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© MSF
An MSF field worker attends to a patient, Sierra Leone. |
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"In Uganda, the merest gesture was lifesaving: rehydrating
a child or giving it a course of antibiotics," says Dr Peter Hakewill
about his first mission with Médecins Sans Frontières. "The
first week I arrived, the doctor whom I was replacing went, and I realised
I was the only doctor in the whole district. It was just me. I remember
feeling awed by that responsibility."
Internationally, through its network of 19 offices, Médecins
Sans Frontières sends out some 3,000 field workers per year. Working
alongside over 24,000 local staff in teams around the world, our field workers
bring life-saving emergency medical assistance to populations who would
otherwise be denied access to even the most basic health care.
Médecins Sans Frontières Australia recruits from Australia
and New Zealand through its office in Sydney, It sends over 120 field workers
to 30 countries each year, including nurses, doctors and other paramedicals
to respond to the medical needs in the field. So that we can 'make it
all happen', we also need to recruit logisticians and administrators/financial
controllers.
 We provide
emergency relief to the victims of armed conflicts and victims of natural
disasters such as floods or earthquakes
We run
emergency feeding centres during famines
We organise
mass vaccination programs to prevent epidemics spreading
We get
involved in medical projects such as rehabilitating hospitals and dispensaries,
training local staff and running health education programs
We put
in place infrastructure for safe drinking water and sanitation
We distribute
food, medical and non-medical supplies to displaced people
We run
mental health programs for civilians who have experienced trauma due to
conflict
Through
longer term programs, we treat tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS and campaign
for more affordable and effective medicines for these diseases
We lobby
for more effective treatment for neglected diseases such as sleeping sickness
and Leishmaniasis
We speak
out and initiate public debate about suffering and injustice which we
witness in the field, and we advocate on behalf of the populations we
serve
THE TEAM
Médecins Sans Frontières medical teams
consist of people with different backgrounds:
General
and Specialised Doctors
General
and Specialised Nurses
Surgeons
Anaesthetists
Midwives
Medical
Scientists
Psychologists
Nutritionists
Other paramedics
Each year we have very few positions for physiotherapists and pharmacists.
We do not have positions for occupational therapists or speech therapists.
Médecins Sans Frontières does not only recruit medical
staff as it relies heavily on the professionalism of many non-medical
staff:
Logisticians
(including Mechanics and Builders)
Financial
Controllers/Administrators
Water and
Sanitation Specialists
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA - for
all positions
 Commitment to the
aims and values of Médecins Sans Frontières
Experience in supervising,
training and managing others
Ability to cope
with stress
Ability to work
well as a part of a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team
Ability to organise
and prioritise workload and use initiative
Willingness to work
in unstable environments
Good command of
English
Available to work
for a minimum of 9 months ( with exceptions for Surgeons
and Anaesthetists and for
Finance/Administration staff
- see specific mission length on the page of the specific profession)
Medical
Current and valid
registration
Minimum of two years’
experience post-qualification
Nurse
Course in Tropical
Nursing or relevant work experience in developing countries and/or indigenous
communities
If you want the look at the specific recruitment criteria of your profession
click on your profession:
DESIRABLE CRITERIA - for all
positions
Knowledge
of languages, particularly French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic or Russian
Interest and/or experience in international humanitarian rights issues,
international relations, anthropology
Previous field experience
in a similar role with a non-government organisation
Travel or work experience
in indigenous/remote/developing/cross-cultural communities
WHY BECOME AN MSF FIELD WORKER
People join Médecins Sans Frontières for a variety of reasons,
but all of them want to dedicate part of their lives to assisting people
who need help. They are genuinely interested in people from other cultures.
They want to pass on their knowledge, experience and skills to others.
And they are willing to invest personally in their beliefs, by being
away from their family and friends for nine to twelve months and by settling
for an indemnity that can in no way match what they would earn back
home.
THE PREPARATION FOR DEPARTURE
Successful candidates take part in a preparatory
course, or an
alternative specific briefing, before departing on their first
field mission
THE PACKAGE
Médecins Sans Frontières insures all field workers for
health, medical repatriation, death and disability for the period of
their mission. We also pay all costs associated with the work including
the field workers’ return ticket between home and the
project country, travel costs and living expenses.
In their first year of field work those recruited without previous humanitarian
experience receive a monthly stipend of approximately $1200.
Unfortunately, MSF does not send couples to the field together on mission.
The security and specifically difficult contexts in which MSF works does
not allow for dependents to go along or to join at any time of a mission.
It is also almost impossible for MSF to place 2 professionals as a couple
in the same project in the same country and at the same time.
Whilst this has happened in exceptional cases it has been accepted by
the applicants at the recruitment stage that this is MSF's policy and
no conditions for placement have been assumed.
MSF understand that this policy can be very disapointing for committed
individuals but knows through experience the appropriateness of such policy.
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