This page contains the role descriptions for all positions on the ANU Medical Students’ Society Committee.
Executive
The Executive team oversee the functioning of the Society and its subcommittees, and consists of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Recommendation | It has been such a privilege to hold this role this year. Some of my highlights include working with an amazing group of students, representing my friends and peers, working alongside SMPfaculty members, and also supporting advocacy projects that I am passionate about. I’m going to be honest – this role takes time, a lot of effort and a lot of organisation skills to make it work. But it has also been so very rewarding, and you are always supported by such a committed and hard-working committee. I strongly encourage anyone interested in the role to shoot me a message, and ask me any questions about the role & my experience. |
Summary | The primary role of the President is to encourage, support, provide direction, establish cohesivity and collaborate with ANUMSS committee members. The President acts as a link between the student cohort and the SMP to encourage working relationships. The President represents the society to stakeholders, at events and at various conferences/meetings. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Committee Members You Oversee | Oversee and support all committee members and portfolio holders, in particular:
|
Commitment | 10-15 hours/week |
Contact | Christine Ishak president@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | Vice President is a great opportunity to be a part of multiple areas of the ANU Medical Students’ Society. It’s the perfect mix of supporting, representing, and advocating for your fellow students. I recommend this role to any student who is keen on getting experience in leadership, organisation and teamwork, with a willingness to step up when necessary and provide advice when needed. You don’t need to have any prior leadership experience to be VP, but you’ll definitely learn a lot through this role! |
Summary | The role of Vice President changes a little from year to year, as different VPs bring their own flare to the role. Your main responsibilities will be to run various events, create and organise the calendar, provide oversight and advice to various groups within and associated with ANUMSS, and be a member of the executive team. You’ll organise three main events throughout the year, and help others to organise their events as necessary.. A huge part of the VP role is to be a representative of the society, and to be a point of contact for fellow students. You will get asked a lot of questions, both by those within and associated with the society, as well as students of all year levels who might just want some help or insight into ANUMSS, ANU or medical school in general.
You’ll likely be asked for advice and to help make decisions for which you will feel wholly unqualified. The role is best suited to anyone who is comfortable and confident to facilitate discussions, reach out for help, and make pragmatic decisions with the executive and committee to enable the society to run smoothly. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
Other events you will/may be involved in speaking at or helping to organise:
|
Subcommittees that you oversee | Subcommittees
Affiliate groups
|
Commitment | 5 hours/week on average Higher commitment in the lead up to events, O-Week and during production of the calendar. |
Contact | Paba Hettiarachchi vicepresident@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | would definitely recommend this role to anyone who is keen to get involved with ANUMSS – no prior experience needed! I think the best thing about this position is that it gives you a really solid understanding of what is happens within ANUMSS and gives you the flexibility to pursue things that you are passionate about within the medical school and ANUMSS as a whole. I really enjoyed the position and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is interested in applying. |
Summary | Main objectives of this role includes: Monitoring and responsing to enquiries sent to ANUMSS, preparing for committee meetings, taking minutes and assisting the executive and other portfolios. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events | ANUMSS committee retreat (Feb/March) |
Commitment |
|
Contact | Laura Wecker – feel free to message me on Facebook secretary@anumss.org |
Recommendation | I would recommend this role to anyone who enjoys lists, tables and numbers and does not mind being responsible for the financial dealings of an organisation. It is good for anyone who has an interest in budgeting, accounting and statutory reporting. While keeping accounts is a little daunting there is plenty of support within the exec team and external that can help if you find the accounting or bookkeeping a little overwhelming until you get up and running! |
Summary | Preparing/maintaining the budget, maintaining accounting records, completing BAS statements, preparing invoices, maintaining charity registration, managing financial performance/reporting, processing payments, liaising with treasurers of sub-comittees. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Committee Members You Oversee |
|
Commitment | 3-4 hours per week depending upon prior experience. |
Contact | Dean Popovski treasurer@anumss.org |
Academic Team
The Academic Team oversees the academic events and resources that ANUMSS provides students in each year – for example, block tutorials, mock OSCEs and the resource drive. The team is led by the Academic Officer, and includes each of the four Year Academic Representatives (shared with the Advocacy Team) and the Alumni Representative.
