what is "surgical relief" ?

Quoted message said:

want to start working in australia. they offered me a
position in "surgical relief" cant find an explanation of
this specialty... need help... please give short
introduction ... thanks willi

Heya

Here in New Zealand the "relief" position in any specialty
is where you relieve people on their leave days. This could
also include sick leave. This means you won't be a regular
part of a team, rather you attach to a hospital and cover
for people within a specialty. The timetable is usually
arranged up front as per pre-arranged leave, but you may be
asked to do some other cover. You hopefully should work
similar hours to a regular person - and sometimes relievers
find that they have time off, where they are not rostered,
ie you get paid for doing nothing sometimes.

Contrast the above to a "rotator" who rotates between
specialties in a set manner (eg weekly), not specifically to
cover for leave/sick days although in the end the two
positions have similar functions as far as the roster is
concerned. The pay may be different and accrediation towards
training is rarely an agreed part of the relief position.

Here in NZ most big hospitals have at least one house
officer and one registrar reliever and rotator, per general
medical and general surgical runs.

I'd imagine the situation in australia is similar to here.

Uri <[email hidden]> wrote:
: >want to start working in australia. they offered me a
: >position in "surgical relief" cant find an explanation of
: >this specialty... need help... please give short
: >introduction ... thanks willi

: Heya

: Here in New Zealand the "relief" position in any specialty
: is where you relieve people on their leave days. This
: could also include sick leave.

Do they also say "locum"? (Latin: "in place of"😉

Quoted message said:

Uri <[email hidden]> wrote:
: >want to start working in australia. they offered me a
: >position in "surgical relief" cant find an explanation
: >of this specialty... need help... please give short
: >introduction ... thanks willi

: Heya

: Here in New Zealand the "relief" position in any
: specialty is where you relieve people on their leave
: days. This could also include sick leave.

Do they also say "locum"? (Latin: "in place of"😉

Locum is different. In a locum position you have a locum
contract, get paid per hours you work at a higher rate,
usually go through an agency, and can locum in any specialty
in any hospital that you've put down as choices. You get
contacted and asked if you want to do a particular shift. As
a locum you're not obliged to do anything really. Rotators
and relievers are.

Rotators and relievers go on the payroll as regular
employees in one hospital.