Life as an RHCNZ Fellow

What first attracted you to a fellowship with RHCNZ?

Having trained in a large acute hospital with a heavy acute imaging workload, I wanted experience reporting more sub-specialist and elective body imaging. New Zealand is a country I’ve always wanted to visit and live in, and with a young family, this felt like a great opportunity. The hours are great, and there are no on-call shifts for the year, which my family really appreciates.

What types of experience are you gaining during your fellowship?

Mostly de novo reporting on a variety of abdomino-pelvic MRIs (hepatobiliary, renal, enterography, prostate, rectal and gynaecological) for both oncologic and non-oncologic indications, as well as reporting PET-CTs with multiple tracers. On my associate days, I report general x-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans, which is great for keeping up skills. It’s also good for my CV (and salary).

How do your supervisors guide your learning?

They provide excellent feedback, mostly in person. If I’m working from another site, we often use Microsoft Teams to review scans together. The scans I report are usually performed and signed off the same day, which is great for learning because the cases are fresh in your mind. There’s a wide pool of consultants to send scans to, and the environment is very different from a hectic acute hospital, so the consultants take the time to teach and go through cases properly.

How are you finding the balance between learning and contributing as a Fellow?

It’s been no problem finding that balance. I’m happy with how I’m progressing with my reporting, which has been made easier by the large amount of structured reporting applied by body consultants here for many of the scans. For each case I’m able to take the time to look up guidelines and literature as necessary. Additionally, the group is very accommodating for CPD related leave, with a strong emphasis and encouragement for ongoing education.

Could you make your own decisions around workload?

Yes, very much so. My weekly schedule is flexible, I usually work Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:30, with Monday to Thursday as fellowship days and Friday as my associate day. I reliably get lunch breaks and make it home for dinner. There’s also optional out-of-hours reporting for extra income.

What’s one standout moment or case from your fellowship so far?

Moving to a brand-new building with new MRI, PET and CT scanners was a fantastic experience. Seeing how these systems are set up from the start and how radiologists help optimise them for the best image quality was invaluable.

Would you recommend an RHCNZ Fellowship to others in your field?

Definitely. The consultants at RHCNZ almost all have public appointments in the biggest and most sub-specialised hospitals in New Zealand, which gives great access to learning from people at the forefront of medical care. My advice for anyone doing a body fellowship is to link in with these consultants for multidisciplinary meetings. I join these online or in person and present some. You’ll see many of the cases you’ve reported on and find out what further investigations or treatments they get. It’s also great for learning what various medical or surgical specialists are looking for in their reports and develop a relationship with referrers themselves.

What are you hoping to achieve or focus on in the remainder of your fellowship?

I’d like to be confident as the solo reader for all body MRIs I report. I want to keep seeing a good variety and volume of scans and continue learning from the many consultants here with such sub-specialty experience.

When you graduate from the fellowship, what will you do?

I don’t have anything set in stone yet for next August. I’m weighing up continuing with another fellowship versus taking a consultant position. I don’t feel any pressure either way, and importantly, I don’t feel apprehensive about either option.