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What
Locums, Permanent
Placements,
General Practice
Say About Us
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What Our Locums Say. . .
UK Locum in NZ Feature»
Dr Martin Garlick - caught 2 Snapper within hours of
arriving in the Bay of Islands |
"Had a fabulous time. I really
enjoyed the variety of medicine which presented and the
practice team who were excellent to work with."
Medical practice is much the same
as in the UK. The Maoris are interesting and have
a different culture from those of European descent. With
their large families I saw more skin sepsis and middle ear
problems in a week, than I'd see in 2 years in the
UK.
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When you’re on call you can be out on your own with less
paramedical backup than in the UK, but the patients are
usually more grateful. My local GPs were helpful and
sociable in the extreme! Barbeque / fish / tramp / sail and
travel this amazing country. Take the time to see both
islands. What have you got to
lose? You may not want to return to Old Blighty! I
shall certainly be going back for more!
Dr Martin Garlick -
UK
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A UK
GP in New Zealand
The Work
I arrived in New Zealand 3 months ago with my husband and 3
children looking for a different life for a couple of years. I
have worked as a partner, locum and retainer in the UK and have
found working in NZ much more laid back. The day-to-day work is
virtually nine to five (with time for lunch!) and patients are
generally booked at 15 minutes. Patients pay at the point of
contact so there is a tendency for them to save up a couple of
years worth of problems but on the whole it is very manageable.
Outside the main cities GPs still do on-call but because patients
have to pay they are much more focused about what they call you
about. You can choose whether to work in a town or more rurally,
and rural means rural here.
The Move
Many people think about working somewhere different but never
actually do it. When we announced our decision to go friends and
family raised their eyebrows and thought it was a passing phase.
After a chat with Adrienne and the guarantee of work (details to
be worked out on arrival, my choice) we booked the tickets – it
is amazing how this very act focuses the mind. It took us 10 weeks
from making the decision to arriving in Auckland. Having the offer
of a job from the Consortium makes the visa applications very
straightforward and registration with the New Zealand Medical
Council easy. On arrival Adrienne provided us with a car, had
booked accommodation for us and spent the following week taking me
around practices to choose where I wanted to work. There is no
limit to how much or little you need to work – one day a week is
fine and full-time is easily catered for. So what I am trying to
say is, if you want to come, the process is very straightforward.
We wanted to be based in the Bay of Islands in
sub-tropical Northern New Zealand and have chosen to live in a
small town called Kerikeri with a population of less than 10,000.
It is a great town with lots going on: café culture; excellent
schools; and plenty of affordable accommodation to buy (renting is
difficult; there are places but not many). We sold our house in
the UK, not because we want to stay forever but we knew we would
not want to return to the same place. It is easy to get swept
along with the good exchange rate and the temptation is to buy
much more than you need – acres and acres with
paddocks/orchards/native bush/sea views……
Remuneration
Now to the issue of money. First of all do not convert the pay
into £s otherwise you will weep, just remember that most things
are much cheaper here (with the exception of food). Personally I
think the only way of coming here is to be free of debt in the UK
as it is not possible to earn enough to service any UK loans.
However it is enough to live well here, just don’t expect to
take much home with you!
Important Stuff
And finally to my mind the main reason for being here – the sun,
sailing, snorkelling, surfing, horse-riding, tramping …… the
list is endless. It is a beautiful place, full of friendly people
who seem very happy to live here. I think I should stop there, as
I do not want the whole world to know! If you are passing through
and just want some casual work or if you plan to make a new life
here contacting the Consortium is an excellent start.
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"I have enjoyed the experience of
working for the Consortium and living in the Bay of
Islands. This Permanent Locum position gives the
opportunity to work in a variety of practices in
several towns of quite differing populations, each
with different health needs. This offers a variety
of medical problems to deal with and makes the job
very interesting. I also enjoyed being freed from
most of the practice administration.
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I would like to thank you personally for the support
and assistance you gave to Anne and myself, which
helped us to settle in to life and work here. The
Bay of Islands is a beautiful and interesting area
and we have enjoyed exploring the region and
appreciated the chance of learning about its history
and culture.