Recommendation | I have immensely enjoyed holding the Academic Portfolio in 2023. I would recommend the Academic Officer role to any Phase 2 student who wants to develop their teaching skills and make a very obvious contribution to their peers’ learning. No prior experience on the ANUMSS Committee is required – I believe that any medical student already possesses the skills required to thrive in this role! |
Summary | As part of a number of changes to the ANUMSS Committee structure in 2024, the role of Academic & Advocacy Officer has been split into the Academic Officer and Advocacy Officer. This decision was made so that each Officer has an appropriate workload. The Academic Officer has two main responsibilities. The first is to oversee the planning and delivery of all ANUMSS Academic Events. This includes block tutorials, mock OSCE sessions, and some larger format events such as the Year 1 Research Project Evening and Year 4 Long Case Evening. The other main responsibility is to work closely with the Associate Director Education (Medicine), currently A/Prof Alex Webb, to help facilitate the ANU Medical Education Stream. This involves the selection of dates, promotion of events, and approval of logbook items, but does not involve planning the sessions themselves. The Academic Officer is well supported by the Academic Team, which consists of each of the four year Academic Representatives. The planning and delivery of the academic events are shared between the members of the team. Note: this role is only open to students in Phase 2 in 2024 who are members of the ANU Medical Education Stream (which is quick and easy to join!). |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | 2024 will be the first year that the responsibilities of the existing A&A role are split into separate academic and advocacy portfolios. My estimation is that the academic portfolio requires:
|
Contact | Benjamin Mead academic@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | The Year 1 Academic Rep position is a great opportunity to support your med school community, especially those in your cohort. It allows you to not only practise your communication and event organisation skills, but it also gives you the opportunity to get to know many people in your cohort, cohorts above, and faculty staff (which can be a difficult thing when first entering med school). The skills and relationships you develop will prove immensely beneficial for both your professional career and your personal life. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning from the expertise of those in the years above me in the committee – the strength of the collective student body really is a highlight of the medical school! |
Summary | You will act as a liaison between students in your cohort, cohorts above, ANUMSS members (including the Academic Officer and Advocacy Officer?), and various members of the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology Phase 1 staff. You will also be working together with other Academic Reps to organise useful academic events for your cohort. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events | In previous years, the Year 1 Academic Rep was not responsible for organising their own cohort’s events and mainly helped upper year reps organise them. However, it’s a great opportunity to step up and organise your own events, such as:
Or take charge of key academic events, such as:
Keep in mind that you will still be communicating with other Academic Reps for events that they organise for your cohort – it’s a great chance to learn how to run these events with more experienced committee members! |
Commitment | 2-3 h/week. This will remain relatively constant throughout the year but will increase in the lead up to events or when there are multiple meetings in a week. |
Contact | Emily Vohralik academicrep-2026@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | The Year 2 Academic Rep position is a great opportunity to support your med school community, especially those in your cohort. It allows you to both practice your communication and organisation skills and to get to know many people in your cohort, cohorts above & below, and faculty staff. The communication, organisation, and problem solving skills you develop will be of great use in your future hospital years as well as life in general! |
Summary | You will act as a liaison between students in your cohort, other cohorts, MedSoc members (including the Academic & Advocacy officer), and various members of the ANU Medical School Phase I staff. You will primarily be organising academic events for the cohort below you (mainly in the form of tutorials and MOSCES), but you’lll also have the opportunity to work together with other Academic Reps to organise a plethora of helpful academic events for your cohort as well. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | 2-3 h/week. This will remain relatively constant throughout the year but will increase in the lead up to events or when there are multiple meetings in a week. |
Contact | Sarah Fan academicrep-2025@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | I would recommend this position because of a few reasons:
|
