught public transport from the airport out to the event and was found pre and post address chatting with students, signing books and posing for photos. If you weren’t there you really missed out!!
But don’t fret my pretties; you haven’t missed the boat entirely just yet! We have another of these ginormous events on the horizon. On 23rd August we will be once again awed by the presence of a great and respected professor whose contributions to General practice have been recognized on the national and international platform. He has passions in indigenous health, caring for those with HIV and global health. A previous president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, now chair of Australian Governments Ministerial Advisory Committee on Blood Borne Viruses, next president of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), consultant for WHO on mental health and primary care, board member of beyondblue and manages to also be Executive Dean of Health Sciences at Flinders and practice part time. And if you haven’t worked out the answer of this “who am I” question, it is of course, Professor Michael Kidd.
Information coming soon on where to RSVP for your seat. Like our Facebook page to make sure you get the regular updates! https://www.facebook.com/ groups/gpsngriffith/
We will again have a bus transporting students to and from UQ and will supply and abundance of food and lucky door prizes. And all for FREE.
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Northern Uni Games After doing everything but playing sport, Nathan Price explains why you must have a damn good lawyer before you go to this epic event... In early July, while the scholars of Griffith Medicine were at Convention, athletically minded students were representing their universities at Northern Uni Games, the regional Games for Queensland and Northern New South Wales. This year close to 1000 students competing in 13 sports descended on Lismore in search of eternal glory. Coming from NSW I had no idea what to expect from Lismore and I was slightly concerned when my co-workers informed me that I was going to the right place if I were after methamphetamines. As it turned out the host city would be well suited to borrowing Adelaide’s tourism slogan. “Lismore… It’s alright”. For those that don’t know, Uni Games is similar to Convention in that it has a solid social program consisting of themed parties every night. The exception is that instead of a conference setting you are up at the crack of dawn to play as many as 3 games a day when ordinarily you would be in bed until 3pm trying to recover from a hangover. Trust me, it’s a lot of fun. The opening ceremony was one of the best in years with Bombs Away playing a 2 hour set accompanied by Tommy ‘The Dancing Man’ Franklin. Check him out on YouTube and learn about his inspiring attitude towards life. Despite the serious side of sport there were many other methods employed to make sure the days were memorable. From dance offs to decide first possession, impromptu on court confessions of love, playing in costumes and covered in suggestive body graffiti, to beats supplied by the Red Bull DJ Truck, the days were never short of interesting moments. Night time is where things really kick off and you get a chance to party with students from rival teams to make sure they aren’t in the best form come that pivotal game the next morning. There
really is nothing like the team spirit when a squad of 65 dressed as Mexicans are trekking through a regional town to enter the night’s venue. This years NUGs were very successful for Griffith University Gold Coast. GUGC won gold in women’s hockey, men and women’s volleyball, mixed and women’s netball, men’s rugby, women’s touch, and women’s surfing to ensure that we were crowned overall winners. Even more importantly, it meant that the Gold Coast beat Griffith Brisbane and Bond (you must never lose to these two). A special mention goes out to a few Griffith Med students. The quick actions of Simon Hall and a reassuring statement from Ryan Beattie to a group of bystanders effectively controlled the situation when a woman suffered a seizure in a shopping centre food court. A few lessons that were learnt at this years NUGs: • Never share a room with rugby guys and expect to get your bond back after they empty 2 fire extinguishers • KFC is probably the best form of sustenance for weary athletes • Lismore has the best Dan Murphy’s you will ever come across • Making friends with Red Bull girls will come in handy Post Uni Games Depression is finally subsiding and its time to look forward to Australian Uni Games, being held in Adelaide towards the end of September. Good luck to all the Griffith students competing!
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It’s
Coming..... 15
Wonderfactory Sarah McNamee shares a fantastic experience that her and some other Griffith students are getting involved in... and you can join them! Of late, have you been in the contemplation phase of wanting to give back to your community, to volunteer for the good of human-kind, but don’t know where to start? Do you have a passion for sick kids and the hospital environment? Possibly an uncanny ability for facepainting, playstation, or drawing fairies? Well, HOPE4HEALTH has an opportunity that would suit you. We have recently been supporting The Wonder Factory, an initiative at the Royal Brisbane Children’s hospital. The Wonder Factory is an interactive entertainment room that is fully staffed by volunteers where children from the hospital can play in a safe environment that is completely free of the hospital routine. This room is the play room to end all play rooms, with an endless supply of games, big screen projection of music videos, and all the craft supplied you could ever ask for. If that wasn’t enough, there are even, not one, but two, glittery lava-lamp style dance poles. Both patients and family members will come to the Wonder Factory for some fun and a good laugh. For the kids who can’t make it out of bed, volunteers will even take games and toys up to the wards.
HOPE4HEALTH developed links with The Wonder Factory this year, recognising its fantastic cause. Since May, we have been consistently sending medical and allied health student members on a Saturday afternoon to help staff the Wonder Factory and support the Working Wonders program. The response has been fantastic from both the Wonder Factory, and also from the students who are getting an opportunity to develop important childhood communication skills and exposure to the hospital environment. “I loved spending time at the wonder factory, it was a lot of fun painting and playing games with the kids. It was amazing seeing the way a child’s face lights up as soon as they enter the magical wonder factory”. Mel Sharpless, MBBS “My favourite part was taking the kids outside to play with the footy. When they were laughing and having fun it was like they had forgotten they were sick and just being a regular kid, and there is nothing more rewarding than that!” Elizabeth Hamilton, Bachelor of Biomedical Science Want to get involved? Email wonderfactory@hope4health.org.au
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My Interview with The Eminent Chefs of GH1:
Peter Hamilton
& Gary Rogers
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EDE: Throughout your time on TV, you surely would have had to front up to some fairly highprofile interviews, could you tell us more about this experience? PH: On the days going to air, I would be taking sometimes twenty radio interviews a day, and maybe eight interviews with paper-based media. When it became real (show started airing), I found myself on the cover of two magaxzines - TV week and Woman’s Day.
down to make you speak - they even asked us to say particular answers to their questions. PH: I refused to do this! And the producers were shocked that I would not follow an order from them.
EDE: How has feedback been from your experience on the show? GR: Typically positive/neutral feedback from other health professionals; whenever I went to national meetings, you’d always get some people who recognise you. Even people on the street usually approach us in a polite, respectful way - and some even ask for recipe tips! PH: Well, none of my law students dare to say anything.
EDE: Peter, after teaching us for 3 years, do you have a soft spot for us meddies or are we still walking law suits? PH: I do actually. The experience on MKR was interesting in the context of social media - we were advised not to look at the various social media outlets, but I was aware of a lot of hate against me, and I was touched that the students here defended me online. I do like being around young and intelligent people, it’s very stimulating.
