TROHPIQ and Allied Health January 1, 2014 Who we are TROHPIQ is UQ/QUT’s rural health club dedicated to helping medical, nursing and allied health students experience the unique career and lifestyle opportunities to be found beyond the big town of Brisbane. Our (thoroughly impressive) website is http://trohpiq.org/ Why we do what we do Our goal: for you to experience regional, rural or remote Australia, as you would in your discipline, for a… Day – Come to a skills day or information evening Week-end – join us on one of our trips Week – head to a nationwide conference Month – do and see amazing things on elective or on prac Year – at a regional node for hands-on experience Lifetime – rewarding work and a lifestyle to match .Why this matters to you as Allied Health students Put simply, RURAL HEALTH IS AWESOME. Here’s why: As students… 1. You’ll have a lot of fun, within TROHPIQ and within the communities 2. Better teacher to student ratios mean you’ll see more and do more than your urban compatriots 3. Regional, rural and remote communities are present you with a huge variety of challenging cases, welcoming people and wholesome lifestyles. As health professionals… 1. Get to know your community as they get to know you. 2. As a Rural Generalist enjoy the challenges of specialising in rural GP, emergency medicine, obstetrics and more. Plus get paid as a specialist (because you’re considered one)! 3. As a nurse or member of an allied health team enjoy more operational independence and a greater scope of practice. 4. The chance to work with indigenous communities to really make a difference and help to Close the Gap 1 TROHPIQ and Allied Health January 1, 2014 5. Take a leadership role, both professionally and in the community 6. Spend as long as you like: 1. Locum work – diverse, challenging, well paid 2. Years to a lifetime – well paid, rewarding work like no other TROHPIQ and Allied Health in 2014 • • • • • • • • • BRAHN (bush retreat for allied health and nursing) Clinical Skills days Social events – Inter-Discipline Bush Ball, cocktails, BBQs and more Scholarships for rural placements and conferences Rural and general placement information evenings Trips to regional and rural Queensland Representation to the National Rural Health Students’ Network Fast tracking teams in the Health Fusion Team Challenge to the final in Tasmania Valuable networking and much more! BRAHN This year on May the 10th and 11th will see the inaugural inter-disciplinary bush retreat weekend take place at Camp Edmund in Laidley. Jam-packed with challenging activities, team-building exercises, and case-based team puzzles, this weekend is all about getting to your fellow TROHPIQ members in the SHRS, becoming familiar with health careers in a rural setting, and having loads of fun! Even though I’m sure your bursting to sign up already, here are a few more things you can expect; • • • • • • • • • Amazing food. Seriously. Case-based team challenges adapted from the health fusion team challenge model (and remember, we are sending teams straight to the HFTC finals in Tasmania later in the year!) An orienteering course and race (or you can opt for ‘extra study time’) ‘Rustic’ camp accommodation, complete with a ‘bring your own pillow’ policy. Themed dinner and games night with costume/game-based awarding of prizes ‘Friendly’ competition in the team challenges Information and advice on tailoring your course to make the most of what TROHPIQ offers (i.e. how do I get a scholarship to study in Cairns/Mt. Isa/Stanthorpe?) Forging friendships with fantastic people (all the more likely considering the sparse phone reception where we are going) Many memories and much more! 2 TROHPIQ and Allied Health January 1, 2014 Can I Come? This camp is open to all UQ/QUT allied health and nursing students, and to register you will need to sign up to TROHPIQ (http://trohpiq.org/join-now/), but once you have done that you are signed up for life (which is comforting). Cost for member is set at only $60 for all of your food, accommodation, fun and transport. For any questions please email NAHO@trohpiq.org TROHPIQ’s Allied Health Rural Placement Scholarship - TAHRPS TROHPIQ really wants to help support you in going rural. We know it can be expensive and may involve you stepping outside of your comfort zone, but countless students have done so before you and EVERY ONE has said that the benefits make it worth it. TROHPIQ created a brand new scholarship in 2013, and it was a big success. In 2014 we are once again offering $500 support scholarships to the best applicants undertaking rural placements What is this $500 and am I eligible? This is open to students undertaking or intending to undertake a rural elective in 2014 (and thereafter). Both domestic and international students are eligible to apply to receive this support. Because placements happen at all different times across all the degrees in the SHRS and beyond, aapplications are OPEN NOW! Successful applicants will be asked to write a brief (400 word) summary describing their placement experience, and may also be asked to