Summary | You are the bridge between your cohort and different people/groups in the med school, i.e. the MEU and phase II committee. You also sit under the A&A team so you will organize online tutorials and mOSCEs for Y2, amongst a few other events. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | 1.5-2hrs per fortnight with committee meetings. Around events, up to 2-4hrs in the few days leading up to events. |
Contact | Fika Ishan academicrep-2024@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | Year 4 is the last year of Med school and thus carries quite a weight and significance to it, it’s the last year you’ll have the opportunity to step into a leadership role if you’ve not yet had the chance and a wonderful way to get to know the whole year, solidify friendships and give support to your cohort in what is an extremely short, yet exciting and potentially stressful time. If you can be organised, feel like you have skills of diplomacy and negotiation, are a good listener and prepared to speak up when necessary then this is both an easy and fulfilling role for you. |
Summary | You are a conduit of and advocate for information between your cohort and various staff representativess of the med school. You organise academically useful events for the lower year groups including mOSCEs..Also you are a part of the academic team as a whole, within which you are often looked to as a more “senior” member considering the prior years of experience in Med School, thus can be a good sound board and helpful support to the other year academic reps. |
Responsibilities | Representing and advocating for your cohort to committees and working groups you sit on, and with med school assessment and admin staff. Practically, this means canvassing your class for concerns/questions/opinions and communicating them to the powers that be, and reporting back on the outcomes. Organising orientation events for Y3 to prepare them for Phase 2 life, including talks like “How to Phase 2” and hospital tours. Organising 2x MOSCE for Y3 (mid July is probably the earliest you want to do this). We also created a “handover” document between blocks, though this was split between the gen rep and I. It was essentially an online questionnaire that was then collated into an excel – including practical info like parking / expected start time / where to go etc as well as what kind of portfolio items could be signed off. |
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment |
|
Contact | Catherine Moore (Szabo) academicrep-2023@anumss.org |
Recommendation | This position is best suited to someone who is enthusiastic about the ANU Medical School community, and wishes to continue supporting 4th year medical students as they prepare for exams & transition into internship! |
Summary | The Alumni Officer is a JMO who has previously been a student at ANU Medical School and will be based in the ACT. The Alumni Officer is an Ordinary Officer of the ANUMSS meaning that they are not able to vote in meetings. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings | – |
Events | Yr 4 MOSCEs |
Commitment | Not a lot – a few hours here and there |
Contact | Nesha Gezer |
Advocacy Team
The Advocacy Team oversees both external advocacy (through AMSA and the AMA) and internal advocacy (within the MChD). The team consists of the Advocacy Officer, the AMA Representative, the four Year Academic Representatives (shared with the Academic Team) and the Year 3 Rural Representative.
Recommendation | I have immensely enjoyed holding the Advocacy Portfolio in 2023. I would absolutely recommend the role of Advocacy Officer for a Phase 2 student who has the drive to affect real change in the MChD program. We are very lucky that ANUMSS has a great relationship with the SMP, which has been nurtured by positive communication over many years. SMP Leadership really values and appreciates the opinions of the student body, and does work hard to enact change in response to feedback. Your aim as Advocacy Officer is to convey important issues to the SMP in a constructive way. This role will develop your professional leadership and communication skills, and put you on the radar as someone who can lead a team. You are very well supported by the Advocacy Team. I personally think that this role is best suited to a highly motivated Year 4 student, as you would have the best understanding of the MChD program. Year 3 students would need to be supported by a President in Year 4 or a very active Year 4 Academic Representative. |
Summary | As part of a number of changes to the ANUMSS Committee structure in 2024, the role of Academic & Advocacy Officer has been split into the Academic Officer and Advocacy Officer. This decision was made so that each Officer has an appropriate workload.
The Advocacy Officer works very closely with the President and the Advocacy Team to receive, triage and progress internal advocacy issues. Internal advocacy refers to issues regarding the MChD program and students, rather than external advocacy, which is largely covered by AMSA and GHS at ANU.
The Advocacy Officer also oversees and supports the Advocacy Team, which consists of the four Year Academic Representatives (shared with the Academic Officer), the Year 3 Rural Representative, and the AMA and AMSA Representatives. You will have frequent contact with the Associate Director (Education) and Phase Associate Deans, and sit on the overarching SMP MChD Program Committee alongside the President.
