WE GIVE SATISFACTION :e
A. M.S. CONVENTION
Perth May 1964 Bill Adam
Apart from the unfortunate car accident involving a student the Convention in Perth must be called a great success. This was so because of the great hospitality, interest- ing lectures and symposia, parties, drink- able beer (easily) and, from a purely male point of view, girls — who possessed many of the following characteristics:-
number
aesthetic appeal lived in flats
owned or operated cars drank beer
exhibited other delightful traits.
The girls attending the Convention also appeared to enjoy themselves. It's a pity that only 33 students from Melbourne lived in these veritable Elysian fields even if only for one week. Perhaps more will go next year to Queensland.
The gay round of conviviality was inter- rupted by a few serious meetings; the points of interest I will attempt to elucidate below.
Standing Committee on Medical Education A report on this has been prepared by Mr. Lynch, the Melbourne delegate to this Committee.
The Annual General Meeting
This was very poorly attended — par- ticularly when one considers that in 1965- 66 Melbourne will have to provide the Executive for the A.M.S.A. As virtually Council members only were there they wisely left all the talking to the Council Meeting.
The Council Meetings
Melbourne was represented by myself as Delegate, with Robert Hall and John Silver as observers. Copies of the minutes of this meeting are available for inspection. They are held by the Secretary. However, there are a few points which I would like to bring to your attention.
(a) Site of Convention
The 1965 Convention will be held in Brisbane. Subject to confirmation next
year, the 1965-66 Executive of A.M.S.A.
will reside in Melbourne, and the 1966 Convention will be held here. These mat- ters required attention this year; according- ly, a provisional Executive and Convention Director were elected in July.
(b) Exchange
An exchange scheme whereby Medical students from Australian Universities can do a term at a South East Asian Medical School has been commenced with a Pilot Scheme in Perth. Although some Univer- sities run a scheme of their own it is hoped that these can be co-ordinated at a national level by a student Director. This will be, and is, giving fast distribution of available places, and money available for assistance in travel expenses.
(c) Constitution
This was revised in word only to make it easier to understand.
(d) Common Room at Port Moresby Medi- cal College
Action was again delayed because the Papuan delegate present declined any help at the moment. He did this because any common room the Papuan students are given will have to be shared with other stu- dents, nurses, medical orderies etc.
(e) Physiotherapists
Adelaide Physiotherapy Students' Asso- ciation wish to join the A.M.S.A. The only way they can do this is by joining the local Medical Students' Society. The as- sociation of paramedical students with the medical students is an idea that would bear examination.
(f) Diary
An A.M.S.A. Diary containing dates etc.
and information of value to both clinical and pre-clinical students is to be produced, and distributed to all members in 1965.
(g) 1.F.M.S.A.
The International Medical Students' Con- ference is to be held this year in Gdansk, Poland. The Council selected Mr. Neville Hoffman from Perth as A.M.S.A. Delegate.
PAGE SIXTY-FOUR SPECULUM 1964
THE REPORT OF THE MELBOURNE DELEGATE TO THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL EDUCAT- ION HELD AT THE A.M.S.A. CON- VENTION PERTH 1964
J. Lynch.
Introduction
The Standing Committee on Medical Education, a sub-committee of the A•M.S.A., exists to promote review, con- structive recommendations and general interest amongst local medical students in the field of their own education. Each year a topic, which is universally acceptable, is suggested and each medical school pre- pares a report on the particular subject to be presented and discussed at the following Convention. From this convoc- ation the A.M.S.A. is able to prepare a report which is then presented to those bodies which it concerns e.g. the A.M.A.
and Deans of Faculties.
Background
At the Adelaide Convention, 1963, the following reports were tabled:
(1) W.A.M.S.S.—Extra-Medical Activities This report describes "co-mingle day"
and excursions organized by W.A.M.S.S., designed to broaden the outlook of medical students (in addition to Golf Day, Medical Dinner and Medical Ball). Co-mingle Day is a regular feature of medical life in the West and consists of a lecture by someone from "down town" who would prove of interest. Speakers have included a member of the "Save the Swan at all Costs" com- mittee, the Fire Chief and Mr. Bullen (the circus owner). Information gleaned from these people ranged from a perfect example
°f the anti-everything attitude, to the appropriate dose of aspirin for an elephant.
