Surgeon

Medical

Practical information

  • Location: in our humanitarian projects
  • Contract type : Fixed term
  • Length of contract : 3-6 months
  • Language skills: FrenchEnglish
  • Time allocation: Full time
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Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 70 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Read the MSF principles and commitments outlined here
  • Availability to work in complex environments and to leave on an assignment without partner/family
  • A health status compatible with the nature of our activities and operational contexts and compliance with all vaccinations for MSF project assignments

As a surgeon, you supervise and coordinate the surgical service as a whole. You are responsible for delivering high-quality surgical care by working in close collaboration with the multidisciplinary team (anesthetists, OT-nurses, ward nurses and others) and by training staff both in the operating room and the surgical ward. 

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES 

  • Support and coordinate the implementation of MSF clinical policies, tools, guidelines, and protocols relevant to essential surgical care, including antibiotic prophylaxis, post-operative pain management, thromboprophylaxis, blood transfusion, and perioperative standards 
  • Conduct preoperative consultations, assess surgical risk in collaboration with anaesthetists, and ensure informed, documented, and signed surgical consent 
  • Perform essential emergency and elective surgical procedures, including life-saving and time-critical interventions within an essential surgical care context 
  • Provide and supervise post-operative clinical care and ward rounds in close collaboration with anaesthetists, operating theatre nurses, and ward staff, ensuring adherence to MSF surgical protocols and safe continuity of care 
  • Collect and analyse quantitative surgical and anaesthesia data to monitor quality of care 
  • Participate in mass-casualty plan activation and simulation exercises  
  • Contribute to quality improvement initiatives and incident reporting 
  • Assist in assessing equipment, instruments and implant needs to prevent shortages, misuse or the use of expired materials 
  • Manage, train, supervise and evaluate emergency and out-patient teams to improve diagnosis, triage, and early detection capabilities 

PROFILE  

  • Licensed and registered specialist surgeon (or above) 
  • Ability to perform general surgery including, including caesarean sections 
  • Ability to occasionally work with limited resources 
  • Willingness to share knowledge, skills and experience with colleagues 
  • Experience in conflict surgery and/or resource-limited settings is an asset 

LANGUAGES 

  • Proficiency in English OR French is mandatory, proficiency in the second language is an asset 

  • Good knowledge of Arabic, Portuguese or Spanish is an asset 

COMPETENCIES 

  • Collaborate and communicate clearly; build trust with colleagues   
  • Lead, support, guide, and motivate teams with confidence and empathy 
  • Take initiative, remain solution-oriented, and act proactively 
  • Translate strategic vision and operational realities into clear priorities and actions 
  • Work independently, plan effectively, and organise your and your team’s work properly 
  • Remain resilient and manage stress in challenging situations 
  • Practise cross-cultural awareness and work effectively with diverse teams 
  • Show flexibility by adjusting plans, locations and ways of working in coordination with others when circumstances and priorities change 
  • Excellent knowledge of IT skills