What's Happening

WSU Medical School Tour

A select group of Rural students made the trek down to Campbelltown Campus for the 2019 Western U Day showcase. It was an amazing opportunity for the budding medical students to enjoy a taste what it is like to study at WSU. After a cold, early morning start departing Scots All Saints Bathurst, we arrived to a beautiful MacArthur morning and were greeted by the awesome events team, who directed our students to the first of the many information sessions and interactive activities. Our students commented that the campus feels so rural and quiet and the staff were all so welcoming and friendly. So well done to the organising team and support staff for putting on such a great day. Following on from the formalities our rural cohort enjoyed additional experiences including; guided tours through the accommodation complex, in-depth exploration of the medical school and the para-medicine facilities, and finally an amazing tour of the MacArthur Clinical School. The day concluded with the students being put through their clinical paces with all star educator John Sierra. A huge rural thank you goes out to everyone involved in putting on such a great event and for all the staff and students who go the extra mile to ensure that WSU remains top of the heap in terms of student engagement and student experience. I do believe that these on campus events are the most powerful engagement and recruitment tool we have. It is truly inspiring to hear the positive feed back from students and careers advisers about how their perceptions completely change about what WSU offers in terms of student support, courses, facilities and lifestyle. They all now want to put WSU high on their preference list. #ourwestern #unlimited #barneystyle

Health Hub + Teddy Bear Hospital

2019 Royal Bathurst Show - WSU Health Hub + Teddy Bear Hospital.
The Bathurst Rural Clinical School staff and students hosted an amazing and successful community health initiative at the 2019 Royal Bathurst Show. The Health Hub + Teddy Bear Hospital were a hit with children, youth, adults and families. The WSU Health Hub Precinct at the show included; a Teddy Bear Hospital for the kids, Community Health Checks for the parents & grandparents, health service information & resources, and interactive experiences. We were supported by the local Western LHD, Hearing Australia, Local Pharmacies, Rural Adversity Mental Health Program, PhyzX, Bathurst Strength & Conditioning, Three Rivers UDRH, CSU Allied Health & Nursing Students and local prospective high school students. As a result of all the hard work and because of the high level of community engagement the WSU Health Hub was honoured to be awarded the prestigious Best in Show 'Blue Riband' - Community Stall.

Congratulations to all involved.

Current Research Projects

Career pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Professionals
Status: Current
Aboriginal health managers in both community-controlled and mainstream health sectors struggle daily with the challenges of recruiting, supporting, developing and retaining an appropriately skilled workforce to meet the health and wellbeing needs of their local communities. In 2016, the Lowitja Institute issued a call for submissions to undertake a research project that would provide insight and guidance to enhance the capacity of the health system to retain and support the development and careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the health workforce.
We want to learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are employed in the health sector, and their managers, about career progression, development and ideas for improving career pathways. In NSW, we are making workplace site visits to collect ‘ground- level’ data. Focus group discussions are being conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health staff and their managers from different organisations. A career pathways survey will also be distributed nationally to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals in 2018.  
Project Partners: The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Bila Muuji, Maari Ma, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT, in partnership with Human Capital Alliance).  
HPV Self-Screening for Aboriginal Women
Status: Current
In Australia, the incidence of cervical cancer in Aboriginal women is more than twice that of non-Aboriginal women and their mortality rate is fourfold higher. Despite this, Aboriginal women are significantly under screened with respect to cervical cancer screening due to complex cultural and socio-economic factors that are a barrier to participation in routine Pap testing
The recent discovery of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as the primary causative agent in most cervical cancers has opened the door to HPV testing as a means of detecting prospective cervical cancer. HPV testing as a primary screening test allows for self-sampling which may overcome some of the barriers to Pap testing, including being less-obtrusive, and this may make it a more acceptable screening practice for Aboriginal women
The present pilot study seeks to explore the feasibility and acceptability of HPV self-sampling as a cervical screening approach for Aboriginal women using a nurse-led community engagement approach. A secondary aim is to facilitate and strengthen connections between under-serviced Aboriginal communities, female Aboriginal community workers and primary health services.
Project Partners: Marathon Health

