RESIDENT MEDICAL OFFICERS' UNIT

Ophthalmology

The Department of Ophthalmology at Christchurch Hospital, Canterbury District Health Board, provides services at a secondary and tertiary level to the people of Canterbury and Westland and provides tertiary level services to the South Island and quaternary level to people of New Zealand.

The service consists of nine consultant ophthalmologists, four vocational trainees, two non-vocational training registrars and one House Officer. The Department has a staff of 45 in total.

Training towards vocational registration in ophthalmology is undertaken in conjunction with the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists and Christchurch has currently four advanced training posts. The current five year training programme for the College sees the first four years attached to the southern training scheme which takes place in conjunction with Wellington and Dunedin. A new trainee would be expected to undertake their first year of training in Christchurch, maybe their second year at another location (ie Wellington or Dunedin), and their third and fourth years back in Christchurch. During this time they would be under the supervision of the College of Ophthalmologists Training Programme and would be required to sit and pass the appropriate exams. At the end of the first four years of training, an additional fifth year of training would be undertaken at a separate hospital, typically abroad, to become a Fellow of the College.

The Department of Ophthalmology also employs two non-training registrars. They are included in the 1:6 on-call roster. They see acute clinic patients and elective clinic patients and have some theatre experience attached to them. All of the RMO's except the House Officer report directly to individual consultants when they are on call so there is a high level of supervision.

The House Officer position is one of the run allocation offered to General House Officers employed by CDHB who have expressed an interest in working in our service.

For those doctors wanting to become a vocational trainee in ophthalmology with the College of Ophthalmologists please see the attached and also refer to the RANZCO website at www.ranzco.edu for deadlines, application forms and the application process.

Note, that for applicants for vocational training positions, you must contact ainsley.morris@cdhb.govt.nz. Applicants for non-training positions can send standard CV's to RMO Unit email: karen.schaab@cdhb.govt.nz

Offers for non-training positions will be made after the College selection on 8 September 2008.

For more information please contact:

Allan Simpson, Clinical Director, Ophthalmology at (03) 364 0640 or email: allan.simpson@cdhb.govt.nz