Rehabilitation Medicine

The Rehabilitation Medicine training posts in Auckland

There are five posts in the Auckland urban area, and registrars rotate every six months around these, depending on their training needs. All posts are accredited with the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM) for training.

Rehab Plus, situated in Point Chevalier, has two posts. These are general rehabilitation posts serving patients aged mainly from 16 to 65, with a mix of patients including stroke and other neurological disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, reconditioning and amputees. There are two consultants at Rehab Plus.

ABI Rehabilitation, situated in West Auckland, has one registrar post and currently also has a training Fellow position filled by a visiting Malaysian rehabilitation physician. This service is specialized in the rehabilitation of persons with traumatic brain injury, and also runs outpatient therapy and concussion clinics in Central Auckland. There are two consultants in this service.

The Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit, one of two national spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation units in New Zealand and based in South Auckland, has one post supervised by two consultants. This service provides life-long SCI care for people with traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injuries through inpatient admissions, outpatient clinics based in Auckland and outreach clinics around the North Island.

The General & Neuro-rehabilitation Ward at Middlemore Hospital, South Auckland, provides general rehabilitation and neuro-rehabilitation services to persons aged 15 and older.  Diagnoses include neurological conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, amputee and debilitation due to complicated hospitalizations. There is one post at this unit, supervised by one consultant.

All registrars are expected to be registered with the AFRM as trainees. There is a weekly national teaching programme delivered by teleconference, plus a monthly Australasian videoconference teaching session. The registrars from around the country get together at several times during the year for face to face training and examination practice. The AFRM offers a well structured 4 year training programme covering a wide variety of disabling conditions. Please see the AFRM website for full details. www.afrm.racp.edu.au

If you are interested in a holistic, family/whanau and community approach to medicine, with the aim of minimizing disability after serious illness or accident, and would like to find out more about this specialty, please contact one of the following rehabilitation medicine specialists:

Dr Richard Seemann Richard.seemann@abi-rehab.co.nz

Dr Cynthia Bennett Cynthia.bennett@middlemore.co.nz