Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua Mid Central (Mid Central) is part of Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand and provides healthcare services to over 180,000 people across the Manawatū, Horowhenua and Tararua regions. With a large hospital campus in Palmerston North, it also provides key health care and support services to neighbouring communities.

Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua Mid Central are looking for a Senior Medical Officer to join our growing ICU 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).

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 per week (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

Our team actively encourage work-life balance, and the Mid Central Region is ideally situated for those who like to work, rest and play – beaches close by, ski fields and wineries just up the road, stunning scenery with loads of hiking tracks including Te Arapuke mountain bike track. Our region also offers excellent schools and a local university. Better yet, you can get anywhere within Palmerston North in 15 minutes or less, meaning you can buy your dream property and still be in scrubs well within on-call perimeters!

Check out what your new workplpace and home could look like with Mid Central!