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Welcome to the RuralUP E-Newsletter. The purpose of the newsletter is to inform, inspire and connect students studying Medicine at Western Sydney University with opportunities to explore careers in rural or remote areas.
Our subscribers are students, medical practitioners, individuals in rural communities and organisations related to rural health. We encourage you to share the newsletter with others who would like to get involved!

We welcome your contributions - tell us what you have learned, what you have been doing and where you have been.
RURAL UNDERGRADUATE PATHWAY
[RuralUP]
The Rural Undergraduate Pathway (RuralUP) is designed to allow students in the School of Medicine to explore opportunities in rural areas as an undergraduate and learn about rural health. Through RuralUP, students gain an understanding of what it's like to work in rural and remote communities and develop their peer and professional networks. If you would like to know more, see the RuralUP website.
RuralUP MEMBERSHIP
 
RuralUP Membership is a quick and easy way to access information and activities designed to support your rural health aspirations.

It’s as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Complete the RuralUP Membership Application

2. Participate in a RuralUP Interview

3. Receive a RuralUP Experience Record (RER) – and start participating in RuralUP and other activities

Register NOW, using the link below:
https://careerhub.westernsydney.edu.au/students/workflows/detail/34

When your 'one off' membership application is completed, you will then be able to start accessing RuralUP content and activities, and start building your RuralUP Experience Record (RER).

The RuralUP Experience Record (RER) is students' way to record their involvement in activities related to rural health.

You can access content in the 'Virtually Rural' library on the RuralUP website (www.ruralup.com.au), and find face-to-face activities in the calendar, which is filled with events that students can get involved in (when Covid-19 restrictions are removed), including:
  • conducting free Health Checks at rural events
  • taking part in inter-disciplinary practical experiences
  • assisting at presentations and more...
COMING UP
Disclaimer: Unfortunately due to the current Covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions we are unable to deliver any of our planned RuralUP (Face-to-Face) events and activities, however you can still access the Virtually Rural content on the RuralUP website.

Postponed Events: 
      JULY
  • BREX (Bathurst Rural Experience): Clinical Simulation and Trauma Scenario Weekend. 2nd & 3rd July 2021.
  • RHUWS & RuralUP Community Health Day: WSU Lithgow Engagement Hub. 8th July 2021.
  • Mudgee Small Farm Field Days: Community Health Checks & Covid Management. 9th & 10th July 2021.

OUT AND ABOUT
Bathurst 9's Community Sports Day:
WSU Community Sports Day - Bathurst 9s: Sports, Health Checks, Multi-Service Health Hub, Head Injury Assessments, Injury Management, First Aid, Prof Wilson on-site Tutorials (WSU & CSU Med Students, RHUWS, RuralUP Allied Health & Nursing)
Watch the story via this link
https://www.prime7.com.au/news/7461797-new-concept
Bathurst 500 Supercars 27th and 28th February 2021:
COVID Crew Support & Health Check Pit Stop - WSU & CSU Medical Students, RHUWS, RuralUP Allied Health & Nursing students. Students carried out blood pressure and blood sugar checks, lifestyle evaluations and COVID Management.

Aboriginal Health Careers Expo's (Bathurst & Orange):
Inspiring Aboriginal High School students from the Central West Region. We provided them with fun and interactive clinical experiences to support them in considering a career in Health with Western Sydney University.
FirstAid4Kids 2021:
School of Medicine - Primary Partners Program. It's great to be back doing what we love - inspiring future health professionals, with practical experience through ‘hands on’ health workshops, relevant information on higher education providers, pathways, benefits and impacts.

We raise awareness of higher education health disciplines, current rural health issues, workforce shortages and priorities. Building student aspirations for a career in Health through rural health practicums, events and opportunities.

Regional Careers Expo's:
Students from Central & Far West High schools (including Young, Forbes, Dubbo and Bathurst) took the opportunity to attend one of our Careers Expo's full of information and hands on experiences.
Royal Bathurst Show (Health Hub & Teddy Bear Hospital):
Thank you to all the WSU, CSU and Local High School students who joined the WSU Health Hub & Teddy Bear Hospital at the Bathurst Show.

