fresher guide 2015
Transcription
fresher guide 2015
FRESHER GUIDE 2015 “Your handy Medling manual” 1" You did it! You got into Med School! Over the next four years you will become close friends with lots of amazing people, have some experiences harder very and than unique be pushed ever before academically, emotionally and physically. I can honestly tell you that my last year of study at the University of Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine has been the hardest and the best year of my life, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear the same from all of my peers. If you weren’t excited already, get excited, it’s going to be awesome! This fresher’s guide serves to help you prepare for your new life as a medical student with information written and compiled by your dedicated team of student representatives. Enjoy and good luck with the year ahead, we’ll be there to help support you every step of the way. Murray Crowe – 2015 WUMMS President 2" 3" FRESHER GUIDE CONTENTS Course Format ………………………………………… 6 Textbooks ……………………………………………… 7 Learning and Teaching………………………………. 8 What to expect…………………………………… 9 Vaccinations…………………………………………... 12 ABOUT: Wollongong…………………………………….. 13 Shoalhaven………………………………………. 25 WUMSS………………………………………….. 33 Key Calendar Events of 2015……………...………… 34 International Students………………………………. 36 Contacts………………………………………………...... 50 4" Congratulations…you are a UOW Medical Student! As you already know, or will soon discover, this is the best kind of Medical Student to be. A group of dedicated and good-looking future doctors, known as the Wollongong University Medical Student Society (WUMSS) Committee, has put together this handy guide to assist your transition into the world of the UOW Graduate School of Medicine. You will come to know us well: we’re here to represent your interests, support your academic endeavors and enhance your social life. The purpose of this guide is to answer some FAQs about the course and life in Wollongong and Shoalhaven. It’s aimed as an informal introduction with suggestions from your predecessors. If, after reading the guide, you still find yourself with burning questions that have been unanswered, the GSM staff are always very accommodating. Our website is also your one-stop-shop for all things WUMSS, and you can check out all the UOW Medicine merchandise that you will excitedly buy with your first Centrelink payment. Some quick information about this guide: 1. This guide is written and revised by medical students of UOW. 2. The guide is organised into sections, and their relevance is dependent on your campus allocation. 3. We have taken the liberty of emphasising certain key points 4. The last page contains a list of WUMSS e-mail addresses that should be your point of contact for any particular questions Welcome, and enjoy! The WUMSS Committee 5" COURSE FORMAT Medicine at UOW is divided into four ‘phases’. These are discussed in far more detail in the Phase 1 Handbook that you will receive at orientation. Phase I (18 months) The ‘pre-clinical’ phase: comprises Sessions 1, 2 and 3. The majority of the work is taught through lectures and online modules. You will also have two hours of Anatomy Lab per week, two hours of Clinical Skills per week and two half day Placements (Hospital or GP practice) each month. Phase I is further divided into ‘blocks’ which focus on specific body systems/topics eg. in Session 1 you will have a six week Introductory Block, followed by a 10 week Cardiorespiratory Block. Each Block is organized into fortnights, which are themed around the Case-Based Learning patient case for that fortnight. Assessments are in the form of Clinical Competencies (demonstration of practical skills), essays (either reflective and/or research-based), an End of Year exam (end of 2015) and an End of Phase Exam (mid-2016) Phase II (1 year) Seven 5-week clinical placement rotations; comprises Sessions 1 and 2. Phase III (1 year) A longitudinal (40 week) clinical placement; comprises Sessions 1 and 2. Phase IV (6 months) Elective, selective & pre-internship terms. 6" TEXTBOOKS There are approximately a dozen ‘recommended core textbooks’ for Phase I. We strongly suggest that you don’t go out and buy all the textbooks before beginning class. Textbooks are definitely not cheap, so it really is worth waiting to determine what you’ll need. The Learning Centres of both campuses have multiple copies of the most important textbooks, so you can take a while to access each book and ‘try before you buy’. Some subjects are also repeated in the suggested text list – for example, there are two suggested biochemistry texts, but there’s no real reason to get both of them. Most people find that they do their majority of study at the GSM, meaning the textbooks at home end up as expensive doorstops. Corner some second year students and ask which textbooks they found useful. Some books will be used daily for a fortnight and never touched again, while some you will use most weeks. Additionally, they may have some advice regarding electronic resources. Ask around. Bring a USB drive/hard drive. They’ll hook you up. When you do decide on the textbooks you’d like to buy, shop around. The UniShop bookstore is the obvious first top, but often they don’t have competitive pricing. You will most likely find the best prices online on Amazon/Booktopia/Book Depository etc. In the meantime, you can use the textbooks at the Learning Centre and borrow certain texts from the main library. 7" LEARNING AND TEACHING The central method of communication within the medical program at UOW is through ‘Moodle’, which sounds like a wussy breed of dog, but is actually an ‘Online Learning Environment’. Your Block schedule, lecture outlines, pre- readings, post-readings, lecture slides, lecture recordings (via Echo 360) and a whole host of other things will be available online. If there is an announcement, it will be conveyed via a SOLS mail when you log in or via an announcement on one of the forums. These forums are widely used by students and staff to discuss concepts, organise extra tutorials if needed and resolve technical problems. There are also links to useful library pages and online resources, such as a Virtual Anatomy Lab and quizzes. Twice a week in your schedule you will see a GOAL (Guided Online Accessible Learning) scheduled. These cover material that are usually not covered in lectures, and are purely online course components. You need to complete these in your own time, although there are blocks set aside on the weekly timetable. Falling behind in GOALs is an easy thing to do, be careful to stay on top of them – they add up! The GSM staff will be introduced in the first week, after which you will get distracted by the delicious WUMSS welcome BBQ and promptly forget all their names and what they do. Luckily, the Phase I Handbook has a section at the front with names, photos and contact information. If you aren’t sure who to contact about a specific issue, post on the Forum, or chat with the staff at the GSM front desk. 8" WHAT TO EXPECT It hopefully won’t be a shock to you that Medicine is not a degree that can be cruised through. The analogy ‘drinking through a fire hose’ comes to mind. Don’t underestimate the commitment to work, but we’re all in this together (I’m a High School Musical Fan) to enjoy our time here and support each other. Key things to remember from the start: 1) Keep on top of the work. 2) Study with friends. The course is designed this way intentionally 3) Find a study system that works for you (this may take longer for some) 4) DO NOT freak out. LOUD NOISES!! Medical school at UOW is cooperative, not competitive. This