Work for Doctors Without Borders

Many in the medical community want to help people in the developing world through Doctors Without Borders, particularly students and graduates of American and Caribbean medical schools.

The UMHS Endeavour takes a brief look at how you can get involved with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and make a difference in parts of the world that desperately need physicians.

Work as a Physician for Doctors Without Borders

The Doctors Without Borders website has great information on how new doctors can make a difference and hone their clinical skills. Because of extensive staff workloads, Doctors Without Borders does not recruit medical students. “All ancillary duties are filled by national staff, both increasing local capacity and maximizing donor contributions,” the website says.

So what qualifications does one need to work for Doctors Without Borders? The website says “at least 2 years of professional experience in relevant fields, current professional credentials, relevant work or travel experience outside the U.S., and availability for at least nine months (with the exception of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and ob/gyns who may be accepted for shorter assignments).” The site notes assets that benefit applicants include “flexibility, community service projects, adaptability to basic living conditions, and foreign language skills.”

Physicians that work for Doctors Without Borders/MSF need to have completed residency. The organization gives doctors an opportunity to both use and acquire medical skills to treat illnesses and conditions often not found in North America.

“As a physician working for MSF, you may be responding to an outbreak of cholera or meningitis, treating victims in the aftermath of an armed conflict, or setting up a treatment program for HIV/AIDS or malaria,” the organization’s website says. “You will work to diagnose and treat medical conditions not commonly found in the United States, often without the resources you may be accustomed to having on hand. Your managerial and teaching skills will also be called upon, as your responsibilities will include supervision and training of local medical staff. Additional tasks may include assessments, data collection, medical reporting, and more.”

Doctors Without Borders is looking for doctors in the following areas:

• Emergency physicians
• Pediatricians
• Specialists in Infectious Diseases, HIV/AIDS, TB
• Family physicians
• General practitioners
• Intensive care physicians
• Internists
• Obstetricians/Gynecologists

Requirements

• Must meet general requirements
• Minimum commitment of 9 to 12 months
• M.D. or D.O. and current license
• Completion of a residency program
• Current or recent practical experience
  (i.e., at least 6 months of clinical practice within the last 2 years)

Assets

• Training in any of the following:
  • Infectious diseases (especially HIV/AIDS, TB)
  • Public health
  • Tropical medicine
• Minor surgical and obstetrical experience
• Experience with/specialties in any of the following:
  • Emergency medicine
  • Family medicine (with obstetrics)
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Infectious diseases
  • Obstetrics/gynecology
  • Pediatrics
  • Tuberculosis (TB)

(Top photo) WORKING FOR DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: UMHS Endeavour looks at requirements for working as a physician for this important organization. Photo: Courtesy of Doctors Without Border's Facebook page.

About UMHS:

Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciencesfocuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, “personalized medical education,” and it’s what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. UMHS is challenging everything you thought you knew about Caribbean medical schools.

YouTube Video: South Sudan, The Flying Doctor