After the first 2020 lockdown, a duo of Auckland GPs hit the road as locums. They had sold their practice the previous year and wanted to get back into the workforce. The couple's ideal destination, Dr N* writes, is "a town that's big enough for a small hospital, has a few restaurants and is close to the best of the great outdoors".
Over the past three years, they have taken up the patient load all over the motu: Motueka, Rotorua and Invercargill have been some of their favourite stops. Here, Dr Nwrites of a recent day on the general practice frontline in another small centre.
The job of caring for people's health is a privilege and a responsibility, but it's also stressful and unrewarding at times. Let me share a morning from last week.
We arrive at 8am, deposit last night's leftovers into the fridge for lunch and grab a coffee. Someone has made a carrot cake for morning tea, so it's going to be a good day.
I make a start on the inbox letters and lab results before the patients start arriving. The first is a well-dressed woman who states she has insurance and wants three referrals. Please. She knows the names of the specialists she wants to see. A dermatologist for mild eczema, a urologist because she's had two urinary tract infections, and a neurologist because she gets headaches. And isn't it ridiculous, she says, that the insurance company insists she gets a GP referral.
I try offering her advice and explain that specialists are for problems that can't be managed in primary care. She starts getting loud, so I do what I'm told and tell myself that specialist visits might relieve her anxiety, even though it will result in increased insurance premiums for everyone else.
This story is from the January 2 - 12, 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2 - 12, 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.