course is pass/fail based, and there is no specific number of students that need to end up under that ‘fail line’ - the staff would be quite pleased if everyone passed. Working in groups is strongly encouraged in this program, as it’s been shown that those who learn cooperatively do better than those who plow through the work solo. There are plenty of tutorial and group study rooms in the learning centre, so make a couple of friends, grab some whiteboard pens, drag them in and start going through the material. Make use of the people who may know more than you about a topic. Often it’s a fun and stimulating way of studying! A common source of student stress in the program revolves around personal study strategies and level of detail (‘am I doing too much, or too little?’). There is an immense amount of detail in the coursework, and it can be pretty tough deciding how much 9" detail you need to know. The staff are not going to give you exact cutoffs for what you do and don’t need to know for exams - as far as they’re concerned, everything being taught is important knowledge. However, there are only 430 marks in the End of Year exam for over a thousand class hours. While there will be some detail required for the exam, obviously they’re more interested in knowing whether you understand big-picture concepts. Once you’ve been in the course for a while, you’ll start to see a fair amount of conceptual overlap and you’ll revisit things you’ve seen before- think ‘spiral learning’, which will become a familiar term. You can use Intro Block to figure out useful study strategies, but don’t be afraid to change things if it’s not working well. What you will have is a lot of resources. If you have a question, post it on the discussion forum and see what other people think, email the lecturer, bring it up in CBL time, or try all three. Each week a Formative (practice) quiz will be posted on Moodle that lets you test your knowledge, but doesn’t count towards anything. These quizzes aren’t inclusive of everything taught as they’re perceived as ‘rejected’ exam questions but can be a good indicator of whether you’ve got a handle on the previous week. The essay submissions have the opportunity to submit Formative versions so you can have it returned to you (marked, with feedback). Formative assignments are not mandatory but it is highly recommended that you do them and get the free advice on how to excel at the Summative assignments (which are mandatory and have to be passed). There isn’t a Formative End of Year exam, just End of Block Formative exams (a bit like mini-practice exams). If you’re keen on practice questions, try writing your own up as a study method. 10" To a certain extent, you need to have some faith in yourself that if you (a) attend lectures, (b) revise the notes in a timely fashion, and (c) do the readings; you’ll end up doing well come exam time. You can also use the learned knowledge of your peers to assess where you stand. Ultimately your study style is up to you, but be aware that you cannot cram Medicine; there is just far too much information. When you first start at the GSM you’ll be hearing a lot about ‘adult learning’. In practical, non-PC terms, this means that the course will not be spoon fed to you, and you need to take an active role in getting things done. Excess whining is not allowed (moderate levels acceptable). No one will be checking if you’re doing your readings or if you’ve kept up to date on your GOALs, they’re entirely yours to manage. Remember, you’re in medical school to learn what you need to for the practice of medicine, not just to pass an exam! If that was a bit overwhelming, here are the highlights: ☺ Group work is good ☺ You have lots of resources available ☺ Don’t fret too much over the detail, you’ve got to draw the line ☺ Spiral curriculum ☺ No cramming allowed, stay on top of things ☺ Have faith in yourself ☺ Calm students learn more. 11" VACCINATIONS There is often confusion and frustration over vaccination cards so please take special notice of this section. The following points SHOULD help you clear the vaccination card check unscathed... 1. Do not blame the GSM staff, they have nothing to do with this and they work very hard to make this as smooth a process as possible each year! Vaccination cards are a NSW health unit requirement and are not regulated by the GSM. GSM staff are very helpful and can be your best resource with this issue, but are ultimately not the ones who sign off them. 2. Get your ENTIRE vaccination card completed by your GP before registration day. (International students, we recommend that you get this done in your home country as it may cost you > $500 to get everything done here).! 3. Have your GP sign AND rubber stamp each vaccination, serology or test on the card. (Previously students have had signatures but no rubber stamps, the year before it was rubber stamps but no signatures, get both!) 4. Bring as much documentation with you as possible. Copies of serology are GOLD STANDARD! Sometimes the nurses will sign off on certain things if you can show them the proper lab reports! 5. Don’t forget your TB skin test, MMR, DTP, Hep B (if you have already had vaccines you need proof AND serology). The flu vaccination is optional but you will be spending time in hospitals and GP practices which places you at higher risk. Last year Wollongong Hospital gave out free flu vaccines to Medical Students, so you can wait and see if that happens again. 12# WOLLONGONG Housing Wollongong is previously industrial town, which with a smaller ‘bluecollar’ working population due to decreased industry, has increasingly become more university focused. It has some of the best beaches in NSW and there are plenty of websites elaborating the wonderful amenities and lifestyle that ‘The Gong’ has to offer. We strongly suggest planning your accommodation with one of the (free) bus loops in mind ,as it’s an incredibly handy way to get around town. Maps of the shuttle services are in the transportation section on page 16. Campus Housing Most medical students don’t live in campus housing because it’s expensive and full of undergrads. This arrangement can be detrimental to study due to different study and exam times and time demands. Med students who moved into campus housing tended to wish they hadn’t, but it can depend on which campus housing you move into. A very good exception is the University’s Marketview accommodation on the corner of Market and Church Streets. It has successfully housed med students and at $220 pw (including utilities) it can be a very good short term option http://www.uow.edu.au/about/accommodation/residences/marketview /overview/index.html 13# If you’re unsuccessful here and you’re still keen on campus housing, you’ll probably want to check out the Kooloobong and Gundi residences. Graduate House would also be an acceptable option (and is the only one that accepts couples/families if that’s you) but usually has a long wait list to get in. Private Accommodation Off-campus housing is competitive in mid January/February, so get it organised as early as you can. Here are some overviews of the neighbourhoods involved: • Keiraville - Immediately south of the university. This area is fairly residential and doesn’t have much in the way of places to shop, but you can walk to University from here. The walk to the train station, mall, supermarket and the beach is ~40min, but you can catch the free Uni or CBD shuttles from UOW bus stop. • Gwynneville - This area is close to both the University and the train station, but also doesn’t have many shops. Is very similar to Keiraville in many respects - mostly residential, more houses than