Special thanks to Buck Reed & Krista Cockrell for transporting our metro based Medicine/Allied Health/Nursing students out to Bathurst to share in the experience. We enjoyed a fantastic event with amazing engagement with the community.

A special mention to all the local health and community service providers for supporting our community engagement initiative.

Western LHD; RAMPH (Rural Mental Health); Cancer Council; The Neighbourhood Centre; Capital Chemist; Verto; Hearing Australia; Vision Australia; Headspace; Pollett Martial Arts; Bathurst Strength and Conditioning; JR Physio; Veritas House; Ronald Macdonald House; Fairy Dust Face Painting
Boys 2 The Bush Program:
A group of local students who are part of the Boys 2 the Bush Program came to learn about Health, First Aid and Farm Safety at the Bathurst School of Rural Medicine. 
See the story shown on Prime Television.
https://www.facebook.com/PRIME7NewsCentralWest/videos/349147506635086
12 Month Rural Placement Student Orientation:
Orientation Week - COVID style took place with our new cohort of students arriving in Bathurst for their 12 month Rural Placement. Straight into 14 days isolation, their computers became their constant companion with Orientation taking place over Zoom!


To help our new students with their isolation, "Care Packs" full of food treats, a variety of teas, coffee and even a plant for them to look after were delivered - contact free of course!!
 
Multi-Sports 2021: 
For the students at the rural clinical schools, this rotation is not just about study - it's a chance to become immersed in a new community. Once again this season, the Bathurst group entered two teams in the local Multi-Sports Competition, made up of the recently-arrived Year 4 students and the Assistants-in-Medicine (Year 5 students). They're having a great time playing: basketball, netball, soccer, European handball, touch football, ultimate frisbee and volleyball.
Aboriginal Corroboree:
WSU Rural Medical School got on board and supported the Aboriginal Corroboree held at Denison College: Kelso Campus on a freezing Friday in June. 
 
We provided bottled water and plenty of fruit, which was enjoyed by the 500 students that joined in this wonderful opportunity to see and participate in Aboriginal dance.
RURAL UP PEOPLE ...
From Olympian to Western Sydney University to Medical Doctor!!
Pittman has one of Australia’s most recognisable faces, thanks to her 15 years at the height of international sport. Throughout the 2000s and the 2010s, she represented Australia at three Olympic Games and became a two-time World Champion and four-time Commonwealth Champion. She is also the first Australian woman to compete at both a summer and winter Olympics, as both a hurdler and in bobsled.

And while her success in sport is what most Australians would associate Pittman with, she’s a multi-talented person who now enjoys a fulfilling career in medicine, specifically in women’s health.
“The transition was very swift,” Pittman tells host Kate Mills in the podcast. “I basically finished athletics in 2012 and I did bobsled and medicine concurrently. 2013 was our first sliding year internationally in bobsled and it was also my first year of medicine.”

Pittman says that despite never fulfilling her goal of winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games, that disappointment helped open new opportunities that ultimately led her to become a doctor. And in hindsight, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Sometimes no matter how hard you try at something, we are human and we are fallible,” she said. “When one door closes – and that for me was a giant door, the Olympic gold medal – another one opens.”
“I truly believe I wouldn’t have become a doctor and I wouldn’t have become a women’s health advocate had I gone down that sports pathway more.”

Now, Pittman works primarily in obstetrics and gynaecology in a job she’s always dreamed of. It’s also allowed her to become a fierce advocate for women’s health and an ambassador for the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation.

As a doctor who sees in real time the devastation a cancer diagnosis can cause, Pittman wants women all over Australia to start talking openly about cervical cancer and keeping up with screenings.
“It’s a taboo topic, let’s be honest. It’s hard to talk about vaginas, it’s hard to talk about having pap smears or what we call cervical screening now, but it’s one of the cancers – despite it not being talked about – that we can entirely eradicate in a number of years,” Pittman said.  “Like in our lifetime. And that’s unheard of.”

