Vascular Surgery Fellow | Twelve Months Fixed Term – Christchurch

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the Fellowship

We are seeking a Vascular Surgery Fellow, Registrar or Junior Consultant who is looking for a broad, well-rounded fellowship in a busy tertiary vascular unit.

The Christchurch Vascular Unit provides a comprehensive vascular service to a large regional and tertiary population, while also supporting vascular services across the wider South Island. The service is staffed by five vascular surgeons, providing 24-hour acute vascular cover to a population of more than 800,000, an elective vascular population of more than 640,000, and vascular support for a transplant population of approximately 1.2 million. 

This provides an unusually broad clinical experience, encompassing the full spectrum of contemporary vascular surgery from open distal bypass surgery through to complex endovascular and aortic intervention.

The fellowship can be tailored to the experience and career aspirations of the successful applicant, with opportunities to develop both open and endovascular skills. There will be particular opportunities for trainees wishing to strengthen their experience in complex aortic, peripheral arterial, vascular access and open vascular surgery.

The Clinical Experience

The Christchurch Vascular Unit provides a comprehensive range of vascular services, including:

• Open and endovascular management of peripheral arterial disease
• Carotid and cerebrovascular surgery
• Complex lower limb revascularisation and distal bypass surgery
• Aortic aneurysm and occlusive disease
• FEVAR and TEVAR
• Complex endovascular aortic intervention, including arch and Zone 0 procedures
• Acute vascular surgery and limb salvage
• Management of vascular trauma and other vascular emergencies
• Renal access surgery
• Venous and minor vascular procedures
• Complex oncological vascular surgery
• Vascular support for the national sarcoma service
• Vascular and transplant surgery

The unit performs more than 40 oncological vascular procedures each year, providing exposure to the management of complex vascular problems associated with major malignancy and close collaboration with our oncology and surgical colleagues.

There is also exposure to the wider multidisciplinary vascular service, including:

• Weekly multidisciplinary vascular MDM
• Weekly CME and teaching every Wednesday morning
• Multidisciplinary diabetic foot clinic
• AVM multidisciplinary meetings
• Renal access meetings
• Complex aortic meetings
• Opportunities to participate in vascular ultrasound training
• A dedicated weekly peripheral interventional radiology list

For fellows with an interest in endovascular intervention, there is significant exposure to contemporary image-guided vascular procedures and the opportunity to work closely with our interventional radiology colleagues.

For those wishing to develop open surgical skills, there is extensive exposure to both elective and acute open vascular surgery.

Theatre and Procedural Opportunities

The vascular service has dedicated elective theatre capacity on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with access to acute theatre capacity on a daily basis.

Theatre activity ranges from routine open and endovascular vascular surgery through to highly complex procedures.

The fellowship provides an opportunity to gain experience across the spectrum of modern vascular surgery, with the level of operative involvement tailored to the fellow's previous experience, competence and career objectives.

We are committed to providing fellows with meaningful operative and procedural experience rather than a predominantly observational fellowship.

Regional Vascular Service and Nelson/Marlborough

The Christchurch Vascular Unit has strong relationships with vascular services across the wider South Island and plays an important role in supporting regional vascular care.

This includes an established relationship with Nelson Hospital and the wider Nelson/Marlborough region, with visiting a vascular surgeon attending Christchurch for the management of out of district patients with complex arterial disease requiring the support of a tertiary Centre. 

As part of this regional model, the Fellow will be expected to participate, where appropriate, in rotational commitments to Nelson Hospital, including theatre sessions when suitable training opportunities arise.

These rotations provide an additional opportunity to experience vascular surgery within a regional hospital environment, while contributing to the delivery of specialist vascular care closer to patients' homes.

The timing and nature of regional commitments will be determined by training opportunities, operative case mix and service requirements, with the aim of ensuring that any regional commitment contributes meaningfully to the Fellow's education and professional development.

A Strong Clinical Support Structure

The vascular service has a dedicated vascular ward shared with the acute stroke service, supported by a ward-based vascular Clinical Nurse Specialist.

The wider vascular nursing team includes:

• Two dedicated vascular Clinical Nurse Specialists
• Two additional vascular Registered Nurses
• Dedicated vascular outpatient nursing support

The CNS team supports the inpatient service as well as dedicated outpatient pathways, including small aneurysm surveillance and claudication clinics.