apartments, and the mall & beach are ~30min walk away. The free shuttle loop scoots between Keiraville and Gwynneville, making it accessible to both. • North Wollongong – This is generally the more expensive area of town, however if you start looking early there are still good deals to be found. This section is full of apartment buildings and newer houses and is a great area if you’re willing to pay a little more. North Gong is a bit hilly so you will get your exercise. Though it’s a short walk to the mall, supermarket and beaches, it’s further from the University. North Wollongong is serviced by 2 free shuttle buses (Green and Orange), or is a short bike ride to uni (over the North Gong train station). • Wollongong - There are many apartment buildings scattered through this area, and the free shuttle runs right through as well. Shopping and city beach can be nice and close to your front door; depending on location but Uni will be further. • Towradgi – A great spot if you want to be close to a couple of surf beaches, 14# but it’s not directly on the free bus route so you have to have a car or be up for a 20-25 minute bike ride to uni each today. Usually more affordable than North Gong, but not as many apartments available. • Fairy Meadow - Fairy Meadow is on the bus route, but doesn’t have many apartments/rental properties (it’s generally more affordable though). It is close to the grocery store and is an easy bike ride to uni. • West Wollongong - Some areas west of The Wollongong Hospital are quite nice, others can be a little sketchy. Generally speaking, the closer to the Hospital you are, the better, as the bus turns up towards the Uni at this point. • Other - Neighborhoods not mentioned or off the bus route may be more trouble than they’re worth. Mt Ousley looks nice and close to the university on the map, but there’s no pedestrian overpass across the highway and it’s a long way around by foot. Areas farther out such as Mt Pleasant, Coniston, Figtree, and Mt Kembla are probably going to require a car, and unless there are 3 of you in the car (free carpool parking with 3 or more people in the car), parking at the university can be a nightmare. 15# Since Wollongong is a university town, finding accommodation can be a challenge, particularly at the start of the year when things are very competitive. Be prepared to view 8-10 places before finding something acceptable, but make your intentions clear to the Real Estate agent so they don’t stuff you about. Rent obviously varies by quality, but $125-170 per week should get you something decent, and you’ll pay less if you’re willing to share a place. Most of the house/apartment rentals in the area are conducted through real estate agents, but private listings can also be found on the UOW accommodations website. Past students have also been successful with Gumtree. UOW has an online property listing service called Study Stays. This has made it easier for students to search properties in a wide range of areas near UOW and Study Stays also links directly to Google maps. Each listing has information about the location, proximity to UOW, rent, bond, amenities and other details. Study Stays: http://uow.studystays.com Utilities Depending on your accommodation, water, electricity, gas, etc may be included in your rent. Origin, Integral, EnergyAustralia and TruEnergy are the major electrical companies in the Wollongong area, but you could very easily get a great deal through Dodo Electricity. Phone and Internet are probably going to be your major concerns when you first get here. There’s fairly good coverage through the usual major phone companies throughout Wollongong, though there are some ‘black holes’. Telstra, Optus and Virgin have pretty solid coverage of the area. Internet It is worth taking a second to give you a heads up on the trials and tribulations of setting up an Internet connection in Wollongong (or Australia for that matter). First off, there is not yet a city wide NBN (cable) internet service in Wollongong (although some streets have it) so your best bet will be ADSL, ADSL2 or wireless 3G internet. All have their strengths and 16# weaknesses. When you first get here you may find that wireless 3G internet is the best approach as you can have it up and running very quickly, however if you are a high volume internet user we recommend ADSL2, which is available through most of Wollongong. Dial-up, ADSL and ADSL2 all require you to have a phone line connected for the initial setup (even if you are ordering Naked-ADSL). This means that you will need to setup a phone line through either Telstra or Optus and it will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $160.00 setup plus 3 months of service at around $27.00/month (if you cancel within the 3 months they just charge you $100 cancellation fee). Good deals exist with free setup. If you would like to have a home phone line then this will work out to your advantage since most have special bundled prices for phone and internet. If you don’t want a home phone and prefer to just use your mobile/cell, then you can go for ‘Naked’ ADSL and cancel the phone line once it is set up. Some quick recommendations from us are Telstra, Optus, TPG if you are bundling and Internode or Exetel for Naked ADSL service. Students have had bad experiences with Dodo in the past…talk to some second and third years to discuss their issues. However, packages change often so check out http://broadbandguide.com.au/ Internet is essentially a pre-requisite for this course, so make sure you get on to it quickly. Family Services The Wollongong campus offers childcare services but unfortunately the Shoalhaven campus does not. Medicine at UOW doesn’t involve many late nights (unless you volunteer them), so it can be organised into quite a family-friendly program. There are also many people who organize outside daycare for their children - if you’re interested in information on alternatives contact someone at WUMSS and we’ll put you in touch with student parents who have some experience in this area. For details on university daycare, see: http://unicentre.uow.edu.au/kidsuni/ 17# Transportation Walking Depending on where you live, you can often walk to most places within 3040 minutes. If you’ve got some time before uni starts, gather a couple of your peers and explore the coastal walks Biking Wollongong is a fairly bike-friendly city, and if you live in one of the closer neighborhoods this can be a great way to get to Uni. One rather comprehensive store is linked below, but you can also find bicycles at a number of other stores in the Gong. There is also a Facebook page for UOW Buy and Sell, and bikes often crop up at the start of the year. http://www.wollongong.bikehub.com.au/ Bus services There are three FREE shuttle buses that run in Wollongong every 10-30 minutes depending on the bus, semester schedule, time of day and day of the week. The major bus route is the Green line, which has the most extensive service. It runs every 10 minutes during peak hours and every 20 minutes the rest of the day from 7am – 10pm on weekdays. This bus goes to the University, hospital, mall, grocery stores and Fairy Meadow train station. There is also the Blue line that runs strictly between the North Wollongong Train Station and the University, again every 10-20 minutes. Finally, there is an Orange line shuttling from Kieraview-Gwyneville to the University. The Orange line services areas no covered by the Green line. If you don’t end up finding a spot near the free shuttle route, there are two transit companies that may cover your area: http://www.premierillawarra.com.au/ http://www.dions.com.au/html/ 18# Trains The