EDE: No doubt, after being interviewed by some if the biggest heavy weights in journalism, would you say that murmur is the most significant magazine that you’ve ever talked to? PH: What’s Murmur? …… Well, I guess the readership has the highest IQ of the other magazines I’ve been in
EDE: Gary, what was your most embarrassing moment in Medicine? GR: Well, I am a huge AFL fan (mostly watching!), and I got a ball for my birthday a few years ago, and decided to have a bit of a kick around. And sure enough, I tore my quads straight away. I had to practice in surgery the next day, and needed to perform a DRE on a patient. Anyway, I had my finger in the patient and twisted my forearm to feel the prostate, and I realised that in the position I was in, with the state of my leg, I physically just couldn’t move! It was quite awkward.
EDE: How and why did you become involved in MKR? GR: It was Peter’s idea; we always believed that if we were bored, we should find something to do. Peter at the time needed something exciting. We watched an episode of MKR and thought, you know what, we can do better than these guys, why not join? I personally didn’t think Peter would go through with it, but to my surprise he did! EDE: Did you enjoy your time on TV, and any regrets? PH: It was good and bad, they tend to treat you like cattle. They were certainly not used to me - most contestants have stars in their eyes and follow the orders of the directors on command, they quickly learnt they couldn’t do the same to me. All of the contestants were great, and we are still friends with many of them. GR: I had a largely unpleasant experience, the days were long, sometimes from 4AM to the evening, there was constant stress, and interviews after each shooting day that may be 2-6 hours long! The intention of such a long interview was to wear you
EDE: Peter, given your recent experience with culinary pursuits, would you object to being called “P and Ham Soup” as a nickname? PH: I think you should be careful about giving me any sort of nickname
EDE: Can you tell us any more information on the new medical school and hospital? GR: We actually took a tour of the hospital - it looks huge! We were very impressed, and we are also pleased with the design of the D&P facilities in the medical school, they are designed exactly as we wanted it to be. There are twenty separate D&P, sound-proof, rooms that can be subdivided into forty rooms for OSCEs. EDE: What is the best piece of advice you could give to students? GR: I’d just like to reiterate a constant message we give to you - never stop learning and never stop learning how to learn. And keep in mind that diseases develop all the time, and so you must keep updated, and knowing how to do this is crucial. PH: Never assume anything about a patient
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First Year Report The first-years, possibly the most outrageous cohort we’ve seen at Griffith for a long time. Tommy Brennan tells us that its not just all public defamation and out-of-hand parties... We began the year as a group of strangers, an eclectic mix of backgrounds, hometowns, age and experience. The first half (or one eighth) has seen us become friends and future physicians.
A short break has meant a chance to recharge and refresh, all set to systemically tackle systems.
The journey has only just It feels like we have a spent a lot of time begun. The team that is the studying this thing called medicine. In Class of 2015 has shown a looking back at what we have learnt, it is strong spirit of camaraderie and amazing to see how far we have come. we have looked to embrace all We have taken a tour through heart that is Medical School. The future is disease and hypertension to haemostasis bright and we continue to step forward and even herpes. with confidence. Furthermore, we are mindful that our ability to communicate has undergone a metamorphosis. We have all been astounded at the array of sound that can be heard in deafening silence. Socrates is no longer a philosophy but a way of life. Southport quite possibly had never known a celebration like the one that followed a four percent anatomy exam. Yet, the bar was raised even higher when we completed our midyear exams. It would appear that we have access to a disturbingly large range of uniforms.
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Brissy to the Bay Claire McAllister informs Murmur of her recent charity work, and how she rode further than what you would ever need to to get through the filth of Southport... which is quite a distance!
Usually I write sarcastic, at least mildly funny articles for Murmur, but I thought this time I’d take a bit more of a serious stance. Multiple Sclerosis affects over 20,000 people in Australia and it’s an awful, unpredictable disease without a cure. So I and 3 other Griffith med students (Adrian Peters, Felicity McIvor and Ben Wakefield) decided to do something to help. The Brissy to the Bay bike ride runs every year to raise funds to help people with MS, so they can gain access to services and items such as physiotherapy, specialised household equipment installation, occupational therapy and mobility aids. This year almost 5000 riders got on their bikes to do courses ranging from 10km to 100km, raising $917,149 for the cause. Our team, aptly named “The Love Handles”, raised $740. By the end of to 50km I was definitely ready for a nap. But it was a beautiful day to ride with friends and I loved every minute of it, even the part where I fell off my bike, causing my leg to bleed quite drastically for the rest of the race. Anyone who can ride a bike can do this… which means all of YOU, faithful murmur readers, should be able to. I
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hope to gather a bigger team next year and raise even more money!
OVERHEARD CORNER! “oh it was just so nice not having the medical students here!” - Dentistry Student “You know my opinion on the endocrinologists at the PA - it’s unprintable & unrepeatable. They’re just lazy intellectuals..” Consultant at QEII “Hehe, he’s going crazy for sure” Cleaner on geriatric ward about a patient “If I had a primary brain lymphoma, I would want high velocity lead therapy to the head” *mimes shooting themselves* Oncology Doctor. A small nuclear device in Charlotte St wouldn’t be a bad thing...” Dr. RE QHealth
GUDSA Update Dinusha Thalagala, dentistry student extraordinaire, gives us a filling about what our dentistry student body has been up to... GUDSA kicked off the year with our annual GUDSA Meet n’ Greet on 23rd February at Parkwood Tavern, which gave a chance for the freshers to mix and mingle with dental students from other cohorts and the GUDSA committee. This was quickly followed by the 1st year Dinner held a week later at Santino’s Italian Restaurant in Surfers Paradise. With 100+ first years in attendance it was a wonderful night that allowed first years to learn more about what being a GUDSA member means, as well as making new friends within their cohort. In March, GUDSA held a “Back to School” themed boat cruise, open to all dental cohorts and other faculties, starting at Surfers Paradise Pier. Jocks, teachers, cheerleaders, nerds and goths all came along for what was 3 hours of amazing water views, unlimited BBQ on board, fist-pumping music and drinks specials all night. In keeping with tradition, holding the after party at Shooters Superclub on “Candyland Night” was a big crowd pleaser, with everyone taking advantage of a free drink and giant fairy floss. Under the direction of Academic Officer Jeffrey Yeh, GUDSA continued with its Peer Mentoring program for a second year running which encourages mentors in 2nd-5th year to pair up with a 1st year student to offer pearls of wisdom and help them navigate through the confusion and chaos that is 1st year study. To wrap up the semester GUDSA held the MIPS Trivia Night at the Unibar on Parklands campus. Dental students and staff were able to team up to answer questions on history, pop culture and a bit of dental science, over nibblies and pizza. The winning team received a giant Toblerone, a perio probe and of course bragging rights! At this event we started taking orders for the
2012 GUDSA hoodies, back by popular demand. Thanks to our generous sponsors DPL Australia we were able to offer great hoodies at an affordable price in a variety of different colours – look out for them around GH1! To welcome everyone back to Semester 2, GUDSA held its Star Wars themed pubcrawl on the 10th August. “Plaque Wars: Revenge of the Strep” was a huge success with over 200+ Siths, Storm Troopers and George Lucas impersonators invading 4 venues - Strike Bowling Bar, Beer Garden, Sin City and Vanity. Other events in the pipeline include the Halas Cup Tournament, Finance Night, Futures Evening for 4th and 5th years, and GUDSA’s Got Talent which will showcase a variety of acts from talented dental students, in order to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. Of course the biggest event on the GUDSA calendar is the Annual GUDSA Ball on October 6th at the sophisticated QT Hotel Ballroom – Theme? 1950s Retro. We’re talking Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Chuck Berry, leather jackets, Pink Ladies, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, Marty McFly setting up his parents to fall in love at the highschool prom…you get the idea! With a four hour drinks package, DJ, three course meal it’s set to be an unforgettable night. A big thanks must go to the co-presidents of GUDSA 2012 Rami Kaur and Nisha Jacob who work tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of GUDSA, whose efforts and positive attitude is what makes GUDSA a rewarding society to be a part of.