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I recommend the job to anyone who enjoys the variety
of General Practice, without having all the
paperwork to do or the need for extensive
travelling, in a lovely part of the country."
Dr Bevan Rogers |
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For 8 months in 2001,I worked in New
Zealand as a mobile locum in 9 different practices. I loved every
minute. I worked about 50% of the time. It was a great way to see
the country and meet so many people. Much the most spectacular
scenery was at the Bay of Islands in Northland, where I looked
after a predominantly Maori practice at Kawakawa near the main
resort of Paihia. I was provided with free accommodation at a
small hotel looking over the bay to Russell, the old capital of
the country. I was given meals if I required them, and the loan of
a 4-wheel drive pick-up to get around the area.
Everyone I met was friendly and supportive. The work was
fascinating and challenging but not overwhelming. Cultural
differences were prominent with many of the patients, and
compliance with my advice I suspect very low. There was a lot more
tobacco, drug and alcohol-related illness than I expected but the
patients were never abusive. The "iwi" or extended
family/tribe took a heavy responsibility for the well being and
recovery of any person with psychiatric symptoms in their midst.
It may be of interest that when I asked a local prominent Maori
who led the community, he said that I did, as long as I was the
local doctor, as the iwi did not have a local "Hotungi"
(I think he said). I got quite a shock at the idea.
The area is exquisitely beautiful, the seafood and wines are
superb (Sauvignon Blancs to die for), with marvellous boating,
fishing, walking and it makes an excellent base from which to
explore the rest of the far North, steeped in Kiwi history from
the earliest times in the late 18th century, not forgetting the
earliest visitors from Polynesia about 800 years earlier.
While the remuneration does not compare with Europe and Australia,
the cost of living especially for food and fuel, is low, and the
quality of life is high. I strongly recommend any GP to take the
plunge and work as a GP locum. Everywhere I worked I felt
appreciated, never over-exerted and, surprise-surprise (there is a
perennial rural GP shortage), forever asked back. It will come as
no surprise to anyone who heard about my Kiwi experiences that I
am hoping to take another 2 month "working-break" up in
Northland again. Please join me!
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"We found it was a wonderful experience working for
Northern Rural General Practice Consortium. The work was
interesting, diverse and challenging and remuneration was
completely satisfactory. As a family we were very well provided
for and had great community, cultural, recreational and outdoors
exposure. Interacting with the Maori was intriguing enough that
our child conceived while working there was given a Maori name.
Enjoy."
Lloyd Westby - Canada
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Tamatea Westby |
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. . . and what General Practice Say About Us |
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."Hokianga Health has found the
assistance of the Rural General Practice Consortium invaluable in
locating locums and smoothing the path for employment. The
Consortium has assisted with travel and registration arrangements
and guided us with requirements. We have always been delighted
with the quality of the practitioners through the Consortium.
Adrienne knows our service well and can describe it to GPs,
attracting those who are interested in a Hokianga lifestyle."
Christine Edwards
Administration Manager
Hokianga Health Enterprise Trust
Ph 64 9 4057 320 Fax 64 9 4057 329 |
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As you know finding suitable long-term replacements for GP’s in
our area is not easy. We are extremely grateful to your service in
having found someone of the calibre of Ian Lawson. He is likely to
be a great asset to our practice and the area and hopefully will
stay on in the medium term. You know how hard we tried using
multiple agencies to try and obtain a long-term replacement. In
the end it was your service (the Consortium) that solved a crucial
staff shortage. Your assistance was and remains much appreciated.
Dr. D Mearns
Kaitaia Health Centre, Kaitaia |
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"Locum
recruitment was an extremely difficult and stressful problem prior
to the NRGPC. Since the inception of the NRGPC this has ceased to
be a major problem or stress. The locums provided are of a very
high quality and appropriate to the practice. Locums can often be
provided at short notice."
Dr A.D Steele
Kerimed Doctors Limited
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