Unfortunately, most women are really behind on their screenings – a dangerous reality that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic, with women tending to put off attending their doctor.
“A large portion of Australian women will not be up to date with their cervical screening. Yes, because it’s uncomfortable and I know it’s difficult to lie there and have a speculum exam but I’ve actually been personally affected by it twice now,” she said.
“I’ve returned positive tests two times and had to have the treatment and I just feel so lucky that I live in a country where it has that available, and hope women can start talking about it.”

On the surface, Pittman seems like one of those elusive people who never stops. She’s a mother of four, a doctor, and previously spent years dedicated to a successful career in sport. In the podcast, you can hear the energy in the way she talks so passionately about her life – she’s clearly bubbly, bright, and determined.
But she also wants you to know that she’s not invincible, and she’s a big believer in allowing herself to take a break when she feels run down. And yes, it is something that happens to her regularly.

“I do have an enormous amount of energy and that’s because on the days that I feel terrible, when I’m getting down at work or something isn’t going the way I hoped it was, I allow that emotion to play into me.
“I just allow myself to break when I need it and by doing that, and seeing that early, I’m then able to basically move on and move past that. The next day I can wake up and re-attack my goals.
“If I didn’t allow myself to have those days, I wouldn’t have the successful ones as well.”

(https://womensagenda.com.au/)
Meet Dr Ross Wilson from the Bathurst Rural Clinical School.

His advice to medical students considering working in regional Australia is to educate themselves widely.
“If you want to choose a specialisation there are umpteen thousand positions available to you, but make that as general as possible,” he says. “Make yourself skilled in as many areas of your specialty as you can. Learn a bit about cardiology, learn a bit about haematology, learn a bit about thoracic medicine, so that you cover the whole gamut of general physician... You can do as much volunteer work as you want you can do as much highly paid work as you want, it’s ultimately flexible.”

Dr Wilson is pictured with his wife Jeannette on their farm where they host a Farm Safety Training Day for students.
Meet Laura Beaumont - 3rd year Western Sydney University Medical Student and RHUWS Executive
When did you decide to be a Doctor and why?
For as long as I can remember I have been interested in Medicine.  However at 13 I broke my elbow in our stockyards and was amazed that everyone involved in my care was female!  Then coming home from school a neighbour needed help with a visitor who was having a heart attack.  While we did what we could he didn’t survive. He was the uncle of one of my class mates – in a small town these things are quite personal.  This made me even surer that I wanted to do medicine and expand my skills to use rurally.

Did you ever consider other health professions? Why did you want to become a doctor as opposed to another health professional?
I didn’t actually – I was totally invested in getting into medicine. If I hadn’t then I guess I would have looked at other options perhaps paramedical?

Did you tell people, school teachers and friends of your goal to become a doctor? What was their reaction?
I did and they were really  supportive. My parents were wonderfully supportive and my school teachers helped with anything and everything I needed. 

Did you have a mentor or someone who gave you guidance regarding your career before you were accepted into Medicine?
I really didn’t know anyone in the medical profession prior to entering myself. Interestingly it was my PE teacher who suggested when I was deciding on HSC subjects that I do PE instead of Modern History, to support my interest in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics  and critical thinking skills.

When you decided to apply for medicine what were your first steps and did you map out a plan?  
Year 11/12 subject selection was the first step, then came UMAT preparation and a LOT of internet research into life in Medicine and the different uni’s. Next up was interview preparation and finally packing up and moving out of home after receiving my offer!

What tips can you give our audience about the application or selection processes? How many Universities did you apply to?
Apply to everywhere you’re eligible for to maximise your chances. If this is really your dream, having to move away from family/friends is only a small sacrifice for a lifetime of loving your job! I applied to all the universities in NSW that offered direct entry to their course from school.

Did you enter medicine through a specific entry pathway? For example; rural or Indigenous?
I entered medicine through the rural entry pathway. It was great experience because they offered for all rural students to come and stay on campus, tour the facilities and get to know the staff!