trains are useful if you’re commuting from somewhere outside of bus range. There are three stations in the Wollongong area - the Fairy Meadow station (connects with the CBD shuttle bus), the North Gong station (connects with the university shuttle bus or a 20 minute walk), and the Wollongong station (CBD shuttle bus). Wollongong to Sydney Central can be done in 1hr 40 minutes. The 19# South Coast train schedule can be found online at http://www.sydneytrains.info/ Cars If you decide you want a car after arriving here, there are a number of second-hand dealerships near the North Gong train station. Note that if you plan on driving to the University, parking is expensive and can be a nightmare unless you car pool. Parking The University has a great “Free-for-3” carpool parking program at the Western Car park (conveniently close to the GSM building) for cars with 3 or more people in them. If you are short on car occupants, find some randoms to hop in with you…but if you get caught doing this your car gets ‘blacklisted’ for the semester! Aside from car pooling, finding a place to park your car at the University can be either expensive or frustrating, since there are a limited number of free parking spots on the surrounding streets that are taken up very quickly in the morning (usually before 8am). There is a multi-story car park, but it costs $10 per day. Ain’t nobody got cash for that. 20# ENTERTAINMENT Wollongong is a great university town with plenty of venues to host a ‘work hard, play hard’ lifestyle favoured by some medical students. It has a huge range of outdoor activities and places to socialise. Pubs/Bars North Gong Pub - Close to North Gong station, this is a nice place to grab some munchies, a beer or two and watch the footy on TV. The huge patio is very popular with local university students. North Gong also has cheap T-bone/schnitzel nights every week, and has trivia nights to dominate. Five Islands Brewing Company “The Brewery” - Situated near City Beach attached to WIN stadium, these guys have some original beers to try and host the occasional live band. We rule trivia Wednesdays. The Harp – A good alternative to the above two…the floor is a bit sticky, but the karoke nights are very popular with medical students! Dicey Riley’s - This Irish pub is located right next to Wollongong station. It usually has an older crowd and live bands - this is definitely the place to be for St Patrick’s Day. His Boy Elroy – a bit more expensive, but a great hipster cocktail bar that’s popular with uni students A bit further out: if you’ve got transport you can also check out the Towradgi or Scarborough pubs, both are worth the drive 21# Clubs Illawarra Hotel – affectionately known as the ‘Killa Illa’, where every good night out will end up. Located on Keira Street and one of the busiest dance clubs in town, this place is booming most nights of the week. Check out Retro night on Thursdays. UOW GSM students and The Wollongong Hospital junior doctors must own shares here by now The Ivory - Also on Crown Street, this place can be hit and miss as it’s sometimes oddly empty. It’s worth a wander by if you’re in the area, if you’re in a big group they’ll often give you a free drink on entry. The Little Prince – Located adjacent to Crown Street Mall, this is a great destination for those with a penchant to ‘drink-and-shop’. Good hipster and classy venue. The Glasshouse - Right next to Crown Street mall, this is a favourite of the undergrad crowd with a notorious reputation and a constantly packed dance floor. An option if you’re desperate. Wining and Dining JJ’s - In the mood for Indian food? These guys have a varied menu with dishes that are great for sharing. Amigos - Mexican food with some Uni student specials - $3 tacos & tequila shots are hard to argue with. Lots of fun. Jasmine Rice - While there’s a Thai restaurant on almost every street, Jasmine Rice is one of the best. Other honourable mentions include: Thai Basil, Coconut Thai, and Mylan. Diggies - A sit-down restaurant attached to a beach kiosk located on North Beach that has some pretty great dishes to try; great for Sunday breakfast or brunch. 22# Mango tree – Another popular Indian restaurant on the waterfront Mud Cat Café – in front of the Novotel looking out on to North Beach. Great place to bring visitors to the Gong, with declious food and great views Sifters – a seriously cool café located in a beautified shipping container down a little walkway on Market Street, you only find it if you know where to look. Fabulous coffee. Grill’d Burgers – a new addition, part of the recently built ‘Wollongong Central’ shopping centre. Conveniently located next to Max Brenner for dessert! At the Uni URAC - The university recreation centre has a nice gym, a pool, squash courts, tennis courts, sports teams you can join, and fitness classes. Memberships for students are pretty cheap, and this is a great place to meet people if you’re new in town. (Check their website!). Food - http://unicentre.uow.edu.au/food/index.html Campus Health - If you’re looking for a GP or dentist you can book an appointment at Campus Health, which is located in the UniCentre. (Check their website!) UniBar - The campus restaurant/bar is a good place to stop off for chips and beer after a long day of class. UniBar often holds very cheap concerts and random events (line dancing anyone?). The GSM - If you haven’t been by yet, the GSM has a common room with lockers, fridges, coffee machine (you’ll need it) microwaves, sandwich presses and a snack supply. UniMovies - UniMovies is a nice, cheap way to watch movies. They show different movies every week (Check their website! 23# Around Town Crown Street Mall and Wollongong Central- a wide variety of shops, restaurants & places to grab coffee. There’s also a market every Friday Beaches - there are two main beaches to stroll down to for a swim - City Beach is just next to the lighthouse, and North Beach is up the coast a bit. There’s a seawall between the two areas that is a popular walking/jogging/cycling route. North Beach is the only area to have year-round surf patrols, and also has a large park adjacent to it. There are plenty more beaches if you venture slightly further. Beaton Park - this recreation park has multiple sports and exercise facilities including a multi-lane running track, indoor pool, and a pretty decked-out gym. Greater Union (Wollongong Cinema) - if nothing at UniMovies catches your eye, take a look at what’s playing at the bigger theatre in Wollongong. This theatre usually has 5 or 6 different movies showing. (eventcinemas.com.au) Bunnings - similar to Home Depot or any other local hardware store, it has a good variety of quality products at decent prices. Leisure Coast Market - a little out of the way but again, the green shuttle runs right past it, this local market has some of the best produce and has great deals on meat. Definitely worth checking out whenever you can. There are two Woolworth’s and Aldi’s in town as well. Warrawong - south of Wollongong, Warrawong has ‘Furniture Alley’ with bedding, furniture, electronics, desks, chairs, lamps, lighting, etc… anything you need to fill a house has its own shop. Take a cruise down King St. and see for yourself! 