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Resident Medical Officers...
Registrar posts in Oncology, Haematology and Palliative Care
What is the Haematology/Oncology/Palliative Care Service and what does it offer a registrar?
The service has a stated purpose to provide a positive experience for patients and a place where staff want
to work. The Regional Cancer Centre, located at Waikato Hospital, Hamilton comprises an inpatient ward,
day care and chemotherapy suite, outpatient department, and radiation treatment facility. The service
spans medical and radiation oncology, haematology and palliative care. Outreach and community-based
services are also co-ordinated from this centre providing both service and support to the middle North
Island. A key focus for the service, in addition to quality of patient care, is research and staff
education/development. This is borne out through our -
protected registrar training time
dedicated consultant to registrar tuition
high quality technology in both simulation and treatment, with planned expansion
wide exposure through outreach and central services to all general oncological conditions and
general pathology
excellent collegial support across all disciplines within the service
research initiatives
conference opportunities
team focus at all levels
Introduction:
The department services a wide geographical area through the use of peripheral clinics covering, the
greater Waikato region, plus Lakes and Tairawhiti DHBs. Some specific work for BOP DHB is also
undertaken. The majority of the unit is based in the Lomas Building on the Waikato Hospital site, where the
following facilities are provided -
chemotherapy suite
oncology outpatient clinics (haematology clinics are provided for at the main hospital Meade
Centre)
all radiation therapy simulation, planning and treatment - including four linacs, advanced planning,
HDR brachytherapy and a dedicated CT scanner
administration
In addition, the unit has a dedicated 30 bed inpatient ward and runs peripheral clinics at Thames, Rotorua
and Gisborne.
The Waikato region is serviced with easy access to east and west coast beaches, great sports facilities,
skiing and rush-hour free traffic.
The training programme:
Comprehensive training programmes are offered in all four specialities – radiation oncology, medical
oncology, haematology and palliative care. Some rotational positions for those seeking general experience
are also available. Each speciality has an established training programme which is co-ordinated and
delivered through the clinical team. In addition to planned clinical tutorials, there is a weekly journal club
and numerous speciality meetings and multidisciplinary meetings for example:
1. MDM - breast, chest, lymphoma, head & neck, etc
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Resident Medical Officers…
Clinical services
Intensive Care Unit:
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a 15-bed Level III unit that provides observation, care and treatment for
patients of all ages with life threatening illnesses and injuries from which recovery is possible. The ICU is
the only Level III unit in the Midland region providing for a population of 750,000 people. A Level III unit
includes: two college intensive care trained consultants, a full-time intensivist and clinical provisions e.g.
dialysis.
As a tertiary provider of intensive care services, the ICU currently transports over 330 patients per year
both within and outside the Midland region. The ICU team co-ordinates the administration of parental
nutrition and supervises the management of patients in the high dependency unit. The ICU team is also an
integral component of the cardiac arrest and trauma teams at Waikato Hospital.
In broad terms, the ICU currently provides care for approximately 420 cardiac cases per year, 220
paediatric cases per year, and 550 general adult cases per year.
High Dependency Unit:
The High Dependency Unit (HDU) is a 12 bed unit that provides special expertise and facilities for adult
patients requiring intensive monitoring and treatment following surgery, trauma and medical or surgical
conditions. It is an intermediate level intensive care service and is recognised by the Faculty of Intensive
Care, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. The provision of high dependency care,
separate from the intensive care setting, is unique to Health Waikato, and is often denoted as the flagship
for new high dependency units around Australasia.
The HDU currently provides care for over 1723 patients annually. This includes the following specialities:
general surgery (28%), medicine (18%), vascular and thoracic (13%), orthopaedic (5%) and other surgical
teams (14%).
Who we are:
The team comprises:
•
Five intensivists
•
10 registrars
•
Seven nurse leaders and nursing team
•
Three respiratory technicians
•
Allied health team
We provide:
•
Full orientation
•
Assignment to team for six months
•
Four-six hours training per week
•
Part 1 and 2 training sessions
•
Mentoring system
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