Choosing to Move and Practice Abroad
Ok first things first. Why move? Everyone has different reasons. Again, this book is NOT to try to convince you to “move to the dark side.” This is for people who already WANT to practice in either Australia or New Zealand and have thought about it but do not know where to begin.
Why New Zealand?
Whynot?
When my husband and I started looking for places to live we investigated how easy it would be to transition into a new country. New Zealand and Australia are English speaking nations. We would not have to learn a new language AND a new medical system while also navigating the challenge of being new people in a new country.
So what’s so great about working in theirsystem?
New Zealand is a highly livable country. It has been ranked as one of the Top 5 countries to live in for almost 10 years. Indicators that it leads in are: prosperity, social freedoms, health care, social ties, business opportunities, education and security. Need more reasons? New Zealand has one of the strongest and most vocal physicians’ unions in the world. It is mind boggling for those of us from the USA where the idea of unionization is not only unheard of but also potentially illegal! The physician’s union in New Zealand protects doctors from a host of abuses that we usually tolerate back home. They will help with everything from duty hour grievances to vacation disputes. The physician’s union has also created a Collective Bargaining Agreement with all the hospitals in the country which has guaranteed EVERY physician working in the public system the same benefits. This takes away one HUGE headache for physicians working in New Zealand. All contracts must adhere to the tenants of the Collective Bargaining agreement.
The parts that you will care most about?....
- Six weeks guaranteed vacation a year...which accrues. I have met plenty of New Zealand physicians who have over two months leave accrued. Also, if you leave your job the health service must pay you out for any unused leave at your FULL pay rate.
- Two weeks of CME a year. The CME leave also accrues but for only three years. Along with the two weeks leave you also get over $16,000 NZD/year for your CME!
- Time off in Lieu. This is a completely ALIEN concept! IF you are the unlucky sucker that has to work Christmas, “Boxing Day” or worse, Queen’s Birthday not only do you get paid extra for working on a holiday but you will get another day off (added to your leave days) that you can use in the future!!! My call schedule at my job in New Zealand had me normally working/on call on Mondays. I ended up working almost every public holiday which meant not only did I make some good holiday pay I also got almost an additional week off of leave!!
- Sick days