24# SHOALHAVEN Housing The good thing about living in Nowra is that everything is so close and convenient, no matter which part of town you live in. If you want to live with other med students, Nowra is the place to do it. Before session starts, Lyndal assists in getting you in contact with each other to organise housing arrangements. Most of the Shoalies end up living in groups of 2-4. Below are some brief descriptions of locations that have been popular: Nowra - There is plenty of decent housing close to the centre of town, but it’s best to visit houses or check out Google Street View first to make sure you don’t end up in a dodgy street. It is 5-10mins drive to campus and 30min to the beach. North Nowra - This suburban area is across the river and has a selection of shops and restaurants. Bomaderry - Similar to North Nowra but closer to the industrial area. Bomaderry is also at the end of the train line to Sydney, which makes it handy for transport. It is about 15mins away from campus and 15mins to the beach. As for Nowra, check out the street you intend on living in, as some areas might be less desirable. 25# East Nowra – Probably a place to avoid. Well known to have many “issues”. Cheap rent to say the least, but replacing your property every 2 months is not. Worrigee – New, developing suburb with affordable, modern houses. It is 10-15mins to campus and 25mins to the beach. Jervis Bay (Culburra Beach, Huskisson) - Gorgeous beaches! These are small towns with a good variety of shops and restaurants, but are a bit further out being 20-30 mins away from the campus. Gerroa/Gerringong - A bit higher in the price range and a bit further away (40mins to campus), this location has great surf beaches, trendy cafés and shops. Kiama – This is the biggest coastal town between Wollongong and Nowra. This beautiful tourist town is 55mins to campus. An advantage of living in Kiama, Gerroa/Gerringong is that they are located half-way between Nowra and Wollongong so if you do not mind commuting, you can have the best of both worlds. When looking for a place to live, check out the Shoalhaven campus website, which keeps an up-to-date list of places for rent in the area, as well as the local real estate agents and listings. See the links listed on the next page. Some tips: Make sure to check what “furnished” includes so that you do not have to buy extra stuff when you move down here. If you decide to furnish your own place, there are some big furniture shops in South Nowra. 26# If you are coming to the area from out of town, you will have to find somewhere to stay while you find housing. There are some reasonably priced motels here that you can use as a base camp. Springs Resorts Shoalhaven http://springsresorts.com.au/shoalhaven-sports-motel Housing links: Campus Housing: http://shoalhaven.uow.edu.au/accommodation/index.html Real Estate Listings: www.allhomes.com.au www.domain.com.au www.realestate.com.au Phone & Internet There is fairly good coverage throughout Nowra, but some black holes exist. Telstra has the best solid coverage of the area. Telstra & Optus get 3G iPhone coverage, although Optus is scratchy. There is zero Vodaphone reception on campus. Internet can be obtained from a variety of providers, some of which are significantly more expensive than others. Naked broadband is not available in Nowra, so your choices are dial-up, ADSL, ADSL2, or wireless internet, all of which you will need a landline for. Wireless internet through a USB drive is an alternative but it is not as cheap. Telstra has the best coverage. Internet access is available 24/7 at the Shoalhaven Campus in a computer lab. The GSM has computers available and is open until midnight. 27# Transportation There is little in the way of public transport in Shoalhaven. A car is recommended but you may get lucky and find someone to carpool with! Parking at campus and around town is free. Most current Shoalies think having a car down here is pretty indispensable. If you are a keen cyclist you will find that the Shoalhaven is pretty good for it, being generally flat and making for easy riding. The school campus is not in the town so you are probably not going to be walking to school unless you live really close to campus. Classes are held in Wollongong for everyone one day a week. On these days the GSM provides a free bus service to get you to and from Wollongong Uni. The bus has various pick up points along the way (e.g. Campus, Bomaderry, Berry, Gerringong, and Kiama). Nowra is on the Princes Highway, and Wollongong is about an hour drive up the coast, with Sydney being a further hour away. The train service runs every day and will take you all the way up to Sydney - the complete trip takes a little over three hours. The train station is located in Bomaderry, which is 5-10mins out of the centre of Nowra. 28# Entertainment There is never a shortage of things to do in the Shoalhaven, especially if the weather is good! The Shoalhaven City Council website (http://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/) gives a great list of clubs you can join including kayaking and scuba diving, just look under the community directory. The website is also a really useful guide for pretty much anything you’re looking for, from religious groups to arts communities to health services. Pubs and clubs Bottlerocket - The hottest new venue in town, it is a cafe and cocktail bar all in one. A dress code is in place. Check out Trivia Tuesdays Postman’s Tavern – Live DJs on Friday Nights The Bridge Hotel - Features $8 steak night on Mondays, a good option after a long Monday in Wollongong. North Nowra Tavern - Big on a Thursday night! The Australian Hotel - Features all you can eat ribs for $27 on Mondays. Do not miss out on karaoke Thursdays! Wining and dining A list of places to wine and dine in the Nowra area. Many menus can be found online. Berry also features a number of quaint cafes and restaurants that are worth a visit. Socrates Cafe - Greek styled lunch and breakfast. Open late on Fridays for souvlaki! 29# Riverside Thai – great fresh Thai with BYO Coffeelicious - Open earlier than many other cafes in town, this place is a haunt for cyclists. Wharf Road Restaurant & Bar - Nowra’s newest modern restaurant. Features trendy menu items made from local organic produce. Great menu, but expensive. The Deli on Kinghorne - Great spot for a casual lunch or a Sunday breakfast. Kohlis Indian Restaurant The Butter Factory - A reasonably priced modern dining experience in a heritage building. The menu never disappoints. Woodies Woodfired Pizza - By far the best pizza in Nowra and well worth the extra dollars. Fitness Anytime Fitness The Gym North Nowra - has a good selection of fitness classes as well as a weights room, cardio machines, spa, sauna, squash courts http://nowragym.com.au/ Nowra Bomaderry Squash and Fitness Centre Ben’s walk - a nice loop along the escarpment; somewhere around 5km in length, many people use it as a running trail. Access is at the show-grounds near the hospital. Tennis- there is only 1 free court in the whole area (from what we have found) in Worrigee. Otherwise there are plenty of pay courts scattered throughout the area. Shoalhaven City Lanes - ten pin bowling lanes, pool tables and games room. Surfing – there are plenty of great surf spots on the South Coast, 30# although keep in mind if you are in Nowra you are looking at 15 minutes minimum (by car) to the ocean. Ask around (or search the net) to see what you have available. For those new to the sport just make sure that you always have a surf buddy. Cinema - 3D has just hit The Roxy Cinema! Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre - has great live shows …everything from ‘Troy Cassar-Daley’ to ‘Puppetry of the Penis’ to ‘Melbourne Comedy Road Show’ Sports There is no shortage of sporting activities to do in the Shoalhaven – here are some we have been involved with: basketball, netball, AFL, rugby league, touch football, kayaking, dragon boating, cycling, scuba diving, surfing, swimming, tennis, and squash – plenty of ways to take your mind away from study. 