Cardiologists

As a Cardiologist with Health New Zealand, depending on location and service, your roles and responsibilities may include:

Clinical care delivery

Cardiologists in New Zealand provide comprehensive care across inpatient and outpatient settings, managing the full range of cardiovascular conditions. Clinical responsibilities include:

• Conducting ward rounds, outpatient clinics, and specialist consultations
• Responding promptly to acute cardiac referrals and providing specialist opinions across departments
• Providing telephone advice within five minutes when on call, and attending patients requiring urgent care within 20–30 minutes
• Taking clinical responsibility for cardiology inpatients and outpatients

Procedural and interventional practice

Cardiologists perform and supervise a broad range of cardiac procedures within their credentialed scope of practice, which may include:

• Diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterisation and PCI,
• permanent pacemaker insertion and device follow-up,
• echocardiography including transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) and stress echo,
• exercise ECG and ambulatory (Holter) monitoring,
• CT coronary angiography, cardiac MRI, and SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging.

Community and primary care outreach

Many roles extend beyond the hospital into community and primary health settings:

• Outpatient cardiology clinics at PHO-based facilities,
• case reviews and GP advisory support for patients presenting with cardiac symptoms,
• regional outreach clinics across catchment areas,
• collaborative management with specialist nurses in primary health environments.

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Active participation in multidisciplinary team meetings, departmental meetings, and regional case discussions is integral to practice. Cardiologists work closely with cardiac technicians, specialist nurses, resident medical officers, anaesthetists, radiologists, and allied health professionals to deliver coordinated, patient-centred care.

Emergency and on-call services

Cardiologists participate in equitable on-call rosters shared across the cardiology team, providing 24-hour coverage for acute cardiac services. On-call responsibilities include:

• Urgent consultations and emergency cardiac care,
• telephone advice to colleagues across the service,
• assistance with the management of acute cardiac emergencies.

Teaching and supervision

Clinical teaching forms a valued part of consultant practice. Responsibilities typically include:

• Supervision and teaching of cardiology registrars and house surgeons,
• educational presentations for nurses, cardiac technicians, and allied health staff,
• contribution to post-graduate medical education activities,
• participation in the RACP MOPS programme or equivalent.

Quality assurance and service development

Cardiologists contribute actively to the ongoing development and quality of their service:

• Participation in peer review, departmental audit, and morbidity and mortality review,
• development of clinical guidelines and integrated care pathways,
• contribution to resource allocation and service planning within the cardiology service.

Research and innovation

Opportunities exist to engage with research and clinical trials aligned with organisational ethics standards, including:

• Reviews of drugs, equipment, and clinical management approaches,
• collaborative studies with academic institutions,
• participation in clinical trial programmes at sites with established research centres.

Salary

Senior Medical Officers receive a base salary relative to their level of experience. This is agreed upon at the time of the job offer. There is a 15-step pay scale that SMOs continue to progress through on a yearly basis.

In New Zealand, the salaries and benefits of some roles are determined by collective agreements between unions and employers.

Employment agreements — Health New Zealandexternal link

Additional allowances are paid on top of base salary and vary due to location and service, and are often not specified in the collective agreement.

Allowances

There is a range of additional allowances for:

• on-call
• evening, night and weekend work
• call back
• job size
• recruitment and retention
• special contribution.

Leave

Leave entitlements include:

• 6 weeks of paid annual leave
• a minimum of 10 days of sick leave per year
• 10 days of paid continuing medical education leave (CME), plus the ability to use annual leave tacked onto the end of your CME travel
• 6 to 12 months of parental leave, depending on the length of service, including 6 weeks of fully paid parental leave
• 12 paid public holidays and time in lieu or alternative holiday if rostered on
• long service leave and sabbatical opportunities.

Additional benefits

Additional benefits include:

• an annual continuing medical education (CME) allowance of NZD $16,000 (pro-rated for part-time employees)
• membership subscriptions of medical professional bodies are reimbursed by Health NZ
• your professional indemnity insurance is covered by Health NZ
• if eligible, up to a 6% matching superannuation contribution from Health NZ as your employer
• a relocation package for international candidates.

About KiwiSaver (superannuation savings scheme)

Leadership and career development opportunities

Health NZ encourages Senior Medical Officers to be involved in the design, implementation and performance of facilities and technology involved in the delivery of healthcare services to ensure an effective, efficient and safe workplace.

Specific opportunities vary by location and service; however, they can include:

• support and encouragement for research and publications
• mentorship opportunities for apprentice Junior Doctors/Registrars
• regional and national networks allowing for subspeciality research and practice.
• ongoing development and support for career growth with on-the-job coaching and a variety of in-house training programmes.

Essential qualifications

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) or equivalent international medical degree,
• Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in Cardiology, or equivalent international specialist qualification recognised by the Medical Council of New Zealand for vocational registration in Cardiology or Internal Medicine,
• at least seven years post-qualification with a minimum of five years' experience in the specialty of cardiology.

Medical Council of New Zealand registration

To practise as a Cardiologist in New Zealand, you must be registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand with a vocational scope of practice in Cardiology or Internal Medicine.

Eligibility for registration

The Medical Council of New Zealand assesses international qualifications for comparability with New Zealand and Australian standards. Cardiologists trained in countries with comparable training programmes may be eligible for streamlined registration pathways.

For detailed information about registration requirements and the application process, visit the Medical Council website.

Registration — Medical Council of New Zealandexternal link

Professional requirements

Once registered, Cardiologists must:

• Maintain a current Annual Practising Certificate,
• participate in continuing professional development programmes,
• meet recertification requirements as specified by RACP or equivalent college,
• maintain professional indemnity insurance (covered by Health New Zealand),
• comply with the Medical Council of New Zealand professional standards.

Registering to work as a Senior Medical Officer in New Zealand

To work as a Senior Medical Officer in New Zealand, you will need to obtain vocational registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ).

Pathways to vocational registration

Direct pathway to vocational registration

• If you are an international medical graduate (IMG) with specialist qualifications from countries with medical systems deemed equivalent to New Zealand's (such as Australia, the UK, the USA, Canada and some European countries), you may be eligible to apply directly for vocational registration without needing first to obtain general registration.
• In this pathway, MCNZ will assess your specialist qualifications, clinical experience, and the medical system where you trained. If these are deemed equivalent, you can apply directly for vocational registration in your specialty.
• This pathway allows experienced specialists to bypass general registration and the provisional general phase, which is typically required for doctors without a recognised specialist qualification.

Provisional vocational registration pathway

• If MCNZ determines that your qualifications and experience are largely equivalent but that you need some orientation or assessment within the New Zealand healthcare system, you may be granted provisional vocational registration.
• This means you will practice in your specialty under supervision for a period, typically between 6 to 12 months, before being granted full vocational registration.
• During this provisional vocational registration period, a specialist who practises in the same area of medicine as you will supervise you.

General registration pathway

• If you do not meet the criteria for direct vocational registration, you may need to obtain general registration first if your qualifications and experience are not recognised as equivalent.
• This process to gain vocational registration includes:
  • a period of provisional general registration (with supervised practice) if necessary
  • after obtaining general registration, you can later apply for vocational registration once you have completed any further assessments or additional supervised practice required by the MCNZ.

Self-assessment

The Medical Council of New Zealand have a self-assessment tool to help you easily determine which registration pathway you should take.

Registration self-assessment tool — Medical Council of New Zealandexternal link

Find out more about life in New Zealand

We have a page dedicated to providing information to candidates about our recruitment process, what you need to work in New Zealand and key details about moving here.

Living in New Zealand — Information for international candidates