The James Cook University Medical Students’ Association (JCUMSA) is the peak representative organisation for medical students at James Cook University.
Currently, the Society represents over 1200 full-time medical students from all six year levels of the undergraduate course across Townsville, Cairns, and Mackay. It is one of the newer Medical student societies, after being founded in 2000. In 2021, JCUMSA enters its 21st year of operation and continues to evolve in our representation of all JCU medical students. We do this through advocacy at local, state-wide, and national levels. We have a fantastic committee comprising over fifty members elected by the medical student body to support students of all demographics, each with their own needs, concerns, and goals. Students can reach us via a plethora of avenues, including our website, social media and email. While COVID has made things difficult, we still encourage students to stop and have a chat if we are face to face! Throughout the pandemic, we are continuously thinking of all our students, some of whom have family across the globe and have not seen them for quite a long time.
In addition to our advocacy work, we run a jam-packed calendar of incredibly exciting events, catering to all interests of our students. So whether you’re more academically inclined, a social butterfly or a lover of the arts, JCUMSA has got you covered all year long.
Our most popular events include our annual JCUMSA Med Ball & MedRevue events, both of which serve over 400 patrons each. Both events will occur in SP2, and our Society is looking forward to providing an entertaining, COVID-safe break from the rigours of studying medicine.
We are delighted to have achieved some wonderful things as a team in 2021. This includes successfully lobbying the Division of Tropical Health and Medicine to allocate funding towards the renovation of a very commonly used computer lab at the medical school in Townsville. We were also able to obtain access to Fitness Passport for our Townsville 5th & 6th Year students, which means that students across all our sites now have access. We have placed a focus on the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of all our students in 2021. The community and wellbeing budget was increased by 100% this year, which has allowed our team to increase the number of wellbeing events held throughout the year. For the first time, we will be holding our Blue Week wellbeing event across all three sites, with activities that all students can engage in. If you have any questions about our Society or would like to reach out to the committee, please visit our website at jcumsa.org.au for more details.
