Longitudinal Interprofessional Study

Presenting my Tu Mahi work to Dr. Jonathan Coleman, Minister of Health

Kia ora,

My name is Kelly Pelham and I am a recent Masters of Dietetics graduate, from the University of Otago. I am currently living in Gisborne and have my first ‘real’ dietetics job here. For the past four months I have been working for a Māori health organization, Turanga Health. I have more of a ‘public health’ role, where I mainly plan, develop and deliver nutrition workshops for primary industry workers under the MoH ‘Healthy Families’ initiative.

I first came to Gisborne in September last year to do part of my clinical placement under the Tairawhiti Interprofessional Education (TIPE) programme. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn with and about other health professional students, as well as experiencing what it is like working in a Māori community. During my time, I met someone very special and knew after just a few weeks that I wanted to come back to Gisborne. I was very lucky to be offered a Summer Studentship (research work) with Otago University, which allowed me to live and work in Gisborne over the summer. Part of my research involved interviewing the workplace providers involved with TIPE, including Turanga Health. This allowed me to make some good connections, leading to my first job.

This year I have made it my goal to complete a half iron man and have entered into the Māori ½ Iron Man in December. So my ‘spare’ time is getting in as much swim, bike and run training as possible. I am also in the process in re-writing my summer studentship report in order for it to get a publication. I would like to do the same for my thesis at some stage too. When I have ‘real’ spare time, I try and read (currently reading The Stand by Stephen King), bake, and of course spend time with Alex.

Kia ora, I am Lily Heathmore a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Nursing programme, Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawkes' Bay.

I am currently working as a registered nurse in the 26 bed medical ward at Thames Hospital. Thames Hospital services the whole of the Coromandel Peninsula and surrounding rural Hauraki District area. Primarily our patient population is older-aged and rural living. Because the hospital only has ED, surgical and medical wards we get a large range of illnesses and conditions and this has been a really good introduction to nursing for me. We transfer patients who require intensive medical interventions or are medically unstable. This transfer system is vital for our rural community to provide safe treatment options.

I was fortunate to be accepted in the NETP (Nurse Entry to Practice) programme and be appointed to one of the three new graduate jobs available in Thames Hospital. As part of the NETP programme, I am studying a postgraduate comprehensive assessment paper to build on my nursing assessment skills. Next year I hope to find a job in a primary health care setting.

Prior to graduating I was part of the TIPE programme and this experience inspired me to pursue a job in a rural setting and also helped me to feel confident in building inter professional relationships in my new workplace.

I now spend my days off living in Waihi with my partner, being active outdoors, tramping, skiing, running, beaching and catching up with friends. I am also hoping to next year start taking Te Reo lessons to improve my Reo and increase my understanding of our NZ Māori heritage.

Kia ora,

My name is Darragh Kenny a recent graduate in Bachelor of Physiotherapy from the University of Otago.

I am currently residing in the beautiful Wellington thriving off the great coffee and sunshine. I was fortunate enough to obtain a position immediately after graduation and have been working for TBI Health (a private physiotherapy practice/company) over the past 8 gratifying months.

My first graduate year out working in the big wide world has been petrifying and exhilarating all in one parcel. The transition from university studies to the real world of physiotherapy is a steep and variable rollercoaster. As a new graduate it was always important for me to gain good mentorship and support from experienced clinicians. The support and guidance of a senior clinician is invaluable for any new graduate for increasing your confidence, helping apply your knowledge effectively and generally assist ‘finding your feet’. Similar to a new-born giraffe trying to walk.

Working as a physiotherapist in a private practice setting has mainly encompassed sporting injuries and post-operative recovery, but also includes physical rehabilitation for the returning to work transition and treatment for chronic pain sufferers. Additionally I work weekends at a private hospital for post-operative physiotherapy and am the physiotherapist for the Hutt Old Boys Marist men’s premier rugby team.

Working in both a private practice and hospital has enabled me to work alongside numerous other health professionals including nurses, occupational therapists, orthopaedic surgeons and psychologists - an invaluable experience. Immersing myself among other health professionals in a clinical setting has enabled me to practically see the specialist input other professions can have and the role physiotherapy can play in the recovery and rehabilitation process.

For those fun weekends and spare time I thrive off the unbeatable combination of golf, snowboarding and basketball. I have been and forever will be enchanted with playing football and to this day liken my left foot to that of the Welsh god Ryan Giggs. An unfortunate unhealthy obsession I have is watching numerous late night sporting encounters coupled with gigantic bowls of fruit loops. Side projects include learning the guitar and becoming Ed Sheeran and dunking like Blake Griffin.

I am a first year doctor, living in Newtown, Wellington, having recently graduated from the Otago School of Medicine, Wellington. I have lived in Wellington almost all of my life, and so have plenty of friends and family in the area. I enjoy playing sports, listening to music, and getting out and about to enjoy and experience all of the events and rich, diverse culture that Wellington has to offer.

I have just finished my first rotation in Te Whare Ahuru – the Hutt Valley Inpatient Psychiatry Unit. My role involved managing the so called “medical” or “physical” health of the inpatients. This included:

• Full physical history, examination, ECG and bloods of all patients on admission

• Managing patients’ ongoing medical comorbidities throughout their long admissions – commonly diabetes, hypertension and metabolic syndrome

• Routine reviews of all patients if and when they had medical/physical problems – commonly primary care complaints, e.g. aches and pains, lumps and bumps, rashes, constipation and UTIs.

At first, I felt overwhelmed being in charge of the medical care of a large (30+) inpatient ward, most of whom had complex medical comorbidities and complaints. Being my first run out of med school, I felt out of my depth and unsupported. However, after the inevitable initial steep learning curve all junior house officers must overcome, I began to thoroughly enjoy my role. The inpatients commonly were from backgrounds of poor socio-economic status and relative poverty, who could not afford basic primary care services, suffered poor self-care due to their adverse mental illness, or worse – were victims of diagnostic overshadowing (when health professionals’ judgements are impaired regarding medical complaints because of the stigma attached to their mental illness). As such, being that doctor who finally tended to these medical complaints was an incredibly rewarding experience.