31# 32# WUMSS WUMSS is the Wollongong University Medical Student Society that all med students at UOW automatically belong to. The society is run by an elected council that does all sorts of work for your benefit - we sort out everything from appliances and coffee machines in the common room to organising formal dinners, dances and pub crawls to helping restructure parts of the curriculum. You can check out more about WUMSS on our website at www.wumss.org.au The elected council consists of the President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, Sponsorship Officer (all part of the executive committee) and two Year representatives from each cohort. WUMSS also elects people to positions for Publications Officer, Wellbeing, Social Representatives, Academic Representatives, New South Wales Medical Students Committee (NSWMSC) Rep, and Australian Medical Student Association (AMSA) Reps. Our contact details are listed at the end of this guide. WUMSS provide the official student representation of any issues to the GSM. Think the GSM should have a textbook they don’t? Want information on potential elective positions or future career options? If we don’t have the answer, we’ll get it for you. And now, we need you! Self-nominations will be opening in the first month of class for two cohort representatives to lend your year a voice at WUMSS council and on the 2013 WUMSS committee. 33# KEY CALENDAR EVENTS FOR 2015 Med Camp 6 – 8th February Med Camp (aka orientation weekend) is the first big shindig of the year. This is the best way to meet classmates and previous students! During the day there’ll be events like a suturing workshop and a global health session, as well as several other activities - in the evenings there are theme parties and we have all the fun. You can buy your ticket for MedCamp during the first week of classes, we’ll tell you more when we see you in week one! This is a must-do weekend! th NSWMSC Leadership Seminar and Cocktail Party A great way to meet other med students in NSW, last year tickets sold out very quickly to a great night held at The Ivy in Sydney. AMSA Convention This is the highlight of the Australian Medical School Calendar. Our biggest contingent ever attended the Adelaide Convention in 2014, and this year takes us to Melbourne. Did someone say road trip?! A week of fun, friends, fancy dress and frivolity…and some learning too! http://un.convention.al/ Med Revue August Last year’s Med Revue completely sold out both nights! An absolutely fantastic show to be involved in, whether you have talent, enthusiasm, or both! Join our Facebook Group: UOW Med Revue, script writing brain storming sessions will begin early in the year. A DVD of the 2014 show ‘Dawn of the Med’ will have a showing early in the year to give you an idea what it’s about! 34# NSWMSC Inter-Uni Sports Day and Charity Evening August Last year this did not go ahead due to insurance issues, but we hope that they’ll be sorted out for Wollongong Med to dominate the NSW inter-uni sports again this year! Red Week August Run by WUHOW (Wollongong University Health Over Wealth), Red Week raises funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS. Over the week there is a trivia night, bake sale, sports day, speaker night and of course, Red Party! Inspiration Lecture This is the biggest annual event of UOW Graduate School of Medicine’s calendar. UOW is on show and it is an opportunity to hear and mingle with some amazing minds. A highlight of last year was Dr Vyom Sharma: a practicing doctor and part-time magician! AMSA Global Health Conference September Over 500 med students from across the country will converge on Sydney in 2014 for this 5-day journey to better global health. Keep your ears open for more details to come. Med Ball Med Ball is the wine-and-dine event of the year, with all cohorts being invited to a formal dress evening with speakers, prizes and dancing. Med Ball is the must-attend event of the year (after Med Camp of course!) so girls - start dress hunting! “The annual Inspiration Lecture will Other Events The events listed above are just some of the big guns - we’ll also be having lots of smaller get-togethers and academic events. Our special interest groups put on a whole variety of activities throughout the year, such as suturing workshops, trivia nights, themed parties and bush dances. 35# International Student Info G’day! you all have probably gathered, there is a ton of stuff to sort out before you arrive in Australia. Don’t worry, we all got through it, and so will you. Here are a few tidbits of information that we picked up along the way, and maybe wish we’d had in our back pocket before getting here. Student Visas/COEs Of course, you need to visit the immigrations website to get all of the specific details for the process. But here is the streamlined version: • Application: Easy. Online. You are required to have your COE (Confirmation of Enrolment) to apply. This means that you need to pay your tuition, have it processed by UOW, and have the COE sent back to you before you can send in your Visa application. You also need to get all of your health checks completed before the Visa application is complete. See below. • Timing: The COE has roughly a 1-2 week turnover time. The visa can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks. • Cost: Roughly $550 for the application alone. See below for the additional costs for the health checks. 36# • Regarding Spouses/Partners: Unless you’re with an Aussie, they’ll be going on your visa as a dependent. There isn’t much extra paperwork to get filled out, and they’ll need a physical and a chest x-ray but not the blood tests if they’re in the low-risk group. Student Visa Health Checks • Keep a close eye on your online visa application status to see if you need to get one of these checks done. It is possible that you may sneak through the whole visa process without having to do a Health Check, it has happened. • Process: Look at the Australian immigrations website (bellow) for the certified doctor nearest you and make an appointment – there can be a 1- 3 week wait depending on your location and their schedule. You will need to print off the appropriate documentation to take with you (available online). Requirements: Physical, Chest X-Ray, urinalysis (dipstick), blood test. This should all be doable in one day. http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/ • Cost: This may vary between doctors but the standard fee can run anywhere from $125 - $250 (regardless of your health care plan – this isn’t covered). If you have a spouse you’ll be paying for everything but the blood tests twice. First Aid Yes, there is a requirement for a First Aid course. This is cheaper to do at home than in Australia - it’ll cost $150-$200. There is a minimum number of training hours. A weekend course is generally sufficient and just needs to meet the 14 hour training requirements laid out on the UOW website. The courses are really easy, just pick a weekend and get it done! 37# Criminal Record Check There are multiple ways to get this done. Some of us filled out online forms; some of us strolled down to the main police station with a couple of pieces of ID. At any rate, it is about $20-50 and is pretty quick and easy. If you opt for the online version, expect a 12 week turnaround before it arrives in the mail. Vaccinations It is best to complete this before you arrive you start Orientation week. Last year nearly every student (International and Domestic) got held up for at least one issue with their vaccination card. Special considerations for International students since it is a lot harder to just run back to your normal GP and have make any adjustments are as follows: • Have your GP sign AND stamp everything on your card, they may think that this is overkill and not necessary but that is actually what the nurses wanted last year (and we do mean a stamp beside every signature) • Bring any and all paperwork that you have and can get with you!!! This includes vaccination records from when you were a child (in Canada you should be able to just ring up the local health office and they can fax or mail them, check online). Ask your doctor for your serology results where applicable etc… Bring it all. • Scan all of your documentation and e-mail it to yourself or put it on a disk or flash drive (better to be a little over prepared). • Do not skip anything and hope that you can just get it done here; it is much more difficult and expensive. 