Sydney University Paediatrics Society. Whether you love children or are terrified of them, most of us will encounter them in our careers, so the Sydney University Paediatrics Society (SUPS) aims to give a glimpse and some hands-on exposure in the world of Paediatrics. We run events each year fundraising and volunteering for paediatrics whilst educat- ing about and exploring careers in paedi- atrics too. In 2019, we ran several events, including a careers night with guest paedi- atricians to field your questions and ex- plain their journeys. SUPS also fundraised for the Bear Cottage and Humpty Dumpty Foundation. SUPS capped the year with our first ever paediatric emergency proce- dures workshop. This year we are looking forward to run- ning even more events including bringing more guest speakers to the University of Sydney, a research symposium and a teddy bear hospital (where you help ill children “diagnose” and “treat” stuffed animals). If those sorts of activities sound up your alley, we have good news – you’re already a member and we look forward to seeing you. Congratulation class of 2023, all the best this year and beyond! – Hayden Segboer, SUPS President FF20 51
Sydney University Obstetrics & Gynaecology Society. Welcome to the SMP and a huge congrat- Our aims are to: ulations on getting in! You should be very 1. Foster the interests and support the proud of yourselves and look forward to an exciting year ahead! development of students interested in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. First year is an excellent time to get in- 2. Provide insight into the various training volved with clubs and committees, and get programmes available in Australia and to know some of the specialties that you what they involve. could pursue in years to come. 3. Educate students and raise awareness in regards to women’s health. The Sydney University Obstetrics and 4. Be a voice for women’s health through Gynaecology Society or SUOGs, as we say, both advocacy and policy. is a student run group for those who are 5. Offer social events as a way to network interested in obstetrics, gynaecology and with doctors and like-minded students. women’s health. 6. Give back to the community, specifically through charities invested in women’s A bit about us! health and well-being. Our events range from skills workshops to As you will find throughout your first year, seminars that assist in educating Medical often some of the skills are only taught Students on matters such as the current once, with not a huge opportunity to prac- policy around Abortion, to procedural tise, and some topics, such as women’s skills such as speculum examination and health, cannot be covered by the curric- perineal suturing. ulum due to time constraints. SUOGs and other societies will give you an excellent opportunity to practise and learn Med- icine, and so we definitely recommend jumping in! We hope to see you at our first event, but if you are a keen bean (as Medical Students often are) like/follow us on Facebook “Sydney University Obstetrics and Gynae- cology Society – SUOGS” for updates. All the best and hopefully see you soon. -Ash, President & Bella, VP FF20 52
Other Musings In this Section: 1. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the SMP. 2. AMSA Convention & Convention Culture. 3. Living in Sydney 4. SUMS Guide to Your Mental Health 5. For and Against Working During Med School FF20 53
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the SMP. Well, you’ve finally made it. After months and the lesser amount of content (relative- of telling your family, friends and a succes- ly) makes this an achievable goal. The re- sion of uber drivers that you’re going to be ality of the SMP is that, by the end of first a doctor, its time to sit down and actually year, you will have been given far more lec- do the thing. I can still clearly remember tures than you will be asked questions. To my excitement and sense of purpose when handle this, you must learn the subtle art I was in your shoes. But medical school is of extracting the few key points out of each nothing if not a humbling experience, with hour-long information dump. In practice, my first-year journey being punctuated by this means your time is best spent looking moments of intense hindsight. So here, to at the parts of the lecture that describe ease your transition I present to you some diagnosis and treatment rather than the hard won truths of the SMP, so that you gradual 300-year history of its characteri- might avoid common pitfalls and embrace zation or its incidence in Zimbabwe. first year in all its tumultuous glory. Information overload Marks are different Many metaphors have been coined to And by different, I mean lower. I kid describe the prodigious stuffing of bio- (somewhat), but the nature of assessment medical information that occurs in med in the SMP does have its subtleties. For school: drinking from a fire hydrant or an one thing, the curriculum is pass/fail, with ever-growing collection of pancakes that this being reflected on your transcripts. must been eaten regularly to keep con- This means that in the SMP’s expert opin- tained. Personally, I liken it to that scene ion, reaching a mark of ~60 reflects a solid from The Simpsons where Homer is pun- understanding of the material presented ished for his love of donuts by being force and beyond this, that a pass is functionally fed an infinite amount. But whilst most equal to any other mark above this thresh- are aware of this phenomenon’s existence, old. it is not terribly well explained how this overload will affect the way you should To an academically successful cohort learn. (that’s you!), this may seem trivially low, but it needs be remarked that the curricu- In short, in med school it is just as crucial lum is calibrated so that passing requires to prioritize information as it is to actually a concerted effort and a true knowledge of learn it. Undergrad can prime people to the material. Given the prolonged nature scour every slide for possible question of medical education, try to treat marks as just one way of tracking progress FF20 54