The idea seems best put by Barry Hopkins of Perth "Let us produce graduates Who know something about the world as Well as about medical facts and skills, People who can take their place in a community and contribute to general thought, rather than being anonymous, narrow, inarticulate, or just plain dull doctors".
(2) A.M.S.S.—Teaching of Psychiatry Psychiatry should be an integrated but definite part of the students' curriculum. In the light of general dissatisfaction with the uninteresting lectures in Psychology it was
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suggested that Developmental Psychology be taught concurrently with a course in Developmental Anatomy.
It is of interest to note the following motions:
1. (a) That normal Psychology should be taught in the medical under- graduate course.
(b) That Psychology should be Developmental Psychology taught so that the origin of abnormal psychology is easily apparent, and leads to teaching of Psychiatry.
(c) That the teaching of Psychology should be under the control of the Professor of Psychiatry.
2. That sociology should be taught as an integrated part of the medical course.
3. That medical students should observe, briefly, the work of physiotherapists, occupational ther- apists, social workers, and speech therapists with special relations to their importance in Psychotherapy.
Perth 1964
After adoption of the minutes of the previous meeting, reports prepared by local committees were presented. The topic, agreed to in 1963, was the Pre-Medical Year.
Go West, young man!
PAGE SIXTY-FIVE
At the outset it should be noted that only Melbourne, Mon ash and Queensland presented reports. Other delegates presented verbal information on the topic.
Under the chairmanship of Mr. Men- delawitz (W.A.M.S.S.) discussion centred mainly about pre-requisite subjects and pre-medical subjects in the various schools and their relevance to the medical course.
The following summaries include curricula for later years of the course because of their relevance to the teaching of General Practitioners.
Western Australia
Pre-requisites are English, a Science, a Language, Maths and an Arts subject. The first year is essentially the same as ours, except for the inclusion of Mathematics.
The Second and Third years are taken up with a subject called "Human Structure and Function" which is broken up into Physiology, Biochemistry and Anatomy.
These subjects are dealt with to the same extent as in Melbourne (Sampson Wright is the Physiology text) but the examination questions require answers correlating all three subjects, which to all intents requires much more correlation than our subjects demand.
An interesting experiment is also being carried out in the teaching of anatomy.
Whereas half the class dissect for example, the leg, the other half does no dissection but learns anatomy from "pots" which are available according to a rigid time table.
It is expected that the latter method will prove equally efficient and not as time consuming.
The remaining clinical years of the course resemble our own but there are no August or May vacations. Instead a student may apply for a two week vacation at any time during the year.
The relative small size of the University (3,000 against Melbourne's 13,500) lessened the isolation felt by many of our own students in Melbourne, but a general feeling of change in the Medical year seemed to be called for. This was in the form of the introduction of a "humanising"
subject.
Unfortunately as no census was taken and no written report presented it is difficult at this stage to ascertain concrete proposals for changes in Perth.
Adelaide
Pre-requisites:— English, Physics, Chem- istry. The Pre-med. year consists of Physics, Chemistry and Biology with an additional subject — Medicine and Humanity. There are 54 lectures in this latter subject (2 lec- tures/week) and essay topics (with reading lists) are given every two weeks. The examination may be taken at the end of either the 1st year or 2nd year and embraces the History of Medicine and the History of English Civilization. Students in Adelaide have definite but varied views on this latter subject.
The rest of the course is similar to our own. G.P. training is purely on a voluntary basis.
As in the case of Perth no written statement was prepared.
Melbourne
This report prepared by Lyn Murray and Judy Young after much painstaking research caused the chairman to comment that seldom had a student group prepared a report of such merit and that it was un- fortunate that other schools had not even bothered to present reports.
It is presumptuous for me to attempt to summarize this report. In forma pauperis
I shall outline the report. The results were obtained from a questionnaire prepared on the Pre-Med. year and circulated through each year (except second year). Very few of the students believed that much of benefit was obtained from this year (in the light of their subsequent studies and expectations of the medical course). Most believed that if not abolished, the pre-med. course could be condensed into a single term's work so that Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry could be begun earlier to relieve the load in the following two years. Most believed in compulsory pre-requisite subjects (es- pecially Chemistry and Physics and, to a lesser extent, Biology) so that students would have an adequate and uniform scientific background and to provide a fair basis for selection for the course.
Constructive ideas included:-
1. Greater emphasis on the medical aspects of subjects taught in pre-med. e.g. in Physics more emphasis on radiation, body mechanics, fluid mechanics, medical instruments.