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Third Year Report
Samantha Nataatmadja takes us through her 3rd year, and offers some advice for those in the future too... If only I had known what 2012 would have held, I probably wouldn’t have put in such a peaceful summer. Luckily I came into third year blissfully uninformed about what was to come but full of blind optimism. Frankly, I was just so delighted to be done with PBLs, lectures and standardised patients, that I welcomed the unknown as a friend. But little did I know what was to come… Women’s Health I was happy to be beginning 2012 with O&G. It just makes sense, you know? First comes pregnancy with obstetrics and once it pops out and a full sized kid we have paediatrics and when the kids grow up and get sick, they need surgery! In reality starting on Women’s can be confronting, especially for the poor souls who began the year on labour ward. I have to say labour ward has a vastly different effect on different people. Some find it beautiful magical etc, while others find it simply horrific. I know many girls who came out of it swearing that the only way they would ever bring life into this world is though an elective caesar. But for me, it was just messy. I suppose that was my own fault for not putting on PPE and getting a faceful of placenta blood. But hey, you live and you learn. o Highlights: catching your first baby. o Lowlight: getting pooped on by your first baby. o Recommendations: try not to fall asleep while the woman is in labour (its hard on night shifts, but they really don’t appreciate it) and wear the scrubs! Paediatircs On first inspection, the paeds ward it the best place in the hospital. Colourful murals on the walls, balloons everywhere and there is an abundance of delicious choc chip cookies every Thursday. In this block, you rotate between the ward for gen paeds, neonates and community. Everyone says community is a write off, but it can be good when the patients actually show up. Neonates was by far my favourite. So many absolutely gorgeous babies, tinier than you can even thought were possible, just hanging out to ‘feed and grow’. Of course it can be tough
watching kids in pain and I know some of the parents in the year found it emotionally challenging. But overall paeds is a great rotation for teaching and can be a lot of fun. o Highlight: baby checking newborns o Lowlight: when your cooing to the baby about how gorgeous/cute/beautiful he is, and his dad thinks you’re talking to him. Surgery Well this was definitely the biggest surprise. My previous experience with ortho had given a strong distaste for surgery and I can’t say I was expecting much from the colorectal team. I mean gross! However, surgery turned out to be a strong rotation after all. In this block, students get to stay with one team for the whole team and therefore build rapport. It means higher expectations, but better teaching as well. My advice would be to balance your time between surgery and the ward. Scrub in when you can and go to all the clinics, seeing your own patients if possible. But also try and see the other team’s surgeries because you’ll be tested on everything. This block is also an excellent chance to practice your clinical skills. It is particularly great for practicing catheterisation, because often the patient is unconscious and this removes a lot of the embarrassment from your fumbling first time, or that awkward wait for the lignocaine to kick in. o o
Highlight: assisting in surgery Lowlight: being with someone when they first get the diagnosis of cancer.
Even though it feels like a lifetime, there’s still another half of the year to go. You’ll have to ask another third year what Medicine is like, but Surgery was stressful and exciting and frustrating all at once. Enjoy!
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Hope 4 Health Doctors for Update the Environment Murmur fans, get ready to get updated... ConferenceAustralia Student Review Local H4H has been running Teddy Bear Hospital, which involves students going to local primary schools and teaching the children about how to be healthy. It is always a fun day with the school kids learning about healthy foods, behaviours and lifestyles. This year Nursing and Biomedical science students have been involved in the project with great results and plenty of learning on both sides!
Another brand new project in 2012 includes the op-shop ball which will donate all money to Radio Lollipop, a charity working with sick children at the Gold Coast Hospital. We hope to further our fundraising for this local organisation in coming years. Rural Over the years there have been numerous rural health weekends through which H4H sends Griffith students to rural areas of QLD such as Kingaroy, Roma, Stanthorpe and Goondawindi. These trips allow students to experience and practice new skills whilst learning about the communities. This year the Nursing and Medical faculties participated in these workshops where they learnt practical skills such as emergency child births, plaster casting, taking blood and how to save a patient with a bleed in their skull! The workshops are run by rural doctors who have experience in providing healthcare and know all the tricks of the trade.
engage and be inspired by those that already working in rural areas of Australia. Healthcare in these regions of Australia are lacking and through NURHC we can make sure that students are properly skilled and informed so that they can make a bigger impact on health! Indigenous Several times a year H4H sends Dentistry students to the Indigenous community of Cherbourg to provide free dental check ups and treatment. The program has been running for several years and is now well established and accepted by the community. This Cherbourg Dental clinic allows Griffith students to make a difference in an area of need whilst at the same time bridging the gap and making new friends in the community. The Teddy bear hospital program is also run at the Cherbourg State Primary School to teach health education to the children. This project is particularly sought after by H4H members as there are not many opportunities to be involved and help in projects at the school. Every year Griffith students and Cherbourg children leave the program having learnt new ways to be healthy whilst at the same time having fun and making new friends. (continued...)