rather than the absolute determinant of The time and energy medicine requires your future success as a pediatric oncolog- of you can insidiously wear away at your ical neurosurgeon. outside commitments, especially around exams. So, make the effort to keep up Sometimes you’ll question your outside relationships. Beyond the everything, and that’s ok refreshing feeling of talking to people who couldn’t care less about what a sagittal If you’re not sensing a general vibe yet, I’ll plane or type 1 hypersensitivity reaction just say it: Med school can be damn tough. is, taking this time can help remind you Its perfectly natural to feel overwhelmed, that the stakes of this course aren’t as high or that you’re not good enough. The im- as they seem. portant thing is to recognize that every- one will feel these emotions at one point Apart from the human side of things, con- or another, and that they will pass. It’s tinuing or even discovering new hobbies also crucial to recognize when these feel- can provide much needed relief from the ings are overwhelming, whether this is in occasionally overbearing atmosphere of yourself or your peers, and to seek help as med, with the added benefit of making early as you can. sure that you’re also not a complete bore at parties. Other times, it’ll all come -Jake Courtenay together Stage 2 Medical Student You might have a moment where you “Maybe you listened to suddenly realize how two organ systems patient and felt that taught months apart beautifully inter- sharing that burden act, or you’ll successfully find a sign in a helped them, even if only patient (bonus points if you do this with a stethoscope). Maybe you listened to a little bit. \" patient and felt that sharing that burden helped them, even if only a little bit. Med- ical school can be full of moments where you’re reminded of why you chose it in the first place. Relish these moments when you can. Med isn’t everything It may seem self-evident, even cliché, but 55 the importance of maintaining a varied life outside of medicine cannot be overstated. FF20
AMSA Convention & Convention Culture. The Most Fun You’ll Have in Medical School. On my first day of medical school orien- USyd proudly reps the most flamboyant tation, amongst the bombardment of wel- of uni costumes – the regal ‘golden lion’ come stalls, stood a small table manned by bodysuit, equip with fluffy lion hats. For two second year students, for the Austra- more conservative attire, we also rock the lian Medical Students Association (AMSA). USyd denim jackets with lion embroidery. Between the piles of pamphlets, pens and Convention has a rich 60-year history, other merch, I was handed a sticker read- from which many traditions and sub-cul- ing ‘SYDNEY: AMSA National Convention tures have emerged. Outside of Conven- 2017’. tion’s stellar line-up of official activities, The stall owners were eager to elaborate there are Rangers who add to the week – “it’s the biggest event of the year for with other, unofficial events. These include med students, they come from all over the an annual inter-varsity “boat race”, and en- country”. “It’s in Sydney this year, so no gagement in ‘Remier League – an exceed- excuses!”. Three Conventions later, I can ingly complicated game in which all are confidently say the decision to attend in welcomed to (p)lay but no-one will teach my first year has had the single biggest you the rules. impact on enriching my journey through There's even a facebook page dedicated to medical school. counting down the days until convention! AMSA National Convention is the largest Convention has been responsible for my student-run convention in the world. Each fondest memories in medical school, year, up to 1000 medical students from as well as a nation-wide community of Australia & New Zealand descend on the friends I would have otherwise never met. host city for one week of academic ple- This year it’s on in Melbourne, June 29th – naries and hands-on workshops during July 4th (a break for Stage 1, I might add). the day, and massive costume-filled so- See you there, Rangers. cials after dark. Academics are broken up mid-week by Sports Day, where delegates -GAI & FSU(r), (“Rangers”, in the Convention lexicon) Zachary Blood don their university costumes for a day of inter-varsity competitions. FF20 56
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Living in Sydney. On Renting. Chippendale. Camperdown. Renting in Sydney can be a (C)Hippendale, wedged in be- The suburb of Camperdown is nightmare. It is expensive, and tween Broadway, USYD and cen- predominantly taken up by Syd- you are competing with thou- tral station, is on the doorstep of ney University and is as close as sands of students for a room. A everything by bus or train. The you can get to class without living few recommendations: area is great, public gardens on campus. It is a friendly place Dress well for inspections, make thrive, all graffiti is amazing and tucked beside busy Newtown sure all your house-mates are my pot plants have not been sto- with a number of parks, young present at the inspection, and len. There are occasional bur- families and crazy dog owners. have your paperwork prepre- glaries, but most places