Home Medicines Review
Status: Current
The home medicines review (HMR) program is a Medicare funded pharmacy service designed to provide a comprehensive clinical review of a patient’s medications and ensure they have the correct education and knowledge to benefit from their medications, and thus minimise the potential for medication-related problems.
Whilst Indigenous Australians experience a high chronic disease burden and high rates of medication misadventure, requiring hospitalisation and re-admission, they are more likely to miss out on a HMR.
The Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS) is located in Western NSW and is well-placed to implement and evaluate a HMR service for their clientele. The availability of an AHW to work closely with the community pharmacist; the availability of the OAMS client transport service to co-ordinate all HMR-related travel; and the commitment of OAMS to support their clients through the referral and appointment making process, enables the service to overcome some of the significant barriers to accessing HMRs.
This study aims to examine the activities, experiences and outcomes of a pharmacist-led HMR program to be implemented at the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS). Specific objectives are to:
1.Assess the uptake of HMRs by OAMS clientele
2.Report on the activities of the service over a 12 month period
3.Assess client’s understanding and self-reported use of their medication pre- and post-HMR
4.Explore client and staff experiences with the service to determine barriers and enablers of the current service model and identify a best-practice service model
5.Determine the cost versus benefit of the HMR service.
It is anticipated that this research will contribute to the limited evidence base regarding the uptake of HMRs by Indigenous Australians and report a best-practice model for HMR service delivery in ACCHOs. In addition, addressing modifiable factors associated with medication adherence/misadventure via a HMR service is imperative to improving health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
Project Partners: Orange Aboriginal Medical Service

Research Publications
2017

Bailey J, Dutton T, Payne K, Wilson R, Brew B. (2017). Farm safety practices and farm size in New South Wales, Journal of Agromedicine, vol 22, no 3, pp 229-234.
Wong, KW. (2017). Re: The antibiotic course has had its day [Letter to the Editor]. BMJ. 358:j3418. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3418
Payne K, Dutton T, Weal K, Earle M, Wilson R, Bailey J. (2017). An after hours GP clinic in regional Australia: Appropriateness of presentations and impact on local Emergency Department presentations, BMC Family Practice, 18:86. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-017-0657-6
Bailey J, Davies C, McCrossin T, Kiernan M, Skinner R, Steinbeck K, Mendis K. (2017). Fit4YAMs: Structuring a lifestyle intervention for rural overweight and obese young adult males using participatory design, Journal of Adolescent Health, vol 62, iss 3, supplement, pp S65-S71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.06.019

Research Presentations
2017
Dutton, T., Bailey, J. (presenter), Pit, S.W (presenter). Urban Medical Student’s rural training experience: does it work? World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of GPs/Family Physicians. World Rural Health conference. Cairns: 29 Apr- 02 May 3, 2017. http://www.globalfamilydoctor.com/Conferences/WONCAWorldRuralHealthconference.aspx
Campbell, L, Vail, A, Pollard, GL, Bailey, JK, Dutton, T, Robinson, T, Jacob, S, Wykes, R, O’Connor, M, Kelly, C, Callan, N, McKay, K, Tiffen, R. HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening: engaging under-screened rural and remote Aboriginal women. Paper presented at the 14th National Rural Health Conference, National Rural Health Alliance, Cairns, 26-29 April 2017. Available at: http://www.ruralhealth.org.au/14nrhc/sites/default/files/Campbell%2C%20Laurinne_B5.pdf

Campbell, L, Vail, A, Marjoram, J, Bailey, JK. HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening: engaging under-screened rural and remote Aboriginal women. Paper presented at the Western Health Research Network Symposium, Orange, 16-17 August 2017.

Vines, R., Bray, J., Prescott, D., Kinderman, P., Levin-Hofgaard, T., Grenier, J., Chomienne, MH. The role of psychology in integrated mental health care: an international perspective. Symposium presented at the 15th European Congress of Psychology, Amsterdam, 11-14 July 2017.

Clark, PJ., Strasser, SI., Leggett, B., Angus, PW., Zekry, A., Levy, M., Rong, J., Tse, E., McGarity, B., Harding, D., Nicoll, A., Cheng, W., Sievert, W., Valery, PC., Thompson, AJ., Roberts, SK. An Observational, Prospective Epidemiological Registry in Australia of HCV Liver Disease (OPERA-C). Poster presented at the AASLD Liver Meeting, Washington DC, October 20-24, 2017.

