Committee Role Descriptions

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.

SummaryThe 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 
  • Regular meetings with committee members to provide support, encouragement, advice, and opportunities for collaboration.
  • Speaking at events e.g. Med-Ball, 1st year O-Week.
  • Assorted advocacy projects.
  • Developing committee organisation and structure.
  • Writing various statements representing the committee e.g. prospectus,, website brief, media releases.
  • Regular (daily) e-mails/Facebook messages.
  • Delegating opportunities, meeting roles and projects to appropriate ANUMSS committee members.
  • Oversee large committee wide decisions.
Meetings
  • Associate Director Education (Medicine) catch-up (1-2 hours per month)
  • Director catch-up (as needed)
  • AMSA Council (3x per year, 3 days, 8 hours per day)
  • NSW Medical Student Council (3x per year, 2 hours)
  • MChD Program Committee Meetings (1.5 hours per month)
  • SMP Education Committee (1.5 hours per month) → this is a new addition to the President’s list of expected meetings
  • Quarterly Wellbeing Meetings (4x per year, 1 hour)
  • Chair ANUMSS Committee Meetings (1-2 hours per month)
  • ANUMSS external advocacy meetings (as needed)
Events
  • ANUMSS Committee Retreat (start of the year)
  • O-Week ANUMSS Presentation to new Year 1s (start of the year)
Committee Members You Oversee

Oversee and support all committee members and portfolio holders, in particular:

  • Academic and Advocacy Officer
  • AMA Representative
  • AMSA Representative
  • Student Welfare Team:
    • Equity Officer
    • Wellbeing Officer
    • International Student Representative
    • Indigenous Student Representative
    • Women’s Officer
Commitment10-15 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
  • Creation and curation of the annual ANUMSS calendar.
  • Event coordination – prevent clashes and overlap of events where possible.
  • Oversee subcommittees and affiliated groups, and provide advice and support to them as needed
  • Organise events as listed below.
  • Work as a member of the executive team to govern the society, determine issues of policy, procedure and regulation and discuss and develop solutions to issues that arise within ANUMSS.
Meetings
  • Monthly ANUMSS Committee meeting
  • Executive meetings as required.
  • Meeting with the presidents/chairs of the subcommittees and affiliate groups once at the start of the year, and as needed throughout the year.
  • Meetings with Year 3 Representative and AMA Representative in the lead up to joint events. 
  • Meetings/discussion with the Sponsorship Officer/Treasurer to discuss budgeting for events
Events
  • Electives Evening (with 3rd Year Representative)
  • Life in the Real World (joint event with AMA Representative)
  • Careers Evening
  • Help with Symposium/other events

Other events you will/may be involved in speaking at or helping to organise:

  • O-Week 
  • Med Camp 
  • Grad Ball
Subcommittees that you oversee

Subcommittees

  • ANU Surgical Society
  • Fiji Village Project
  • Global Health Society
  • Gender, Reproductive and Sexual Society (GRaSS)
  • Med Revue
  • New committees that will begin next year

Affiliate groups

  • General Practice Students’ Network (GPSN)
  • Rural Medical Society (ARMS)
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 
  • Organise monthly Society meetings; including preparing and  distributing the meeting agenda prior, taking minutes and publishing the minutes after the  meeting
  • Provide administrative support to other portfolios; this is including but not limited to: Zoom meetings, event planning, Facebook event page organisation.
  • Ensures the database of current members is kept up to date, members have access to the  website and liaises with O-Week organisers to promote membership to new students. You will work closely alongside the treasurer and IT officer.
  • Works with the IT Officer to manage and clean the Google Drive.
  • Is the point of contact for members, organisations and others to communicate with the society; receiving and replying to all correspondence on Facebook and the hello@anumss.org email inbox.
  • Co-ordinates online elections for ANUMSS sub-committee positions at the start of the academic year.
  • Support the Elections Officer to run the General Elections at the end of the academic calendar.
  • Ensures the governing documents of the Society, such as the Constitution, Policies and By-Laws are current and accessible to committee members.
  • Help update members about the work of ANUMSS.
Meetings
  • ANUMSS monthly meetings 
  • Executive meetings as required.
EventsANUMSS committee retreat (Feb/March)
  
