Resident doctors invariably do more than their contractual hours, says Dr Sam Anderson, the Waikato representative on the Resident Doctors' Association national executive.

Roster changes and unwanted moves around the country feature in the concerns of striking resident doctors.

After failing to agree with district health boards on a new collective employment agreement, about 3300 of the doctors will walk off the job at 7am on Tuesday.

"It's a shame, but it's necessary," Waikato representative for the NZ Resident Doctors' Association Sam Anderson said.

STUFF Junior doctors' strike to go ahead next week

The move disappointed the country's 20 district health boards, who said in a statement that they "will not subject junior doctors to disruptive or dangerous work conditions".

Many health boards are postponing non-essential appointments and surgeries to get through the strike.

UNSPLASH Resident doctors have voted for a second strike on January 29 and 30 (file photo).

A second one - on January 29 and 30 - was announced on Friday.

The resident doctor term can cover anyone from a recent graduate to those nearing the end of specialist training.

One of those on strike will be Anderson, who went from a central government job to being an intensive care registrar at Waikato Hospital.

In 2016, the doctors' association successfully campaigned for doctors like him to work a maximum of 10 days in a row, or four consecutive night shifts.

DHBs now want alternative approaches which would allow people to choose to work more than 10 consecutive days, he said.

Though an average working week for him and his colleagues is 55 to 60 hours, "invariably, we do more hours than our contractual hours."

MARION VAN DIJK/STUFF DHBs want to be able to make more local decisions in areas such as rostering and work between more than one DHB, spokesman Dr Peter Bramley says. Currently, the union can effectively veto decisions (file photo).

He wouldn't want to be looked after by doctor working their twelfth day straight, he said.

Anderson's also concerned DHBs want the power to send resident doctors to certain areas for work - currently moves are with their consent - and to reduce the union's advocacy abilities.

Members are often reluctant to speak up themselves, he said, because they're trying to get onto highly selective training schemes and need references.

The maximum 10 days or four nights roster system just doesn't work in certain geographical areas and specialties, DHB spokesman Dr Peter Bramley said.

Surgical trainees may find they can't be present while their senior medical officer does a procedure, for example, or it may affect continuity of patient care.

﻿Chief medical officers and medical colleges are among those that have raised concerns with the current system, he said.

DHBs want local teams to have more flexibility in roster decisions - while respecting limits around hours - instead of the union office having the final call.

A DHB statement said they wouldn't allow "disruptive or dangerous work conditions".

Another area where DHBs seek more local decisions is on resident doctors working between health boards.

In a city with multiple hospitals, often under different DHBs, it could be useful for a doctor to do periods of training across them, Bramley said.

Currently the union can veto or approve those kinds of moves, but DHBs would like resident doctors to make agreements with local senior medical officers and DHB managers.

"This is not about excluding the union. It's about allowing, at a local level, for those decisions to be made."

The first 48-hour strike will run from 7am on Tuesday, January 15, to 7am on Thursday, January 17.

The second will be on January 29 and 30.

What is a resident doctor?

A resident doctor may also be called a resident medical officer (RMO), or may be known as junior doctors in some countries. A doctor may be a resident for up to 13 years, during which time they continue with training in a specialty - for example paediatrics, surgery, general practice.

It covers:

House officers: a doctor during their first year of employment after graduation.

Senior house officers: a doctor who has already completed one year of employment post-graduation.

Registrars: A doctor who has been a house officer or senior house officer for at least two years before becoming a registrar. May also be known as a specialist trainee.

Source: Medical Council of New Zealand glossary/NZ Resident Doctors' Association