Health Courses

Whether you wish to be in a science lab working on the latest health science breakthroughs, or on the front line as an emergency health provider, there are plenty of career options in the health sector to choose from. As one of the most important industries in any country, the health sector in New Zealand has many vacancies.

The health system covers a huge range of areas, including:

• Mental health 
• Nursing
• Primary care organisations and general practitioners
• Private and public hospitals
• Dental Care
• Public healthcare systems
• DHBS (as set out by the ministry of health)
• Medical advice organisations like Healthline 

Training to work in any of these areas, whether it’s as a nurse in the public health system or a medical receptionist helping patients with their health insurance, or even working with the accident compensation corporation advocating for victims, healthcare offers a valuable way to give back to the community and be an integral part of the New Zealand health service industry.

If you want to go into any of the more theoretical and mentally demanding career paths such as a medical physician or a health science researcher, you will most likely need multiple years of study to achieve this. But even if you are not so education inclined, there are plenty of opportunities to put your desire to help to practice.

These include jobs such as a Health Care Assistant, Registered Nurse, or Paramedic. These positions often only require a few years of study to be able to perform the required tasks.

In such an important industry, with so many broad positions available, the salary range in the New Zealand health industry ranges greatly. For example, a Paramedic salary may be between $45,000-$58,000 per year (and up to $75,000 or more with significant experience), but an experienced Pathologist salary is generally between $150,000-$216,000 per year. These differences often come with the level of education required to be qualified for the tasks required.

There are also some extremely high paying jobs in the health sector, with both a Diagnostic Radiologist salary and a Gynaecologist/Obstetrician salary earning above $600,000 per year with significant experience. However, most of these high earning jobs are very demanding and require a high level of education with post-graduate qualifications an absolute necessity.

With such a wide range of areas to cover, and so many health organisations working in conjunction with training organisations, you can really study in whatever way suits you best. 

There are courses that qualify you to work with the New Zealand government administering immunisations to Kiwis across the country from Otago to Christchurch. Or there are courses that allow you to create specialised medical care and health advice for Maori communities. There are also courses that will put you on the frontline developing cures for illnesses like the novel coronavirus as they develop.

Many courses offer full-time and part-time study opportunities, and online study too, although if your course requires placement, you’ll need to undertake vocational practice at a hospital such as St John’s, not just online.

As previously mentioned, the broad range of health careers is also reflected in the differences in courses available to study. No matter if you just want to get a health assistant job, or are looking to hold a post-graduate degree in a highly specialised field of medicine, there are plenty of health courses for you to choose from.

Certificate in Health and Wellbeing

If you are interested in a short course such as one of the many healthcare assistant courses or just want to know how to better look after the health and safety of those around you, there are both online health courses and offline health course available. An option such as the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 4) is a great choice to get you started in the health industry.

Such a Certificate in Health is a great foundation to provide you with the knowledge that will be useful in a health care assistant role, but there are also other New Zealand Certificate Level 4 courses available for more specialised roles. These health assistant qualification courses offer a baseline of knowledge that you can build on with practical experience.

Diploma Courses

For the next step up in health courses, a Diploma level qualification may be the best option. Courses such as the Diploma in Health Science are a great way of either building on your previous certificate level course, but also to gain further insight into how best to care for patients. There are also more specialised courses such as aged care courses that give you more niche information that is specifically designed for giving care to a certain type of patient. These usually take between 18-24 months of full-time study, and can usually be completed online if you live a busy lifestyle.

Bachelor Degree

A bachelor level course is usually a 3-year course that will teach you about multiple aspects of patient care, as well as give you access to further post-graduate study. These courses typically focus on theoretical scientific knowledge or prepare you to work as a Registered Nurse, or as an Emergency Paramedic. If you wish to become a medical practitioner you will need a bachelor level degree in a health science-related field to have the best start.

Postgraduate Courses

To reach the highest levels of health careers, as well as the salaries that come with them, you will need a postgraduate degree. Options such as the Doctor of Medicine, or others, are required for the most specialised of health careers. Most people who go into these fields often undertake life-long education and have to constantly up-skill to remain up to date with the latest technological and scientific updates and techniques.

Working in health can be an extremely rewarding and challenging career. With plenty of career advancement opportunities provided by the many levels of education available, there will never be a dull moment. You will need to be empathetic, sympathetic, and able to relate to people from all kinds of backgrounds. Working with people in great pain or distress requires a calming influence, and the confidence to administer care without second-guessing your decisions.

For more information about how to study, work visas, tuition fees and more enquire about a specific health course in New Zealand above!