MEDICUS FEBRUARY 2016

O P I N I O N

New Beginnings

Daniel Dorevitch President, Western Australian Medical Students' Society

A s the academic calendar warms up for 2016, we have the joy of welcoming a new cohort of medical students into the WAMSS family. Two hundred and forty postgraduates from universities around Australia and overseas converge upon UWA for the next four years of their lives. Among them will certainly be the future leaders of our humble Society, as well as the medical fraternity of Western Australia. But for now, they are new to medicine, many of them also new to our sunny state, unsure of what the coming weeks hold and in dire need of some direction and advice as they have schedules, lectures, lab-coats, stethoscopes and textbooks heaped upon them from all angles. The first few weeks of the MD course are an overwhelming experience. Nearly 250 new people to meet, lectures from course coordinators and administrators, campus orientation, talks from various doctors and other inspiring individuals, small group tutorials focusing on learning in medicine and global health...and far more. Enter WAMSS. Having all (relatively) recently gone through this process ourselves and now with two senior cohorts from the new MD course, we have built a wealth of knowledge that goes alongside the standard introductory curriculum. In classic medical collegiate fashion, it’s only fair that this knowledge be shared and so the WAMSS Orientation Representatives go to work.

Thomas Ikonomidis and Elizabeth Carr who have taken on this role for 2016 have done a spectacular job of organising a two-day camp which takes place at the end of the first teaching week. Med Survivor Camp offers students the chance to get to know their peers in less formal surroundings, actively encouraging them to meet as many new students as possible through social activities and sports. Additionally, the students hear from WAMSS, AMSA (Australian Medical Students’ Association), Dr YES, and older students about the extra- curricular opportunities available to them during medical school, as well as action-packed medical workshops to give them a head start on some of the skills they will learn during their degree. To complement the camp, the 2016 Publications Representatives, Brian Wong, Bojana Surla and Sophia Connor, have put together The Capsule , a digital magazine for First Year medical students, encapsulating (sorry, couldn’t resist) all necessary information for students to survive the gruelling experience that medicine can be. They have truly outdone themselves, with a comprehensive guide to Perth life for non-locals, an overview of the MD course highlighting important not-to-miss information, as well as an extensive list of tips from past students. It really gives Talley & O’Connor a run for their money in terms of its utility.

Uniquely in 2016, we also have an opportunity for

delve into the history of WAMSS for an evening. March 19 sees our 70 th Anniversary celebrations commence at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery – an evening of celebration, nostalgia and catching up with old friends for UWA medical students over the past seven decades. Tickets will be available to all on the WAMSS website (www.wamss.org.au). On the night, we will also be launching the WAMSS History Project – a pictorial and anecdotal collection of memorabilia from the past 70 years. If you have old photos, classic WAMSS stories, or insights into life as a UWA medical student (or know of anyone who would be interested in contributing) please don’t hesitate to email president@wamss.org.au. Overall, an exciting, action-packed and exhausting few weeks await our new recruits – but with the WAMSS team looking out for them, they can be guaranteed a smooth journey to professional medical student-hood. ■ our new students to delve into the history of WAMSS for an evening. March 19 sees our 70 th Anniversary celebrations commence at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery

Uniquely in 2016, we also have an opportunity for our new students to

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