Commitment
  • 2-3 hours per week on average, but increases with peak periods
  • Peak periods (more like 10-12 hours per week):
    • Start of the academic year with new memberships and sub-committee elections.
    • End of the academic year with general elections.
  •  
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 
  • Arrange a handover with the previous year’s Treasurer.
  • Contact our Bank to arrange online banking access for the executive.
  • Engage with financial advisors to whatever extent is expected by the society.
  • Undertake book-keeping duties of ‘coding’ income and expenses on Xero.
  • Lodge quarterly BAS statements.
  • Pay invoices and reimburse as needed.
  • Create an overall financial year budget.
  • Present a quarterly Treasurer’s report including a Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet. Report generally on actual vs predicted numbers and raise any financially-related issues.
  • Present a Treasurer’s report at the AGM, which should include: last financial year results, achievements for the year so far, the half-yearly results and prediction on outcome for the year end.
  • Handover to the following year’s Treasurer; this includes determining with this person an appropriate time when management of accounts will change hands. Either immediately post exams or early in January the following year.
  • Have ultimate responsibility for the financial accounts until the end of that calendar year.
Meetings
  • Executive meetings & committee meetings (monthly).
  • Monthly meetings with portfolio holders that they oversee (as per below).
Events
  • Nil.
Committee Members You Oversee
  • Graduation Ball Committee Chair.
  • Social Representative.
  • Merchandise Officer.
  • Sponsorship Officer.
Commitment3-4 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
  • As outlined in the By-Laws and Regulations:
    • Jointly oversee the portfolios of the Academic Team;
    • Coordinate the planning and delivery of all ANUMSS academic initiatives, with the support of the Academic Team;
    • Work with the ANU SMP Associate Director Education (Medicine) to provide administrative and logistical support for the ANU Medical Education Stream; and
    • Work with relevant ANU SMP Staff to organise the initiatives including, but not limited to, the Block 1 Research Project Evening, Annual Teaching Awards, and Student-Run Sessions in the Phase 1 Transition Block.
  • It is important to note that the Academic Team Representatives operate autonomously in their positions.
Meetings
  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting (1 hr/month)
  • Medical Education Stream Organisation with Alex Webb (ad-hoc, approx. 1 hr/month)
Events
  • Oversight of all academic events.
  • Personally responsible for 3-4 academic events throughout the year.
  • Year 1 Research Project Evening.
  • Student-Run Sessions in Block 7.
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:

  • Up to 10 hours planning in Dec/Jan for the year.
  • Up to 1 hour (ad-hoc) each week to oversee the management of academic events and the Medical Education Stream throughout the year.
  • Several hours per event that you run as part of the academic team. In 2023, I allocated myself 1-2 tutorials, 1-2 mock OSCEs and the Year 1 Research Project Evening to share the load.
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
  • Represent and advocate for your cohort on important issues via monthly Phase 1 SMP staff meetings & other advocacy meetings/working groups.
  • Report back to the cohort on committee meetings and actions.
  • Relay questions from students in your cohort to the appropriate ANUMSS committee member or ANU staff member, and ensure concerns are addressed in a timely manner.
  • Collect feedback on academic matters from Year 1 students for faculty staff.
  • Organise academic events for your cohort (individually or together with other Academic Reps) e.g. Block revision sessions & MOSCEs.
  • Promote ANUMSS events to the cohort.
  • Participate in the ANU Medical Education Stream.
Meetings
  • Phase 1 committee meetings (1.5-2 h/month).
  • ANUMSS committee meetings (1-2 h/month).
  • Academic team meetings with the Academic Officer & Advocacy Officer (?) & other Academic Reps (1 h/2 months or as required).
  • Advocacy meetings (varies based on the advocacy issue).
  • Year coordinator meetings with the Year 1 General rep (1 h/month or as required).
  • Phase 1 coordinator meetings (1 h/3 months or as required).
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:

  • Mid-Block 1 revision session (early April – optional).

Or take charge of key academic events, such as:

  • Year 1 MOSCE (late May/early June).

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!