H4H is sponsoring students to attend the National University Rural Health Conference (NURHC) in the forest resort of Creswick, Victoria. Here students keen on a career in rural health will get the opportunity to connect,
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By Vanessa Collier MBBS IV
International 2012 is a huge year for the International portfolio with heaps of new projects getting off the ground. The Healthy Start project is developed by Griffith students and aims to teach health information to newly arrived refugees. Working with the Multicultural Development Association (MDA) in Brisbane, volunteer Medical students will be educating refugees about health topics such as emergency services, GP’s, Sexual health, Diet and exercise plus other very important topics. There is no other student run program like this anywhere in Australia and we believe that it will give students real world experience whilst providing a service for vulnerable refugees. A Student Elective Aid (SEA) project is getting off the ground for the first time in 2012. This project involves collecting unwanted but useful medical equipment from local hospitals and medical clinics. The equipment will then be sent with Medical students going on International electives in developing countries. This way the medical students will be able to personally deliver medical supplies to hospitals that need them. It allows the student to make a positive impact on the communities they visit. Red Party will be held in September to raise money for the organisation FJN+ which works with those living with HIV/AIDS in Fiji. There has been over $10,000 raised for our Fiji neighbours already, and this year the party is going to be bigger and better. Get all your friends, come dressed in red and help a good cause! Keep an eye out for more information closer to the date! The Global Health Conference (GHC) is the biggest student conference with a focus on global health in Australia. As we do every
year, H4H sponsors students to attend the conference so that they can hear from some of the biggest names in Global Health. Last year the CEO of Doctors Without Borders was there in addition to speakers from the Red Cross and the United Nations. H4H is continuing its support of Tesfa Oz, a local Gold Coast charity led by a local GP that are building a small medical clinic in rural Ethiopia. H4H has helped Dr. Neal Jones and his team raise over $20,000 to go towards building and maintaining this clinic in an impoverished needy area of Ethiopia. This year the annual Jazz Dinner Dance will be held at the Marriott Resort and Spa on the Gold Coast. This Gala ball attracts students and health professionals such as Doctors and Dentists in the setting of a 3 course meal and a live jazz band. It is a classy environment with no expense spared which allows students and professionals to mingle and have fun. All profits from the night will go to Fiji Heart, an organisation that provides a comprehensive cardiac service for Fiji and the Pacific region. Last but not least a small group of Griffith Students have set up a project called Ubuntu Through Health. With the help of H4H this project has now established a link with a poor shanty town in South Africa called Khayelitsha. Through regular fundraising the program aims to provide the area with Tuberculosis medication in addition to food. Further to this, every year the program will sponsor several Griffith Health students to travel to the region on electives. There has been extensive research into what is needed most in the area and the program aims to main a sustainable difference for these needy people in South Africa.
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Fourth Year Report (Soon to be) Doctor Caitlin Witt discusses with Murmur what exactly has happened this year... and Murmur just thought 4th year was a cruise.... It’s not a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a mirage. It keeps shape-shifting. Shimmering. Glistening. This far-flung place of job security where no one has to line up at Southport Centrelink and coffee flows from taps, and we swan around the hospital high fiving each other whilst casually cannulating all the patients with one hand, to the Scrubs theme song. It’s such a mirage that when you actually get there, it doesn’t feel real. Spending weekends lounging around doing things you enjoy evokes fear and guilt until you remember…that you’re allowed to. For now. For now everything is wonderful, and the sky is blue and the birds are tweeting and nothing can stop this lightness, this feeling of full-to-the-brim-about-to-burstunbridled-joy. Until January next year. January, the far away land of inadequacy and missed cannulas. Too far away to be bothered with just yet. Sometimes when I’m lying on the beach (my couch) and I’m drinking a cocktail (half drunk warm flat cider from the night before) I start remembering. It seems like yesterday we were in lining up to get photos taken, sitting in a welcome lecture, being shuffled into our first PBL. Oh, the first PBL. We were discussing something about dehydration. I sat with elbows on the table leaning forward, trying to follow and remember pronunciations. I kept getting stumped, until I took a deep breath, waited for a gap in the feverish scientific debate and opened my mouth. “Um. Sorry, but when you say ‘Bee Pee’ what do you mean?” Pause. Sitting positions were adjusted as the group collectively realised that this discussion was about to take a much slower pace, as they began to explain patiently that ‘BP’ meant blood pressure, and that yes, blood pressure was that
thing that had two numbers on top of each other. “Is it like a fraction?” Not… really. My minds drifts to weeks spent in the library with books too heavy to carry home. The incessant beeping of the anatomy prac exams. The relief and fatigue following exams and the hangovers worth every tequila shot. The sympathetic nods as we passed each other like zombies in the hospital, trying to keep up with our allotted teams. The text messages “I’ve lost my team. Coffee?” Being caught in a consultant’s firing line. Furiously chewing muesli bars, trying to swallow before being asked a question during never-ending ward rounds. Fumbling with a blood pressure cuff, dropping the stethoscope on your foot. Patients asking if you’re old enough to drive. Watching the myriad of ways people deal with death. The anguish of families. The pain of patients. Screams. Births. Pus. Blood. Phlegm. Faeces. Urine. Ruined shoes. The quiet concentrated choreographed dance of the trauma resus in ED. The sugar fuelled night shifts. The light at the end of the tunnel. The mirage in the distance of a parched desert. The thing that keeps someone going in the face of insurmountable odds. That light, that mirage, that intangible thing that will keep you going, is hope. I wish hope on all of you struggling through LOs, backs aching in the library, falling into bed only to rise and repeat the next day. Keep the faith. Hold onto the hope. Have another coffee. Your mirage is waiting for you.
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Queensland Medical Orchestra Spreading her talents outside of medicine, Nicola Campbell composes her thoughts on her time with the QMO... With the second concert for the year on the horizon, I’m sure you’re all wondering…what exactly is this QMO thing that everyone keeps spamming me about? Well dear readers, it is a magical place where medical and musical nerds can frolic without fear of persecution, a place where phrases such as “neoplasia of the french horn section” and “slow this phrase down like we’ve beta blocked the crap out of it” are used with alarming regularity, but most of all it’s a place where creating music can raise money for charity, and of course be a lot of fun in the process. The QMO is run by the UQ Med Society (I know, I know, we’re behind enemy lines) and is an orchestra of med students, doctors, and people who we’ve begged/borrowed/bribed to come along because we have no violas. Absolutely
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anyone is welcome to join, regardless of ability or university allegiances. Each concert raises money for the Ashintosh foundation, and in our first concert for the year we managed to raise close to a whopping $5000! So, how can you get involved in the wonderful QMO? Well, if you’re musically inclined, join! We perform in 3 concerts per year, and have roughly five or six rehearsals before each concert. And if you don’t play an instrument, brush off your monocle and top hat and come and be cultured at our next concert! For more info, check out the website: http:// www.uqms.org/community/orchestra, or stalk either of us if you have any questions.
