Discipline of Rural Health - Faculty of Health Sciences - The ...

On your first day of your hrh, paeds, gp rotation (dot points)
- Doing a bit of pre-reading for O&G and Paeds isn't a bad idea, but don't worry too much. The doctors all
realise that you haven't done paeds or o&g before so they don't expect a huge amount initially. Just take it
as it comes and learn from what you see, also use the lists in your paeds handbook, and the pbl topics for
O&G
- Give yourself a few days to settle into GP, you'll soon find that doing GP you can have amazingly exciting
days and some frustrating days. When it balances out you do get a lot out of it, just realise that not
everything GPs do is exciting!
When you are travelling to a rotation ....
- Try not to get there too late - it’s nice to be able to set up and do shopping etc so you're not so stressed
when you start
- Look at where you're meant to be the next morning so you don't turn up confused and alone at the wrong
place (learnt from experience!)
How to find a geriatric rehab case with little stress.
Don't spend ages searching for this. It’s actually a lot easier than it initially seems. You also don't need to
stress too much about following them up for 6 weeks - the point is more that you're aware of what they're
doing after discharge and that you have some idea of progress. Talking to the hospital physios/physio
students is a good idea because they'll have a list of all the patients they've had referred to them and what
it’s for. Also chat to your GPs, they'll often be able to point you in the right direction.
How to stay calm under pressure.
Don't have a good answer for this one really, because I'm not sure! But don't ever stop yourself talking to
other people - both those who are living with you, or those at other sites or in Adelaide. It can get a bit
lonely sometimes, so don't forget to talk to people!
Who to contact when you need help.
- Bronwyn is awesome and always listens
- Talk to your student coordinator or one of the doctors you feel comfortable around
- Talk to the other students on your rotation - often they'll be worried about the same things and it’s nice to
vent.
- Talk to the students at other locations - on the phone, on the vc, on the internet - it reminds you that
you're not alone!
How best to plan your year
- I think it’s good to take it as it comes initially, until you get used to the swing of things.
- Work out what things you particularly enjoy or learn a lot from and do more of that (eg: going on call,
sitting with specialists etc).
- Study things that you see so that you remember them.
- Always ask the GPs questions if you're not sure why they're doing something.
- Try and get involved and meet people as much as possible - this isn't always easy in small towns or when
you're moving around during the year, but still try because it’s worth it.
Other:
- Talk to people who've done it before - this can mean either other people in your year who did it before
you, or anyone of us from the 2011 cohort. We'd be more than happy to talk to you about anything,
particularly if you're confused about any of the assessments, exams etc. I found it quite handy having a
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