Commitment2-3 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
  • Representing and advocating for your cohort on important issues via Phase I meetings & other advocacy meetings/working groups
  • Report back to cohort on committee meetings and actions
  • Answering/relaying questions from students in your cohort to the appropriate MedSoc member or ANU staff
  • Organise Year 1 intro & summary sessions as well as MOSCEs
  • Assist with MOSCEs of any other cohorts
  • Promote ANUMSS events to cohort
  • Assist the Year 2 General Rep with Year 1 O-Week
Meetings
  • Phase I committee meetings (1.5-2 h/month)
  • ANUMSS committee meetings (1-2 h/month)
  • Academic team meetings with the Academic & Advocacy officer & other Academic Reps (1 h/3 months or as required)
  • Advocacy meetings (varies based on the advocacy issue)
  • Phase I coordinator meetings (1 h/3 months or as required)
Events
  • Assist the Year 2 General Rep with Year 1 O-Week
  • Y1 Academic Tutorials
  • Year 1 MOSCES
  • Any other academic-related events that may be of interest
Commitment2-3 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:
  1. You get to give back to your cohort and the med community.
  2. You get to learn about how to communicate efficiently and diplomatically between your cohort and the medical school.
  3. You will know a few faces that are the decision makers in med school.
  4. You will develop organization and management skills while doing events and mOSCEs for your cohort and the cohort below you.
  5. You can advocate for issues your cohort deems important to them.
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
  • Representing your cohort in the Phase 2 Committee and other groups you sit on. Advocate for your cohort and Phase 2 student body in general.
  • You are the bridge between ANUMS and your cohort. You will relay information both ways and learn to frame questions, concerns and answers in a diplomatic way to maximize efficiency.
  • You will organize different events including Y2 mOSCEs and other A&A tutorials/events for Y2.
  • Post on Facebook what the MEU tells you for faster communication.
Meetings
  • ANUMSS committee meeting (1-1.5h every month).
  • Phase 2 Committee meeting (1.5h every month).
  • Medicine & Surgery Working Group meeting (0.5h every 2 months).
  • FIMS&ICCH meeting (once per semester for FIMS and once for ICCH).
Events
  • Y2 MOSCEs.
  • Intro and Summary tutorials for Year 2.
  • Other A&A 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
  • ANUMSS committee meeting (1-1.5h every month)
  • Phase 2 Committee meeting (1.5h every month)
  • Medicine & Surgery Working Group meeting (0.5h every 2 months)
Events
  • “How to Phase 2” before uni starts.
  • Hospital Tours for Y3 before they begin their placements; FIMS priority.
  • Help liaise with interns to offer Y4 mOSCEs.
  • plus other block tutorials as designated / discussed with academic team at the beginning of the year.
Commitment
    • 1-2 hrs/wk. If well organised I would say up to 3-4 hours in the weeks of meetings when synthesising information or at the time of block transitions when we organised internal handovers for student to student communication of placement information and details
    Possibly similar around the time of event organisation.
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

  • Facilitate communication between the ANU Medical School (ANUMS) staff and the ACT based ANUMS alumni.
  • Creating a database of ANUMS Alumni, with contact details → collating list of where interns have gone, and creating contacts of individuals who are happy to discuss application process and internship.

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
  • As outlined in the By-Laws and Regulations:
    • Oversee the portfolios of the Advocacy Team;
    • Work with the President and Advocacy Team to receive, triage and progress internal advocacy issues.
  • It is important to note that the Advocacy Team Representatives operate autonomously in their positions. In particular, the AMSA and AMA Reps have certain roles and responsibilities delegated to them by AMSA and the AMA respectively.
Meetings
  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting (1 hour/month)
  • SMP MChD Program Committee Meeting (1.5 hours/month)
  • Frequent Meetings with the Associate Director (Education) – currently A/Prof Alex Webb (1-2 hours/month).
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

  • Liaise between AMA ACT council and the ANUMSS about issues affecting medical students as well as communication of information from the AMA to medical students.
  • Liaise with MOSCETU (Medical Officer Support, Credentialing, Employment and Training) about internship issues and help assist medical students with their concerns and questions regarding internship
  • Organise the events below.

Meetings

  • ANUMSS monthly committee meetings.
  • AMA board meetings (~3 hours, 5x a year).

Events

  • Interstate Internship Night.
  • How to be a Good Intern Night.
  • Interview skills and CV planning workshop.
  • Life in the Real World with Vice-President.
  • AMA graduation breakfast.
  • AMA Year 1 Reception.
  • Attend other AMA events as invitations present
  • ACT Internship Briefing (with Janelle Corey from MOSCETU and ANU Medical School)

Commitment

Fluctuating time commitment – on average ~1 hour per week with increased time commitment when organising events.

