State of the Union

state of the union.state of the union.

EMILY DENG

Welcome to the second half of the first semester! We hope everyone managed to have some rest during the midterm break and are ready to conquer new knowledge.

I’m Esther, a board director in AUU and a third year student in Bachelor of Nursing.

I’m Emily, a third-year Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery student.

This state of the union is written by both of us and we want to focus on health topics and placement specific experiences as we are both from the Health and Medical Sciences Faculty.

Firstly, we would like to mention that while other students are having their mid term break, some students are having placements, those of you can pat yourself on the back and know that you’ve done a great job. This might have not been acknowledged enough but students during placement are an important part of the health system, especially during Covid-19 where there is a staff shortage in every unit. We hope you can feel proud of yourselves for being able to help and support those in need.

(Esther) While being at placements, you can learn alot, however, the complex environment and experiences can also cause a lot of stress and be emotionally overwhelming. The clinical facilitators are the first go to person, and also keep in mind that free counselling services are available in uni. Bookings can be done online, and they will get in touch very soon!

Fixed shift times can mean that students are leaving the hospital and travelling home late at night. While other careers and areas might be talking about increasing female ratio, it is the exact opposite in Nursing. As in 2018, 89% of the nurses and midwives are female. Unfortunately, late night travel can mean higher risks of being exposed to certain danger, especially for females. All AUU director and elected Representatives were given the opportunity to attend had to undertake the SASH First Responder Training. Which I found very useful and used the knowledge when helping a female nursing student who experienced sexual street harassment while returning home from placement at midnight. I had then advocated for clinical facilitators and other teachingstaff to take this training as well. It is very important to know that

support is available, certain hospital provide services where the guard can escort you to the car park or bus stops. And in University campus, there are late-night escort services too. Also keep in mind that the emergency police number is 000.

Hi, this is Emily. As a third-year medical student, I would like to talk about my recent placement experience, which has shone a light on the stigma of sexual health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). When I was working at the clinic, there were many young people who were hesitant to seek help until their symptoms became severe. During the consultation, someone told me that ‘I feel like no one will want me anymore.’, which left me very heartbroken.

As we grow up, the word STIs is often associated with disapproval and rejection and STI transmission somehow criminalises sexual behaviours. Over time, this internalised stigma taught us to be ashamed of STIs, rather than being educated. As the culture of silence and shame about sexual health and STIs is amplified, many of us are embarrassed or afraid to get support and resources from the university.

According to WHO, more than 1 million STIs are acquired everyday worldwide. However, our understanding is extremely limited. STIs are very treatable with medications and very preventable with condoms. In fact, Student Health and Wellbeing team is running the campaign of ‘Safe Sex, No regrets’, along with some help from AUU. FREE condom packs or dental dams are ready for collection. Simply email the wellbeing hub at studentwellbeing@ adelaide.edu.au and they will be ready for collection within 48 hours. Also, the university provides FREE HIV self-testing kits in all-gender bathrooms on L2 Hub Central. If you want to talk to someone or want some professional advice, book an appointment at the university GP clinic. Don’t hesitate and seek help! ESTHER YI RUEI HUNG