The Medical Student Council of Victoria (MSCV) is an organisation representing students from Victoria’s three medical schools.

Our schools have traditionally had a close relationship. Reasons include the long enduring friendly rivalry between students on either side of river, the ingrained need to fight for Victorian pride at AMSA Convention and because of the long history of shared events, such as hard fought inter-uni sports days or memorable combined balls.

Opening of the new medical school at Deakin University in 2008 seemed like a good enough reason to formalise our relationship through a state level representative body. Impromptu phone calls and catch ups don’t quite work as well when there are three parties to consider.

This council would serve as a unified voice on issues that affect medical students of this state and as a forum for regular communication between the three medical societies.

The Council
MSCV is comprised of three representatives from each of the three medical societies: the medical societies’ presidents, AMSA representatives and a third representative to be nominated at the societies’ discretion.

The 10th member of council is the chairperson whose job it is to coordinate the council’s agenda throughout the year and take on the administrative tasks and the bulk of representation.

Administration
This chair is nominated on a rotating basis by each medical society. Last year it was a student from the University of Melbourne, this year from Monash and next year they will be from Deakin. The council meets monthly, or more frequently as needed.

Representation
The council works with a number of key stakeholders concerning medical education and health in Victoria. Some of the organisations with which we have an active dialogue with include:

• Melbourne, Monash and Deakin medical schools
• the Victorian government and Department of Human Services
• the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria and their Junior Medical Officer Forum
• AMA Victoria and its Doctors in Training subdivision, and
• Public and private hospital group management bodies

Goals for 2009:
• Continue to serve as a unifying voice on issues that affect medical students of Victoria;
• Take a proactive stand on issues which uniquely or specifically affect the medical students of Victoria;
• Facilitate communication between the three medical student societies of the state (MeDUSA, MUMUS & UMMSS) to encourage the sharing of knowledge and experience;
• Enable the co-ordination and organisation of joint events involving medical students from Deakin University, Monash University and the University of Melbourne;
• Increase the awareness amongst medical students of Victoria of MSCV.

We hope to achieve the goals through these initiatives:
• maintaining an active dialogue with key stakeholders on Victorian medical education and health care
• supporting the organisation of a forum on pertinent issues affecting the future of today’s medical student
• supporting the organisation of the MDM (Monash-Deakin-Melbourne) Sports Day and Ball, and
• further developing the website into a useful resource for medical students of Victoria.

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