Training

All staff strive to make the teaching experience the best possible.

After being a teaching practice for 30 years we greatly appreciate the time our patients willingly give to help us teach our next generation of doctors. Most patients enjoy helping students and also benefit from the extra time available for students to listen to all their problems and update their clinical notes.

We have a strong teaching team which includes designated teachers Dr. Lawrie Herd, Dr. Liz Humm, and all other partners have specific skills providing in-depth teaching in areas such as dermatology, practical skills, sexual health, ophthalmology, management of severe trauma, obstetrics and gynaecology, and rural hospital medicine.

Integration with the hospital enables patients to be followed from the initial contact and triage of patients with undifferentiated symptoms, for instance from a patient presenting with chest pain to the diagnosis of myocardial infarction and treatment with thrombolysis (we take particular pride in ensuring a very short time from initial presentation to commencing thrombolysis), as well as arranging further specialist care and then later seeing the patient for ongoing treatment and supervision.

Students have opportunities to participate in all aspects of emergency work. We hold a PRIME contract which means we carry a pager and are called to all serious emergency ambulance calls 24 hours per day. All staff attend regular PRIME and ACLS refresher courses.

A 6th-year medical student has created a short video with helpful information about Dargaville and the Medical Centre.

Two 4th-year medical students have also compiled a medical student's guide to learning at Dargaville Medical Centre. Download here