Background

Village Health Works (VHW) is a joint American-Burundian NGO based in Kigutu, Bururi Province whose mission is to provide quality, compassionate health care in a dignified environment while treating the root causes of illness, poverty, violence, and neglect in collaboration with those we serve. VHW approach integrates clinical services with education, food security, economic development, environmental protection, music and the arts.

Currently, VHW engages in a wide array of clinical and community programs in a catchment area of over 200,000 people within the provinces of Rumonge and Bururi. Our clinic attends over 51,000 outpatient consultations per year. Our 60-bed low acuity inpatient wards provides basic adult and pediatric non-operative inpatient services including treatment of malnutrition, mental health, chronic and acute diseases and uncomplicated obstetrical deliveries. These services are administered by our staff of generalist physicians under the supervision of our Medical Director.

Village Health Works has embarked on an ambitious plan to expand our clinical care to provide comprehensive medical care including obstetrical and surgical services. To achieve this goal, VHW has constructed and is equipping a new 150-bed state of the art hospital with 4 operating rooms. Construction and installation of equipment will be completed in early 2023 with a projected clinical opening in the middle of 2023. To provide excellent care we must expand the scope and skills of our clinical staff through training, teaching, hiring and through the development and implementation of systems that are framed by high quality norms and standards. While this work is currently underway, there is much more required to open safely in the second half of 2023.

Position Overview

The Staff Physician in Pediatrics has responsibilities that span clinical, educational and care delivery domains. The ideal candidate is an outstanding clinician who is committed to delivering evidence based, resource appropriate care to our pediatric patients while taking the opportunity to share knowledge, skills and techniques with those around her/him and promoting a clinical culture of service excellence, teamwork and patient safety.

This position reports directly to the Head of Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Department and the Chief Medical Officer.

Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Care

  • Apply medical knowledge and skills to the diagnosis and treatment of patients in the outpatient and inpatient environments
  • Ensures that clinical plans are effectively and clearly communicated to the care team and patient.
  • Ensures daily clinical documentation of care for all patients under department care and

review for quality.

  • Ensures the documentation of patient consent when needed

Specialty Care - Pediatrics

  • Ensure integrated newborn and pediatric care through emergency, outpatient, and inpatient department services
  • Oversee all admissions to the newborn care unit, special baby unit
  • Treat cases of malnutrition in line with MOH and WHO protocols and universal precautions
  • Ensure that all pediatric patients on the inpatient service are evaluated and treated promptly.
  • Attend pediatric patients in the outpatient department including acute care, well child checks, and specialty care i.e malnutrition, mental health, epilepsy, Type 1 diabetes , developmental challenges

Clinical Quality and Patient Safety

  • Support the integration of clinical evidence-based practices and “best practices”
  • Attend and participate in regular morbidity and mortality review for medical services.
  • Ensure quality of care by giving ongoing training to the multidisciplinary medical/paramedical team and providing technical advice
  • Propose modifications to current pediatric care management, implementing them once approved by the Head of Department
  • Keep patients and families informed of the treatment to be followed, checking that they have understood
  • Ensure that professional autonomy and confidentiality are respected, and demonstrate a good attitude and bedside manner towards patients and their caregivers

Administration

  • In close collaboration with the Head of Department, supervises the day to day clinical/ward activities and workflow
  • Manages and supervises generalist physicians
  • Together with Head of Department periodically reviews the Clinical Standard Operating Procedures, Manuals, Protocols, and Processes
  • Supervises the safe and efficient delivery of care in all patient areas
  • Participates in recruitment and interviewing of medical staff, as necessary

Professional Development/ Education and Training

  • Provide ongoing bedside educational experiences for the core clinical team.
  • Provide appropriate skills training to staff for surgical and non-surgical procedures.
  • Engage with medical education for rotating students and trainees.

Requirements

  • License to practice medicine as a Physician in the country of origin/study
  • Specialization training in Pediatrics with a minimum of 2 years professional experience or 5-7 years demonstrated experience as a General Practitioner with a focus on pediatrics
  • Recent clinical experience (at least six months within the last 24 months)
  • Demonstrated experience in clinical training of staff
  • Experience in resource poor settings
  • Critical Care and Neonatology experience preferred
  • Fluency in French and Kirundi is required; professional level of English is required for this position
  • IT skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
  • Strong team player
  • Adaptable and able to work in a multicultural team
  • Self-driven with a solution-orientated approach

Salary and Benefits

Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.

This vacancy is archived.

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