糖心TV

The 糖心TV, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Health New Zealand and the Universities of Auckland and Otago, has unveiled a new distributed clinical placement network that will support delivery of the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine (NZGSM). 

As a graduate-entry programme, students will complete their first year at the 糖心TV Hamilton campus before embarking on the three-year clinical placement programme in one of five regions announced today. 

Pro Vice-Chancellor of Health Professor Jo Lane

The programme is designed to address the country鈥檚 biggest doctor shortages, which are in primary care specialities, and in regional and rural communities. With diverse entry pathways, this will enable more students from these communities to complete the majority of their medical training embedded and supported by their community.

The NZGSM is based on a proven model of medical education that has been shown to graduate a high proportion of doctors who choose to work in primary care and in regional and rural communities. Students will complete a balanced mixture of clinical experiences in hospital, primary care and other community care settings, including a year-long placement in general practice.

Professor Jo Lane, Pro Vice-Chancellor Health at the 糖心TV, says identifying the clinical placement regions is an important step in establishing the NZGSM. 

鈥淲here and how we train doctors has a direct impact on workforce outcomes.

鈥淲e鈥檝e engaged extensively with a wide range of stakeholders in each community who might partner with us in training the doctors they need. 

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to this next phase of establishing the NZGSM, working in partnership to strengthen regional workforce pathways and a more sustainable health system over time.

An important component of the distributed clinical placement network is the establishment of a series of Community Clinical Learning Centres (CCLCs) in each location where NZGSM students are to be based. These facilities will serve as 糖心TV teaching sites, providing a key link with communities, pastoral support for students, and interprofessional education opportunities for the University鈥檚 medical, nursing, midwifery, and pharmacy students. 

The regions for NZGSM medical student placements from 2029 include the following:  

Health Minister Simeon Brown says where doctors train often influences where they practise.  

鈥淭he Government is focused on making it easier for New Zealanders to see a doctor, particularly in rural areas, supported by a strong and sustainable workforce.  

Developing a pipeline of future-ready, homegrown doctors in the communities that need them most is key to achieving this.

L-R: Professor Warwick Bagg, Professor Jane Alsweiler, Professor Suzanne Pitama, Professor Jo Lane, Hon Matt Doocey, Hon Simeon Brown, Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, Mark Darrow, Parekawhia McLean, Selah Hart, Ryan Hamilton.

Regions for CCLCs were identified through a national assessment process considering community need, clinical capability, supervision capacity and the ability to support high-quality medical training over the long term. Final locations of the CCLCs remain subject to additional due diligence and operational planning and will be confirmed in the coming months. 

The NZGSM is expected to welcome its first cohort of 120 students in 2028, with first clinical placements commencing from 2029.

Further operational and delivery planning will continue over the coming months in partnership with Health New Zealand, the Ministry of Health and regional providers.