In years that the ANU SMP undergoes re-accreditation or monitoring by the AMC, the Advocacy Officer also assists the President in the preparation of any student submissions or meetings.
Note: this role is only open to students in Phase 2 in 2024. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events | None from previous years, but you have the opportunity to support the Advocacy Team – particularly the AMA and AMSA Reps who run several events. |
Commitment | Variable – I would estimate between 1-2 hours/week. |
Contact | Benjamin Mead academic@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | I would recommend this position to someone who is eager to advocate for medical students, interested in learning how the AMA assists doctors of all levels and is keen to support and advocate for medical students to Canberra Health Services and the AMAs in the big leap from medical student to junior doctor. |
Summary | The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is the peak professional body representing doctor’s working in Australia. They aim to advocate and protect the wellbeing and professional interests of doctors. As AMA rep, it is your responsibility to liaise between the ANUMSS, medical student body and the AMA ACT Council. The key tasks are to be the student voice within the AMA ACT and to help support 4th year students in the transition between medical student and internship. Additionally a key part of the role is liaising with MOSCETU (Medical Officer Support, Credentialing, Employment and Training) at Canberra Health Services regarding transparency of internship contracts at ANU as well as questions from the cohort and fielding questions from other medical students regarding internship concerns and applications. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | Fluctuating time commitment – on average ~1 hour per week with increased time commitment when organising events. |
Contact | Ryan Bartlett |
Recommendation | This position is perfect for those looking to connect with the wider Australian medical student community. You will be linked with a national team who are passionate about advocacy, policy, and national health. I’ve been able to do so many neat things in this role over the past year, and would recommend it to anyone who cares about medicine in the broader Australian context. |
Summary | AMSA is the peak representative student body for Australian medical students. As AMSA Rep, it is your responsibility to inform students about AMSA’s advocacy work on issues affecting medical students (e.g. medical student places and training pathways) as well as broader political concerns. The AMSA Rep engages ANUMSS and ANU medical students with AMSA events and initiatives. The AMSA Rep has a key role in representing ANU students on a national stage at Council, National Convention and other events. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | Fluctuating depending on the events to be organised, from 2 – 8 hours per week. |
Contact | Jens Christensen |
Recommendation | The Rural Rep role was introduced in 2022. The aim of this role is to have more representation on the ANUMSS committee from the students on Long Term Rural (LTR) placements. As this is a new role, the responsibilities and opportunities are broad and not set in stone. Opportunities to develop relationships with incoming students and the rural clinical school allow for diverse project ideas and collegiality across years in the MChD. |
Summary | LTR placements are undertaken in the 3rd year of the MChD. These placements are undertaken in one of the six rural nodes, Bega, Eurobodalla, Cooma, Goulburn, Young and Cowra. These placements are highly sought after as they give unique experience to the students who complete them, due to their immersion into rural and remote medicine. Many of these placements are the first time students have moved out of home, or lived outside of a major city so there is the potential for these students to require increased support to which the Rural Rep can be a bridge between these students and the formal support offered by the ANUMS. Representation on the ANUMSS is often centred on the Canberra based students, so the representation of these students on the committee is also critical to ensure that their views and concerns are being looked after. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment |
|
Contact | Papa Amponn-Nyamekye rural@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Equity Team
The Equity Team, led by the Equity Officer, is responsible for promoting and advocating for an environment that is safe and welcoming for all medical students.