Contact

Ryan Bartlett
ama@anumss.org or via Facebook

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

  • Attend Council (3 x per year)
    • Represent ANU with voting rights on policies and broader issues of political concern.
    • Attendance in person is encouraged, with flight/accommodation costs reimbursed by AMSA.
  • Run think tanks/policy workshops to gauge student opinions on policies, with assistance from the Junior AMSA Rep and the Global Health Rep
  • Attend National Convention and coordinate an ANUMSS delegation
  • Recruit a Junior AMSA Rep, Vampire Cup Rep and Policy Officer.
  • Assist the Vampire Cup Rep with organisation, including liaising with Lifeblood
  • Promote AMSA national events including:
    • National Leadership Development Seminar (Canberra)
    • AMSA National Convention (Gold Coast in 2023)
    • Global Health Conference
  • Respond to emails and liaise with AMSA national, other AMSA representatives and ANUMSS

Meetings

  • ANUMSS monthly committee meeting
  • Various AMSA-related meetings (0 – 4hrs per week)

Events

  • Vampire Cup (assisting Vampire Cup Coordinator)
  • ANU think tanks in preparation for council (3x per year)
  • AMSA National Council (3x weekends per year)
  • National Convention (1 week per year)
  • National Leadership Development Seminar, Global Health Conference, Rural Health Summit (each approx one week, involvement according to personal interest)

Commitment

Fluctuating depending on the events to be organised, from 2 – 8 hours per week.

Contact

Jens Christensen
amsa@anumss.org or Facebook

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

  • Checking in with students via Rural Stream Facebook group (getting feedback and checking how they are progressing and their concerns)
  • Participating in discussions with Southern Hub NSW about the program
  • Advocating in concert with ANU Rural Medical Society
  • Encouraging students to attend local events in their nodes and surrounding areas.
  • Assisting Year 2 LTR students in their transition

Meetings

  • ANUMSS committee meeting 1-2 hours/month
  • Clinical Skills Theme committee meeting 1-2 hours every second month

Events

  • Quite a new role, so events at the discretion of the Rural Rep.

Commitment

  • 1-2 hours per week.

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

  • Continue work on the PBL Project – new initiative auditing the Phase 1 PBL content which aims to remove racial and cultural stereotypes and add diversity and representation into the weekly PBL cases
  • Review and update ANUMSS support information in collaboration with Indigenous, Wellbeing, Women’s Officers and disseminate to cohort
  • Review and update Bullying, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Booklet and reporting protocol prior to Year 1 release
  • Connect with like-minded organisations to establish opportunities for collaboration. E.g. PARSA Queer* Officer, QAMSA, AMSA Gender Equity Officer, ANU Disability Support personnel

Ongoing

  • Provide a point of contact for students to report equity issues and assist them in accessing support / advocacy
  • Organise a calendar of days of significance / events in collaboration with Indigenous, Wellbeing, Women’s Officers and relevant sub-committees (e.g. GRaSS)
  • Assist in the development of curriculum from an equity perspective when invited by ANUMS staff
  • Engage with ANUMS student cohort though social media, working groups, meetings to identify and address equity issues of concern
  • Engage with ANUMSS committee members (especially Indigenous, Wellbeing, Women’s Officers) to ensure an intersectional approach to equity issues

Meetings

Potential involvement with ANUMS Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion Committees

Contacts:

  • Wellbeing MedSoc Committee – Chair: Nicki Schembri, nicola.schembri@anu.edu.au
  • Associate Director of Culture and Wellbeing – Contact: Anna Olsen, anna.olsen@anu.edu.au

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:

  • Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
  • Transgender Day of Visibility
  • International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)
  • International Sex Workers’ Day
  • World Refugee Day
  • Wear it Purple Day
  • SpringOUT Festival
  • International Drug Users’ Day
  • International Day for the Eradication of Violence against Women (White Ribbon Day)
  • World AIDS Day
  • International Day of People with Disability
  • Anniversary of Marriage Equality in Australia

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
  • Represents the Indigenous student body at ANUMSS committee meetings.
  • Represents the Indigenous student body at faculty meetings where appropriate.
  • Liaise with the ANU Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) Student Representative, and connect Indigenous students through to AIDA if appropriate.
  • Work to ensure cultural safety within the ANUMSS.
  • Work to ensure that ANUMSS works in accordance with AIDA’s recommendations for Medical Student Societies.
Meetings
  • Monthly ANUMSS meetings ~ 1hr
Events
  • Awareness around NAIDOC week ~ start of July.
    • Consider NAIDOC week event OR social media campaign
Commitment2-5 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

