About the Job

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Follow the sunshine from the Northern Hemisphere down to the Southern Hemisphere.

We’re seeking a Consultant Psychiatrist (General Adult) with broad experience to work in a small team in Whakatane, which is part of a larger district-wide Mental Health & Addiction Service which spans the Bay of Plenty region.

Whakatane offers a coastal, relaxed lifestyle. With some of the best beaches in NZ on your doorstep such as Ohope, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Pukehina and Ohiwa - it's ideal for those who love the great outdoors. 

Locals enjoy easy access to a fantastic untouched natural environment, which lends itself to such outdoor pastimes as surfing, paddle boarding, fishing, sailing, swimming, mountain biking, hill walking and more.

  • Permanent full-time role or 12 months fixed term 
  • FRANZCP or equivalent specialist qualifications, e.g. MRCPsych (with CCT)
  • Mix of clinical work, dedicated non-clinical time, and teaching
  • Work with a diverse, multicultural population
  • Beautiful natural surroundings –  white sandy beaches, native forest & birds, dolphins, whales & orca

In this role, you will be working with a community mental health and addictions multidisciplinary clinical team, the acute inpatient unit at Whakatane Hospital, non-government funded organisations, as well as primary care providers. You will work with other Whakatane and Tauranga psychiatrists in a number of cross-district service relationships that include general adult, consultant liaison, child and adolescent, addictions, and mental health services for older people.

We are therefore looking for a Psychiatrist who has broad general experience, a passion for service development and an interest in education, teaching and research, and who will settle into the local community and provide a vital and valuable specialist service. There is opportunity to work with Auckland University Medical School students and Psychiatry Registrars.

The Service

Mental health and addiction services are provided for a population of 220,000 across the Bay of Plenty and are divided into Western BOP (Tauranga) and Eastern BOP (Whakatane). The community mental health and addiction teams are multi-disciplinary teams which comprise of Psychiatrist, Registrar, Clinical Psychologist(s), Registered Nurses, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and a Team Leader. There is an after-hours crisis service based in Tauranga and in Whakatane, an after-hours contact. The Adult inpatient service has 34 beds; 10 are located in Whakatane and 24 in Tauranga. Intensive patient care is offered in each unit. In addition, there are district-wide specialist services for adult addiction, children and young people (CAMHS), older people (MHSOP) and Consult Liaison Psychiatry (CL).

After hours the psychiatrist on call may be required to provide assessments and oversight of treatment for patients needing to access these services.

In the Western Bay of Plenty, Adult Community Mental Health and Addiction Services are delivered by two teams (North and South) based in Tauranga. The Psychiatrists provide clinical leadership for the multidisciplinary community teams in partnership with the team leader. They work across the community and inpatient services. The work is distributed by a geographical model. The intention is collaborative practice and continuity of care between inpatient and community settings.

There is one team (East) in the Eastern BOP based in Whakatane - where this role is based - and the Psychiatrists work with the same model across the community and inpatient service described above and work is allocated in a similar way.

BOPDHB is a branch of the RANZCP (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists) Upper Central North Island training programme. All psychiatry registrar runs are accredited for basic training and many for advanced training. There are eight registrars working in the service, including one non-training registrar in Whakatane.

What’s on offer?

  • Total package circa NZ$190,000 - $300,000 pa, depending on level of experience
  • Includes base salary range NZ$161,304 - $240,000 pa (£83,000 - £125,000) depending on level of experience
  • Continuing Medical Education allowance NZ$16,000 pa + 10 days CME leave
  • Multidisciplinary team working
  • Relocation assistance

The Location

Whakatane and Ohope offer a very nice way of life if you prefer not to be in a big city and to be close to the ocean, the community is welcoming and the living is definitely relaxed. Housing is affordable and properties can range from apartment style living, to large detached houses with a garden, or even lifestyle blocks with a couple of acres of land attached. 

There are daily flights from Whakatane to Auckland (45 minutes), making international flight connections easy.

Find out more about the Bay of Plenty and Whakatane here

Requirements for this role

Ideally, you will hold FRANZCP and full Vocational registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ).

Alternatively, if not NZ trained or based, you will hold equivalent specialist qualifications in psychiatry, e.g. MRCPsych & CCT, which are eligible for Provisional Vocational registration (long term) or Locum Tenens registration (short term up to 12 months). These are the two specialist pathways for medical registration in NZ as a Psychiatrist. 

Primary Source Verification using EPIC **

From 1st November 2017, all relevant qualifications must now be verified by ECFMG using the EPIC system on behalf of the Medical Council of New Zealand.  If you are committed to working in New Zealand, we encourage doctors to start this process off as soon as possible if you hold qualifications from outside NZ.  Delays in verifications can impact on start dates, if not completed timeously.  Candidates are invited to log on to EPIC and complete this step online.  EPIC verifies your identity and your qualifications directly. 

Log on to EPIC here and read the FAQs section about how to get started.

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