have The walk to lectures can take be- pared + identifying information. bars up, and street lighting is tween five and twenty minutes If you are applying for a room by extremely good all night. Gro- depending on what side of the yourself be sure to be the first ceries are easy, Orange Asian su- suburb you are coming from and one to inspect it after the ads permarket and Broadway Coles is made even shorter by bicycle. go up, but also be discerning re- are within spitting distance. The There are frequent buses going garding potential house-mates. people are awesome, most are into the city along Parramatta The good news is that lessors either international students or Rd, which runs through the sub- love medical students, so put recent grads. So competition for urb. Camperdown has plenty of that on your application. rent pushes costs up a bit. Expect pretty and historic terrace hous- Good websites to start with are: to pay 280330 for a sharehouse, es, which are usually around • domain.com.au 350ish for own bathroom. 2-3 bedrooms, plus a number of • realestate.com.au There are pubs. The Rose is old factories are being convert- • gumtree.com.au pretty relaxed and infested with ed into trendy, new apartments • flatmates.com engineers on a typical Friday for (although extremely expensive). • FB group: Inner West House- cheap beer and good pizza. The Rent is roughly around $300 Abercrombie, recently reopened, and above. It isn’t easy to park mates has cheap food deals most nights around the area as you compete ($3 taco Wednesday is their with other students and staff at Pick a suburb that suits you! most popular) and a good DJs RPA Hospital. Noteworthy estab- most nights. The Lansdowne lishments include the Dairy Bell has good group eating upstairs Icecream Factory on Australia St, and live music downstairs. Store Espresso on Fowler St and There is coffee. Olive Green’s the Grose/Alfred Hotel on Mis- on Broadway makes a smack in senden Rd (perfect for very late the face, a good bitter brew first nights). thing. Lemon Mint Crush oppo- site the humanist society is the Harriet Caterson local’s watering hole, easy drink- ing with hipster flair. Evan Cameron FF20 58
Glebe. Ultimo. Newtown. Situated alongside the main Ultimo! It sounds like a vari- Newtown is on the opposite campus, on the other side of ety of pizza so it’s already got side of campus to Glebe, and is Parramatta Road, is sleepy plus points if you ask me! The one of the closest suburbs to the Glebe. Rent in this suburb is Ultimo pizza has sensible top- University. It is known for its around $220-250 for a room. pings, scattered all within good Thai restaurants, eccentric lo- Glebe Point Road is laden with proximity of each other – not cals, Thai restaurants, fabulous shopfronts with accommoda- too overloaded or heavy due to bars, and Thai restaurants. Rent tion above them and the alleys excessive cheese, ham, people or in Newtown starts at around and lanes behind these can hide traffic. USyd, Broadway, Darling $380 a week for a studio or one some gorgeous little terraces Harbour and Central Station bedroom apartment, and a room and even some more modern are all within 15mins walk in a shared house or flat will rendered apartments. and if you like some prawns or set you back around $200 at a Of an evening there are some anchovies on your Ultimo, the minimum. Rent prices tend to excellent bars to revel in (Differ- famous Sydney Fish Market is get cheaper heading south along ent Drummer, The Little Guy) or nearby too. While your average King Street, which is slightly you might prefer a $10 count- pizza would cost around $8, the further from campus, but has er-meal to the tune of trivia Ultimo is a bit more upmarket more of the eclectic and slightly (The Roxbury, The AB Hotel). A due to its fantastic location and grungy atmosphere that New- clever study tool that Glebe has young family demographic. town is known for. incorporated is its early closing Being on the cusp of China- Newtown has a booming bar times. Most bars close at 10pm town, international cuisine is and restaurant scene and one through the week and midnight available in abundance and of the best places to visit along on weekends (except Different there are plenty of edible $10 King Street is the Newtown Drummer, closing later, provid- pub meals available all the way Hotel. Drinks are fairly cheap ing a great spot for a late night down Harris St. A quick city and the atmosphere is fantastic. dram; I recommend the Cru- jaunt extends your options even Other great night time establish- zan, neat). Throughout the day further. For the fitness fanatics, ments along King Street include you can check out some funky the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre, the Bank Hotel and the Marlbor- antique stores or the countless Wentworth Park, and Ultimo ough. cafes; the most excellent of all Community Centre offer plenty In addition to great night spots, being The Wedge Espresso. of options. The Ultimo could be there are many places to eat and For all its charm, Glebe does lack your perfect (home)base. shop along King Street. Public public transport options late at transport is excellent, with sev- night. The 431 is as capricious Ritu Chaurasia eral bus services running along as the breeze. Also, if you are King Street, and a train station averse to dogs, perhaps steer located near the fork of King St clear of Glebe. Everyone who is and Enmore Road.On the whole residential has a dog. Even the I can’t recommend Newtown dogs have dogs. Sometimes I enough, if you like a taste of the don’t know who is walking who. unusual, then Newtown is for you. Andrew Mamo Amy McTaggart FF20 59
