As a midwife with MSF your experience in both complicated and normal deliveries will be essential. From visiting expectant mums in remote villages to carry out ante-natal checks, to training birth attendants in busy maternity departments in big hospital settings, MSF midwives are a vital part of most project teams. In this field of activity, respect for different cultural realities is essential.
Your job
In addition to hands-on clinical work with women, a special focus of a midwife's work is team leadership and creating a respectful work environment. Your role will be that of a manager.
- You will supervise, train and coach the team of local staff midwives.
- You will be closely working with traditional birth attendants, training them on hygiene standards and providing them with means and knowledge.
- You will organize outpatient (and perhaps also inpatient) maternity services.
- Data collection, analysis and reporting are an intrinsic part of the role.
- Together with the medical team, you will be responsible for forecasting medical supply needs and managing medical stocks in your department.
Requirements
- A valid license to practice as a midwife (diploma or university degree)
- At least 2 years post-qualification experience
- Hands-on experience in managing principal obstetric emergencies (e.g. eclampsia, obstructed labour, haemorrhage and sepsis)
- Ability to work independently
- Experience in training, coaching and supervision of staff
- A good level of English
- Availability of at least 6 to 12 months
Assets
- Knowledge of tropical medicine, public health or infectious diseases is required for some regions. Therefore, we recommend attending a tropical medicine course.
- Clinical work experience in a low resource setting country might replace the course.
- Hands-on experience in any of the following will be an asset: offering advice on family planning; providing care to sexual assault survivors; treating patients with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections; and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
- Other languages (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian) are an asset.