Your job as a midwife for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
As a midwife, you will be involved in
coordinating (and setting up, if one does not already exist) a
mother and child health department in a rural clinic, providing
reproductive healthcare from mobile clinics, or treating patients
in an urban hospital. In all of those situations, your most
important role will be that of a manager. You will monitor, train
and coach the team of local staff such as midwives and traditional
birth attendants. You will organize outpatient (and perhaps also
inpatient) maternity services. Data collection, analysis and
reporting are an intrinsic part of the role. Furthermore, you will
be responsible for forecasting medical supply needs and managing
medical stocks.
Requirements for midwives with MSF
- A qualification to practise as a midwife
- At least 2 years’ post-qualification
experience
- Patient care experience within the past 2
years
- Hands-on experience in managing principal
obstetric emergencies (e.g. eclampsia, obstructed labour,
haemorrhage and sepsis)
- Ability to work independently managing
healthcare given to women and infants
- Experience in training, coaching and
supervision
- Work or travel experience in developing
countries
- A good command of the English language
- Ability to cope with stress and to organize
and prioritize workload
- Ability to work in an international team
- Willingness to work in an unstable and
insecure environment
- Availability of at least 12 months
Assets
- Successful completion of a course in
tropical healthcare
- Hands-on experience in any of the
following: 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
- Experience with a similar
non-governmental organization abroad
- A good command of the French
language
What MSF offers you
- A contract for the duration of the mission,
along with an international insurance package, a pension scheme and
other benefits depending on applicable regulations and labour
law
- A net salary of about 800 euros per month for
the first 12 months; after which salary increases within the MSF
salary grid
- 5 weeks’ holiday per year
- A preparation course before departure and
continued career development opportunities within the
organization
- Career guidance and training
opportunities
May 2012