Your older brother had a career in building and construction what made him change his mind about that career to want to study Medicine?
Rhys saw how satisfied and engaged I am in what I am doing and was looking for this for himself. We talked so much and he could also see how much it meant to me  that he decided that he would explore the same career.  He recently sat the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) the current version of the admission exam and has done well.  Medicine is such an incredibly rewarding career and offers opportunities to help people in the most vulnerable situations they will ever be in - there’s a sense of connectedness and feeling of everyday being worthwhile, which I feel lacks in other professions - it is very rewarding!

As you are in a direct entry or undergraduate program you would have been required to sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test or UCAT - What is involved with this exam? How did you prepare for it and where did you take the exam? Any advice you would give?
Compare your and your brother’s experiences. I sat the UMAT (the old, paper-based version of the test), however with my brother recently undertaking the UCAT, I can say the preparation is very similar!

Did you have to sit interviews as part of your application process?
I did I undertook Multiple Mini Interviews at a couple of universities. I think this is the preferred method of interviewing for a lot of places now, but know that a couple of Uni’s still prefer the old-school panel interviews.

Please share what you remember about the interview? How did you prepare for it?
The interviews ask a variety of questions - from acting scenarios, to interpreting graphs or videos, to speaking about your motivation for getting into medicine, to working out puzzles and multi-tasking under time-pressure. I think the best form of preparation is getting out and speaking with new people - I found the best way to apply for this was my customer service job at Bunnings!

You are studying at a Rural Clinical School campus. Has your clinical experience been different to your previous metropolitan placements? In what way?
I’ve had rotation up in Ballina, through the Lismore Rural Clinical School - it was a fantastic, small-town atmosphere. By the end of the 5 weeks, I think everyone in the hospital knew my name. I’m also heading out to Bathurst next year for a long-term rural immersion experience which I am really looking forward to.

What was your overall experience in applying for medicine and what are key message you would like anyone considering medicine to take onboard? 
It seemed at the time like a really long process but ultimately worth it.

What is one piece of advice you wish you were given before starting your medical journey?
I would say to my 18 year old self and anyone else thinking about this career enjoy each stage of the journey and don’t compare your path to anyone else’s.  Make sure too that you get your work and life balance sorted.

I would also say that any preparation you do at school, preparing for admission processes is an investment in the future – that helps to put the time spent doing this over often a long period in perspective.

There are a lot of different study techniques, how did you find the right one for you?
Definitely trial and error!

What is it about medicine that you could never prepare for?
I think the very same thing that draws most people into medicine, is the thing that we are also least prepared for - the human connection! Seeing people in some of their lowest points, and others at their best, is really a rollercoaster ride that you have to just accept and roll with.

https://www.nrhsn.org.au/all-clubs/rhuws/
... PLACES
Welcome to Bathurst. Bathurst is home to one of Western Sydney University's Rural Clinical Schools which is located in the beautiful Bathurst Heritage Hospital building (pictured below).

There are a number of RuralUP events held in Bathurst - see the RuralUP website. Students are encouraged to take the opportunity to see the town, meet some locals and picture yourself working here.

Bathurst hosts many sporting, music and cultural events each year, one of the best know being the Bathurst1000 car race at Mount Panorama. There are natural attractions close by which include walking trails and caves. For information about these other events, see Destination NSW, Bathurst.
IN THE WORKPLACE
Tips to avoid foggy glasses!!
  1. Before putting on your face mask, try washing your glass lenses with soapy water and shake off the excess moisture. Then let the glasses dry naturally or gently dry with a clean microfiber cloth.
  2. Another trick is to stick a piece of double-sided tape across the bridge of your nose before putting your mask on, this will create a better seal stopping the lenses from fogging up.
  3. Use a snugly fitting mask as it can shoot that air out of the bottom or sides of the mask and away from your glasses, whereas a loose-fitting mask lets exhaled air head toward your glasses. A mask with a mouldable piece around the nose (like a small piece of wire) works best.
  4. Check with an Optometrist or a chemist for over-the-counter anti-fogging sprays, waxes and gels to apply to your lenses before putting your glasses on. This can quickly disperse tiny fog droplets when you’re wearing a mask. Don’t use anti-fogging products designed for cars or other purposes, as they might ruin your prescription lenses.
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