Working as paediatrician in the field

Your application will be processed by a specific MSF office according to your country of residence. If you are already employed by MSF Switzerland, choose "OCG Field employee" or "OCG HQ employee".

Please notice that some offices do NOT recruit specific profiles. If that might be the case for your profile, please apply via MSF Switzerland.

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You are responsible for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients in line with the MSF protocols. You also manage, train and supervise the paediatric team.

Job description

Find out more about the position.

Testimonials

Read about experiences from the field.

Questions

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Apply

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1. Job description

Responsibilities:

Apply medical knowledge and skills to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of children; ensure integrated newborn and paediatric care through emergency, outpatient and inpatient department services and treat cases of malnutrition in line with protocols and universal precautions
Propose modifications to current paediatric care management and implement them once approved by the paediatric advisor
Ensure quality of care by giving ongoing newborn and paediatric training to the multidisciplinary medical/paramedical team, reviewing complicated cases and giving technical input
Keep patients and families informed of the illness and treatment to be followed, and check that they have understood; ensure that professional autonomy and confidentiality are respected, and demonstrate a good attitude and bedside manner towards patients and their caregivers
Monitor the evolution of the hospital and internally displaced patients through daily visits, consultations and examinations
Monitor the proper functioning of the department and its patient flow; provide inputs and general organisation of the different paediatric wards, including admission, transfer and discharge criteria and the procedure for referrals from the maternity and post-delivery wards
Contribute to data analysis, monitoring and reporting with a view to improving quality of care
Manage, train and supervise the paediatric team through activities such as recruitment, capacity-building, briefing/debriefing and evaluation of staff

Requirements:

Medical doctor degree
Paediatrics specialisation or ongoing specialisation with a minimum of three years’ professional experience in paediatrics
Recent clinical experience (at least six months within the last 24 months)
IT skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Fluency in English and French; any other languages are an asset (Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian)
Available for a minimum three months
Commitment to MSF’s work and values
Strong team player
Willingness to work in all kinds of contexts worldwide, including unstable areas
Adaptable and able to work in a multicultural team
Flexible and able to manage stress
Self-driven with a solution-orientated approach
Ability to train others

Assets:

Experience working in developing countries
People management experience

We encourage applications from people of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, backgrounds, religions, beliefs, abilities and all other characteristics of diversity.

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference and criminal record checks.

2. Testimonials

3 questions to Daniel, paediatrician

11/07/2019 02:24 min

Anja, Paediatrician

10/09/2017 05:23 min

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External ressources

Listen to MSF's podcast Première Ligne, 50 ans d'humanitaire (in French)

3. Questions

What to expect

We need you to be able to quickly adapt to different cultures...

MSF is an organisation driven by strong values...

République démocratique du Congo, 21.08.2016

Find out more about our recruitment criteria and the next...

Can I apply for a specific post in a specific country?

It is rare that MSF advertises job openings for specific countries or projects.

Instead, in order to be able to respond to medical emergencies, MSF recruits applicants into different professional reserve lists, (also referred to as “pools”) throughout the year. Candidates within the pool will be matched to a specific position in a specific country based on their skill set, competencies, technical experience and background.

When applying to join our pool, you can indicate any geographic preferences you may have. However, in accordance with the MSF Charter, providing assistance to populations in distress must take priority over geographical preferences. As a candidate, you must be flexible and willing to work wherever your skills are most needed. Therefore, it is not always possible to fulfil specific country requests. MSF expects candidates to be flexible about where they work so that we can meet the needs of the field. However, if you have special skills, speak additional languages or have restrictions, those will be taken into consideration for each placement.

How long is a posting?

The standard duration of a first posting is six months. Medical specialists such as anaesthetists, gynaecologists and surgeons are placed in projects from six weeks to three months. This is not the case for general practitioners, paramedical or non-medical profiles.

For subsequent postings, depending on the needs of the country, the duration may be shorter for emergencies (several weeks to three months) or longer (perhaps six to 12 months) in more stable contexts. Coordinator positions are opened for a longer period, from one to two years.

We are mainly looking for candidates who are prepared to make a long-term commitment and work with MSF over several years. We therefore ask you to engage with MSF for more than one mission, or at least 12 months. This will probably include one or more breaks, as it is important to rest between assignments. You are invited to discuss the timing of your break with your career manager when you return from the first posting.

How much experience do I need before applying?

For all non-medical profiles, a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). For doctors, a minimum of three years is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). Surgeons need 2 years post-specialisation experience and specialists do not need post-specialisation experience. For all medical profiles, a minimum of three years’ experience is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). Previous work experience is essential as we expect a high level of autonomy from our staff in the field. Detailed criteria for each profile can be found under What’s your profile?.

All questions

Next information sessions

Come discuss with our team and learn about our criteria to go on a mission. All information sessions

4. Apply online

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This application form is only for field missions. If you wish to apply for HQ positions, please consult our current jobs postings.

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Working as paediatrician in the field