SUMS Guide to Your Mental Health. From studying for the GAMSAT and acing your undergraduate courses, to accepting your University of Sydney Medical School offer … you’ve worked HARD to be here and are about to embark on a very exciting and rewarding journey! Though there will be great fun, it will definitely be challenging. Stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression are very common among medical students. The best way to protect your mental health this year is to be proactive and SUMS is here to help!! Here is a short mental health guide to help you thrive throughout your first year and beyond! You are on your own journey! To have been admitted to medical school in the first place means you are probably a bright, hardworking, ambitious individ- ual, and you most likely did exceptionally well in your previous university program. You are about to be meeting ~270 other people from around the world who also did exceptionally well in their degrees in a diverse array of subjects. It is natural to want to compare yourself to others and judge how or where you’ll fit in, however, it is important to keep in mind that every student brings something unique to the program – whether it’s knowing the an- swer to a specific basic science question, understanding the economical layout of the healthcare system, or understanding how to connect and talk with patients. Medical school is hard! It’s okay to not know the answers to everything and trust me, you won’t! Someone who shares what they know about one topic might not know something about another. Be humble, own what you know, and be open to learning from as many students, teachers and men- tors as possible! FF20 60
It’s a marathon, not a sprint! You are going to be learning A LOT of material and there will always be more studying that you can do… NO MAT- TER WHAT! It’s important to schedule in breaks to see friends, go for a walk, read that book, etc, as it’s not possible to main- tain the same mental stamina without them. Gone are the days of “cramming” in the final week before exams – you’re in this for the long haul! Taking a break is not “slacking off” from your schoolwork, it’s you performing at your best! Breaks are important for productivity and will give you an opportunity to keep up with your interests beyond medical school. Being a medical student is only one part of your identity and having other things you care about will help you stay happy and well, especially when med school gets tough. You’ve never been a med student before! Be flexible! It’s common to overestimate how much time is in a day or underestimate how complex some concepts may be. If you don’t get through your entire “to do” checklist, THAT’S OKAY! Try not to be too hard on yourself. Give yourself space this year to experiment with different study strategies to see what works best for you. Try, fail, try again, (fail again) and then succeed! Also keep in mind that group study can be incredibly valuable for learning AND is a good way to avoid isolating yourself inside your text- books. You can discuss topics as a group, draw out mechanisms on a white-board, or simply sit with peers in a quiet place while studying independently. Don’t forget to spend time with people away from the textbooks all together as well. FF20 61
Eat nutritious, study often, move 62 daily, sleep well A healthy lifestyle means a healthy brain and a healthy you! Find an exercise rou- tine that is convenient so you can squeeze in some movement even when that to-do list gets long. If you feel unmotivated, try working out with a friend or attending a group exercise class to make physical ac- tivity more enjoyable! Exercise is not just for your physical fitness, but also improves your cognition, memory, and processing speed – qualities that are great for medi- cal school! In other words, exercise makes memorizing your 10,000 ANKI cards a lot easier! Eating a balanced diet and getting a good sleep are also just as important for maintaining a healthy mind. Find your #foodinspo for prepping healthy meals to bring to class and set an alarm when it’s time to shut the books and head to bed. Tim tams and all-nighters aren’t going to get you through this marathon! FF20
Pay attention to how you are feeling! Some days you will feel more energet- So, remember to put yourself first this ic and positive than others and that is year. It’s your OWN journey, you’re here okay. But recognize if your mental health for the long haul, be open to new possibil- starts feeling worse on most days. This ities, take care of your health and have a can be a clue that it’s time for you to find plan in place in case medical school stress some extra support. Burnout is a state of starts to take over. emotional, physical, and mental exhaus- tion caused by excessive and prolonged If you are looking for more mental health stress. It may include a loss of passion, and wellness support: motivation, and concentration. It can be • Take a look at the “WellSMP” resource challenging to want to seek help at this stage, so our best advice is to be proactive! on Canvas BEFORE the stress really starts to kick in, • Contact CAPS (Counselling and Psycho- it’s a great idea to have some stress-man- agement strategies already in place so logical Services) at the University of you know how to take control and come Sydney back to your calm state. One simple strat- • Talk to your GP egy is to write a to-do list. Sometimes our • Contact your Mental Health and Well- worried mind exaggerates how much we ness Officers: Kira Sklar and Julia Ham- need to accomplish but writing out your er ([email protected] and tasks can help you establish priorities [email protected] ) and timelines, while saving a little bit of mental energy from trying to remember - Kira Sklar & Julia Hamer, Mental Health what’s next. Other strategies can include and Wellness Officers 2020 breathing techniques (e.g., taking 5 deep breaths), exercise, yoga, talking to a friend, painting/doing a craft, listening to mu- sic, dancing or just taking a break from the constant study. No one is immune to stress, burnout, anxiety or depression, so know that there is nothing wrong with YOU if you start feeling not like yourself! And there is nothing wrong or shameful about getting psychological support. You are simply seeking a medical professional to help you feel healthy, just as you would if you had an infection. FF20 63
