Basic Information

• Generally all New Zealand Hospitals and other health care settings will expect junior doctors to be ACLS qualified.
• Most New Zealand graduates now complete a full ACLS course during their Trainee Intern year or prior to commencing work as a first year house officer.
• The full ACLS course is valid for 2 years after the course if passed.
• After completing a full ACLS course, re-certification courses generally need to be completed on an annual basis. These can be done through a variety of institutions / organisations countrywide (See useful links).
• Most institutions / organizations offering re-certification will also offer ACLS 'refresher courses'.
• Before signing on to do a course you should check that the institution / organisation is recognised by the New Zealand Resuscitation Council (NZRC)
• You should also check with your local RMO Support Unit to see whether the costs of the course will be reimbursed.
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The New Zealand Medical Association is the country's foremost pan-professional medical organisation. We are the largest medical organisation in New Zealand, and our members come from all disciplines within the medical profession, and include specialists, general practitioners, doctors-in-training and medical students.

The NZMA provides leadership of the medical profession, and promotes professional unity and values; and the health of New Zealanders.

Making the jump from student to RMO is one of the biggest you will have to make in your medical career.

Clinically you will probably be really well prepared to get going in the hospitals and there will be support and advice readily available for you.

There are some things that nobody really tells you about though, so here is a random compilation of some tips and tricks for when you start out.

We all need to tackle working nights in the hospital at some point. Whilst there is no universal way to approach working nights there are some handy hints that will make them a bit easier.

The biggest thing to remember however is that everyone is different and you will need to find your own approach!

So in no particular order, here are some things you may like to try.