2. Lectures should be given by medically trained lecturers.
PAGE SIXTY-SIX SPECULUM 1964
3. Less repetition of matriculation work (especially in Physics).
4. A review of physics practical work which students found incomprehensible and poorly planned. Chemistry practical work included excessive amounts of reporting and "writing up".
5. Tutorials should take the form of sem- inars or sample examination question- answering sessions.
6. Hospital visits or clinical demonstrations in first year might help to overcome the social and academic isolation exper- ienced by first year students.
7. The inclusion of an extra subject in the pre-med year was both desirable and within the capabilities of most students.
Such a subject could be Psychology, Sociology, Statistics or Philosophy of Science. The desire to have done the extra-subject was more evident as students progressed through their course.
8. The inclusion of First-Aid teaching in Pre-Med. both as a practical adjunct and to infuse some medical aspect into pre-med.
The report, of course, contained a statistical analysis of each question sub- mitted.
Monash
The Monash course differs in several aspects from ours:—
1. Five lectures are given on the correlation between chemistry and biochemistry.
2. Physics practical work in the future will include project work which will be subject to the student's inclinations.
3. Students have to do any 1st year non- laboratory course prescribed by the faculties of Arts, Economics, Politics and Science. The most popular subjects are Anthropology and Mathematics.
Apparently most students regard Pre- Med. as a "good thing".
The reasons are:
1. Pre-med. serves as an introduction to scientific principles, and the accompany- ing questioning attitude, at a higher level than is found in schools.
2. Several parts of the course bear on
.future studies.
Grievances include:
1. Repetition of Physics and Biology (from
n Matriculation).
2. The chemistry is not a sufficient basis for biochemistry.
SPECULUM 1964
The staff at Monash maintains that the pre-med. year is to correct erroneous ideas which may have been acquired at school, to even out great variations in scholastic standards in sections of the complete course and to cater for those students who have not had any previous training in the subjects.
At Monash G.P. teaching is given for two weeks in Final Year.
Sydney and New South Wales
Unfortunately neither university prepared reports (see lower section) but the following differences were noted. In N.S.W. Mathe- matics is taught and the first year is a science course after which selection is made.
In Sydney numbers are restricted to 300 students (Asians are not restricted). Botany is an optional subject. Examinations are carried out by the science and arts faculties.
This point is apparently disagreeable to students who believe they are entitled to consideration as medical students.
There is no formal G.P. training in Syd- ney but two weeks (optional) during the vacation at a country hospital are available.
This works in co-operation with the College of General Practitioners.
Queensland
The course is same as Melbourne but there is the introduction of a subject
"History and Development of Western Civilization". The emphasis is on teaching of scientific thought and this is indicated by the excessive scientific approach in pre- clinical years. The pre-medical selection is found to be inadequate and the high failure rate is believed to indicate the large "jump"
between school and university.
In Queensland there is a chair of Social Medicine and there is now a course of lectures designed for G.P.'s.
In conclusion
Several motions were passed by Mel- bourne calling on those Universities which had not submitted reports to do so at their earliest (in) convenience so that the Chair- man could submit to the A.M.A. and the Chairs of Medicine in the Universities a summary of student comments on the Pre- Medical year.
Melbourne also moved that in 1965 delegates report "any changes implemented in the Pre-Medical year and the mode by which this was done".
PAGE SIXTY-SEVEN
Project for 1965
After a long discussion it was decided that constituents would be asked to submit topics and that the chairman would instigate a ballot if more than one topic was
"pushed".
It was generally accepted however that the subject of G.P.'s should be investigated although no specific field was outlined.
A particularly interesting seminar brought forward the following points and could serve as a basis for any work. Prof. Saint (W.A.) outlined the following as being the role of a G.P.
(i) To diagnose serious illness.
(ii) To effect the correct treatment of chronic illness.
(iii) To act as Psycho-therapists.
(iv) To treat common diseases effect- ively.
(v) To exercise a responsibility as a paterfamilias.
At the present time preparation for G.P.'s takes the following form:—
(a) Several weeks "helping out" with a G.P.
(b) Lectures and hospital training in field of medicine of the G.P. This is perhaps best instanced by Queensland where there is a chair of Social Medicine.
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PAGE SIXTY-EIGHT SPECULUM 1964