Cardiology

The Cardiology Department is a large multidisciplinary unit, which provides both secondary and tertiary outpatient and inpatient services for the Midland region.  

What we do:

• Diagnostic cardiac catheterisation
• Angioplasty (including primary angioplasty)
• ASD/ VSD closure
• Septal ablation
• Percutaneous valve programme
• Pacemaker implantation (including implantable defibrillators and resynchronisation therapy)
• Electrophysiology and ablation (including an AF programme)
• Echocardiography
• Non-Invasive testing ( including exercise testing, holter monitor, event recorders, tilt-testing)
• Clinical commitments include provision of an acute cardiology on call service and outpatient clinics at Waikato Hospital with visiting clinics to Thames, Rotorua and Gisborne

Who we are:

• 12 cardiologists
• Seven registrars (including an interventional fellow and three advanced trainees)
• Six house officers
• Cardiac technicians
• Three MRTs
• Five echosonographers
• 10 nurses
• Five allied health
• 10 clerical – reception/booking clerk/secretaries

We provide:

• exposure to specialist investigations and treatment options for patients with cardiac disease
• full orientation
• assignment to teams for three/six months
• opportunity to sit FRACP exam for basic trainees
• advanced training in cardiology post FRACP Part 1
• interventional Fellowship
• mentoring system
• education and training weekly in formal (Journal Club and teaching sessions) and informal sessions
• opportunities for involvement in clinical trials.

Nursing in Cardiac Care

We offer the following:

• a supportive and multicultural environment.
• an excellent orientation, tailored to individual needs.
• ongoing education
• regular in-service and study days
• excellent learning opportunities
• opportunity to extend clinical skills eg Nurse led ETT.
• part of the Cardiac Arrest Team
• manageable work loads (ratio ½ in the unit and ¼ in the ward)
• Cardiac Care has a mixture of experienced, intermediate and new staff. With a supportive clinical nurse manager, an associate and a full time educator, all of whom provide ongoing education and support to staff member. The unit has excellent team dynamics, which supports and values their team members and ongoing educational support.
• supportive ancillary staff which includes a bath attendant, health care assistants, orderly specials, dietary assistants, receptionists, blood nurses, ECG technicians
• coordinators that do not take a workload
• Flexible hours: we offer eight and 12 hour shifts