There has been a small change in the Executive and we are pleased to announce that Esther Zhou (UNSW) has been appointed as Director of Functions.

The NSWMSC Executive for 2015 is comprised of:
Chair: Neel Gobin - UWS
Secretary: Sarah Lewis - Wollongong
Treasurer: Sam Ng - UNSW
Sponsorship Officer: Jessica Tay - UNE
Director of Functions: Esther Zhou - UNSW
Public Relations Officer - Chris Lemon - Notre Dame
IT Officer: Rafael Ekmejian - UNSW

You can find out more about the Executive's profiles here: http://www.nswmsc.org.au/2015-executive.html

If you are new to the organisation, we encourage you to browse our website to learn more about what we do for students, and what we are currently working on - events/advocacy/representation! You can also read our Chair's welcome message here: http://www.nswmsc.org.au/welcome-from-the-chair.html

We are always happy to hear from medical students who would like to get involved in our projects and initiatives - make sure you join our mailing list so you don't miss our updates!

We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!

NSWMSC is pleased to offer 2 student scholarships, worth $100 each, to the following event: iDEA15, 14-15 March 2015.

Some information about the Conference:

iDEA15 is DEA's annual national conference and Australia's largest climate and health conference!  

Become informed, inspired and meet fellow passionate Australian Medical Students and Doctors, and learn about opportunities in DEA for the upcoming year, including our advocacy for the UN Climate negotiations in Paris at the end of the year! 

So if you are passionate about global health and keen to know more about climate change - the greatest threat to global health in the 21st Century - and how you can make a positive contribution, iDEA15 is for you!

Internationally renowned speakers include: 

• Dr John Hewson (economic and climate expert)
  
• Dr John Collee (former Emergency Physician, co-founder of 350.org Australia and screenwriter of Happy Feet!)
  
• Dr Alessandro Demaio (co-founder of NCDfree, Postdoctorate Fellow at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor at Copenhagen School of Global Health)
  
• Professor Lesley Hughes (Councillor at the Climate Council) 
  
• Nick Watts from the World Health Organisation
  

NSWMSC & the iDEA15 organising committee are pleased to offer two full student scholarships worth $100 each, to medical students interested in attending this event. The scholarships include:

• Full registration for 2 days including certificate of attendance
• Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea
• Pre-conference workshops on Friday
• Saturday night social function

For more information please visit  http://www.idea15.net/  

To apply, please email [email protected] by 11:59pm Wednesday 4 March 2015, stating (in a few words) why you would like to attend. Please include your full name, university, year level and contact details. 
Successful candidates will be advised by Friday 6 March 2015.

Good luck!

The NSW Medical Students' Council is currently finalising it's election priorities for the upcoming NSW State Elections, on 28 March 2015. The election priorities represent the interests of medical students across all of NSW, that we will be advocating for.

Let us know what you think are the big issues for medical students in this state election - whether it be internships, wellbeing, additional funding for specific projects etc.

Please send us your comments via this blog to ensure your voice is heard, or email Chris Lemon, the NSWMSC Public Relations Officer ([email protected]). We look forward to hearing from you!

The Council of Australian Governments Health Council has commissioned an independent National Review of Medical Intern Training.

1. Purpose
The purpose of the Review is to examine the current medical internship model and consider potential reforms to support medical graduate transition into practice and further training and to ensure that the workforce continues to be well trained, fit for purpose and is equipped to meet the changing health needs of the Australian population.

2. Scope
The Review will focus on medical intern training in Australia, particularly:

• The purpose of internship and whether the current model remains valid and fit for purpose.
• The effectiveness of the internship year in producing doctors with appropriate skills and competencies to meet national health care needs and support generalist practice.
• The role of internship in supporting career decision making by doctors.
• Models to support expansion of training settings.

3. Project Overview
Phase One of the Review will occur over twelve months and will develop recommendations, while Phase Two will consider the impacts of these recommendations on other parts of the training system.            

A consultation process will include a written submission process, key stakeholders meetings and forums in every State and Territory. Following this consultation period, an Options paper will be developed to canvass potential modifications to the current system, with further, targeted consultation on these options to inform the development of a final set of recommendations to the COAG Health Council. 

There are two forums being held in March 2015 in Sydney, and NSW Medical Students' Council has been invited to attend both consultation forums.


Can the current medical internship model be improved or changed, so that it meets its goals?


"Internship is a period of mandatory supervised general clinical experience. It allows medical graduates to consolidate and apply clinical knowledge and skills while taking increasing responsibility for the provision of safe, high quality patient care. Diagnostic skills, communication skills, management skills, including therapeutic and procedural skills, and professionalism are developed under appropriate supervision. Internship also informs career choices for many graduates by providing experience in different medical specialties including general practice, and providing a grounding for subsequent vocational (specialist) training. 