  • Represents the International student body at ANUMSS committee meetings.
  • Represents the International student body at faculty meetings where appropriate.
  • Connects with International student groups at other medical schools and maintains an ongoing dialogue about big issues facing International Medical students in Australia via the AMSA-ISN (International Students’ Network).
  • Coordinate support programs for international students (particularly student mentoring).
  • Facilitates discussions and forums with the ANUMS international student body.
  • Coordinate information sessions on topics relevant to the International student body (particularly internships and skilled migration)

Meetings

  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting: 1 hr/month.

Events

  • Welcome event for international students.
  • Monthly gatherings (meet and greets, BBQs, movie/game nights, food/dessert outings).
  • Educational tutorials.

Commitment

2-4 hours/month

Contact

Vanessa Goh
international@anumss.org

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 part of the Equity Team, assist the Equity Officer in equity matters as requested;
  • Be a liaison between the Society and the ANU SMP on any matters affecting students who are parents and carers; and
  • Work to promote a positive and understanding attitude at ANU SMP and Teaching Facilities regarding the competing commitments of Parents’ and Carers’ in medicine.

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

  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting (1 hour/month)
  • You may be asked to sit on a SMP Committee as a student representative. SMP Committees typically meet no more than once per month.

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 part of the Equity Team, assist the Equity Officer in equity matters as requested;
  • Be a liaison between the Society and the ANU SMP on any matters affecting queer students; and
  • Work to promote a safe and inclusive environment at ANU SMP and Teaching Facilities for people who identify as queer.

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

  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting (1 hour/month)
  • You may be asked to sit on a SMP Committee as a student representative. SMP Committees typically meet no more than once per month.

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

  • Various advocacy events left to the determination of the Women’s officer (e.g. Women in Medicine mingling event, “Meet-a-mentor” event to promote mentorship/sponsorship amongst the many levels of medicine for women, etc).
  • Participation and contribution to ANUMSS committee.
  • Seek opportunities to foster career progression and leadership for women in medicine.
  • Work with the Equity and Wellbeing officers to ensure an intersectional approach to wellbeing, minority rights and women’s rights within the medical school.
  • Establishment of sexual harassment and sexual assault reporting pathways in conjunction with ANUMS.
  • Budget: $500 per annum for next 6 years.

Meetings

  • ANUMSS committee meeting 1-2 hours per month.
  • ANUMS Gender Equity & Diversity Committee (TBC).
  • Advocacy meetings: varied depending on the project, ~ 1 hour per fortnight.
  • Working groups: reporting pathways working group, women in medicine working group ~ 1-2 hours per month.
  • Training: 2-4 hours per year.

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
women@anumss.org or Facebook.

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

  • Create and coordinate social media posts for the ANUMSS public pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
  • Manage the public Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.
  • Design event banners, social posts, and publications in collaboration with other ANUMSS committee members.
  • Future opportunity to collaborate with broader medical community e.g. facilitate contribution of student stories to Canberra Doctor (AMA newsletter/magazine)

Meetings

ANUMSS monthly committee meeting

Events

None, but collaborate on the design aspects of ANUMSS events.

Commitment

  • Managing social media – 1 hour/week.
  • Designing posts and event banners – 1 hour/post.
  • Depends on the publication officer and your preferences. My time commitment was less because the publications officer did all the designs for the newsletters

Contact

Emaan Yellon
design@anumss.org or via Facebook

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

  • Maintenance of the ANUMSS website:
    • Timely payment (and subsequent reimbursement) of annual domain and hosting invoices.
    • Update and backup of both the public WordPress site and private Moodle site.
    • Regularly review of website content, including a full update over summer for the new calendar year.
    • Approval of documents and meeting reports uploaded by other committee members.
  • Management of Google Workspace for all committee and subcommittee/affiliated group members:
    • Transfer of all email accounts over summer for the new calendar year, including name and photo changes.
    • Ensuring that all members use their ANUMSS emails (not their ANU emails) with an acceptable email signature.
    • Setup of the Shared Drive for the committee and subcommittees/affiliated groups each year.
    • Setup and maintenance of group emailing lists.
  • Assistance of committee members with:
    • Membership registrations (Secretary).
    • Merchandise sales (Merchandise Officer).
    • Newsletter emailing (Publications Officer).
    • Ticket sales (all committee members with events, even if free).