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Healthy Eating on the GC Carlin Schenck Saldanha lets you know where you can pick up some healthy (and delicious!) food on the Gold Coast! Mandala Cafe 2558 GC Hwy Mermaid Beach http://mandalaorganicarts.weebly.com/ This place is really great. They are all vegan and grow a lot of their own veggies in their cute garden. They also often have live music and a generally pretty good vibe. They have some seriously yummy spelt pizzas made with cashew-based cheese, awesome raw chocolate desserts, and a probiotic bar with kombucha and other fermented drinks that are great for digestion. Highly recommended-but it can be hard to get a table on weekends. From Earth and Water 6/30 James Street Burleigh Heads http://fromearthandwater.com/ Another vegan cafe, but with all raw food. If you’re thinking raw food means chopped carrots and salad, think again. They do have awesome salads, but also do sandwiches, smoothies, tacos, ravioli, and moreall made with veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Their desserts are also fabulous. It’s open mostly during the day, but also Friday nights. Great for the glutenfree folks too as nothing here has gluten. Govindas 20 James Street Burleigh Heads http://www.govindas.net.au/ This is a great place-cheap, cheerful, and pretty good vegetarian quick eats. They have a variety of salads, curries, and other hot dishes and a few desserts too. You can get a big plate of food for under $10, so very friendly on the student budget. It’s run by Hare Krisnas but they aren’t too zealous in trying to convert you like some other Hare Krisna restaurants I’ve been to. Giri Kana 82 Marine Parade Southport Admittedly I haven’t been here yet, but plan to as soon as I can. My friends who have though say it’s
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great. A vegetarian cafe with lots of freshly prepared options, most for under $12. Breakfasts like muesli, fresh fruit, smoothies, wholesome breads and lots of fresh lunch options too. Not too far from Uni either. Cardamom Pod 11/110 Surf Parade Broadbeach http://www.cardamompod.com.au/broadbeach_ mainhome.html This place is pretty yummy! It’s vegetarian and has Indian-leaning foods but with a lot of variety and some other flavors too; a bit of everything. Really nice presentation too. They’re also really good about catering for gluten-free, vegan, and other food allergies. The Magic Apple 5th Avenue and GC Hwy Burleigh Heads This is a great little healthfood store and cafe in one. They have great smoothies, juices, breakfasts, snacks, wraps, and sandwiches. They also have a fresh food bar with hot foods you can mix and match for a little takeaway box or lunch bowl. Great value and always tasty when I stop by. A good lunch pitstop en route to Tweed Hospital placements. Bliss Foods 5 Young Street Southport http://www.blissfoods.com.au/ Ok, so this is more of a bulk foods shop rather than a cafe or restaurant, but it’s right across the street from Uni and a great place to stock up on PBL snacks and last minute munchies. They have an awesome selection of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate covered goodies, coconut water beverages, and more. It is a little overwhelming but lots of fun to sort through all their bins of goodness. Also, they sell this awesome vegan coconut ice cream called Cocoluscious-seriously addictive stuff, especially the cookie dough flavor.
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What I like about the PBL Marking Scheme Elliot Dolan-Evans gives you his exclusive, indepth views of all the benefits incurred with the implementation of the new PBL marking scheme:
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Australasian Students’ Surgical Conference On the 30th of June, I attended the 2012 Australasian Students’ Surgical Conference (ASSC) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. As it was scheduled for the beginning of the study week before my first medical school exams, I was initially hesitant about attending the conference. Yet, due to a broken fridge, a low food supply, and a craving for some TLC from my family in Sydney, I put in the effort and booked a flight – and I’m glad that I did. This conference, put together by the students of the UNSW Surgical Society, with the active involvement of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS), was exceedingly professional. The conference was held on the campus grounds of UNSW in Sydney (with free parking on weekends!) and was host to over 500 delegates from all the medical schools in Australia and New Zealand, as well as Junior and Resident Medical Officers. Upon arrival, delegates were checked off for attendance, presented with their goodie-bag (with lollypops and pens from sponsors) and ushered into the Sir John Clancy Auditorium to begin the days’ plenteous proceedings.
a young female who has only recently completed her fellowship – Dr Yishay Orr. Although all of the surgeons presented differing views on their respective surgical disciplines, Dr Orr was able to offer additional perspectives on life as a newly qualified, female surgeon, which I personally found particularly interesting. She spoke of taking time off to do her PhD, during which she focussed on her personal relationship – got married – and reflected carefully about her chosen vocation as a cardiothoracic surgeon, something she urged all students to consider.
Following allocated question time, delegates were invited to morning tea in the courtyard which consisted of dumplings, muffins and fruits! This was my first exposure to the consistently wonderful food that was served that day (not that I wasn’t completely enthralled by the conference’s The welcome addresses were given by the academic proceedings – but the amazing President of the RACS, Mr Michael Hollands, food was definitely a highlight). and the Associate Dean (Education) of the UNSW Faculty of Medicine, Professor After a keynote address by the UNSW ProPhilip Jones. Afterwards, the guest speakers fessor of Surgery about a career in Academfrom six of the nine surgical specialties ic Surgery, there was a succession of student successively spoke about each of their research presentations from various univerrespective disciplines, including General, sities. Although the opportunity to present Plastic, Cardiothoracic, Vascular, Urological research in a conference and Paediatric Surgery. Interestingly, the Cardiothoracic Surgery guest speaker was (continued....)
