#bhsc

[chooliastudies]

Hello, I'm a healthsci student who is trying to get into med this year -or I hoped I would get in-, but after seeing my results for my poplhlth111 test a couple of weeks ago(I didn't pass) I am heartbroken and I feel like absolute shit and I don't know if I even want to apply now just out of embarrassment, because I didn't get a good grade for biosci107 either I don't know what to do..

Hey <3 I was in exactly the same boat as you about 5 years ago now. It was the first POPLHLTH test that got me down too, and it was incredibly hard to stay motivated for everything else. For me, I didn’t end up recovering from that low. I was still trying hard, but had trouble focusing cause I no longer saw any point if I’d already messed up (my grades ranged from A to C+). Constant comparison with my friends didn’t do me any good either, and the low self-esteem would take away any motivation I had left. My advice is the most cliche thing, but it’s so important to remain optimistic. These were just the first tests, and it is still possible to make a comeback from them. Find out what others are doing and what resources they’re using eg. past papers, office hours, someone’s pre-made flashcards online? Studying with friends can actually be so effective when you all agree on a common goal (eg. everyone will understand this difficult concept by the end of the session). It gets you talking with each other and pick up on things you would’ve missed if you were studying alone. Ultimately, it still might be that you don’t end up with the grades you want by the end of the year. This is perfectly ok. I, myself, didn’t end up applying after my first year as my GPA just wasn’t good enough. It’s a devastating feeling, but if medicine is something you really want, there are several other pathways. In fact, I can even say that I’m proud of myself for even making it through that incredibly tough first year. Just because you don’t see yourself applying at the end of this year, doesn’t mean you have to feel or do poorly for the rest of the year. (Remember, if you want to apply for Otago or some of the Australian unis as a postgrad, they do count your first year’s GPA for a small portion of your final weighting- use that as motivation if you have to!) Keep trying; one foot in front of the other. Most importantly, it may seem impossible in a highly competitive environment, but enjoy yourself. I didn’t expect to study for 4 years prior to starting med, but I was always fascinated and felt privileged to be learning what I was learning. I wouldn’t change a thing about the path I took x

[borjen]

“Postoji, moramo priznati (a bolest je velika ispovjedaonica) djetinjasta prostodušnost u bolesti; kažu se stvari, izbrbljaju istine koje oprezna respektabilnost zdravlja sakriva. O suosjećanju na primjer – možemo bez njega. Ta iluzija o svijetu tako oblikovanom da svaki jecaj ima svoj eho, o ljudskim bićima tako povezanim zajedničkim potrebama i strahovima da trzaj jednog ručnog zgloba povuče i drugi, gdje ma koliko čudno bilo vaše iskustvo i drugi su ga imali, gdje koliko god daleko da putujete u vlastitim mislima netko je tamo već bio prije vas – to sve je jedna iluzija. Ne znamo vlastite duše, a kamoli tuđe. Ljudska stvorenja ne idu držeći se za ruke cijelom dužinom puta. U svakome je djevičanska šuma; snježno polje gdje je čak i otisak ptičjih stopala nepoznat. Tu idemo sami, i tako nam se više sviđa. Uvijek imati suosjećanje, uvijek imati pratnju, uvijek imati nečije razumijevanje bilo bi nepodnošljivo.”

-- Virginia Woolf, O bolesti (On Being Ill,  1926)

translation & illustration / prevod i ilustracija: V. B. Borjen

CIJELI ESEJ, S UVODOM NA: PORTAL STRANE

[chooliastudies]

Hi!! Just a question, would you prefer a Masters in health science or a PhD?

Hey :) It depends on what you want to be doing with your degree in the long run. A Masters in Public Health (MPH) can look awesome if you’re looking for jobs in the public health field, especially if you’re applying for positions that are relevant to the thesis and research you completed during your MPH. An MPH can also serve as a stepping stone towards a PhD.To apply to do a PhD, you need to have done an Honours or Masters degree first. That’s why people who know they want to start a PhD ASAP choose to do Honours, because it takes one year instead of two (for MPH). During a PhD, you dedicate 3-4 years (sometimes longer) to completing your thesis on a narrow research topic you are (hopefully) passionate about. While it is far more prestigious than a Masters degree, my opinion is that it is suited for people who are SURE that research is really what they want to be doing. With a PhD you could also choose to work in universities as a lecturer (though these positions are competitive- but what isn’t these days), while doing other research. BUT, if you want to be working (rather than doing research), a PhD might actually over-qualify you for the jobs you apply for. You don’t want to be Dr. Jwstudying, with a hell of a lot of research experience and knowledge around a narrow field of topic, and have it go to no use.I was considering doing a PhD after my Honours degree, if I failed to get into med school. But as much as I loved completing my Honours dissertation last year, it confirmed to me that research was not what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life -I wanted to be seeing patients. If I failed to get into med, I think I would have tried working for a few years. If that didn’t work out or I got sick of it, maybe I would’ve returned to uni to do a PhD. But I have absolutely no regrets doing Honours -it’s helped reinforce that med school is where I want to be, and I know that my background in research and public health will come to good use as a medic.REMEMBER this is all just my own opinion! I may also be wrong about certain things here. If you’re interested in postgraduate study, make use of the Postgraduate fairs they hold, and have a talk to any other postgrad students if you can! 