Meetings

  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting: 1 hr/month.
  • Operation Graduate Teaching & Learning Committee: 1 hr/month.

Events

  • None, but opportunity to support those organised by other committee members.

Commitment

  • Between 1 and 2 hours per week.

Contact

Benjamin Mead
administrator@anumss.org or via Facebook.

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

  • 3-4 sessions to distribute merchandise (approx. 12 hours total).

Commitment

  • The time commitment fluctuates throughout the year, but averages out to 1-2 hours per week. Finalising orders and distributing merchandise will take the most time, but is manageable
  • Few intense periods rather than consistent work.
  • Total work for the role would probably be approx 35 hours (including liaising with suppliers, designing, logistics, promotion etc)

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
  • Curating and distributing “The Auricle”, the monthly ANUMSS newsletter which informs members of the ANUMSS of events that occurred in the preceding month, and upcoming ANUMSS events. This responsibility involves creating a schedule for the release of the magazine, and collecting, editing and organising the entries relevant to each monthly edition.
  • Publishing “Insula”, the end of year magazine/yearbook, together with a small team of editors/design members you will need to recruit.
Meetings
  • Fortnightly meetings in Semester 2 for the production of the magazine.
  • At least 1 meeting with the Treasurer and Sponsorship Officer, as well as the printing company.
Events
  • None.
Commitment
    2-3 hrs/month throughout year, 1-2 hours/week at the end of the year for the magazine.
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

  • Maintains contacts with existing sponsors and seeks out new sponsorship for events  the Society organises.
  • Ensures that sponsors are well informed about events and looked after before,  during and after the events they have sponsored.
  • Ensures that promised moneys are collected from sponsors, in conjunction with  the Treasurer.
  • Distributes publicity materials from sponsors in conjunction with sponsorship and  the Society’s agreements.
  • Compiles a sponsorship prospectus each year for potential and current sponsors  outlining events, as well as mini-prospectuses for any new events that need to  be sponsored.
  • Ensures that sponsors are adequately represented in publicity materials for events and  at the event itself and ensures that sponsor logos are on all publicity for events. 
  • Liaises regularly with sponsorship representatives and sponsors to ensure a  good sponsor/client relationship.
  • Provides regular sponsorship updates to the Treasurer and committee 
  • Is involved in the joint organisation of some events including LITRW and O-Week.

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
sponsorship@anumss.org

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

  • Link students to appropriate professional support services to assist in mental health and wellbeing difficulties.
  • Organises and coordinating activities to maintain the wellbeing of medical students.
  • Buddies – assigning buddies and organising associated events (at a minimum organising a “meet your buddy” event at the start of the year
  • Reports to the AMSA representative on Wellbeing events, activities and issues.
  • Organises the Inter-Year sports and liaises with Year General Representatives to ensure all  years are involved.
  • Liaise with the Social Representative, Women’s Officer and the Equity Officer to provide support  and assistance in the organisation of events for the ANUMSS community.
  • Advocate for the interests of students with respect to wellbeing on the Wellbeing Working Group.
  • Work to maximise inclusion and diversity at ANUMSS through participation in the student lead Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
  • Suggested critical ongoing advocacy issues for 2021: fixing the holidays in phase 1 so students get a break after exams; working to remove the calorie counting assignment from the Y2 curriculum.

Meetings

  • Wellbeing Working Group chaired by Dr Nicola Schembri (monthly, 1hr; weekly during lockdowns).
  • Diversity and Inclusion Working Group meeting (monthly, 1hr). Note that this is NOT a committee of the ANUMSS, this is an independent student working group that the Wellbeing Officer sits on.

