Working hours and roster structures of surgical trainees in Australia and New Zealand

There is a growing shortage of labour within the dairy industry. To address this the industry needs to attract more people and/or reduce the labour requirements on dairy farms. Current milk harvesting techniques contribute to both the labour requirements and the current labour shortage within the industry as the process is labour-intensive and necessitates long and unsociable working hours. Automated milking systems (AMS) have been in operation, albeit on a small scale, on commercial farms in Europe for a decade and may have the potential to address labour issues within the New Zealand dairy industry. A research programme has been established (The Greenfield Project) which aims to determine the feasibility of automated milking under New Zealand dairying conditions. A Fullwoods MERLIN AMS has been installed on a protoype farmlet and is successfully milking a small herd of 41 cows. Progress from the prototype Greenfields system offers considerable potential for implementing AMS in extensive grazing systems. Keywords: automated milking systems, dairy cattle, grazing, labour

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Teaching and Assessing Surgical Competence

Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England ◽

10.1308/003588406x116927 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 88 (5) ◽

pp. 429-432 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

WEG Thomas

Keyword(s):

Working Hours ◽

Working Time ◽

Political Pressure ◽

Complex Issue ◽

Surgical Competence ◽

Current Climate ◽

Surgical Trainees ◽

Working Time Directive ◽

Reduced Time

Surgical competence and its assessment is one of the most hotly debated topics engaging the profession. In the current climate of diminishing working hours and shorter training, the surgical profession is having to address the complex issue as to how surgery as a craft specialty should be taught, and how to assess when an individual is competent within their chosen sphere as well as how that competence should be maintained. Internationally, there is political pressure upon the professional to achieve contracted activity to comply with political imperatives and, at the same time, to achieve a greater degree of specialisation. Within Europe, the working time directive has led to a shift system of rotas and this, along with a shorter overall period of training, has led to reduced time available to surgical trainees in which to learn their craft.

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The Lost Generation: Impact of the 56-hour EWTD on Current Surgical Training

Bulletin of The Royal College of Surgeons of England ◽

10.1308/147363510x491105 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 92 (3) ◽

pp. 102-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

CR Chalmers ◽

S Joshi ◽

PG Bentley ◽

NH Boyle

Keyword(s):

Shift Work ◽

Surgical Training ◽

New Deal ◽

Working Hours ◽

Lost Generation ◽

Surgical Trainees ◽

European Working ◽

Working Time Directive ◽

Training Opportunities ◽

The New Deal

The reform of specialist surgical training – the New Deal (1991), the Calman report (1993) and the implementation of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD, 1998) – has resulted in shorter training periods with reduced working hours. The Calman reform aimed to improve and structure training with regular assessment and supervision whereas the New Deal and the EWTD have concentrated predominantly on a reduction in hours. The adoption of full or partial shift work to provide surgical cover at night compliant to a 56-hour working week, as stipulated by phase one of the EWTD, has resulted in daytime hospital attendance for surgical trainees of an average three days per week despite almost universal acknowledgement of the limited training opportunities available at night.

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Working hours of obstetrics and gynaecology trainees in Australia and New Zealand

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology ◽

10.1111/ajo.12605 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 508-513 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jade Acton ◽

Paige E. Tucker ◽

Max K. Bulsara ◽

Paul A. Cohen

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Working Hours ◽

Obstetrics And Gynaecology

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Employee preferences for work-life benefits in a large New Zealand construction company

Construction Economics and Building ◽

10.5130/ajceb.v12i1.2358 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 12-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Emily Morrison ◽

Derek Thurnell

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Construction Industry ◽

Personal Development ◽

Working Hours ◽

Work Life ◽

Australian Study ◽

Construction Company ◽

Challenging Environment ◽

Workplace Cultures ◽

Work Life Conflict

The construction industry is a challenging environment in which to work, with job characteristics that are linked to work-life conflict, and it is important for its future sustainability that initiatives to support employee work-life balance are undertaken. 121 head office and site-based employees within a large New Zealand construction company rated their preferences for work-life benefits, and the results were compared with those of a similar previous (Australian) study. The most preferred work-life benefit factor (as for the previous Australian study) was found to be ‘wellness and personal development’. Results suggest that company provision of a wide variety of work-life benefits from which employees can choose during different stages in their life and career is ideal. Qualitative results suggest some work-life conflict associated with working long hours and weekend work exists. It is proposed that to attract and retain valuable employees, the New Zealand construction industry must provide useful work-life benefits, reasonable working hours, and supportive workplace cultures in line with such initiatives.

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