Bundaberg students from CQUniversity’s Regional Medical Pathway (RMP) are already caring for their communities through various events and initiatives, even recently donning gowns of the glamorous kind to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).
Organised by the CQUniversity Medical Society (CQUMS), the events have given students the opportunity to give back to the communities they will serve as doctors.
CQUMS President Muhammad Abdul Hadi said the recent second annual CQUMS Gatsby Med Ball raised $354 for the RFDS.
“These funds were generated for the RFDS, thanks to the many local businesses in Bundaberg and Rockhampton that contributed,” he said.
“Being a community of future medical practitioners, we all recognise the importance of service, and we want to help out the people who provide the most vital, and crucial services to Australia’s most vulnerable communities.”
Hadi said the Ball fundraiser was one of 20 major events the CQUMS has organised in its two years of operation.
“The primary goal of this event is to unite the two cohorts of approximately 60 students each from Bundaberg and Rockhampton,” he said./
Although we are separated by location, we all share a strong sense of connection and unity as we walk the same path together in the Regional Medical Pathway.
“As a part of the society we work to make this event as accessible as possible for all of our RMP students, by switching venues between Rockhampton and Bundaberg every year, and providing all visiting RMP students accommodation as a part of their ticket.”
He said the ball was the biggest so far with almost 100 guests attending, including RMP students, other CQU students, RMP academics, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service (CQHHS) and Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) medical practitioners and leaders/faculty members.
He said the events were intended to give the students a break from their studies.
Events organised this year have included suturing workshops, medical trivia nights, bon-fires, sunset walks and hikes organised as a part of our events calendar this year.
Hadi added that the implementation of new programs, frameworks, new membership model and the official CQUMS website had allowed the CQUMS to grow.
“With our new membership model, we have been able to develop a sustainable mode of generating revenue, which we all put towards creating more events, with better and better quality,” he said.
“With the recent development of our website and enhanced Instagram activity, we have established a strong digital presence.
“Thanks to the hard work of our events and sponsorship coordinators, we have been able to facilitate collaboration with numerous sponsors, allowing us to incentivise their partnerships in supporting the development of our doctors in training within regional communities.”
He said the CQUMS hoped to continue partnering with local organisations, in an attempt to bring additional levels of interconnectedness within the Rockhampton and Bundaberg communities.
“One of our society’s key goals is to ensure that our future doctors have positive experiences during their medical studies,” he said.
“By doing so, we aim to cultivate a genuine passion for regional and remote medicine, which we hope will inspire them to give back to their regional communities as medical practitioners.”
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