It has been 11 months since I touched down in the land of the kiwi, and I am just beginning to feel somewhat acclimated to the healthcare system. Still, practicing medicine in New Zealand definitely has a learning curve. Here are some lessons learned and assumptions dispelled for any new comers. NZ Healthcare System Basics New Zealand Public Healthcare System is “public” but not free … Continue reading Practicing Medicine in NZ
Read my interview with the NCCPA Newsletter on US-Educated PAs working in New Zealand’s Rural, Underserved Communities. Continue reading Interview for NCCPA Newsletter 2020
One big motivator for wanting to leave the US for New Zealand was a desire to raise our 12 year old in a kindler, gentler nation. Moving our tween daughter away from her family and friends in the middle of 6th grade was also a practical and emotional challenge. The NZ school year starts in early February and ends for summer break in early December. … Continue reading An American Tween in NZ
It’s hard to find anything the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t changing — work, family life, school. Over the last month, we’ve been introduced to foreign ideas like social distancing, self-isolation, and toilet paper hoarding. And much of the world is now self-isolating, holding their collective breath, and streaming Netflix. These are short term tweaks to our lives (fingers crossed), but the long-term ones are coming. And … Continue reading My COVID-19 Experience
It’s often a fruitful exercise to look back on your first impressions of any major event — they’re usually the most accurate. As time goes by, we tend to tinge our experiences with nostaliga, cynasism, or simply forget them altogether. So, while it’s still fresh in my mind, I wanted to recount my first impressions of New Zealand from the moment we placed our tender … Continue reading My First Impressions of Kiwi Life
“Why New Zealand?” This was the first question my husband and I got when we told our friends and family we were moving overseas. The second question was why we wanted to leave the U.S. The answer to both are basically the same: for practical and political reasons, we don’t feel the U.S. is the best place to raise a family. Yes, we only have one … Continue reading So, Why New Zealand?
THE KIWI PA 