Canterbury DHB Welcomes Big RMO Intake

Canterbury DHB Welcomes Big Resident Medical Officer Intake

Thirty one new Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) from the UK and Ireland were recently welcomed with a powhiri to the Canterbury District Health Board. Another 17 will be joining in stages over the next month, effectively filling all vacant RMO positions at CDHB.

Karen Schaab, Manager of the Resident Medical Officers’ Unit, says: “The last few months have been difficult as we’ve tried to manage the shortage of RMOs. There are usually between 350-400 RMOs working across the CDHB, however during the first half of the year we had as many as 38 vacancies at any one time.

“It’s not just a local problem – there is a worldwide shortage of RMOs. If anything, we’re in a better position than most because a lot of people want the opportunity to come to work in New Zealand. We’ve just completed a very successful recruitment phase and from 27 August we’ll have a ‘full house’ of RMOs for the fourth quarter of 2007.”

The RMOs have undergone a two day orientation at Christchurch Hospital to get up to speed with CDHB processes and protocols, from clinical coding and cardiac arrest procedures, to correct pronunciation of Maori words.

CDHB’s Chief Medical Officer Nigel Millar says: “These overseas RMOs are in addition to the New Zealand doctors that the CDHB employs and trains. Canterbury has an enviable reputation in examination successes for RMOs and continues to attract the highest calibre of local graduates.”

ENDS

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