successful fishing techniques.
All staff strive to make the teaching experience the best possible.
For the 2008 year, we will have two full-time general practice registrars, one or two GPY2 placements, two 5th year students (we will have three rotations spending seven weeks each time), and two 4th year students (approximately every six weeks we have two students for two weeks).
After being a teaching practice for 25 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. Other staff involved in teaching include Dr. Derek Gibbons (rural hospital), Dr. Michael Hogan (EMST teacher), Dr. Scott Davidson (has hospital appointments in ophthalmology), Dr. Jey Kumar (diploma in musculoskeletal medicine and special interest in computers), and Dr. Stuart Norrie.
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.
Vertical teaching is found to be very valuable: registrars enjoy helping GPY2's, who help 6th year students, who help 4th year students.
Two 4th-year medical students have compiled a medical student's guide to learning at Dargaville Medical Centre. Click here to download.