Tanziha Matin didn’t set out to change the system, she set out to understand it better. But through curiosity, persistence, and a commitment to upskilling and growth, the manager of Devonport Health has transformed not only her own career, but also the way her clinic operates.
Completing her Apprenticeship in Primary Care Practice Assistance (PCPA), through work-based learning provider, Careerforce has helped her make a meaningful impact on primary care practice.
Arriving in New Zealand in 2016 as an international student from Bangladesh studying software development, her entry into healthcare was almost accidental. She began as a medical centre receptionist at St Lukes Medical Centre in Auckland, quickly progressing to an administrative role and, by 2018, becoming a practice manager. While she excelled in operational leadership, she recognised a critical gap in her knowledge.
From Reception to Practice Leadership in Primary Care
“When you become a practice manager from reception, you understand administration, the team, and operations,” she explains. “But you never truly understand the clinical workflow. You end up trusting what you’re told, but that’s not always enough to make the best decisions.”
Tanziha Matin with Careerforce Advisor, Shane Bennett
That realisation became even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Faced with mounting pressures and workforce challenges, such as a significant shortage of nursing staff across New Zealand, she began questioning inefficiencies, particularly the use of highly trained nurses for tasks that didn’t require clinical expertise.
“I wanted to step up and support the clinical team wherever possible within my scope of practice. While researching ways to develop relevant skills, I came across the Careerforce Apprenticeship in Health and Wellbeing (Level 4) Primary Care Practice Assistance.
“What appealed to me most was that the programme offered a mix of clinical and operational understanding of general practice. Although the programme is designed to train Healthcare Assistants (HCAs), I saw it as an opportunity to better understand clinical workflows and the patient journey while continuing in my management role.”
Bridging the Gap Between Administration and Clinical Practice
Determined to bridge that gap, she enrolled in Careerforce’s fully work-based PCPA apprenticeship programme. What followed was not just a qualification, but a transformation in how she viewed healthcare delivery.
The apprenticeship-style programme allowed her to apply learning in real time. Already working within a medical centre, she began engaging more deeply with clinical processes, swabbing patients for COVID, triaging patients, conducting ECGs, and observing nursing workflows firsthand.
“I wasn’t just learning theory, I was doing the job, creating case studies, and applying everything immediately. That gave me a completely different perspective on how the clinical team works.”
Through this experience, she began identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and patient care.
Her growing clinical awareness also allowed her to better define roles within the practice, particularly the scope of healthcare assistants (HCAs).
“There are so many tasks HCAs can do such as ECGs, basic triaging, supporting elderly care, that don’t need to take up a nurse’s time,” she explains.
How a Primary Care Apprenticeship Transformed Healthcare Delivery
Beyond operational improvements, the course also reshaped her approach to patient care. Direct interaction through triaging gave her deeper insight into patient experiences and emotions.
“I became more of a people person,” she reflects. “You hear their struggles, their stories. Now, when a complaint comes in, I don’t think about protecting the system first, I think about how the patient feels. Empathy comes before process.”
Her efforts did not go unnoticed. In 2022, the same year she completed her apprenticeship, and she was awarded the Practice Manager Specialist of the Year for 2022, a national Practice Managers Award from PMAANZ (Practice Managers and Administrative Association of NZ). For her, the recognition validated not just her hard work, but the value of continuous learning.
“It showed me that investing in yourself has real impact, not just for you, but for your whole team.”
Since then, her career has continued to evolve. She has progressed into a group clinic manager role at Devonport Health Centre and Birkdale Beachhaven Medical Centre, community focused general practices that offer a wide range of services including general consultation, preventative care, chronic condition management, vaccinations and health screening. At Devonport Health, she has played a key part in establishing new services, including menopause, immigration, and weight loss clinics. Her ability to analyse clinical workflows has been central to designing sustainable, efficient services.
“I can now assess how long a doctor or nurse needs, what the costs are, and how to structure services properly. That understanding came directly from the Careerforce programme.”
Careerforce assign each apprentice with an advisor who supports the learner, and in Tanziha’s case this was Shane Bennett, who she credits with providing valuable support during the programme.
Empowering Healthcare Assistants and Improving Patient Care
Today, Tanziha is passionate about encouraging others, especially HCAs to pursue formal training and expand their own career pathways, and had recently enrolled a staff member into the apprenticeship.
“We often think HCAs can only do limited tasks, but it’s so much more than that,” she says. “With the right training, they can grow, specialise, and even move into leadership roles. It’s about formalising their skills and opening doors.”
“As a practice manager, you sit at the centre of everything,” she says. “If you understand both the administrative and clinical sides, you can truly make a difference.”
And that’s exactly what she has done.
Careerforce Advisor, Shane Bennett says, “When I first met Tanziha, I had to wait in line for quite a while to see her, as she was in high demand. Doctors, Nurses, receptionists and patients were all vying for her attention and I quickly realised she was taking the pressure off Nurses and GPs by completing some basic clinical tasks as well has juggling her other duties.
“The fact that Tanziha has done so well is an inspiration. She is living proof that the Primary Care Practice Assistance qualification gives a good overview of everything a budding Practice Manager or anyone working in primary care needs to know. It gives a good understanding of basic clinical tasks, administration, record keeping and legislation.
“It’s also incredible that Tanziha has seen potential in another staff member at Devonport Health, Rina. I look forward to guiding Rina through her PCPA qualification and seeing her fulfil her full potential too. I am so proud of Tanziha and it has been a pleasure to be part of her incredible journey.”
Contact Careerforce for more information about the PCPA apprenticeship. Employers may also qualify for Apprenticeship Boost funding for eligible learners.
Susan Tattersall