Completion of the internship leads to general registration. General registration indicates that the practitioner has the skills, knowledge and experience to work as a safe entry level medical practitioner able to practise within the limits of their training." - Taken from Medical Board of Australia (www.medicalboard.gov.au/Registration-Standards.aspx)


We would like to hear from you - your views and thoughts would help us in better representing you! We are particularly interested to hear from final year medical students, interns, residents & registrars, and senior clinicians. 

Please get in touch with the NSWMSC Chair, Neel Gobin ([email protected]) to get involved in this project.

NSWMSC is pleased to offer student scholarships, worth $450 each, to the following event: Tick-borne diseases in Australia - The Way Forward: 7-8 March 2015.

Some information about the Conference:

The 3rd International Tick- Borne Diseases Conference (TBD15), will be held on weekend 7-8 March 2015 at the Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney. 

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are emerging zoonotic infections that clinicians of the near future need to address. There are pathogens in Australian ticks that are making people ill after a bite. The Chief Medical Officer of Australia, Professor Chris Baggoley, has begun to address the issues of TBDs in Australia by setting up an investigative committee . Ongoing research and clinical experience is needed to elucidate the pathogens and their clinical implications to disease in Australia.

The aim of TBD15 is to bring international clinicians and scientists together so each party can impart their experience to each other, from clinic and laboratory, and to create a path to move forward in this field.  

TBD15 continues with relevant themes and are proud to present the plenary speakers; Professor Jeremy Coplan from State University, New York, a psychiatrist who treats mental health issues encountered with TBDs; Associate Professor Diego Cadavid, a neurologist and immunologist from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, who has been treating relapsing fever, a chronic tick-borne illness; and Dr Stephen Harris from Pacific Frontier Medical Inc., San Francisco, a prominent internist and TBDs educator with extensive experience in diagnosing and treating TBDs.


NSWMSC & the Karl McManus Foundation are pleased to offer full student scholarships worth $450 each, to medical students interested in attending this event. The scholarships include:

• Full registration for 2 days
• Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea
• Access to all sessions, panel discussion

Please note that tickets to the wine tasting function & conference dinner can be purchased separately. The Conference program can be found below. Please visit the following website for more information: http://karlmcmanusfoundation.org.au/news/10/32/3rd-International-Tick-Borne-Diseases

To apply, please email [email protected] by 11:59pm Friday 27 February 2015, stating (in a few words) why you would like to attend. Please include your full name, university, year level and contact details. 
Successful candidates will be advised by Sunday 1 March 2015.

Good luck!

NSWMSC will be present at the 2015 AMA Trainee Forum, on Saturday 21 February 2015.

Attending this forum: AMA Federal President & Vice President, AMA Council of Doctors in Training Chair & Deputy Chair, AMSA, Representatives from AMA QLD, AMA NSW, AMA WA, AMA NT, AMA VIC, AMA SA.

Observers include representatives from AIDA, GPRA, ACEM, ACRRM, Colleges (Radiologists, Anaesthetists, Neurologists, Dermatologists, Surgeons, O&G, Pathologists) and NSWMSC.

Sessions include the role of trainees in delivering future health, workforce reform and consultation on the revised specialist accreditation standards. The report of the 2014 Specialist Trainee Survey will also be released. The AMA Trainee Forum provides doctors in training and representatives from college trainee committees with an important opportunity to discuss current issues in medical education and training. 

If you would like to discuss issues relevant to doctors in training (such as medical training, medical workforce maldistribution, improving doctors' health), please get in touch with the  NSWMSC Chair, Neel Gobin ([email protected]). 

We look forward to hearing from you!

Passionate about health-related issues? Interested in policy writing, advocacy work or keen to get involved in our events?

The NSWMSC Executive has the pleasure of inviting medical students to attend the 1st NSWMSC Council meeting for 2015 - we have 5 observer spots available!  It will be held on Sunday 15 February 2015, from 2pm to 5pm.

The NSWMSC Council is comprised of NSWMSC Representatives from each of the 7 medical schools in NSW, MedSoc Presidents and the NSWMSC Executive. 

Agenda items for the 1st Council meeting includes reports from the Executive, presentations by MedSocs, discussion regarding election priorities for NSW state elections, and other issues relevant to medical students.

RSVP is essential as we only have 5 spots available. Please get in touch with Sarah ([email protected]) by 8pm Saturday 14 February 2015 if you would like to register your interest in attending!