Introduction: The MSF Academy for Healtcare

The MSF Academy for Healthcare is an initiative that has been created with the aim to increase the quality of health care provided by our staff to the patients we assist in the missions. The MSF Academy will focus more specifically in the countries with the most acute needs and gaps in their medical human resources, and at present all activities are taking place or are planned in Africa. 

The MSF Academy aims to maintain the same overall educational approach in all its projects: competency– based learning; as much as possible on-the-job training with the presence of strong tutors; and seeking to achieve appropriate accreditation for all trainings, often in collaboration with partner teaching institutes.

Operational Context

• In 2019, MSF Operational Center of Brussels (OCB) has opened a pediatric hospital in Kenema, Sierra Leone. The hospital is run 100% under MSF responsibility, in agreement with the Ministry of Health of the country. The hospital is planned to grow further, where also a maternity will be added to the medial services.
• The situation of the health professional in Sierra Leone is problematic. There are very few MD in the country, and it appears impossible for MSF to integrate generalist or specialist MD from Sierra Leone to the hospital team. In practice, the medical-clinical work is carried out by clinical health officers (CHO), strongly supported by expatriate MD that take on a strong substitutive role. Also, the number of qualified nurses in the country is insufficient, most of the nursing tasks in the hospital are carried out by community health workers. For those reasons, the MSF Academy develops a program of medical and nursing learning with the hospital project team.
• As there are no medical doctors available for hospitals outside the capital, most medical-clinical tasks are carried out by CHO. Their baseline training is that of a community nurse and most of them have quite some years of clinical experience in hospital settings; still we witness that for most of the severely ill patients, they struggle a lot with the clinical management.
• For this reason, the MSF Academy wants to engage in the challenging task to train para-medical staff with a limited basic medical-clinical training background to obtain the competencies to manage clinical care in the field of hospital pediatrics for patients that often present with severe syndromes.

Purpose of the position

To accompany locally enrolled 24 clinical health officers to continuous medical education (cme) program in order to achieve a much better level of autonomy in their daily clinical practice.

Responsibilities

• Participate to the development of a competency framework.
• Participate to develop a learning portfolio.
• Lead on the development of a specific training program, based on the competency framework.
• Lead the implementation of the training program for the cho.
• Lead the evaluation of the training efforts.
• Work closely with the other hospital pediatric doctors to understand the evolving training needs for the cho.

Profile

Education

• Medical Degree with specialization in paediatrics.

Experience

• Strong experience in clinical teaching (5 years minimum).
• Experience working in the health sector in Africa.
• Experience in adult pedagogical practice and use/development of appropriate tools.

Language

• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.

Knowledge

• Essential computer literacy (word, excel and internet).

Competencies

• Team player, able to work in a multicultural environment.
• Autonomous.
• Active listener, patient and calm.
• Outstanding diagnostic and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communications skills.
• The candidate adheres to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment.

Conditions

•  Starting date: asap.
• 12 months of temporary contract.
• Position based in Kenema (Sierra Leone).
• The salary will be determined in accordance with our international remuneration system, based on previous experience in similar positions and country of residence. Transport, accommodation, vaccinations are taken in charge by MSF.  Per diem + medical insurance.
• To leave without your family/partner.

How to apply?

Application (CV + cover letter) to be sent before the 30 July 2019 to active.fieldrecruitment@brussels.msf.org; please mention ‘Pediatric Trainer’ in the subject of your email.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.