ICU Consultant at Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua MidCentral, Manawatu / Whanganui

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua MidCentral are looking for a Senior Medical Officer to join our growing ICU team!

About the role and our team:

The ICU at Palmerston North Hospital is a Level 2 ICU providing a high standard of general intensive care, including complex multi-system support (invasive mechanical ventilation, cardiovascular monitoring and support, renal replacement therapy). Our ICU is a mixed unit, admitting medical, surgical, trauma and paediatric patients. The ICU functions as a “closed unit”, with the ICU Consultants primarily responsible for the management decisions required in the delivery of critical care.

The unit has 6 beds with a flexible mix of HDU and ICU-level patients. Presently we are in the process of expanding our capacity to 8 beds, including two state-of-the-art isolation rooms. The unit admits around 500 patients annually.

The ICU department currently employs 8 SMOs (1 FCICM and 7 FANZCA) and 6 ICU SHOs. The SMOs provide exclusive cover to ICU on a rostered basis, the ICU roster being separate from the Anaesthesia one. When not rostered to ICU the SMOs also provide daytime Anaesthesia sessions. The roster has mandatory provisions for fatigue-relief, with the morning rostered off after a weeknight on call and the whole Monday rostered off after a weekend on call. The weekly schedule for a full-time position comprises 30 hours clinical work (6 x 5 hour sessions), 10 hours non-clinical work and 10 hours rostered time off.

The unit is accredited by CICM (College of Intensive Care Medicine) for Basic Training and as Rural Rotation for both early and advanced trainees. The unit is also accredited by ANZCA (Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists).

About our organisation:

Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua – MidCentral is a 350-bed hospital in the city of Palmerston North, Manawatū, a city in the Lower North Island of New Zealand. Palmerston North Hospital is a secondary hospital and offers most medical and surgical specialties with the exception of Cardiothoracic, Plastic and Neurosurgery. The hospital serves a local population of 180,000 but is the base for a regional head and neck oncology service which has responsibility for a population of 550,000 and draws patients from Whanganui, Taranaki, and Hawke's Bay. Employing over 2500 people, MidCentral offers a supportive work environment that accepts and values all employees.  We actively seek Māori kaimahi into our workforce and provide an environment which delivers our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Requirements for the applicants:

• Fellowship of the College of Intensive Care Medicine (FCICM) (or equivalent)

                                                    or

• Fellowship of the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthesia (FANZCA) (or equivalent) with experience and interest in the practise of intensive care
• Eligibility for registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand

What can we offer you?

• A diverse, dynamic and supportive team
• 2 off sessions perweek (for the FANZCA SMOs this offers the opportunity for private work, as there is a healthy private practice of Anaesthesia in Palmerston North)
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Six weeks annual leave and 10 days CME
• Opportunities to teach, mentor and develop junior doctors
• Relocation packages for national and international candidates

About our region:

Manawatū is known for its effortless blend of city and rural living; here you can choose your ideal lifestyle, from peaceful rural villages, to bustling townships, or city life. The region includes the charming towns of Feilding, Kimbolton, Āpiti, Himatangi Beach, Linton and Ashhurst to name a few, and at the centre of it all is the city of Palmerston North, the lively, multi-cultural heart of Manawatū. Over 120,000 people choose to call Manawatū home, and with a diverse landscape like this it's easy to see why!

It's a family-friendly place that's easy to live and work, with easy access to an array of outdoor activities – beaches, ski fields, lakes, mountains, as well as fantastic mountain biking and hiking tracks. No traffic and an easy commute to work, really help a with true work-life balance.
Our fantastic central location means exploring other parts of New Zealand is easy as a drive or a short flight. We are well served with excellent schooling options, as well as two tertiary institutes – Massey University and the International Pacific College.

Discover more hidden gems that Manawatū and Palmerston North have to offer here: Manawatū & Palmerston North - Visit | Live | Study | Business (manawatunz.co.nz). Check out our careers site here for more information about Palmerston North hospital.

If you are interested in discussing these opportunities, please don't hesitate to reach out for a chat! You can connect with our Head of Department, Dr Daniel Nistor, or our Recruitment Specialist, Maree Loynes

We strive to be a place where people love to work and learn. We aim to develop a diverse team that reflects the communities that we serve and we welcome people of all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs, socio-economic situations and accessibility needs. MidCentral actively seeks Māori into our workforce to reflect the community we serve. Some positions are defined as a Core Children's worker under the Children's Act and require full safety checks completed before employment commences. We are recruiting to fill this position as soon as possible so may withdraw the advert if the ideal candidate is found before the expiry date.