[chooliastudies]

Did you work during your bhsc degree?

Hi! I didn’t work in my first year. Throughout my second and third year, I did a lot of tutoring -music theory, piano and NCEA biology. I also volunteered at StarJam every month or so. Tutoring is really great because you can be relatively more flexible with the hours you work, compared to other part-time jobs. 

In my fourth (honours) year, I was a graduate teaching assistant (university tutor) for a first year POPLHLTH paper. This was a fantastic job because I loved teaching and it paid really well. I also got to know the faculty staff a lot better, and they got to know me- essentially a really good networking opportunity. (Unfortunately, these positions aren’t usually open to undergraduate students).

I’ve answered another ask regarding what I think about working in first year here (but I think the advice is the same for second and third year of BHSc too) https://chooliastudies.tumblr.com/post/156157414569/hey-do-you-think-its-possible-to-work-as-in-a

[chooliastudies]

for first year health science, what are the assignments (essays) like and about? Are they more research orientated?

When I did POPLHLTH 101, there was an assignment comparing the organisation of the NZ and US health systems, which I loved. The second assignment was about Integrated Family Health Centres and how they affected access to, quality and efficiency of health care in NZ. For POPLHLTH 102 (which I personally really enjoyed), the first assignment involved comparing the biomedical and biopsychosocial models of health. The second one was about health inequalities in different social groups, using smoking as an example (this stuff is particularly helpful for the med interview). The assignments do vary from year to year, but hopefully you get a general gist of what you’ll be learning about from this. They are research-oriented in the sense that you do have to look for the evidence to back up your points, yourself. In saying that, your lecturers and tutors will help you with the assignments step by step -they don’t just throw you into the deep end all by yourself :)Here are some course outlines if you wanted to read up on more of the health science papers:https://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/assets/fmhs/faculty/programmes-courses-subjects/course-outlines/POPLHLTH101.pdf

https://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/assets/fmhs/faculty/programmes-courses-subjects/course-outlines/POPLHLTH102.pdf

[chooliastudies]

Hi Julia! Thank you for answering my question about 732. I just have one more question regarding the 'differences in NZ' section. Do we have to explain why the differences exist? e.g. why those in most deprived areas have higher suicide rates or why Maori are over-represented in suicide stats? Thank you so much for your help! Hoping you stay safe xx

Hi again :) I don’t believe you have to. I only described the trends (albeit in a heck of a lot of detail) and gave no explanation as to why they might exist. It feels weird but it seems to be what the markers want for this needs analysis. Thank you, hope you’ve settled well into isolation x

[chooliastudies]

Hi! I have a quick question about POPLHLTH 732’s first assignment. It’s a needs analysis in 3000 words. I was wondering whether when you wrote your assignment, you were able to reach that limit? Since it’s all data I have been have struggling to do so. Would love to hear some of your tips. Thanks!

Kia ora :) yea I remember this assignment being rather dry and tedious to write. My word count ended up being around 2900. My tip is to allocate the number of words proportionally to the number of marks they give for the scope eg. 2.5/15 marks for defining the problem would by 2.5/15 x 3000 = 500 words for this section (sorry if this is already how you were allocating words). 

I know 500 words is so many words for what seems like an intro, but go overboard with the info and values you include eg. for defining the problem, define what suicide (or whatever your topic) is, what the protective and risk factors are, current overall stats in NZ with how it’s trending over years etc. When you go into describing the trends, base these on the graphs provided by the Ministry of Health’s latest Suicide Facts report and literally describe every trend you think might be important in written form. You may find that you reach your word count sooner than you realise. From memory, you’re allowed to include graphs and tables too and if you just describe what you see in the figures, you can eat up a lot of your words. Just make sure to reference them correctly!

Also, don’t underestimate how many marks are allocated to structure and presentation. Hope this helps and good luck!

[chooliastudies]

Do you know any people who have done a PGDip in BHSc? If so, how did they find it? I want to do a PGDip but I'm not too sure about wanting to do it at UoA (I'm considering AUT)

I know a few people who did a PGDip in Health Sciences! It’s usually a year of doing 4 courses a semester again, so similar to an undergrad year in health sciences. But the classes are usually a bit smaller and may or may not be in block days (so one full day of classes once a month, rather an a one or two hour class each week). A lot of the classes for certain courses may actually be online, and you get a variety of people wanting to take certain subjects so can have fresh postgrad students, masters students, doctors, nurses etc. as your classmates. For these reasons, it may be a bit harder to get to know people because you’re not always seeing them around as much as you would say for an undergrad class.

If you pick a pathway you might be passionate about though, I think the classes are really great and enjoyable, with fantastic teaching staff. The great thing about the PGDip is that it opens a few (or many, depending on what you want to do) more doors for your career eg. can be the step before you do a Masters or apply for a job that might want you to have more than an undergraduate degree. 

I’m not sure about what it’s like at AUT, sorry, but hope this has helped!