38# What do I send? There are quite a few bits and pieces of paperwork that are listed as requirements. Most of these you can just bring with you - your criminal record check, vaccinations, and first aid certificate. Things you want to mail in are your official university transcripts and notarized documents (for CoE/admissions stuff). Keeping your own photocopies of all of these things is a good idea, just to be on the safe side. It is not a terrible idea to mail copies of everything to the school ahead of your arrival so that they have copies incase you somehow forget or lose yours along the way. Canadian students Student Loans/Financing Almost all of the Canadian banks offer a medical student line of credit (Scotiabank does not do them for international students …their loss) - the amount varies from roughly $100 000 to $250 000 depending on your cosigner. You will definitely need a cosigner because you are planning to leave the country, so make sure your parents etc are on board. With a line of credit you pay interest immediately, so taking out a large sum and depositing it in an Australian bank account may not be the most cost effective way of managing your money. ***NOTE: Do not feel compelled to accept whatever interest rate your first bank offers you, shop around and play them off of each other. You may go to one bank where they offer you prime+0.5% and then speak to another bank who will offer you prime+0.25%. Last year it was possible for some of the students to get prime+0% 39# (you will be paying plenty of money in interest by the time this is all over, it is very worth while to spend a bit haggling to get the best price. Always remember, you are doing the bank a favour by borrowing their money, and they know it.) You are also eligible for provincial and federal student loans, so be sure to check into that. Moving Money to Australia from Overseas There are many, many ways to accomplish this and each one will get you a different exchange rate. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list but rather a list of general suggestions and a suggested method that I prefer. Tip 1: Do your research. There are a ton of companies willing to exchange money between countries, some more reputable than others. I can’t stress enough that you should try and do as much research as possible to find out who’s going to give you the best rates. I can’t suggest something that’s going to work for everyone in every situation but I use XE Trade (more to follow on that topic). Tip 2: Follow the dollar. When you’re talking about transferring at least $190,000 AUD over the four years, a small change in the exchange rate can equate to significant gain or loss. Follow the Australian dollar, follow your dollar, and follow the exchange rate. Get a feel for the fluctuations and try and time your exchanges to when it is more favourable to you. You won’t always be able to move money at the best time simply due to timing of when tuition is due, etc. but try your best. Tip 3: If you’re going to move money, move larger chunks less often. Depending on the method you chose to transfer money, you 40# may incur some fees (sometimes substantial if you didn’t listen to Tip 1!) Simple. Also if you can time it right, in relation to the exchange rate, those large chunks can actually make you some money! That being said, if the exchange rate is poor, don’t feel obligated to move lots of money. You’ll have to weigh the cost of transfer fees vs. the amount of loss you incur on the exchange. XE Trade XE, a popular currency exchange site, also operates a currencytrading program. It requires you to sign up and go through a vetting process where they check your identity, etc. but it’s relatively simple to do. It is the method I use to move money between Australia and Canada and, so far, they have given me the best rates. You can go to http://www.xe.com/xetrade/suinfo.php and sign up for an account. Just follow the instructions and you should have your account up and running in a week or so, sometimes less. From there, you have to enter in your banking information for both your Australian (you can open an account online) and Canadian bank accounts and put in a trade request. During the request, you’ll have to select how you want to get the money to XE and how you want them to get the money to you. I use the bill payment option to send the money to XE (just like paying any other Canadian bill via online banking) and a wire transfer to my Australian account. You may need to actually be in Australia before you can do your first transfer if your bank needs you to activate your account in person. Luckily, the trades only take about three or so business days to process. 41# It’s all pretty self-explanatory when you get into it but if anyone needs some advice, message the lovely Canadian lass Vivega Vijay on Facebook! She is your International Rep and will be happy to help or put you in contact with others who can. Arrival & Transportation Transport from the Airport Limousines provide a free ride to Wollongong from Sydney airport for all incoming first-time international students. Go to http://www.uow.edu.au/future/international/prearrival/airport/index. html and follow the instructions. Alternatively you can take the train to Wollongong. The train station connects directly to the airport and is so easy, even a caveman could do it. Where to stay? The best deal in town for the first two weeks is the local YHA, Keiraview Accommodation. It is located right in town (near all the pubs/restaurants that you’ve read about in this guide) and offers a special discount for incoming international students. It’s an easy starting point for looking for apartments and getting to know the city. Once you’ve planned your arrival times, make sure you book in. http://www.keiraviewaccommodation.com.au/ Shoalhaven For the students heading to the Shoalhaven the free bus is not available. You can catch the free shuttle to Wollongong, but will be out of luck if trying to get directly to Nowra. There are a couple of options available: For those with a reasonable amount of luggage you can catch the train from the International Airport. Cost is about $20 and the 3-4 42# hour train ride (depending on how your transfers work out) is quite spectacular. Keep in mind that you will have to transfer at least 2 trains on the way down. Also, you will arrive in Bomaderry which is an easy cab ride to Nowra; just remember that you will likely need to give the cab driver some direction as to where you want to be dropped off. Check out accommodation to stay when you arrive. www.cityrail.info Shoalhaven shuttle is a shuttle service that can pick you up at the airport and take you directly to your destination in the Shoalhaven. Cost is $50-100pp depending on the amount of luggage you are bringing. They typically run 1- 2x/day so drop them an email early to determine if