For and Against: Working. FOR AGAINST I’m here to tell you, regardless of what people Unless you are blessed with supportive parents may say, it is definitely possible to maintain or supportive partner or an apartment and part-time or casual work and arguably it may food budget that is actually covered by Cen- actually be beneficial for you to work through- trelink (in Sydney- HA) then it’s highly likely out at least the early stages of the SMP. Here’s you’ll need employment of some sort. But how why: much is actually appropriate? Well folks, here (1) Lectures can be listened to online very is my cautionary tale on what not to do… easily - I made time to listen to every single A wise and incredible lecturer named Suzanne lecture online but by not going in person that Ollerenshaw in our very first week of PBL en- freed up a LOT of time for work. Go to practi- couraged us to stick to less than 10 hours a cals however and take decent notes! week. I won’t lie, I laughed at the thought of (2) Whatever work you do, make it conve- doing so little work, perhaps I was a little cocky nient! Your place of work should be easy to in thinking I’d be able to do at least 20 in this get to and from, and I’d say preferably a job in degree. I finally found a job (it took time) and which you can work short shifts e.g. 3-5 hours then settled in to what I thought was a great at a time. life/social/ work balance. But, I soon found (3) Set boundaries - early on decide how myself saying yes to the extra shifts and my many hours you think you can manage and grades suffered. then discuss this with your employer so you But, the real argument against work is that the each know what to expect from each other. SMP takes time. There is time needed to set- (4) Accept that you should not work in the tle in, to meet new people within your year, to week or fortnight leading up to your major become involved in all the amazing opportu- exams - I made this mistake for the first two nities available to you and to fully experience large exams and I think my marks suffered a what it is like to be a medical student. There bit for it. is time required to attend your lectures (don’t (5) If it’s getting to be too much and you can skip these- this is how you meet people who cut back your hours of work while still man- help you stay sane and study), labs, to prepare aging to survive (because, food) then do it. for PBL’s, to revise for clinical and your exams. Don’t think twice about it - your mental health Time to be a person- to catch up with friends, is more important that those extra dollars. to exercise, to explore your new home, find (6) Talk to someone if you’re struggling to your favourite café and of course find time for maintain work/study balance - some people all the other basic life tasks. don’t have a choice and have to work; unfor- The truth is, for many of you, your sanity will tunately this fact seems to be a bit hush hush require you to limit your time spent at work. I and it took me a while to find people who ask all of you to come to the realisation early were also working as much as I was - find that many of you will be poor; financially and those people, and talk to them about how time wise- but rich in new found friendships, they cope - you may pick up some helpful and opportunities and knowledge. handy tips from them like I did! -Georgia Shimmin -Katie Hobbs FF20 64
A Final Word. It has been an absolute pleasure to put together this guide for the incoming first years in 2020. Medical School is a fantastic and difficult ride, and if any- thing in this edition of Feet First has calmed your nerves even the slightest, then I am ecstatic. A lot of hard work went into this, and I must thank SUMS, particularly Cathee, for helping me put this together. Thank you to those who sent me content and passionately put forward pieces that they thought you would like to read. Thank you, finally, to the incoming first years. I hope you enjoyed Feet First 2020 and I hope your first year in medical school is as re- warding as myself and many others have found theirs to be. Enjoy your first year, take any opportunity by the horns and take care of yourselves. -Brooke Carmody Director of Publications 2020 FF20 65
Write for us. If you thought whilst reading this magazine that it was interesting, thought provoking, fun or just had a nice aesthetic, think about how great it would be to write for it! Innominate is the yearly SUMS magazine and I'm taking submissions to include all year; if you want to write it, I want to publish it. Innominate is so brilliant it actually won the Publication of the Year from AMSA in 2012. Email Brooke Carmody ([email protected]) to get involved Thank you to those who contributed words, pictures or ideas to Feet First 2020. Without your help, this wouldn't be possible. Feet First 2020 A Guide to Incoming Students of the Sydney Medical Program
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