Recommendation | The ANUMSS Equity Officer works to ensure ANUMS provides a safe and inclusive environment to all students, especially those who may experience social, structural, cultural or political disadvantage. It’s a great role for someone who cares deeply about ensuring equitable environment and gains fulfilment working to create positive change in their immediate surroundings. |
Summary | This role comprises education, promotion and advocacy around current issues of social and cultural equity, discrimination, disability inclusion and LGBTIQ rights within the ANU Medical School and the wider medical community. |
Responsibilities | Immediate
Ongoing
|
Meetings | Potential involvement with ANUMS Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion Committees Contacts:
|
Events | As Equity Officer, you will develop a calendar of days of significance to acknowledge throughout the year by holding events, sharing promotional material or simply drawing attention to the days online. These may include:
|
Commitment | 1-2 hours / week |
Contact | Supipi Ratnayake equity@anumss.org or via Facebook |
Recommendation | |
Summary | The Indigenous Student Representative advocates for the wellbeing of the Indigenous student cohort at the ANU Medical School, addresses specific issues facing Indigenous students at ANU Medical School, and ensures cultural safety in all the workings of the ANU Medical Students’ Society. This role must be filled by a medical student who identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | 2-5 hours/month |
Contact | Nat Gordon |
Recommendation | I’d recommend this role to any international student passionate about advocating for other international students by assisting new international student’s make their transition to Australia, as well as help organizing events to bring the international medical community together at ANU. You will also be the main spokesperson for topics such as internships, therefore playing an important role in advocacy and networking. You will also be the point of contact for international students who may need help at any point throughout the academic year, offering assistance or directing them to appropriate resources within their abilities. |
Summary | The International Representative addresses the specific issues facing International students at ANU Medical School. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | 2-4 hours/month |
Contact | Vanessa Goh |
Recommendation | – |
Summary | The Parents’ and Carers’ Representative is a new role in 2024. Along with the Queer Representative, it is being introduced as part of an expansion of the Committee to contain a more comprehensive Equity Portfolio. The overall aim of the Equity Portfolio is to advocate for issues that affect different groups of students enrolled in the MChD. As the first person to hold this position, you would have the flexibility to shape this role how you see fit. You will be supported by the Equity Officer (as leader of the Equity Portfolio). In line with the ANUMSS By-Laws and Regulations, you need to be a parent or carer of a dependent to be eligible to hold this position. However, you would not be required to provide any evidence of this requirement. |
Responsibilities | The following roles and responsibilities are outlined in the By-Laws and Regulations:
As the nature of this role is established, you would be supported by the Committee to make changes to the above roles and responsibilities as you see fit. |
Meetings |
|
Events | At your discretion, and with the support of the Equity Team. |
Commitment | I would estimate that you could fulfil the roles and responsibilities of this role in less than 1 hour each fortnight. Further opportunities to contribute to the Committee generally are at your discretion and not expected. |
Contact | For more information about the role, you can contact Christine Ishak or Benjamin Mead. For more information about the Equity Portfolio, you can contact Supipi Raynayake. |
Recommendation | – |
Summary | The Queer Representative is a new role in 2024. Along with the Parents’ and Carers’ Representative, it is being introduced as part of an expansion of the Committee to contain a more comprehensive Equity Portfolio. The overall aim of the Equity Portfolio is to advocate for issues that affect different groups of students enrolled in the MChD. As the first person to hold this position, you would have the flexibility to shape this role how you see fit. You will be supported by the Equity Officer (as leader of the Equity Portfolio). In line with the ANUMSS By-Laws and Regulations, you need to identify as queer to be eligible to hold this position. However, you would not be required to provide any evidence of this requirement. |
Responsibilities | The following roles and responsibilities are outlined in the By-Laws and Regulations:
As the nature of this role is established, you would be supported by the Committee to make changes to the above roles and responsibilities as you see fit.