come back and speak to next year’s group of students about this scholarship. Application • • • • • Find the TAHRPS application form. For SHRS students, this form should be up on Blackboard with this document. It will also be emailed around and posted on your Facebook groups, or can be found at www.trohpiq.org Email completed forms to NAHO@trohpiq.org by the 31st of May 2014 with the subject TAHRPS application Applications will be ranked on rural interest and financial need. Candidates may be called for an interview after submission. NB- This application is not a substitute for you applying for your rotations through the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences 3 TROHPIQ and Allied Health January 1, 2014 Conferences in 2014 Every year, there are a number of conferences all over Australia, many of which will be partially or entirely dedicated to rural issues. Last year, we sent students to the National Allied Health Conference, the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland, SARRAH, and many more. And we thought it went well, so we are looking to do much more of this in 2014. Information regarding specific conferences and funds available will be circulated as they arise. Outlined below are the more popular conferences. For further information on any of them or to inquire about other conferences that might be of interest, please visit the attendant websites, the NRHSN’s website or e-mail nrhsn@trohpiq.org. Rural Doctors’ Association of Queensland Conference – click here to visit the website Run every year on the Queen’s birthday week-end, much to the consternation of 1st and 2nd year medical students, this conference seeks to provide a forum for (unsurprisingly) rural doctors to discuss the issues facing the practice of medicine in their state. As well, workshops are run in the preceding few days and there is always a student presence to the whole conference. National Undergraduate Rural Health Conference (NURHC) - click here to visit the NRHSN’s website Once every two years (on the ‘even’ years - 2010, 2012 etc.), all of the rural student health clubs from around Australia get together for a week of workshops, presentations and socializing. Student presentations are rich and varied and the Golden Windmills competition is always eye-opening. It might be best described as a jamboree, perhaps as a sort of Mecca, or as a clambake or a wingding. Whatever the label, get to one of them if you can, you won’t regret it. Rural Medicine Australia – click here to visit the website Co-hosted by the Australian College of Rural and Remote medicine and the Rural Doctors’ Association of Australia, this annual event is an excellent way to dip your toes into more advanced skills and to gain an insight into the workings of Australia’s peak rural medical bodies. Student tickets are open to anyone however, students attending in their 3rd or 4th years are likely to get the most out of it. 4 TROHPIQ and Allied Health January 1, 2014 National Rural Health Conference – click here to visit the website This conference has the broadest scope of all the rural health conferences in terms of the background of the participants. Health professionals and students, representatives from all allied health disciplines, nursing, medicine and other stakeholders such as government. To get a global picture of where rural health is at in Australia, this is where you want to be. Skills Days Run Several times per year, in Brisbane, Ipswich and hopefully soon in Kingaroy as well, Skills Days aim to provide a high quality day of practical skills learning. Professional health staff are joined by senior TROHPIQ members resulting in a great teacher-student ratio and skills are chosen for their hands-on and fun nature. They’re a great introduction to TROHPIQ, an event where you can learn more about what we do and talk to people who know what it’s like to learn and practise outside of the city, all whilst learning useful stuff and having a good time! Coming up later in the year are two skills days focusing on medical and nursing skills (such as suturing, plastering and venepuncture), a mental health workshop for allied health and nursing students, as well as (for the first time ever) Skills days aimed specifically at allied health students, with skills like case-based diagnostic ultrasound, advanced kinesiology taping, splinting, allied health obstetric management and more! HFTC As mentioned already a few times, TROHPIQ has been invited to field teams straight to the finals of the health fusion team challenge (which, by the way, are in Tasmania). If you are not immediately excited by this, (which, lets face it, you are) then have a look at the promo video for the HFTC here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rcrOlqb0gw The HFTC involves a multidisciplinary team of students working together to solve complex cases for patients, presenting a management plan, and responding to questions and impromptu scenario. And yes, there are trophies for the winners. Read more at their website at http://www.healthfusionteamchallenge.com/ 5