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such as this would be a rewarding experience in itself, the “Best Overall Presentation” was awarded a $300 prize endorsed by the Surgical Research Society of Australasia (SRSA) – seems like a pretty good added incentive for a medical student to submit an abstract. Subsequently, the president of RACS, Mr Michael Hollands, spoke of features of the Surgical Pathway through RACS as well as the entry requirements for the Surgical Education and Training program. He enlightened delegates to things to keep in mind during their medical school years, as well as their post-graduate years in the clinical setting, to ensure that they fill the required competencies by the time they apply for the SET program. If anyone is reading this right now and thinking – “Siobhan must know super information about entry into surgery that I don’t” – then I can assure you that I don’t; everything of relevance to the entry requirements is on the RACS website (which Mr Hollands referred to numerous times). Mr Hollands just repeated the information in a nice speech, with PowerPoint slides, and cleared up questions from confused students. The remaining three guest speakers then presented personal accounts on their three surgical specialties – Orthopaedic surgery, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, and Neurosurgery. I might add that these speakers were definitely an eclectic mix to say the least. After the Orthopaedic surgeon spoke in an intentionally humorous manner that only perpetuates the boyish and strong-minded stereotype that typifies ‘Orthopods’, delegates were privileged to hear from the first Indigenous fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, Professor Kelvin Kong – an Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgeon. To close the series of speakers in his own idiosyncratic style was Professor Charlie Teo. An internationally
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acclaimed neurosurgeon dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, Professor Teo rallied off (to the audience’s surprise) all the reasons not to do Surgery. Confused? I was too. Charlie strongly advised students in a very frank and honest manner that the decision to dedicate oneself to Surgery (particularly Neurosurgery) needs to be considered very carefully. It has long hours, an old and oppressive Royal College, and it is not suitable for anyone who has a personality. He exclaimed that you should only do it, if you feel you “have to”, sharing his own unfortunate dilemma, in that he found himself “addicted to neurosurgery. As the day drew to a close and the social event began to kick off with live jazz, drinks and fine cheeses, I was left pondering over Professor Teo’s sentiments. I do not believe that his aim was to discourage, (nor to inspire, like the rest of the speakers) – but to cause students to question. Question your mentors, question your discouragers, question your motives and why you want to pursue surgery. His speech was challenging and stimulating, and has undoubtedly left me curious. Siobhan Fitzpatrick
Murmur Cooking Corner! Masterchefs Liz Forrest and Jasmine Davis share their culinary delights, the Red Velvet Cupcakes and Pumpkin Soup! Stuck for PBL food ideas? Try your luck with these delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes, courtesy of the Hummingbird Bakery in London, now that’s what I call a Jubilee celebration! For more tantalising and creative cupcake ideas download the “Cake Days” Hummingbird Bakery App off iTunes. Sponge• 120g softened unsalted butter • 300g Caster sugar • 2 large eggs • 20g Cocoa powder • 40mL red food colouring • 1 tsp Vanilla essence • 300g Plain flour • 1 tsp salt • 240mL Buttermilk • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda together by hand and add it to the cake batter, mixing it until it is fully incorporated. 6) Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases until they are about two-thirds full. Place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the sponge bounces back. Allow to cupcakes to cool completely before adding the frosting. Makes approximately 22 cupcakes. 7) For the frosting – using an electric mixer beat the sugar and sifted icing sugar together until there are no large lumps of butter. Add the cream cheese and mix together slowly until everything is incorporated. Increase the speed gradually and beat the icing until it is soft and fluffy. Cover all cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting and ENJOY!
Frosting• 100g softened unsalted butter • 600g icing sugar • 250g Philly Cream Cheese • Red coloured sprinkles to decorate (optional) 1) Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases. 2) Using an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Break in the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. 3) In a separate small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, food colouring and vanilla essence to form a paste. Add the paste to the batter, mixing thoroughly until the paste is completely incorporated. 4) Alternatively add the sifted flour/ salt with the buttermilk, mixing thoroughly after each addition. 5) Lastly in another separate bowl mix
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Warm up in chilly weather with this easy, healthy, and ‘student-budget friendly’ pumpkin soup. This one is so easy that even people who ‘don’t cook’ will be able to handle it. If you are feeling super lazy or just lacking time, you can even buy the pumpkin that is already cut for you - reducing the working time to a bare minimum. Serve with crusty bread and/or a salad (eg. baby spinach with roasted root vegetables such as parsnips, carrots and beets) PUMPKIN SOUP 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (leave out if you don’t like spicy food) ~800g pumpkin (can use butternut or substitute in some sweet potato), peeled and chopped 1.5L vegetable stock 1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, add the onion and chilli and cook for 1-2 min or until translucent
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2. Reduce the heat to low and add pumpkin, stirring occasionally for 5-10 min 3. Add stock and turn up the heat, allowing it to boil 4. Reduce to low and allow it to simmer, covered for around 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender 5. Blend either with a stick mixer or in batches in the blender (or if you don’t have either just mash with a potato masher, it will be a bit chunkier but still delicious) 6. Serve More recipe ideas coming soon in the Wellbeing Cookbook!
AMSA Convention A bit of a murmur itself, Stefanie Tran explains to us this little known event called Convation... or is it Contingation.... Conblection? [ T minus 97 days ] Hearts racing, fingers poised, medical students across Australia have gathered anything they can find with an internet connection; to prepare for the instant that the race begins to secure a ticket to this year’s AMSA Convention. Are you ready, Rangers? Three…two…one…*click* And that is how, on 26/03/12, we broke the internet. Ok, we didn’t actually break the internet. But with over 50,000 hits in the 4 minutes, we crashed the servers hosting the ticket sales. Chaos ensued. But through the flames of digital carnage, 30 Griffith delegates (henceforth known as Griffindors) secured their places…and then the real countdown began.
Day 1 – The Opening Ceremony Sunday 1st July, 2012. Perth, Western Australia. A thousand medical students from over 20 universities were promised an amazing academic program (world-class speakers, workshops, debating, field trips, competitions); an epic social experience (6 incredible themed nights, a Gala Ball, and more body paint than you can poke a stick at); and arenas for their best and brightest to compete (Sports Day, the Emergency Medical Challenge, Australia’s Brainiest Medical Student). The first social night began with the theme of “Experiment”. Dressed as members of the Stanford Prison Experiment, Griffindors were invited to have an experience that was different from the norm. Who of the scientifically-minded doesn’t appreciate a good experiment?
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Day 2 – The Cutting Edge Grateful for warm Griffindor scarves around our necks, with glasses and wands close at hand, we made our way to the first plenary session at 9am. Prof. René Zellweger (Close, but no. Not the Academy Award-winning one) shared his experiences as an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon in Cape Town, Sudan and Banda Aceh. Australian science guru Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki lightened the mood with intellectual wanderings such as “Transpoosion” and penis resuscitation ( They save lives. Seriously). After morning tea, an address by the knowledgeable and well-spoken Prof. Michael Kidd was followed by an insightful panel discussion about the future of medicine, featuring Prof. Vinay Kumar, Prof. Michael Kidd, and Prof. Fiona Wood.
G-bolt from the flag-bearer of the night turned things somewhat sour.
Debating round 1 saw Griffith present a hilarious, dyspnoea-inducing affirmative argument for whether a ‘fat-tax’ should be imposed on those with a BMI of over 25. Unfortunately, the adjudicators wanted an actual debate this year, and ruled in favour of Wollongong. (Boooo. You did well, Harrys.)