Luscombe, G., McEvoy, L., Fitzpatrick, S., Bailey, J., Newman, J. Health, access and engagement of young Aboriginal people in Western NSW. AAAH Youth Health Conference, Sydney, 6-7 July, 2017.

Ansari, AS., Baquir, PJ., Chowdhury, N., Lam, L., Tran, K., Bailey, J. Views on Advanced Care Planning among Staff in Aged Care Facilities in Western NSW. Poster presented at the Rural Medicine Australia Conference, Melbourne, 19-21 October, 2017.

Jannine Bailey, Caroline Robertson, Laurinne Campbell, Anne Vail, Sunil Jacob, David Hawkes, Megan O'Connor, Cassandra Kelly. A pilot of HPV self-sampling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from rural communities in western NSW: evaluating a Nurse Led Community Engagement model. Western Sydney University Our Languages Matter Symposium, Sydney, 20-21 October 2017

Research Team
Dr Jannine Bailey, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Rural Health and Research
Tegan Dutton
Research Officer, Rural and Indigenous Health
Kristy Payne,
Research Officer, Rural Health and Research

School of Medicine - 2018 Awards Ceremony

The Western Sydney U - School of Medicine 2018 Awards Ceremony was an amazing evening where the highest achieving students were acknowledged for their outstanding performances in all the different components that make up the WSU medical training curriculum. Students undertaking the 12 month rural placement option where very well represented with a number of the students receiving awards. Well done to all the award recipients.

BATHURST RURAL MENTAL HEALTH ROUNDTABLE

Western Sydney University Bathurst Rural Clinical School is excited to host the National Federal Health Commissioner: Professor Paul Worley for its inaugural “Roundtable” discussion of mental health issues in regional, rural and remote Australia next Tuesday 11th December. Located at Bathurst Base Hospital, the Rural Clinical School will convene the discussion with a focus on optimal approaches to mental health service delivery and facilitating best and most efficient pathways to care.

Latest “burden of disease” statistics indicate that by 2030, the “common mental disorders” of depression and anxiety will be the leading cause of illness world-wide - greater than heart disease and cancer, diabetes and respiratory illnesses combined”! The reasons for this are multiple and include:
*the current rise of chronic health conditions which are often associated with mental health conditions;
*the world-wide dislocation of many people due to war, famine, natural disasters, Indigenous dispossession, as well as a host of other life challenges experienced by people in ??differing/ various  parts of the world;
●the current “medicalization of unhappiness” in our society which views reactions to some life dilemmas as a disease, rather than a holistic response to “problems in living”, and
●in Australia, the impact of the current prolonged drought on people’s mental health and well-being.

The Roundtable discussion will focus on current barriers to optimal integrated primary health care and treatment solutions that can be found for our local communities. All sections of the community will be involved - the gathering will include representatives from the Rural Doctors Network, the National Farmers Federation, the Country Women’s Association, the Royal Flying Doctors Service, the Australian Psychological Society, the National Rural Health Alliance and others. The focus of the day will be working with the National Rural Health Commissioner to generate solutions and clear “Pathways to Care” for those in our regional and rural communities. We hope this is the first of an annual series of such roundtable discussions and welcome input from the Bathurst community in relation to optimal solutions.

RHUWS RURAL SCHOOLS TOUR 2018

The Rural Health Union of Western Sydney (RHUWS) embarked on a Rural Schools Tour, to showcase rural health skills, course and careers. The 30 strong team of WSU multidisciplinary health students visited Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo schools to pass on their passion for rural health. It was an amazing and powerful initiative, designed to support rural students health career aspirations and keep our rural health club members closely connected to rural communities. The Rural Tour Schools Engagement model consisted of; WSU Health Course Presentations, Multidisciplinary Health Student Panel, and Practical Workshops. The group also had the opportunity to tour the facilities at the Bathurst Rural Clinical School and student accommodation along with the many great tourist sites in the Central West of NSW. Overall it was an amazing experience and a great service to our future rural health care professionals.

Explore Lismore - Monday December 3rd 2018.

“With the temperature soaring over the weekend, five intrepid students from Western Sydney University medical school made their way north to Lismore to experience an insight  into how their rural year may unfold.
The students are in year 2 of their medical degree and have a strong interest in selecting Lismore for their 12 month program .

