PASSION FOR MEDICINE REWARDING WORK WITH PATIENTS

ETHAN BREINHORST has been working as a house officer (junior doctor) at Auckland City Hospital for six months, after having spent one year working at North Shore Hospital. He is on the first step of progressing through training to eventually becoming a specialist.

“What that means as a house officer is, basically, I am in charge of making sure the day-to-day investigations and jobs for patients that senior clinicians want get done,” says Ethan (26).

“So that is requesting scans and following them up, and doing blood tests or minor procedures if I need to. Then if someone has reached the stage where they can go home, I complete all the discharge paperwork and make sure their clinical notes are up-to-date.”

House officers rotate every three months to different wards in the hospital is to ensure they get broad experience in lots of different specialties.

“After two years, we can step up to become a registrar, which is the next step of seniority and experience.”

What Ethan loves about being a house officer is the one-on-one contact he gets with the patients.

“That is even more so with the family and the patient together. When all those decisions and procedures or treatments have come together, where the patient is feeling so much better and the family are making all these plans to get them home – I think that is one of the most rewarding things.”

Ethan has just interviewed to join the radiology programme and eventually become a clinical radiologist. His aim is to continue a high degree of scholarship, and personal and professional development.

Ethan completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) and Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) (BMedSci) at the University of Auckland. His research thesis was on paediatric musculoskeletal architecture and was part of a partnership between the University of Toronto and the University of Auckland.

“I basically took a gap year. After the three pre-clinical years of my degree, which is essentially lectures, then you do three years at the hospital rotating around. At any point between those last three years, you can take a break from the clinical work and do a year of research.

KEY FACTS

writer PETER WHITE photography LOGAN WEST

I AM IN CHARGE OF MAKING SURE THE DAY-to - DAY INVESTIGATIONS AND JOBS FOR PATIENTS THAT SENIOR CLINICIANS WANT GET DONE.

ETHAN BREINHORST

“It was a really good year to get a chance to learn how to do some research but also to present it at some conferences, publish some articles if you want and you also get an extra degree from it.

“In more competitive specialties, it really shows you have that extra desire to do learning and research.”

Ethan went to Rosmini College on Auckland’s North Shore. In Year 13, he took English, Calculus,

■ ETHAN BREINHORST HAS A BACHELOR OF MEDICINE AND BACHELOR OF SURGERY, AND A BACHELOR OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (HONOURS) FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

■ HE WORKS AT AUCKLAND CITY HOSPITAL AS A HOUSE OFFICER (JUNIOR DOCTOR)

■ ETHAN STUDIED ENGLISH, CALCULUS, PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY IN YEAR 13 AND SAT CORRESPONDING SCHOLARSHIP EXAMS

Physics, Chemistry and Biology, plus he also sat corresponding scholarship exams. His advice to students is to ensure they have the passion to do medicine.

“That is probably one of the most important things because it is not an easy road and it does not necessarily get any easier as a junior doctor. That passion is what will give you the drive to push through those late hours or to do some extra learning.”

For more information on studying medicine at the University of Auckland, visit www.auckland.ac.nz/medicine