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General Practitioner

Rata Hauora

Alternative titles for this job

General practitioners care for, diagnose and treat the health problems of people and families in the community. 

Pay

General practitioners who work full-time earn a median of

$187K per year

Source: RNZCGP, 2023.

Job opportunities

Chances of getting a job as a general practitioner are good due to a shortage of workers.

Pay

Pay for general practitioners varies depending on experience, hours, location and how many patients they see.

General practitioners in private practice working full time earn a median of $187,000 a year. 

Almost half of general practitioners (49%) work part work part-time - 35 hours a week or fewer. 

Source: Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, 'The Workforce Survey,' 27 February 2023. 

(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our pay information)

What you will do

General practitioners may do some or all of the following:

  • consult with and examine patients, and diagnose their problems
  • treat individuals and families over extended periods
  • advise on health care and prevention of illness
  • perform minor surgery
  • prescribe and administer medicines
  • keep medical records
  • refer patients to other health services when necessary
  • liaise with ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) over accident and injury claims
  • train and supervise doctors working towards their general practitioner exams
  • screen at-risk groups for diseases such as cervical cancer and diabetes.

Skills and knowledge

General practitioners need to have:

  • excellent communication and people skills 
  • knowledge of anatomy and how the human body works
  • knowledge of different diseases, illnesses and injuries
  • knowledge of medicines and treatments, and the effect these have on patients
  • diagnostic skills
  • up-to-date knowledge of new research, treatments and practices
  • knowledge of medical ethics and law
  • cultural competency to work with people of different ethnicities.

Working conditions

General practitioners:

  • usually work regular business hours and may be on call for some patients
  • work in clinics and health centres
  • often come into contact with diseases and bodily fluids
  • may travel to other towns or countries for conferences. Rural general practitioners and those who make house calls travel locally.

What's the job really like?

General practitioner video

Vanisi Prescott talks about being a GP – 2.06 mins.

View transcript
My name is Vanisi Prescott and I am a GP.
What excites me about coming into work every day is the unknown,
not knowing what I'm gonna get,
but also being able to meet patients so they come in with their health problems
and I'm able to help them. Okay,
now this here is our treatment room.
We basically have everything really in terms of like medications. Um,
nurses are normally based here, so I'll walk into my consultation room.
And so this is how it is all set up,
my computer. How long has it taken me to get to where I am? Probably too long.
So yes, it is, difficult in your first couple of years,
like being a junior doctor.
Once you specialize or choose a specialty that you are interested in,
that's where it starts to become amazing. How do I manage a work life balance?
I have a special interest in youth health,
so then I do one day a week at a high school,
but on the side I love dancing. Um,
and so I am on TikTok and dancing is kind of like my happy place,
and I think it's just so important that you have that balance because it can get
a bit much. Oh, honestly,
when I first got the Dr in front of my name,
it just gives me goosebumps because not only am I proud of what I've
achieved, but I also just think how amazing it is to,
to be where I am. It's such a privilege and an honour to be representing our people,
our community,
when we don't have many of our Pacific people in this field. In terms
of my cultural values, I make sure that, um,
that I practise that every day when I'm seeing my patients. Basically,
kindness, love, humility, um, and respect.
If you have a passion for something, then chase that passion.
Whatever you feel you're passionate about,
just chase those dreams and don't let anything stop you.

Entry requirements

To become a general practitioner you need to:

  • complete the Health Sciences First Year programme at Otago University, or the first year of either the Bachelor of Health Sciences or Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science at Auckland University
  • complete a six-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree at Otago or Auckland
  • work for two years as a house officer (supervised junior doctor) in a hospital
  • complete another three years of specialist training and examinations to become a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.

You also need to be registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand.

The Vulnerable Children Act 2014 means that if you have certain serious convictions, you can’t be employed in a role where you are responsible for, or work alone with, children.

