Marae experience has profound
impact on medical student
Recently ten health students on placements at
Whakatāne Hospital and surrounding community
health services spent the weekend at Rongopai
Marae near Gisborne.
The success of the BOPDHB as a teaching and research
facility for the University of Auckland's Faculty of
Medical and Health Sciences has resulted in it officially
becoming a Clinical Campus.
The students are on the Rural Health Interprofessional
programme (RHIP), a student placement joint initiative
between the Bay of Plenty District Health Board
(BOPDHB) Clinical School, the University of Auckland,
and Health Workforce New Zealand.
This makes it the fifth such campus in New Zealand
and only the second outside of Auckland.
Distinguished Professor Ian Reid, Deputy Dean of the
Faculty, says this recognises the major contribution the
BOPDHB makes to our clinical training, the excellence
of the staff, and the outstanding teaching they are able
to provide.
The programme, launched in Whakatāne in 2012, aims
to improve the recruitment and retention of health
professionals in rural New Zealand. A similar programme is
run through Tairawhiti DHB in Gisborne and the weekend
noho marae provided an opportunity to bring students on
both programmes together.
Fifth year medical student Bena Law (below)
shares her thoughts on the weekend marae stay.
Head of the BOPDHB Clinical School Professor Peter
Gilling has been appointed to the new role of Assistant
Dean, Bay of Plenty, as a result of the change.
Whakatāne based health students including Bena Law (centre) at
Rongopai Marae.
and Tikanga Māori; the sacredness of the entrance, the
acknowledgements of the ancestors and to all present at the
hui, as well as the importance of sharing kai.
I felt incredibly privileged to learn from the kaumātua
(elders), especially in the kōrero (discussions) about wairua
(spirituality) with Wiremu and Lesley NiaNia and the
personal story told by one of the kuia about the importance
of the marae to her and its influence on her taha tinana
(physical health).
Entering through the kūwaha (gateway), I felt a sense of
familiarity not unlike stepping through the entrance way of a
traditional Chinese family temple. Although I had previously
visited other marae, this was my first noho marae, and I was
struck by the number of similarities between my own culture
Bay of Plenty DHB
receives clinical
campus status
This experience had a profound effect on me and made me
reflect more deeply about how to better communicate with
future patients on a cultural and emotional level in order to
provide a higher quality of care.
Medical student Bena Law is currently on placement at The
Doctors Phoenix (Phoenix House) until 6 April.
Considered one of New Zealand's most knowledgeable
and experienced doctors, Professor Gilling has helped
to oversee the steady expansion of the University's
specialist training hub in the Bay
of Plenty over the past
eight years.
"We are very pleased to have
achieved this milestone in
our development and are
looking forward to increasing
collaboration with the
University. This moves our
relationship to another level,"
he says.
This year, the Bay of Plenty
DHB will welcome 58
University of Auckland
medical students on year-long
placements, alongside students
from other health programmes
including nursing, pharmacy,
and dietetics.
Professor Peter Gilling
Better care co-ordination for community
nursing across the Bay
Organising people’s home healthcare so they receive
what they need, when they need it, and from the best
provider is the ethos behind a new Bay-wide community
nursing service launched this month.
The BOP Community Care Coordination (CCC) Centre
has been established as a 12- month demonstration site,
providing a single place for people to access community
nursing care, information and support.
The centre’s Operations Manager Asmitha Patchay says,
“We want to ensure people get timely, equitable, integrated
care. Someone might have multiple connections with the
healthcare system because of complex needs. It’s our job to
co-ordinate that care and make sure they get the best care
from the right provider.”
The centre is part of new future-focussed approach to
community nursing which aims to provide patients and their
family/whānau with health services which are
well-coordinated, simple to navigate and delivered
closer to home.
BOPDHB GM Planning and Funding Simon Everitt
says the DHB has been working with Western Bay of
Plenty Primary Health Organisation (WBOPPHO), Ngā
Mataapuna Oranga (NMO), and Eastern Bay Primary
Health Alliance (EBPHA) on the new approach for
community nursing.
Introducing a common patient and family/whānau
community nursing assessment across health providers as
well as giving patients and their families a greater say in
directing care and support are amongst other changes being
considered.
Asmitha Patchay says although the service has only been
operating a short time, in the first week the team handled
more than 200 referrals. We’d expect those numbers to
increase as people become more familiar with it.”
You can contact the CCC on 0800 BOP CCC (267 222) or
email:[email protected]
For more details visit www.bopdhb.govt.nz and search
Integration Community Nursing.
The BOP Community Care Coordination team: (from left)
Triage Nurse Rozanne Young, Administration Support Pauline
Louie, Operations Manager Asmitha Patchay, Triage Nurse
Teresa Wynyard, Administration Support Bernetta Britton.