INFORMATIVE AND IMPORTANT
March Student Conference was a great success
The Meet and Greet on Friday evening, 6 March, launched the fifth annual OUM Student Conference in Melbourne, Australia. This year, 50 students gained invaluable information, learned new skills, and networked throughout the weekend.
That opportunity to connect with classmates, faculty, and staff was again a focal point. Past attendees have stressed the importance of fostering the professional connections and friendships that the conference always provides.
On Saturday morning, Taffy Gould, Founder and Chair of the OUM Council, welcomed attendees, followed by “A guide to how to maximize your learning in the hospital setting,” presented by Dr. Viali Lameko, Vice Chancellor.
Clinical Skills was the conference’s first hands-on workshop led by Dr. Paula Diamante, Director of Faculty Affairs and Clinical Course Director for Pediatrics. The two-part presentation involved establishing differential diagnoses related to several body systems. Joy Braun, Associate Director for Administration and Registrar, also presented a morning session on “Applying to practice in Australia through EPIC and NZ Pathway.”
Saturday afternoon, Dr. Randell Brown, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Director of Research, and Dr. Daria Camera, Assistant Director of Research, led this year’s Research Symposium. In addition to their discussing the program’s required research, one student and three new graduates presented their research projects at the conference:
- Julian Lai, MD presented “LED light therapy for facial acne – Attitudes of GPs and frequency of encounter in the general practise. A retrospective questionnaire-based pilot study”
- Esther Oluyide, MD presented “Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a primary health care setting (General Practice) – A retrospective file audit”
- Xiaofen (Beatrice) Huang presented “Compliance with flu vaccine and factors associated with use in the elderly in metropolitan Melbourne” (poster presentation)
- Tri Ngo, MD presented “Antibiotic prophylaxis in craniotomy: Infection prevalence and eTG guideline adherence at a tertiary hospital in Australia” (poster presentation)
As he did last year, returning guest speaker, Dr. Majid Gondal, AMC and RACGP examiner, presented important tips on preparing for the AMC 1 and AMC 2 Exams.
Sunday’s programming included three simultaneous OSCE sessions facilitated by Dr. Gondal, Dr. Meshach Kirubakaran, Dean for Australia, and Dr. Chellam Kirubakaran, Pediatrician. Students also got unexpected, real-time hands-on emergency pediatric medicine experience – pointers on how to calm panicking parents. This transpired when a young child injured himself at another event taking place in the hotel.
A highlight of this conference was the Sunday afternoon presentation by graduates, Drs. Paris Pearce, Claire Jones, Eddy Watkins, and Paul Jordan, on navigating the AMC exams, registration with AHPRA, and obtaining an internship.
The bright lights of each conference always shine on the Graduation Ceremony, held on Saturday. See the story dedicated to the 15 new physicians here. Students also met with representatives of the Philippine Accrediting Association for Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) who attended the conference as part of their reaccreditation site visit. Learn more here.