Secondary education

NCEA Level 3 is required to enter tertiary training. Useful subjects include maths, chemistry, physics, biology and English.

Personal requirements

General practitioners need to be:

  • patient and concerned for others
  • able to work well under pressure and remain calm in emergencies
  • able to make good decisions, and solve problems
  • good at time management 
  • able to keep information confidential
  • able to show empathy and compassion, and relate to people from various cultures and backgrounds
  • understanding of other cultures' attitudes to medical treatment.

Useful experience

Useful experience for general practitioners includes:

  • work in hospitals or other health-related work, such as in a clinic
  • work in a pharmacy
  • work with community groups that involves a wide variety of people.

Physical requirements

General practitioners need to have good eyesight (with or without corrective lenses) and good hearing.

Registration

General practitioners need to be registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand.

Find out more about training

Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ)
0800 286 801 - www.mcnz.org.nz
Royal NZ College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP)
(04) 496 5999 - www.rnzcgp.org.nz
Check out related courses

What are the chances of getting a job?

Many factors contribute to a shortage of general practitioners

Factors leading to a shortage of general practitioners include:

  • low numbers of graduates choosing general practice as their preferred speciality
  • New Zealand's growing and ageing population, which means more people visiting general practitioners
  • an ageing workforce, with 44% of general practitioners planning to retire in the next ten years
  • some general practitioners moving overseas for better pay and working conditions
  • a worldwide shortage of doctors, including general practitioners, which means that it can be hard for New Zealand to attract general practitioners from overseas to work here.

General practitioner appears on Immigration New Zealand's long-term skill shortage list. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled general practitioners from overseas to work in New Zealand.

According to the Census, 5,616 general practitioners worked in New Zealand in 2018.

Nature of general practitioner job changing

The job of general practitioner is changing because of:

  • more general practitioners working in private practices part time and pursuing a portfolio-style career (for example, a combination of general practice, special interest practice and referrals, clinical governance and teaching)
  • new models of care that connect primary care, community services and hospitals
  • an increasing need for community care, with more people living with long-term conditions and co-morbidities (more than one disease) 
  • new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and 3-D printing, being successfully used to solve medical problems
  • virtual consultations and online medical forums being used more.

Extra payment for graduates working in hard-to-staff locations

The Ministry of Health runs a voluntary bonding scheme, with additional payments aimed at recruiting more graduate doctors to work in locations that are hard to staff, such as rural and remote areas, and specialist areas that are hard to staff, such as general practice.

Medical practices main employers of general practitioners

Most general practitioners are employed by a medical practice on a full or part-time basis, or as a locum (a general practitioner who fills in when others are away), or are self-employed in their own practice. They may also be employed by a district health board.

Sources

  • Baddock, K, chair, New Zealand Medical Association, Careers New Zealand interview, May 2017.
  • Immigration New Zealand, 'Long Term Skill Shortage List', 27 May 2019, (www.immigration.govt.nz).
  • Kiwi Health Jobs, 'Health Workforce New Zealand - General Practice', January 2017, (www.kiwihealthjobs.com).
  • Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, 'Ownership and Employment Workforce Survey 2016' accessed May 2017, (www.mcnz.org.nz).
  • Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, 'Technology Workforce Survey 2016', accessed May 2017, (www.mcnz.org.nz).
  • Stats NZ, '2018 Census Data', 2019.
  • Tan, J, general practitioner (MBChB), Central Wellington Medical Centre, Careers New Zealand interview, May 2017.

(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our job opportunities information)

Progression and specialisations

General practitioners may progress to teach students. They may also own their own practice, often with other general practitioners.

General practitioners can further develop their skills in areas such as:

  • emergency medicine
  • sports medicine
  • obstetrics (childbirth)
  • geriatric medicine (working with the elderly)
  • paediatrics (working with children)
  • palliative care (lessening pain).
General practitioner taking a patient's blood pressure at their home

General practitioners talk with, examine and treat patients

Last updated 24 July 2023