|
Meetings |
|
Events | At your discretion, and with the support of the Equity Team. |
Commitment | I would estimate that you could fulfil the roles and responsibilities of this role in less than 1 hour each fortnight. Further opportunities to contribute to the Committee generally are at your discretion and not expected. |
Contact | For more information about the role, you can contact Christine Ishak or Benjamin Mead. For more information about the Equity Portfolio, you can contact Supipi Raynayake. |
Recommendation | The Women’s Officer role was established in 2021 to promote and advocate for female identifying students with the medical school. As it is a new role there is huge space for development and we would love to see you bring your passion and creativity to the position! You will have a great network of ANUMSS committee, peer, medical school and ANU support available to you to help you succeed in the role. No previous experience is required, just a passion to promote women in medicine! |
Summary | The ANUMSS Women’s Officer is responsible for promoting and advocating for women’s rights, opportunities and well-being within the medical school to foster and sustain a culture of gender equality within the school and wider medical community. Additionally, the Women’s Officer will work in collaboration with the Equity and Wellbeing Officers to support and advocate for women who feel uncomfortable, mistreated, harassed or discriminated against. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events | New role so events are at the discretion of the Women’s Officer but suggestions include: International Women’s Day (March), Women in Medicine month (September-October), : period poverty event, August 1st acknowledgement of the Change the Course report date (ANU Women’s dept.). |
Commitment | 2-4 hours per week. |
Contact | Ainsley Somers |
Promotions Team
The Promotions Team, led by the Promotions Officer, oversees the Society’s branding and publications, both physical and online.
Recommendation | This role is suited to someone who has an artistic eye, is interested in design, and who is engaged with social media. You are often collaborating with other ANUMSS members, and so it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know the committee and help promote and showcase the work ANUMSS is doing. |
Summary | The Design and Communication Officer helps mediate social media accounts affiliated with ANUMSS, and designs Facebook events, posters, and promotional posts, often in collaboration with other ANUMSS committee members. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings | ANUMSS monthly committee meeting |
Events | None, but collaborate on the design aspects of ANUMSS events. |
Commitment |
|
Contact | Emaan Yellon |
Recommendation | The IT Officer position is unique in its proximity to other committee members. You are responsible for maintaining a professional online presence for the Society, and help other committee members with practical tasks related to their role – such as merchandise sales and ticketing. I would recommend the role to anyone who is innovative and self-motivated. |
Summary | The IT Officer position involves supporting other committee members with any IT-related tasks, which has become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their primary responsibility is the website, with the ultimate aim of making the website a relevant source of information that is regularly updated and does not become neglected. With the right skills and innovative mindset however, this role can involve anything that you think would streamline the way that ANUMSS do things. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment |
|
Contact | Benjamin Mead |
Recommendation | Merchandise is a physical way to represent the ANUMSS community and generates excitement and a sense of belonging. You get to see a lot of happy faces!
Traits required for the role include: creativity, an eye for design, organisational skills, and communication skills. Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator is useful but not essential. You will need to liaison with the rest of the committee, especially the Treasurer and IT Coordinator. |
Summary | The Merchandise Officer is responsible for designing, ordering, receiving, distributing and promoting any merchandise they choose to create for the year. |
Responsibilities | Responsibilities include: selecting garments, liaising with suppliers, and managing student expectations regarding their orders and product. The Florey Building stockroom should also be maintained in a tidy state, especially for merchandise collections. Old merchandise may also need to be cycled out. |
Meetings | ANUMSS Committee Meeting: 1 hr every month. |
Events |
|
Commitment |
|
Contact | Yoonji Seo merchandise@anumss.org / Facebook – Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding the role! |
Recommendation | The Publications Officer role is perfect for someone who wishes to enter the medsoc via a role that provides a straightforward way to get involved. You have two major roles (the publication of the newsletter and the magazine), however you have a lot of freedom to decide on what you would like to include in these two publications, as well as any other responsibilities and roles you would like to bring to this role. This role involves a lot of editing, however there is also a creative aspect in that you are responsible for the design of the publications. You have a lot of creative control over the magazine, and if you’ve ever been interested in creating your own magazine, this role is an amazing opportunity to achieve this. |
Summary | The Publications Officer is primarily in charge of publishing the monthly ANUMSS newsletter and the annual ANUMSS magazine. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment |
|
Contact | Charlotte Chen publications@anumss.org or Facebook. |
Recommendation | I recommend this role to anyone who is keen to get involved with ANUMSS events throughout the year. It is a great way to develop skills in promoting events, negotiating and developing agreements. It is a very rewarding and exciting role. |
Summary | Sponsorship Officer involves raising funds for most ANUMSS events. |
Responsibilities |
|
Events | Most events. |
Commitment | Average of 1-2hr a week throughout the whole year on this role. The most strenuous time is before 1st year Orientation Week, and afterwards it is quite mellow. The sponsorship prospectus is a large project to make sure all of the events are well described and have appropriate prices, this is updated at the end of each year. Requires regular email communication with a range of sponsors and stakeholders. |
Contact | James Marshall |
Wellbeing Team
The Wellbeing Team, led by the Wellbeing Officer, work to improve the MChD student experience, through both advocacy and initiatives such as Blue Week and other social events.