They were greeted in north coast fashion –with an early  breakfast on the deck with staff and their senior colleagues who are currently here on elective placements.
Lismore Base Hospital staff provided a guided tour, highlighting that the redevelopment of the second tower  would be close to completion when they return.
Dr McGirr and Dr Scott  joined the students to provide an overview of the program . The students were very impressed with their brief visit to the rural workforce, and hope to join us in 2020 for their year-….of course….. after they have been to the coast to cool down “ .

TREX- Tamworth Rural Experience

The next generation of rural doctors and allied health professionals gathered on a out-of-the-way Tamworth farm for a weekend of rural medicine and healthy training.

The 40 strong multidisciplinary health team made up of clinical supervisors and students from Western Sydney U – Bathurst & Lismore Rural Clinical Schools, Para-medicine and Nursing Schools and Tamworth’s - Newcastle University Department of Rural Health Campus, took part in a range of rural specific emergency scenario training.

Context based scenarios with simulated patients are proven to produce excellent learning outcomes for students studying health careers. And in rural medicine health practitioners are exposed to a large variety of agricultural enterprises, ensuring that these types of learning experiences give students an excellent insight into agricultural safety, meaning that a working farm was the perfect location to create ‘real life’ emergency situations for the students to put into action their skills and knowledge as part of a rural health care team.

Following on from the on-farm simulations, students visited the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Base at Tamworth Airport where they were given a great insight into the operations and procedures of the emergency retrieval service.

The whole TREX weekend was a ROARING success (excuse the pun), with students gaining valuable rural health experience, meeting many new friends, and having a great time hanging out in the country music capital. We look forward to hosting many more weekends just like this, so more future health practitioners can share the same amazing experience.

Western Sydney Wanderers.

When the Wanderers 'Go Bush' – The Bathurst Rural Clinical School is there to support. The Western Sydney Wanderers travelled to picturesque Mudgee to take on the Brisbane Roar in the National A-League Soccer competition.

The Bathurst Rural Clinical School staff and students packed up their equipment and headed to the fabulous Glen Willow Sports Complex to provide the Western Sydney ‘Vitals” health checks for all the Wanderers supporters (and some Brisbane Roar followers as well). Rural community members came from far and wide to take in the spectacle, with a thrilling game ending in a 2-2 draw (which may explain some high blood pressure readings at the end of the night).

The players displayed amazing skills and put on a great performance for the 6000 strong crowd. It was a great event and a great collaboration between The Wanderers, Mudgee Regional Council, and The Bathurst Rural Clinical School. #ourwestern

2018 Western Sydney U – School of Medicine Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) Partners Workshop.

The 2018 Western Sydney U – School of Medicine Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) Partners Workshop was held on the 10th & 11th of October at the world renowned Western Plains Taronga Zoo Dubbo. The workshop was a great opportunity to discuss the many important topics related to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health, rural health outcomes, rural health training, multidisciplinary health collaborations, and our amazing Aboriginal Health student placement curriculum. AMS staff attended from all across NSW, allowing for lots of great discussions and sharing of ideas. AMS staff also had the chance to hear from current medical students undertaking their 5-week Aboriginal Health Placement, and key Western Sydney U Rural Medicine staff, making it a very worthwhile event. Everyone who attended was able to leave feeling energised and optimistic for the future of rural and Aboriginal Health. Attendees were treated to some amazing extra-curricular activities, highlighted by an early morning behind the scene tour of the zoo and had the chance to stay in the zoo’s safari style cabins, where you can watch giraffes and rhinoceros happily roam around. A huge Western Sydney thank you to all involved, and we can’t wait for the next one.

Australian National Field Days – Western Sydney ‘Vitals’.

What a weekend we had at the 2018 Australian National Field Days held at Borenore, NSW.
Western Sydney U – Bathurst Rural Clinical School supported the field days Health Hub, with our ever popular Western Sydney ‘Vitals’ Community Health Check service. Through our involvement we were able to join forces with many other health service providers to deliver a one stop health shop. Throughout the event our multidisciplinary student health team (supported by their clinical supervisors), completed hundreds of health checks evaluating many important health indicators including; blood pressure, blood sugar, lifestyle, diet, mental wellbeing, and hearing.
The Health Hub was subject to a consistent flow of patrons, and the level of service was greatly appreciated by all who took advantage of the convenient and free services.
We look forward to building a bigger and better Health Hub for future events.