they are a viable option. www.shoalhavenshuttle.com Finally, for those with a sense of adventure, a rental car may be a good option for your first few days. The area around Nowra is pretty vast which can be a pain if you are trying to sort out living arrangements upon arrival. Hertz is the rental company in the area that you can pick up a car in Sydney and drop off in South Nowra for a reasonable price. Check them out online to get an idea of prices. Also, make sure you opt in for the insurance. Driving on the opposite side of the road takes some getting used to. Banking Setting up a bank account in Australia is quite straightforward; you can actually do it from abroad and transfer money over before you get here. All you need to do once you arrive in Wollongong is take 43# your passport to the branch, sign some papers, and you’re ready to go. NAB and Commonwealth are both readily accessible around Wollongong and Shoalhaven, and NAB has a branch right on campus. Cell Phones (“mobiles”) Most cell phones in Australia are pay-as-you-go plans, and contracts are difficult to get without a credit history here. All you need to do is buy the cell phone, buy a $30, $40, or $50 card (depending on how much you talk) and you’re ready to go! The only tricky part is picking your network, because it’s cheaper to call phones on the same network as your own. Locals recommend Telstra because it has the best coverage around Wollongong and the uni, but it can be slightly more expensive. Other options are Optus (which has reasonably good coverage), Vodafone (don’t do it!) and TPG. Aldi is a new one and great if you have your own phone already. If you are a new Shoalie, stick to Telstra as your safest option. 44# Accommodation The most terrifying thing of all! Students flood the housing market in January and February, so ideally you’ll want to get here in early January for house hunting. Alternatively, some internationals last year got here just before uni started, having found a housemate on the Med Facebook page and trusted them to find a place. The majority of apartments are rented out via real estate agencies on 6 month or 1 year leases, and there are fully furnished places available. For the Woolies, we’ve teamed up with a local real estate agent to make your life easier. All you need to do is let him know that you’re an international medical student, when you’re arriving, and make an appointment for him to take you around to the available furnished apartments. Tim Bartlett - Clayton Real Estate Office: 02 4226 1074 Mobile: 0412 126669 Email: [email protected] 45# Living Expenses Cost of living is roughly $1000-$1500 per month in Wollongong, depending on how frugal you are. Roommates are a good idea as 1br apartments are hard to find. Housing runs from about $250350/week for a 2br apartment, on the higher end if it’s furnished. Alcohol and food are definitely expensive in Australia. The main grocery stores are Woolworths, Aldi and Coles, and there are a few fruit and veggie markets around. If you are eating out at restaurants, remember that all prices are listed including tax, and this is a non-tipping culture so your tips are also already incorporated into the prices (although as usual, if your service is exceptional then feel free to leave a tip!). As an idea: Pint of beer - $5-7 6pk beer - $20 750mL bottle of Spirits ~ $35+ Dinner - $15-25 Petrol – $1.30 – $1.40 / L 46# Insurance: Health (AHM), Travel, Life and Car Every international student is required to buy overseas health cover as a part of their student agreement. This allows you to get a rebate (roughly 75%) for doctor’s visits and medications you purchase. Unfortunately, you are still required to pay the full fee up-front for any services, and you need to take in your receipts afterwards. A standard doctor’s visit is about $50. Your overseas health cover only kicks in on the first scheduled day of classes. This means that you’ll potentially have the entire month of January in Australia to get yourself injured/attacked by a shark/mauled by a drop bear. Buy travel insurance before you go, your travel agent can set it up for you easily. Life insurance is also a good idea for those of you who have had your parents/friends/other family members co-sign your loans. We don’t like to worry about things like that, but if anything happens to you, that’s a pretty hefty amount of money that still needs to be paid back. Car insurance is through private companies, but you have to get certain things (third party liability etc.) to get your registration (“rego”). The rego costs about $500 for a year, and insurance varies with your coverage - check the RTA website: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/. Also, you will be able to drive legally on your home country license. 47# Spouses/Partners If your spouse or common-law partner is coming to Australia, there are some work restrictions that are going to apply to them. As per the immigration website, spouses are only allowed 20 hours of work per week. The MBBS degree in Australia is classified as a Bachelor’s degree, which makes us unfortunately fall into the undergraduate crowd. Yes, this makes very little (if any) sense, but so far there’s no official way around the regulation. Those of us in this predicament have investigated finding a loophole through the school, lawyers etc., but so far there’s been no good news. The Australian Medical Student Association (AMSA) is behind us on this issue, and is trying to get the regulations changed specifically for international medical student spouses. However, this is going to take some time and you may want to consider temporary work visas and the like when you first arrive. Meeting the other international students Above all else, get to know each other and have some fun! Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley, Jervis Bay...there is so much to see and do before medical school dominates your life. Use Facebook to figure out when everyone is arriving, and 48# meet at the beach. The first group to find a house usually ends up hosting a lot of barbecues... Don’t forget that some of the second and third years will also be around, and happy to meet for dinner/drinks sometime. Don’t hesitate to contact us, especially if you have questions when you first get here. International Student Facebook Group If you haven’t found it already or just have questions that we haven’t answered here, check the Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=1097845396 44 Class of 2018 Student Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/369434209878835/ Just in case you missed the link the first time, we’re always happy to answer questions! Can’t wait to meet you all in person! 49# Contacts Questions & Concerns We have taken the time to revise this guide for you because we have all been there ourselves and know what a big leap it can be to come this far. One of the greatest things about this school is the group of students selected for intake. The previous cohorts started this guide and we are continuing it in their tradition, so feel free to fire us e-mails if you have further questions. Contact details for the other WUMSS members can be found on the website. WUMSS Executive President – Murray Crowe [email protected] Vice President (Wollongong) – Trent Stapleton [email protected] Vice President (Shoalhaven) – Michael Rennie [email protected] Secretary – Rachel Bowden [email protected] Treasurer – Florence Huynh [email protected] Sponsorship Officer – Sophia Hill [email protected] AMSA Rep – Francesca Dudas [email protected] Enjoy your holidays, we can’t wait to meet you all! 50#
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