Events

  • Inter-year Sport
  • Blue Week
  • Organ Donation ‘Gift of Life’ walk
  • “Meet your Buddy” event

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
wellbeing@anumss.org or via Facebook

RecommendationI 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
  • Organising the social calendar for O-week and making sure all the first years have an amazing start to their medical school journeys
  • Organising and coordinating any social mixers throughout the year with the year level representatives 
  • Organising and running the annual Scrubs Crawl, including managing scrubs orders and liaising with venues 
  • Organising and running the annual ANU Medicine Ball
  • Liaising with the treasurer and effectively budgeting for social events
  • Ensuring all events are inclusive, positive and welcoming
Meetings
  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting: ~1 hour each month
Events
  • O-week
  • Scrubs Crawl
  • Med Ball
  • Social mixers
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
  • Represents and advocates for non-academic issues facing their respective year.
  • Maintains an open communication stream for ANUMSS and its members.
Meetings
  • Represents the year level at ANUMSS committee meetings.
  • Organises and attends informal check-in meetings with clinical skills and academic staff, as well as the year level coordinator.
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 
  • Represent 2nd year interests at ANUMSS committee meetings.
  • Acts as Clinical Skills Representative for Phase 1 students on the Clinical Skills committee meeting (every 2-3 months, 1-2 hours).
  • Represents and advocates for non-academic issues facing second year (or assists academic rep in academic issues).
  • Maintains open line of communication for ANUMSS and members.
  • Works closely with Social Representative to facilitate year group participation and attendance at events.
  • Coordination of O-Week activities (beyond ANUMS-organised events), working closely with Social Representative.
  • Organises year-specific social events (welcome back picnic for second years; assorted events as decided by rep; Halfway Dinner).
Meetings
  • ANUMSS committee meeting (1hr/month)
  • Clinical Skills Committee Meeting (1-2hrs/2-3 months)
  • Year Coordinator meeting with Academic Rep (1hr/month)
  • Advocacy meetings: varies depending on what is being advocated for (1-4hrs per issue)
  • Working groups: depends on interests of the representative; this past year it has been: reporting pathways working group, women in medicine working group (1-2hr/month)
Events
  • O-Week
  • Halfway Dinner
  • Events at your own discretion (suggested: welcome-back picnic/morning tea; celebratory events after exams, etc.)
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
  • Works with Academic Rep to advocate for student concerns – academic or non-academic.
  • Represent the year on medical school committees (Clinical Skills, FIMS/ICCH, Phase 2)
  • Works closely with the Social Representative to facilitate year group participation and attendance at social events.
  • Promotes ANUMSS events amongst their year level.
  • Help communicate updates from the Med School to the student body.
  • Anything you do from there to help is encouraged but not expected of you.
Meetings
  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting (1hr/month)
  • FIMS/ICCH Committee meeting (4hr/semester)
  • Clinical Skills Meeting (2hr/semester)
Events
  • Medical Symposium (with Year 4 Gen Rep) (September) – Note that this didn’t take place this year (2023)
  • Electives Evening (With Vice-President) (Aim for early year – march ) – try and get on this ASAP because some applications close early
  • Events at own discretion (End of rotation drinks)
Commitment
  • 1-2 hrs per week, more when planning events. 
  • It is a lot less work than 2nd year gen rep. There will be weeks without anything to do. That being said there is more student burnout in 3rd year than most years so remember to take care of yourself as well as your cohort. 
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 
  • Represents the year level at ANUMSS committee meetings.
  • Represents and advocates for non-academic issues facing their respective year.
  • Works closely with the Social Representative to facilitate year group participation and attendance at social events.
  • Promoting ANUMSS events amongst their year level.
  • Working on advocacy projects which arise during the year.
  • Update and distribute the 2021 Internship Guide.
  • Maintaining good communication between the students and the medical school.
Meetings
  • ANUMSS Committee Meeting (1hr/month)
  • Clinical Skills Committee meeting (1hr/month)
Events
  • Year 4 welcome event (Feb)
  • Year 4 Trivia Night (July)
  • Medical Symposium (with Year 3 Gen Rep) (September)
  • End of Exams event (October)
  • Staff vs Students soccer (did not run in 2020, 2021)
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

  • Overseeing the organisation of the Medical School Graduation Ball and associated activities.
  • Forms and works with a committee of other fourth year volunteers to organise the end of year graduation events.

Your sub-committee will:

  • Liaise with the Year 4 cohort, members of the MEU and academic staff, as well as the wider Canberra Health Services and Canberra community to invite guests, guest speakers, organise tickets, accommodation  deals, sponsorship and advertisement.
  • Organise venue, audiovisual, entertainment, photography, decorations, invitations, merchandise, after party, accommodation and yearbook.

Meetings

  • To be determined by you and the sub-committee, around once per month, more frequent towards the end of the year.

Events

These events include:

  • Graduation Ball.

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

Committee Role Descriptions

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