Health New Zealand Lakes is supporting four cardiac specialist and physiologist trainees in a bid to address the national shortage of qualified cardiac sonographers and physiologists. Photo / Andrew Warner
Health New Zealand Lakes is supporting four cardiac specialist and physiologist trainees in a bid to address the national shortage of qualified cardiac sonographers and physiologists. Photo / Andrew Warner
Health New Zealand Lakes is supporting four cardiac specialist and physiologist trainees in a bid to address a “critical gap” in the workforce.
A Health NZ statement on August 11 said Rotorua Hospital’s clinical physiology team will be “investing in the future of heart healthcare” by training the next generationof cardiac specialists.
Health NZ Lakes is supporting four trainees – two in cardiac sonography, one clinical physiologist, and one physiology technician – through a mix of on-the-job learning and academic study.
It will be a “collaborative effort” aimed at addressing the national shortage of qualified cardiac sonographers and physiologists, it said.
“We’re growing our own because there’s a critical gap in the workforce,” clinical physiology team leader and cardiac sonographer Stacey Neilson said.
It comes as a new Otago University report, commissioned by cardiac advocacy charity Kia Manawanui Trust, revealed Health NZ Lakes had one of the highest death rates for heart disease in the country.
Patients in the Lakes region – alongside Tairāwhiti, Taranaki, and Whanganui – were less likely to receive treatment within the recommended time frame, the report said.
Health NZ said the trainees were being supported by a senior team of four cardiac sonographers, two clinical physiologists and a technician.
Regional partnerships with Bay of Plenty and Waikato also enabled access to specialist training facilities such as cardiac catheterisation labs.
Trainee Shamara Moulin is in her second year of training after two decades as a clinical physiologist.
“This was always a goal of mine. Now I have the opportunity to upskill, and I’m enjoying the challenge of learning to get the best images for physicians,” Moulin said.
Neilson said having the right people and the right infrastructure had been crucial.
“We’re in a fortunate position to be able to train while still delivering services. That’s not something every region can do.
“The training we’re doing now directly supports patient care, not just in Rotorua, but also in Taupō, where we travel regularly so that people in the southern lakes have better access to diagnostics,” Neilson said.
Health NZ said the initiative was already making a positive difference for patients. Since July 2023, the waitlist for transthoracic echocardiograms (heart ultrasounds) had dropped from 402 to 212 patients.
The team expected to do more than 3000 heart scans this year.
Health NZ said it had plans to bring in another trainee next year, and it was committed to building a “sustainable” cardiac workforce.
The new cardiac catheterisation lab at Tauranga Hospital replaced the hospital’s original suite, which had reached the end of its clinical life after delivering more than 1200 procedures annually since opening in 2017. Photo / Mead Norton
Last month, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced that a new cardiac catheterisation lab was now operational at Tauranga Hospital, “significantly improving” access to diagnostic and treatment services across the region.
Brown said the upgrade meant Tauranga Hospital was now better equipped to offer a wider range of procedures locally and play a stronger role regionally.
“It will enable Tauranga to take on more patients from areas such as Taupō and Rotorua, reducing referrals to other hospitals and easing pressure on their services as future planning progresses.
“As a result, Tauranga will be able to manage a larger share of the region’s demand, improving timely access to treatment and delivering better outcomes for patients across the region.”