Recommendation | I really recommend this position. I found it very rewarding to get to work with students and staff on wellbeing issues. It has been wonderful to organise fun events for the student cohort (e.g. inter-year spot and buddy meet-ups), which has been balanced with more serious discussions surrounding mental health and how the medical school can better support students. I would highly recommend the role to anyone who is passionate about making the Medical School a more open, inclusive and safe environment. |
Summary | The role of the Wellbeing Officer is to advocate for the holistic health and welfare of ANU medical students. The priority for this representative is to organise activities that support the physical and emotional wellbeing of students as well as advocate for and promote awareness of mental health for self and peers. The Wellbeing Officer also provides links with local medical and mental health support, such as GP’s and Psychologists, or assist in finding these services for students. It is also a key priority that the Wellbeing officer work as part of the ANUMSS team and liaise effectively with peers. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | I would estimate I spent 2hr/week every week. In the lead up to major events or when events occur that cause significant wellbeing issues (e.g COVID lockdowns) it may be closer to 6hrs/week. I highly recommend asking people to help you with event organisation (polls, academic/general reps, volunteers etc). This makes the workload more manageable for you, increases engagement and you can draw on other people’s skills/experience! As with many positions, this is really what you make of it. Part of the position involves just being available to talk to someone when they need it. Bigger events like Blue Week and the Inter-Year Cup may take extra hours of preparation, making bookings, chasing money etc. Overall, the amount of time dedicated to the role varies throughout the year. There will be busy times, including at the start of the year (for O-week presentation, Gift of Life walk and organising Buddies) and around Blue Week in June, and quieter times in the middle and at the end of the year. |
Contact | Super happy to have a chat with anyone who would be interested in taking on this role: Emily Ryan |
Recommendation | I highly recommend this role within the committee – it has been such a blast organising an array of social events this year for everyone and seeing so many people having fun. If you want to gain experience organising social events, be involved in creating memorable experiences for your peers and want to foster a positive and social community within the medical school, this is the position for you! |
Summary | The role of Social Officer involves running key inter-year social events. You are something between a cutthroat wedding planner and a hype man. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | The time commitment is definitely variable throughout the year. A lot of events have to be organised very far in advance, so organisation and time management is definitely key for this role. I would say I have spent anywhere from 1 to 6+ hours a week in this role, especially in the lead up to major events like ball. This is mainly in terms of budgeting, planning, emailing, promoting etc. The role requires regular email communications and effective liaising with others, such as other committee members or venues and suppliers. The position is definitely what you make of it in terms of how big you want to go but also incredibly fun and rewarding. |
Contact | More than happy to have a chat with anyone who is interested or has any questions regarding this position: Mel Gezer social@anumss.org or via Facebook! |
Recommendation | The Year 1 General Rep role is a great opportunity to get to know your cohort and build working relationships with staff. It’s very well suited to a person who is willing to be vocal, as speaking on behalf of people and advocating their position is probably the main part of the job. Ultimately there are no absolute must-haves. It is really just a good opportunity for anyone who steps up for it. |
Summary | The formal responsibilities of this role are not particularly challenging however you have to be aware that people who are struggling may come to you for support or advice. You need to know the services available for your cohort and the appropriate staff members to contact. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events | Promoting ANUMSS events amongst their year level. Although there are no official events for 1st year reps to organise, there is scope to organise social events for the cohort throughout the year. |
Commitment | 1hr/week on average (between 0hr/w and 6-7hrs/week) depending on what’s going on in the year and the Uni (especially events and committee meetings). |
Contact | Caitlin Walsh genrep-2026@anumss.org |
