Hello – my name is Stan, I am a Family Practice Doctor (General Practice Doctor)
I came to NZ in June 2017 from Goodyear, Arizona, USA
The process to come to NZ took me 8 months and the most challenging part of the process was getting a visa and provisional General Practitioner's registration in New Zealand.
My first impressions of NZ were how beautiful it is and it’s so abundantly green.
The best parts of NZ are the people and their hospitality and the natural beauty along with its bucolic peacefulness.
What I miss the most is my family and friends and USA's Costco!
My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to be prepared to want to stay, but also be prepared for a cultural shock. Be adaptable and adventurous.
Questions about your new Workplace:
Are there any differences between your current role in NZ and your previous role in the US?
The documentation standards are very different, and so are the differences in medication availability, formulary exceptions, and specialist availability. Here, nurses are your main patient care personnel.
Are there any similarities that have helped you orientate/transition easily?
The fundamentals of good clinical acuity and acumen are always welcome. Taking a good history and physical exam saves a lot of headache. Speaking Mandarin Chinese has helped me with many patients who are mostly Mandarin speaking here.
Is there anything specifically done differently in NZ that has interested you and the way you practice your profession?
The infectious disease is a good 20 years less wide world resistant. That means VRE, MRSA, PRSP are rare. As long as good health policy for immigration is kept this should remain pretty stable.
Vaccination rates are better than the US, mainly because NZ still has some US vaccine preventable disease outbreaks.
Also, children’s' safety here is very much dependent on parents, with the notable exception of bicycle helmets; I have seen a very high rate of injuries from trampolines. Often children here are intrepid and expose themselves to high risk recreation.
