OIA REQUEST
Received:
14 March 2022
Due:
11 April 2022
Response Date:
05 April 2022
Subject:
22-0040 Clinical Working Hours
In response to your request under the Official Information Act, please find our response below:
Request
With regards to general medicine and paediatrics departments.
1.
What is the list if senior medical officers designated to be clinical supervisors for
medical students from the university if Auckland (i.e., who are the SMOs who can
sign CSRs)?
Position
FTE
4 x Paediatricians
3.8
2 x Physicians
2.0
1 x Cardiologist
0.9
1 x Gastroenterologist
1.0
1 x Geriatrician
1.0
Note: 0.1FTE of an individual SMO’s FTE is allocated for clinical supervision
2.
From above, what is the FTE of each SMO, and number of hours expected on site?
FTE shown in table above. Paediatricians and Physicians are on site during business
hours.
(a) If applicable, what is their salary as per Association of Salaries Medical
Specialist contact:
Payment is based on experience and the applicable step of the ASMS MECA.
(i) What has this been for the last 10 years?
As above
(b) If unavailable, what is their generic SMO pay scale?
Payment is based on experience and the applicable step of the ASMS MECA.
3.
To prevent burn often doctors get rostered time off. How many days in a row can
an SMO work as per contact?
Dependent on their FTE Paediatricians i.e., full time 5 days in the row. But when
rostered on call i.e., Weekends they wil be available at weekends.
Physicians work 5 days a week with a 1:5 weekend day covering on call. Weekends are
split (on-call one day of weekend only) in Tauranga and covered for full weekend in
Whakatane with rostered days off the following week for recovery time.
(a) What is the policy around SMO rostered days off?
The Paediatric roster provides for recovery time i.e., no rostered work the period
after overnight call.
Physicians are rostered days off. If the duties over a weekend are onerous, the
SMO is entitled, and rostered, a day off as recovery time. This is standard in
Whakatane where weekend cover includes a full weekend on-call and by
arrangement (cover within team) in Tauranga.
(b) What compensation is given when SMO do work beyond their day off? e.g.,
come in on an RDO?
For paediatrics this is an uncommon occurrence as the roster provides for a 2nd
on-call as backup for out-of-hours call.
Physicians are not expected to work on an RDO. In the event of unplanned
absence, cover is by mutual agreement with the individual. Physicians are paid an
availability allowance and for time worked as per the ASMS MECA.
4.
With regards to house officers:
(a) What are the run categories for house officers on paediatrics and general
Medicine attachments, ergo number of expected hours?
Paediatric Registered Medical Of icer (RMO) Category C 55 – 59.5 average hours
per week
(b) What is their pay as per pgy# and run category from above?
PGY1 – 4:
Note: Paediatrics is not considered an eligible run for PGY1.
(i) What has this been for the last 10 years?
RMO employment Multi Employer Collective Agreements (MECAs) are re-
negotiated every 12-18 months. Annual Salary increases over the past 10
years have been between 2-10% per annum.
(c) What is the maximum number of days house officers in the attachments
above have to work in a row?
Paediatrics
10 days
Medicine
As per MECAs - 10 days (RDA) 12 days (STONZ)
(d) What is the rostered day off policy for house officers in the rotations
mentioned above?
Paediatric House Of icers/Senior House Officers are allocated rostered days off
Mon/Tues prior to a rostered weekend.
Medical House Of icers/ Senior House Of icers work a rotating roster.
5. With regards to trainee interns:
Trainee Interns are referred to as 6th year medical students. The curriculum
requirements do change as advised by the University of Auckland (UoA) and this can
impact on placement runs. Service requirements can also change with patient and
staffing demands.
(a) How many hours per week are trainee interns expected to be on placement
in runs above.
Paediatrics
08:00 to 16:30 daily
Three long days in the 4-week run, and one weekend with two long days (08:00 to
22:00).
A half day off is taken a week, which largely compensates for time spent on
evenings, so the overall average is around 45 hours a week. The placement
expectations and structure are reviewed annually with the University, to ensure
they are aligned with other placements expectations.
Medicine: A 40-hour week is expected, usually during business hours.
Occasionally an evening or weekend may be worked within the total of 40 hours
per week.
(b) As they are not paid, what protections are ensured trainee interns have
proper rest and food breaks?
Paediatrics - 6th Years are paid a stipend from the Government. As undergraduate
adult learners they are not given any tasks that would preclude a meal break.
When on-call they are with a Registered Medical Officer (RMO) and wil usually
eat together.
Medicine: 6th years are entitled to breaks as per clinical staff for their medical runs
and take these breaks accordingly.
(c) How many days in a row are trainee interns expected to be on placement?
Paediatrics - 4 week run with one weekend, so one 12-day stretch and 2 x 5-day
weeks, with half days off.
Medicine: A 5-day work week on average (5 days in a row).
(d) What is the DHB policy for rostered days off for trainee interns?
Paediatric - Medical students undertake evenings and weekends as learners.
They are not rostered whole days off but are able to take a half day off.
Medicine: Rostered days off are according to the UoA curriculum requirements
and rosters. The DHB policies for clinical staf apply.
(e) How does the DHB manage the expectations for trainee interns to be present
with their health and wellbeing in a demanding field?
For paediatrics and medicine - Supervisors meet every week with the 6th years to
ensure the run is progressing, meeting educational needs and to monitoring
wellbeing.
Students that need wellbeing support have local options of the Clinical Campus,
Employer Assisted Programme (EAP) and University options involving the 6th
year co-ordinator.
Health and wellbeing options are available to all students and staff e.g., DHB
subsidised gym memberships for onsite gyms.
Bay of Plenty DHB supports the open disclosure of information to assist the public
understanding of how we are delivering publicly funded healthcare. This includes the
proactive publication of anonymised Of icial Information Act responses on our website. Please
note this response may be published on our website.
Official Information Act | Bay of Plenty
District Health Board | Hauora a Toi | BOPDHB
You have the right to request the Ombudsman investigate and review our response.
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
DEBBIE BROWN
Senior Advisor Governance and Quality