Recommendation | The Year 2 General Rep role is a wonderful opportunity to support and advocate for your own year, but also to get to know the incoming first year cohort in a very unique way. There is a lot of face-to-face time during O-week to form new connections with the incoming class. Gen Rep also allows you to strengthen bonds within your own cohort, through the organising of get-togethers, checking in on the wellbeing of the cohort, and representing them at meetings, whilst advocating for issues that arise. You can mostly set your own limits and hours in what you want to do (organise as many or as few year-wide events as you’d like!), with the exception of O-Week, which will require a few weeks of planning/organisation during your holidays. It gets a bit hectic as it gets closer to O-Week, but the planning is fairly manageable and you will have the support of the Social Rep, and anyone else you recruit for support (there are always eager volunteers from your cohort). It’s an awesome role, and is so fantastic to get to advocate for your peers. |
Summary | Year 2 Gen Rep is responsible for advocacy and events related to the year 2 cohort, as well O-Week coordination for the incoming first year cohort. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | 1-2 hours per week (increases during event organisation – notably O-Week organisation taking significantly more time). |
Contact | Edwin Hur-Thompson genrep-2025@anumss.org or Facebook |
Recommendation | Year Three is a really messy transition from Phase 1. In Phase 1, you have very structured learning, all of your peers doing the same thing, regular assessment, paid professional educators, and lots of guidance. In Year 3, your cohort is effectively broken up into groups of 15 students across rural nodes, rural GPs, urban GPs, surgery, medicine, and private clinics. Half the year will approach this by sticking close to their mini-group and the rest will find it hard to socialise or keep in contact. Every student has a different experience of the year and the quality and content of that learning varies dramatically between students. It can be incredibly reassuring for students to be connected to their peers currently undertaking similar experiences – I consider the key role of the Gen Rep to help facilitate communication within smaller student groups and to raise any issues from these groups. It is important to keep yourself aware of the varied experiences of the year and how best you can aid the med school in addressing the many issues as they arise. You will represent the year on various committee meetings, be a point of contact for the Med School administrators and generally try to be as helpful as you can in the relative chaos! |
Summary | Communication, advocacy, and representation on committees. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment |
|
Contact | Taliesin Golembiewski (genrep-2024@anumss.org or taliesin.golembiewski@anu.edu.au) |
Recommendation | This is a great role if you want to be more involved with your year group especially in your final year. I chose this role because I wanted to be involved in advocacy and organise inclusive events to ensure our final year of medical school was a wholesome and fun experience for everyone. I found it incredibly rewarding to advocate for my peers and bring people together through events. There is also an opportunity to organise teaching with clinicians. I enjoyed that this role allowed me to bond with people from my own year, meet people from other years and form good working relationships with supervisors and clinicians. No specific skills are required. It is important to be approachable and stay in touch with people in different rotations to stay in the loop if any advocacy issues arise, especially those at the SAN or rural locations. The role also allows you to be creative in what you can do with year specific events, so it is important to be passionate. |
Summary | Advocacy, communication, event planning and preparation for graduation and internship. |
Responsibilities |
|
Meetings |
|
Events |
|
Commitment | 1 hour per week, more when planning events |
Contact | Henry Carter genrep-2023@anumss.org |
Non-Voting Roles
Recommendation | The Graduation Ball Chair is your chance to send your graduating year off in style! Building a team around you to make the event a night to remember for your cohort, you will manage the overall coordination of the ball. Whether you are a micro-manager or the master of delegation, this role is adaptable for anyone keen to run an event like no other. |
Summary | You will organise a sub-committee to organise graduation ball and some ancillary events and report back to MedSoc on progress. |
Responsibilities |
Your sub-committee will:
|
Meetings |
|
Events | These events include:
|
Commitment | 1 – 2 hours per week. It will be busier towards the end of the year as the date gets closer, and you should probably plan to have some time in Canberra after you finish exams to organise the final details. |
Contact | Suzannah Roushdy graduationball@anumss.org or via Facebook |