After lunch, (Which should be noted, was always ridiculously well-catered with a seemingly endless flow of sandwiches, wraps, hot food, salads and fruit) began the afternoon session. Highlights: a quirky presentation on acing OSCEs, from clinical skills legend Dr. Simon O’Connor, and a crash-course in orthopaedic surgery by Prof. René Zellweger. There was a fracture, we needed to fix it.
Afternoon workshops included ‘The Future of Genetic Medicine’ by Prof. Vinay Kumar; Zumba; and, for the hopeful, Speed Dating. But those who missed out on this networking opportunity were not disadvantaged; the second social night was “Edible”, and there was plenty to go round. In sweet schoolgirl outfits, Griffindors rode a free candy and fairy flossinduced high; until the theft of our beloved
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Day 3 – The Edge of Disaster Those who struggled to the first plenary were rewarded by an address from an Australian of the Year and certified National Living Treasure, W/Prof. Fiona Wood. Following this, a discussion on the ethics of neurotrauma by the Head of Neurotrauma at Royal Perth Hospital, Dr. Stephen Honeybul, who offered a perceptive view on when ‘enough is enough’. Afterwards, a panel addressed the future of reproductive technologies, and Dr. Val Lishman wrapped up the session with a talk about his work as an Australasian Antarctic Expedition doctor.
Social #3: Emergency. Griffindors took up the mantle of the universal regulators of emergencies – traffic cones. And you know your costume is awesome when people are constantly trying to steal it.
Wednesday, Day 4 – EMC & Sport’s Day The sun rose too soon for the EMC teams and supporters who bundled themselves onto 8am buses. The competition warmed up with an opening ceremony, punctuated with FLAMECANNONS, YES, FLAME-CANNONS. The day included the highly prestigious EMC, (Can you handle the aftermath of a car explosion? How about poisoning, jellyfish stings, altitude sickness, and gas leaks? If you do, we needed you) dodge ball, push-up and plank competitions, tug-of-war, team Zorbing…oh,
and we watched a team of firemen cut a girl out of a car with the Jaws of Life. Casually.] That evening, we were taken to a mystery location where the coveted Cascade and Pipps Cup would be contested. Adelaide’s hard training throughout the year was rewarded, and they continued their reign as the champions of both Cups. Those who refused to submit to the tradition of Wednesday night being the ‘rest night’, continued the night with live entertainment at a local bar.
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Thursday, Day 5 – The Leading Edge Getting to lectures after 4 nights of dedicated networking required motivation. And it was provided by Mick Malthouse – famous AFL coach and highly regarded motivational speaker. Those who preferred running around and shooting people with lasers first thing in
the morning went on the Laser Day field trip. Academics continued with the AMSA Big Issues Panel. After this, a panel of inspirational doctors shared their experience of taking the path less-trodden after medical school: the hilarious Dr. Sally Cockburn; forensic crime writer, Dr. Kathryn Fox; and general practice legend Dr. John Murtagh. After the St John of God Healthcare Careers Expo was debating, and a teleconferenced address from a man who needs no introduction, Kevin Rudd. Highlights of the afternoon breakouts were workshops on emergency treatment in rural and remote areas, medical care during disasters, and The Real Defence Force Experience: Life as an Army Doctor. And then there was the daily post-workshop scramble to get costumes together for the fifth social night: Eternity. And by “get costumes together” I mean, paint the costumes on to each other. The aftermath looked something like that below. So that’s what happens when you get half a
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Friday, Day 6 – Blurring the Edges The final day of the Academic program kicked off with Prof. Patrick McGorry, Executive Director of Australia’s largest youth mental health organisation. With the large burden of mental health on Australian communities, especially medical students and practitioners, the topic could not have been more pertinent. Dr. Clive Cooke and Dr. Alanah Buck, WA’s Chief Pathologist and a forensic anthropologist, engaged in an intriguing discussion with Dr. Kathryn Fox, crime novelist, comparing pathology in fact and fiction. The inspirational Dr. Sam Prince spoke about how to change the world, one burrito at a time. Afterwards, the highly anticipated Clash of the Titans debate; where Convention’s biggest names went head-to-head in a battle-ofthe-sexes to decide whether stereotypes are a useful tool in clinical practice. I don’t remember
who won…but that’s probably an indication of how entertaining and engaging the debate was. Yes. That was it. Australia’s Brainiest Medical Student showcased the knowledge of each university’s intellectual champion. Following this, the debating finals; no punches were pulled, no feelings were spared…a true Convention-style debate. They even made somebody cry. Before we knew it, the Closing Ceremony was upon us. The final speeches and thank-you’s, and a big Hawaii 5-0 to officially close the Academic program. Saturday, Day 7 – The Unofficial “Say-SorryTo-Your-Liver -and-Brain-Cells” Day …in preparation for the final push to GAI and FSU at the Haunted Gala Ball. With the Perth Convention and Entertainment Centre converted into a house of horrors, we scrubbed and suited up to party until the early morning signal for the trek to Chicken & Champagne (which was, again, dismally catered). Those who made it know what it is to be a true Ranger. Get excited, Rangers. Because in 2013, Convention is coming to the Gold Coast. GAI. P.S. Thank you so much to my fellow Griffindors who helped make this Convention the incredible week it was.
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Cafe Review Series # 7 Verdict Expresso One doesn’t simply find a good cafe in Southport, and our favourite Murmur Editor, Elliot Dolan-Evans (who also wrote this introduction) tells us why Boromir was right A life-changing experience, a variable orgy of delight, and a beautifully splendiferous moment. These are the terms that I would use to describe my most recent Café Review in the arms of, uh.. I mean in the company of Dr. Anon. Dr. Anon: The world-class doctor who writes for Murmur on a regular basis, who is so famous and so controversial we can’t reveal his true name, is a character rich in charm, dapper, and heavy in wonderment. He may be one of the most highly respected and educated medical professionals in the whole world, though his modesty would indeed confirm this. With such a illustrious guest as Dr. Anon to join me for this Café Review, I did what any lowlyeducated and drug-ridden Southportian would do….. taken him to one of the finest cafés Southport has to offer. Walking with Dr. Anon through the streets of Southport was a delight; his powerful presence and dashing good looks seemed to light up the streets and take away the grime and putrescence that usually invades the local area. Even though we passed a teenage father of three utilising his offspring in a similar manner to basketballs, bouncing them and tossing them between his friends, Dr. Anon’s presence pervaded my gaze away from this obvious breach of every law ever created to protect the welfare of children.