2018 Koori Rugby League Knockout.

This year Western Sydney U (WSU) went to ‘The Knockout’. The 2018 Koori Rugby League Knockout was held in Dubbo from Friday 28th Sept – Monday 1st Oct and Western Sydney U were there in force, with a WSU information stall and a Western Sydney ‘Vitals’ Community Health Check stall and we were there to cheer on our very own Bathurst Blacktrackers (who we proudly sponsor). Throughout the event, WSU had the chance to provide valuable information and service focused on health and education, with both stalls being very busy for the entire event. With the help of our AMS partners and medical student health check team, we were able to conduct hundreds of blood pressure and blood glucose tests along with holistic health and lifestyle surveys to support the health outcomes of our patrons. Our medical students were also able to complete some important community research projects, which will help guide rural and Aboriginal health into the future. Well done to the Newcastle All Blacks for winning the Knockout. We can’t wait for next year.

Bathurst NAIDOC Celebrations - Wahluu.

Bathurst NAIDOC Celebrations continued with an amazing community gathering held on one of the most sacred sites for the local Wiradjuri people – Wahluu. Wahluu is a place of special significance as with many important locations used for ceremonies and men’s & women’s business.
It was a hugely successful evening event with many local service providers and community groups in attendance. Patrons were treated to a traditional Welcome to Country, smoking ceremony, traditional dancing, and many traditional foods to sample. It was a great event and Western Sydney U – Bathurst Rural Clinical School are proud to be strong supporters of the local Aboriginal Community.

Schools & Community Engagement

Welcome to Bathurst

SURGERY, oncology, critical care, medicine, mental health, paediatrics, Aboriginal health and general practice – this is set to be a grueling year for 16 student doctors who arrived in Bathurst this week.

The fourth year Western Sydney University (WSU) students will undertake studies while they attend clinical placements across different sectors of the hospital.

This is the ninth year the university has sent its students to Bathurst for the year-long placement to give them a fresh insight into possible careers in medicine. Sydney man James Grogin is among the cohort and he is the 100th person to be welcomed through the doors of the rural program since 2010.

“We’ve all been so excited to have a change,” he said on his first day at Bathurst Hospital.

“We wanted something completely different.

“It’s more hands-on experience here [at Bathurst Hospital]. There’s only 16 students compared to 60 in a regular clinical school [at a Sydney hospital].”

I think 12 months is a very good time to see if I want to do it in the future.

While all the students still have a while to go before they graduate, one aim of the rural placement is to encourage the student doctors to consider a job in a regional location when they are qualified.

“I think 12 months is a very good time to see if I want to do it in the future,” Mr Grogin said.

WSU director of rural health Dr Ross Wilson said the objective of the program was to create a “robust pipeline of future doctors for rural areas”.
“A number of students who participate in the 12-month Bathurst placement choose to come back to complete their internships,” he said.

“While studying in the region, these students will get practical experience working in all areas of medicine ahead of their final exam this time next year.”

WSU rural program co-ordinator Jane Thompson said student numbers have doubled since the program started.

Students will wind up their first week of placement in Bathurst by taking part in a farm safety day and multi-disciplinary simulation session at a working farm this Saturday.

The training session will also include nursing, paramedicine, social worker and radiology students. (western advocate)

Rural Inter Professional Learning (RIPL)

Farm Safety Day

The Bathurst students spent the day on Prof Ross Wilson's (Rural Clinical School Director) farm. The farm is a family run working sheep stud, which is the perfect location to learn all about farm life and farm safety. The students learnt how to handle livestock, operate machinery and avoid hazardous situations.

WSU - Master Chef Challenge

The Bathurst students had the opportunity to test their culinary skills and learn some new cooking techniques under the guidance one of Bathurst most celebrated caterers. The students attended  All Saint College and were presented with a selection of fine local produce to create their master pieces. Each student group had to create 2 dishes, with the quality and flavour of creations impressing the judges. Well done to all involved.

Medball 2018

Studious By Day - Glamorous By Night

#worklifebalance