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Dr Liam Tranter |
"Being a doctor is not as glamorous as some television dramas portray, but it is definitely rewarding and hugely satisfying," local doctor Dr Liam Tranter admits.
Dr Tranter says he just kind of fell into medicine after showing an interest in science at school. "Plus my dad, who was a ...
Job Overview: Doctors prevent, diagnose, treat and cure illness, injury and disease and provide health care to individuals and families in the community.
ALTERNATIVE TITLES
GP
General Practitioner
Family Doctor
Medical Practitioner
Family Physician
Primary Care Physician
Surgeon
Physician
Paediatrics
TASKS AND DUTIES
Doctors day-to-day tasks include:
- consult with and examine patients
- often treat individuals and families over an extended period
- diagnose patients? problems
- treat and refer patients to other health services when necessary
- counsel patients
- carry out or arrange for special tests
- advise on health care and prevention of illness
- perform minor surgery
- prescribe and give medicines
- keep up to date with medical knowledge
- fill out medical certificates for patients
- advise and help patients claim for welfare benefits
- responds to medical emergencies
TRAITS OF A GOOD DOCTORThe main personal quality that doctors should have is a genuine concern for others. They should be understanding, patient, able to work well under pressure and able to remain calm in emergencies.
Doctors need to have medical and diagnostic skills. They must have good communication and organisational skills, and the ability to make decisions. They also need to be computer-literate.
Doctors need to know about:
-diseases and illnesses of the mind and body
-chemistry, biology, physiology and medicines
-human behavior and relationships
-the differences in cultural beliefs about the human body
-diseases and illnesses of the mind and body
Doctors who run their own practice may also need to have small business knowledge and skills.
QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING NEEDED
A university entrance qualification is required to apply for medical school, but a Scholarship, an A Bursary or NCEA equivalent is preferred. Useful subjects to take while at secondary school include maths with calculus or statistics, chemistry, physics, biology and English. A Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) is required to become a medical practitioner. If you are considering a medicine career, you must apply for admission to Health Sciences or Biomedical Sciences and complete the first year course. You can then apply for admission to medicine. Selection into MBChB is very competitive it requires a UMAT score and high grades are required.
This degree is offered at the University of Auckland (www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz) and the University of Otago (www.otago.ac.nz/departments/health_sciences/index.html). Click on these links for detailed entry criteria.
The MBChB is a six-year programme, including the Year 1 of Health Sciences or Biomedical Science. Once accepted into the medical programme you will learn about various body systems in your second and third years. Fourth and fifth years offer more practical based learning with clinical work in hospital wards and community environments. The final year is an apprenticeship-style year, also known as the Trainee Intern year. This year prepares students for graduation through increased responsibility in hospital wards and general practices.
Having completed six years basic training, graduates enter the workforce as junior doctors and will undertake training in their chosen specialisation. The length of training will depend on the specialty chosen but can be as long as 15 years if you choose to train as a surgeon.
STUDY COSTS
Fees for a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery are up to $11,000 each year. Therefore, study costs for the six year degree can be up to $60,000 in total. Extra costs for equipment, instruments and prescribed textbooks range from $800 - $1,500 each year.
WORK ENVIRONMENT AND EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
Doctors work in hospitals, private practices and clinics. They also work in community health centres and patients\' homes. They may travel between patients\' homes, and to other towns or countries for conferences.There is no denying the hours worked by doctors are long and the need for continuing study is demanding. But the role of a doctor is rewarding and there is potential for great personal satisfaction.
Salaries vary, depending on the medical area in which people specialise in. The salary of a Medical or Dental Officer could range between $80,000 and $125,000 depending on experience and performance within the role. The salary of a Medical or Dental Specialist could range between $111,000 and $161,000 depending on experience and performance within the role.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES - Where can this qualification lead to in the future?
There has been limited growth in the number of doctors employed over the last three years, with rural and regional areas such as Taranaki, being hit particularly hard by shortages. However, the Government is improving access to primary health care among communities in need and investing more money in these areas with the hope of attracting more doctors to work in rural locations.The certainty of high student debt is affecting the specialities that medical students are considering, with lower-paid specialities such as general practice becoming less favoured. However, there have been recent increases in funding for GP register training, Bursary and scholarships for Maori, Pacifika and rurally based trainees, which assists in relieving the financial burden. Areas of specialisation can include surgery, emergency, paediatrics (children) etc.
There are increasing opportunities for doctors to combine their consulting work with other roles. In particular, they are becoming more involved in public health research; planning preventive health care for patients, schools, sportspeople, public health clinics and alcohol and drug clinics; and a number of doctors are now involved with occupational medicine.
Being a doctor is a very rewarding job. They get a lot of personal satisfaction in providing care for their patients.
COMPANY PROFILES
Below is a list of Taranaki businesses that employ doctors (these are only example businesses for you to research this particular career choice). In addition, write-ups featured in the Career Profiles section provide some insight into the work environment and opportunities available within the industry.
- Taranaki District Health Board, New Plymouth and Hawera
- Carefirst.co, Tukapa Street, New Plymouth
- Eastside Medical Centre, New Plymouth
Priscilla Sandys Wunsch Scholarships
RELEVANT CONTACTS
University of Auckland| Taranaki Contact: | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences |
| Phone: | +64 9 373 7599 x 89757 |
| Email: | studentinfo@auckland.ac.nz |
| Website: | http://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz |
University of Otago
| Taranaki Contact: | Division of Health Sciences |
| Phone: | +64 3 479-7454 |
| Email: | helpdesk@otago.ac.nz |
| Website: | http://micn.otago.ac.nz/ |
Medical Council of New Zealand
| Phone: | 0800 286 801 |
| Email: | education@mcnz.org.nz |
| Website: | http://www.mcnz.org.nz |
Royal NZ College of General Practitioners
| Phone: | (04) 496 5999 |
| Email: | rnzcgp@rnzcgp.org.nz |
| Website: | http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz |
TeenHealthFX
| Website: | http://www.teenhealthfx.com |
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