A training programme in specialist heart imaging, crucial for diagnosing, treating and researching heart disease, has started for the first time in New Zealand (NZ).

The Ministry of Health in NZ has provided seed funding towards a new training programme in cardiac ultrasound use, which has just got under way at the University of Auckland. The development of this programme is a partnership between the health and education sectors.

As part of the Health Workforce Plan, Health Ministry is seeking to increase training numbers in these professions, which include cardiac ultrasound. To achieve this, the Ministry would seed-fund and invest in new training programmes and pathways.

The two-year programme was developed by, and will be delivered through, the Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging located within the University’s School of Medical Sciences.

The first cohort of students attended an in-person introductory course covering the basics of cardiac ultrasound at the University’s Grafton campus in February. The rest of the course will be taught online to allow students from across the motu to apply for training. All students in the first cohort are fully employed by the Health Ministry as they undertake their training.