Nurses Notes

At Waikato DHB we can and do offer a variety of clinical settings for nurses and midwives. Waikato as one of the largest tertiary hospitals in NZ services provides services that cover all medical and surgical specialties. The rural hospitals provide an environment where your clinical skills are further developed as you provide care to a variety of patients who will have numerous and other complex requirements.

Nurses are involved with each and every specialty and are integral in the way we design how services are developed and implemented to improve patient health and well being. Our nurses are in roles that follow the continuum of the patient’s episode of care, from the ward setting through to the community, from the newly registered nurse through to clinical nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists, nurse educators and nurse practitioners.

All roles are supported with funding that allows for time to be taken in order to enter into post graduate study, conference and workshop attendance.

Working at Waikato DHB you will be given the opportunity to be involved and engaged with to influence the ever evolving nature of nursing and midwifery.

Sue Hayward, Director of Nursing & Midwifery

What Waikato District Hospital can offer you

• Supportive and comprehensive orientation programmes.
• Flexible rosters and work hours (see Nursing Agency and casual nursing)
• Nurse Entry to Practice Programme
• Graduate Nurse Programme – Mental Health & Addictions
• Support for overseas applicants
• Unit based in-service education.
• Student work experience opportunities.
• Support for nurses returning to practice.
• Supported post graduate study.

Waikato District Health Board has approximately 2356 nurses and midwives working in a variety roles within Health Waikato (this includes Waikato Hospital, our rural hospitals and community settings) making up 41 per cent of the workforce.

Applying from overseas?

What you need to know

There are several steps you need to go through to be eligible to work in New Zealand.

If you:

• are not registered to practice in New Zealand
• are registered to practice in New Zealand but do not have a current Annual Practising Certificate

you will need to contact the Nursing Council of New Zealand to obtain your New Zealand Nursing Registration (Phone +64 4 385 9589).

You will also need to contact New Zealand Immigration to find out further details about work permits, visas and residency applications.

You may also need to complete a competence assessment programme for a short duration before you can get your Annual Practising Certificate. These courses are run several times a year and can be completed through the Waikato Institute of Technology orWaiariki Institute of Technology in this area.

Upon completion of competency course, that’s the time that Waikato District Hospital can welcome your application for nursing positions at Waikato District Health Board.

Good luck!