University of Tasmania, Australia

Come and visit UTAS at Agfest

Pharmacists make important medicines and essential drugs but they also make a mean sorbolene cream.

Tasmania School of Pharmacy students will be involved with a fun activity for children at Agfest this week at the UTAS HealthStop site (CWA18 and CWA Grove) – making a beautiful skin-saving cream in either pink or green using rose, tea-tree, peppermint or lavender oil.

Mixing with spatulas, scooping it into jars and sticking on labels is not only entertaining but it also results in a great Mother’s Day gift.

School of Medicine students will also be popular offering to make a plaster cast which will then be bandaged into place so little “patients” can pretend they have a broken arm.

And the old adage of “an apple a day” will be invoked when apples are cored and spiralled to make a healthy snack for visitors.

These intriguing activities are designed to engage children, allowing their parents to peruse the more serious health information available and take time to get a health assessment at the UTAS HealthStop.

More than 80 trainee pharmacists, exercise physiologists, nurses and doctors and their fully qualified supervisors will be on hand with a full suite of medical equipment to conduct tests and give advice on all aspects of health care.

Visitors to the HealthStop can:

• Have their blood pressure measured - Find out what can be done to improve blood pressure if it’s too high or too low.
  
  
• Receive weight loss and health advice – Through the Swap it, Don’t Stop It campaign visitors will be encouraged to think about simple swaps for better health with the knowledge that small changes produce big results. ERIC, the big blue guy who is the campaign mascot will love to have his photo taken with children and at the same time encourage healthy eating and physical activity.
  
  
• Organise a personal health coach - Through the Get Healthy Service personal health coaching can be made available to individuals who qualify.
  
  
• Sign up for an eHealth record - Sign up for an Australian Government electronic health record so that all your health providers know your medical history. It eliminates the need to carry pieces of paper, it’s accessible by any medical practitioners in Australia and you have full control of who can view it.
  
  
• Practise first aid on SimMan - There will also be the chance to practise emergency situation first aid skills such as administering an Epi-pen or doing CPR with the amazing SimMan, the educational human replica used by nursing students.
  
  
• Get a movement assessment - An assessment for movement capacity in people of all ages and levels of health. It’s followed up with health education, advice and support and a recipe to develop safe, effective individualise exercise interventions.
  
  
• Discover Active Launceston - The popular health promotion initiative driven by a partnership between UTAS, Launceston City Council and Sport and Recreation Tasmania will have a stall at Agfest as part of its continuing quest to improve the health and wellbeing of the Launceston community through physical activity. 

Agfest patrons will be able to find out about all kids of free programs, activities and special trails in and around Launceston that can be used to inspire an active lifestyle.

UTAS will also be involved in many other areas of Agfest, with hundreds of professional staff, academic/research staff and enthusiastic students on site over the three days.

It’s a great opportunity to discover the broad reach of UTAS in the community and the interesting areas it incorporates.

Agfest is also the perfect place for patrons to find out more about course and study opportunities at UTAS by talking with course advisors and current students at the UTAS stand at 111-09, First Ave, in the Trades Expo Pavilion.

While parents are discussing exciting new career options for the future, children are encouraged to have their picture taken in a selection of dream career dress-ups.

Right next door at 111-07, First Ave, potential students can discuss university accommodation options as well as the range of experiences they offer to residents.

UTAS will also be at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) stand at M51, Main St, where there will be scholarship presentations and information on distance and on-campus study options with the Faculty of Business.

UTAS at Agfest

Course and study information – Trades Expo Pavilion, First Ave, 111-09 and Student Accommodation at Jane Franklin Hall 111-07.

Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture - M51 Main St.

HealthStop – CWA18, CWA Grove.