The vascular outpatient service is located in a separate dedicated outpatient building, with:

• Dedicated vascular clinic space
• Co-located vascular ultrasound facilities
• A dedicated minor procedure room
• Facilities for local anaesthetic venous procedures

This integrated structure provides fellows with exposure not only to operative vascular surgery but also to the wider patient journey, including vascular assessment, imaging, surveillance, outpatient intervention and multidisciplinary management.

Education and Supervision

We are a strongly collegial unit and place considerable emphasis on teaching, supervision and professional development.

There is protected weekly CME and multidisciplinary teaching, with opportunities for fellows to participate in case discussion, audit, morbidity and mortality review, clinical governance and departmental education.

The fellow will work directly with the five vascular surgeons and will have the opportunity to develop experience across different surgical approaches and areas of expertise.

The fellowship can be structured to support individual career goals. Depending on the applicant's previous experience, this may include greater emphasis on:

• Complex endovascular surgery
• Open arterial reconstruction
• Aortic surgery
• Peripheral arterial disease and limb salvage
• Vascular access
• Oncological vascular surgery
• Acute vascular surgery
• Ultrasound and outpatient vascular practice

We are particularly interested in applicants who want to develop into well-rounded vascular surgeons capable of managing both complex open and endovascular disease.

Why Christchurch?

Christchurch offers an exceptional combination of high-level tertiary surgical training and quality of life.

Located on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, Christchurch is a vibrant and growing city with excellent access to some of New Zealand's most spectacular outdoor environments.

The city itself offers an attractive combination of urban life, beaches, parks, restaurants, cafés, arts and culture. The Port Hills and Banks Peninsula are close to the city, while the Southern Alps are easily accessible for those who enjoy the outdoors.

For those interested in an active lifestyle, Christchurch provides exceptional opportunities for:

• Skiing and snowboarding, with several ski fields within easy reach
• Surfing and other water sports
• Mountain biking
• Road and gravel cycling
• Hiking and tramping
• Trail running
• Climbing
• Kayaking and other outdoor activities
• Exploring the South Island's national parks, mountains, lakes and coastline

The location also makes Christchurch an excellent base for exploring the wider South Island, including the Southern Alps, Canterbury high country, West Coast, Otago and Queenstown.

In short, Christchurch offers the opportunity to undertake high-level tertiary vascular training while enjoying an outstanding lifestyle in one of New Zealand's most accessible outdoor environments.

About You

We are looking for a motivated doctor who is committed to developing a career in vascular surgery and who will contribute positively to our collegial team environment.

The position would suit:

• An advanced surgical trainee seeking broad exposure to vascular surgery
• A junior consultant seeking additional experience before establishing an independent vascular practice
• An overseas-trained vascular surgeon seeking further experience in contemporary open and endovascular vascular surgery

You will have:

• A commitment to high-quality patient care
• A strong interest in vascular surgery
• A willingness to participate in the full clinical activities of the vascular service
• An enthusiasm for learning and teaching
• A collaborative approach to working with vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, radiologists, anaesthetists, nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team
• Knowledge and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how its principles can be applied to health
• A willingness to further develop an equity lens and skillset to assist Māori and minority groups

You must be eligible for general or provisional general registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand. You can check your eligibility by visiting the Medical Council of New Zealand website.

About Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Canterbury

When you work with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Canterbury, you become part of a large and diverse health service providing care to the people of Canterbury and the wider South Island.

Canterbury is home to a major tertiary hospital and provides a broad range of specialist services, with strong links to regional and national referral services.

Facilities within Canterbury include:

• Christchurch Hospital
• Christchurch Women's Hospital
• Burwood Hospital
• Hillmorton Hospital
• Ashburton Hospital

You will join a team committed to clinical excellence, education, training and providing high-quality care to the communities we serve.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and serve our communities.

We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To apply, please click “Apply Now.”

All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal by Friday 13 November 2026.

For further information about the position, please contact:

RDST@cdhb.health.nz

For employment or registration enquiries, please contact the relevant Health New Zealand recruitment team.

Apply now

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