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To treat my eminent guest, I took him to the safest café in the district… the one next door to the police station, where they have not seen a single stabbing for well over 3 hours and 26 minutes (and counting!). This café was called Verdict Expresso, and was actually a café I attempted to frequent with one of my previous illustrious guests, Zoe Butters, and though I termed the locale quite horrible and uncomfortable (causing Zoe and I to leave hastily), I believed that this spot offered us the finest protection Southport Police have to offer. Settling down into the comfortable plastic chairs of this fine eatery in No-Hope-Port (the new name for Southport), we skimmed the menu from afar, as it was located at the main counter. Having kept silent for a good 43 minutes whilst Dr. Anon utilised his great mind and intelligence to decipher the exact nature of his order, I called over one of the waiters to take our order. Having been informed that I had to go to the counter to place my order, I nearly split a log. This outrageous and un-repenting suggestion was almost blasphemous in front of Dr. Anon, and it seemed as if this so-called ‘waiter’ didn’t even recognise the father of all medicine! Having contained my searing rage my flipping over a table onto a family of four, I calmly sat down with Dr. Anon, ready to digest our delight menu of conversation.
Having sat in silence for a further 37 minutes, I was so close to starting an intellectually-stimulating and heart-provoking dialogue with this venerable master; though, my nerves were still getting the better of me, and I couldn’t address him, he was just too damn impressive. As I sat there practically salivating, he glanced at me. And then he nodded. And in that instance, I knew he could tell what I felt like, how amazed I was at him, and he understood that, and he felt it too. I could tell from that nod, he understand my whole being, my whole person… and it was at that moment I knew the coffee here would be exquisite. The coffee served to us tasted like disembowelled coffee beans, served up in a cup fresh with steaming morsels of rotting chicken. Luckily, as revealed in the last issue of Murmur, Dr. Anon had survived horrendous, deathly and flesheating food poisoning to find out what it felt like for his patients, and so being served the a standard Southportian cup of coffee should be fine.
The decrepit features of the local area made me wish I was in another suburb in Southport doing these café reviews, as alas, as the year comes to a close, I am no closer to finding a ‘good’ café in this part of the GC. And even when I did (Mason’s), they tend to close down… typically following one of my reviews… hmmmm… well, we can only hope that this pattern follows suit for the remainder. Dr. Anon’s Ratings Elliot’s Ratings Food 10 (imported) N/A Ambience 8 -2 Drinks 6 5 ½ Cost 6 4 Service 9 5 Conversation 10 14.3 out of 5
Here is what we both had: Dr. Anon: • Mocca $4.00 Elliot: • Cappucino $3.50 Typically, on an average café review, I would have suggested that we have something to eat from the café, but Dr. Anon decided to purchase take-away caviar and walrus tusk from a fine eatery in Italy via Air-Force Jet, and had it parachuted to him from the skies above, in order to avoid the putrescent stink of a Southport ‘special’. The coffees weren’t all that fantastic, as alluded to above, and the plastic chairs and ceiling fans gave this locale a feeling of bitter regret, hurt, pain, and a distant longing for a lover of time past. I wouldn’t recommend it. Although it had maximum security, it had minimal style and class, and if you’re ever lucky enough to take someone of Dr. Anon’s character out in Southport, don’t visit this place, unless your guest has access to take-away gourmet food imported in from another country.
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GC Fun Run Jasmine Davis not only wins prizes for amazing hair, but also runs great distances for no prizes. Sound strange? Read on... In November last year, I began jogging. Purely for fitness as I was sick of the gym, looking for ways to save money and had some time on my hands during uni holidays. At first I was mostly walking, with a little jogging interspersed. I thought I just wasn’t a natural runner (true) and that I would never be able to run a decent distance (not so true). After a change in my technique, talking to some inspiring friends and getting new running shoes, I was keen to set myself a challenge, so we registered with the Griffith University Medicine Society (GUMS) to run 10km in the Gold Coast Marathon. Griffith University and GUMS subsidise the entry fee for runners, and also provide a bunch of free goodies to get us motivated. It was hard to get out of bed at 4am on a winter morning, with the stars still visible in the night sky and get rugged up in warm clothes over the top of our running gear. Hanging around waiting for the race to start there was a sense of excitement, and the crisp morning air keeeping us moving around, despite wanting to conserve energy for the coming race. As a ‘virgin’ fun runner, I had no idea what to expect at the starting line, but as you can imagine, the logistics of 7000 people starting at once means it is a little crowded, with people bumping into each other and all trying to get out of the middle of the pack of people – and I’m pretty sure a few people ended up with skinned knees after all the jostling. Yet, it wasn’t long before we all got our rhythm and as we ran over the bridge, the sun rising over the Broadwater, I had goosebumps from all the anticipation and magic in the air (the combination of sweat and
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a frosty morning might have contributed to it too…). Our university team in our bright red singlets gave such a sense of community, and at around the 7km mark I was tapped on the shoulder and surprised to receive a high 5 from a random team member, giving me the boost i needed to get through the last few kms. Running towards the finish line, the cheers from random strangers and the sense of achievement brought a massive smile to my face, and with the finish line in sight I pushed myself harder than ever before, getting across the line and finishing the race. Though I had to hold on to something to stop the world from spinning, I forgot all that when I slipped my medal over my head and went home to allow my battered body to recover (all after taking a few selfies of course!). We awoke early the next morning and dragged ourselves out of bed again, to cheer friends on who were running the 42km of the full marathon. Standing at the 30km mark watching people push themselves to the limits was so inspiring that it may have planted a seed, an idea of maybe running further next year… But it certainly wasn’t a decision I could make while I was still feeling the effects of my humble 10km. A year ago I never would have imagined running 10km, it was something I didn’t think was possible, but the sense of achievement made me so glad that I did it! When was the last time you did something that pushed you out of your comfort zone?
Last issue’s cover illustration by Siobhan Fitzpatrick, just in case you missed it!
Sleeping on the Job! Murmur goes undercover to bring you snaps of clever medical students getting some zzzz’s where they can!
GPYR MDFT3862
YOU ASK AND WE ANSWER. INSTANTLY. Whether you’ve applied for one of our Medical and Health roles or are considering joining the Australian Defence Force (ADF), we thought you’d be interested in our upcoming live interactive broadcast. This is your chance to ask and gain first hand information from current officers in the field about their job, life in the ADF and more.
REGISTER TODAY The broadcast will commence on 29 March 2012 at 6.30pm AEDT. In order for you to participate, you will need to register prior to the event at broadcasts.defencejobs.gov.au
MEET THE SPEAKER
MEDICAL OFFICER LISA MAUS
BROADCASTS.DEFENCEJOBS.GOV.AU
Meet Flight Lieutenant Lisa Maus of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Lisa provides primary care services to members at RAAF Base Williamtown; performs on-call base emergency response duties; and on-call duties for operational Defence tasks. Her skills and experience have also been put to use in numerous Defence exercises and humanitarian operations across the world.