The best way a nurse or doctor can join MSF

by dahbaao · Published July 21, 2024 · Updated August 16, 2024

How to join Doctors Without Borders as a nurse or a doctor

Introduction

Medecins Sans Frontieres is an independent medical humanitarian organization that consist many humanitarian aid workers including nurses and doctors.

Nurses and doctors play a very vital role in savings lives of the vulnerable people and alleviate their suffering.

To join doctors without borders as a nurse or a doctor you need to learn humanitarian service, understand MSF nutritional and pediatric protocols.

All Medicins Sans Frontiers medical staffs are working based on the guidance of MSF protocols. Understanding these protocols will help to join the organization in different countries around the world.

Whether you’re from Canada, USA, UK or Africa with basic understanding of MSF protocol you will find it very simple joining and working with MSF.

The secret to it

Let’s me break the secret one by one for all people who have the interest to work as humanitarian aid worker with MSF.

I am a registered nurse, in 2018 the ministry of health in my country Nigeria sent me to a north west region of the country to practice health services to patients there in that community.

A few days after, I realized with the existence of another organization in the same hospital we were working.

I asked some friends around about the organization, they told me that is MSF or Medecins Sans Frontiers or in English Doctors without borders.

The organization provided help to people affected with disaster, epidemic and arm conflict. They are working on the guidelines of humanitarian principles.

That was the first time I heard about the organization and their services. I continued to learn more about the organization, their services, and also humanitarian principles.

In a nutshell, today I have worked with almost 3 MSF operational centers, Operational Center Paris (OCP), Amsterdam (OCA) and
Barcelona-Athens (OCBA)

Currently the doctors without boarder have six (6) oprerational centers in the world, I worked with three, and I have my certificates of work with Medicins Sans Frontieres.

I have bulk of experience working in humanitarian field responding to emergency situation, helping affected with disasters, saving their lives and alleviating their suffering.

How to join Medecins Sans Frontieres

Today I will share the secret that will help you join doctors without boarder and work with them. Let’s get started.

To make it very easy let us discuss the process in 6 sections, this will help you to understand the way to join doctors without boarder and practice as a nurse or a doctor the simple steps are:

Obtain a professional certificate in your field.
Become a humanitarian aid worker.
Understand the MSF and their requirements.
Understand the humanitarian principles
Join Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Learn and practice MSF protocol.

Obtain a professional certificate in your field.

The first and the most important part of the journey is to become a qualified registered nurse or medical doctor. Without becoming a nurse or a doctor you cannot join doctors without boders and work as nurse or a doctor.

To become a registered nurse in the you must have successfully completed a nursing programme that is approved by NMC United Kingdom. Also must meet the NMC’s requirements of good health and character.

However you can become a nurse by studying nursing science in an accredited school of nursing in your own country of origin, then register and license to practice as a nurse by the nursing and midwifery council in the country.

If you want to know how to become a nurse in UK read our comprehensive article about How to become a nurse in UK 2024 this will help you to get the basic understanding of becoming a nurse even in your country.

On the other hand, before you practice as a qualified medical doctor it several years to gain the education, skills and experience required.

Getting the MD bachelor’s degree typically takes four years, and the medical school takes another four. When you Graduated from the medical school, you begin a residency program. Learn more about becoming a doctor in USA by reading our article How to become a medical doctor in USA

Become a humanitarian aid worker.

The second step of joining doctors without borders as a nurse or a doctor is to become a humanitarian nurse or doctor.

Humanitarian nurse or doctor are specialized aid workers that work in emergency situation helping people in most serious need to save their lives and alleviate their suffering. Most of the humanitarian aid workers are working with humanitarian organizations to know how to become humanitarian nurse or doctor read our two comprehensive articles which will help you with that.

Understanding Médecins Sans Frontières

The Médecins Sans Frontières, Abbreviation MSF meaning doctors without borders in English, Is a medical humanitarian aid organization that give assistance to people affected with conflict, disaster and endemic disease.

MSF was founded in 22 December 1971 by a group doctors and journalists at France, MSf has six operational center, main organ is International General Assembly. The organization serve people in need worldwide and currently have about 43, 375 employees and the Revenue (2020) €1.9 billion.

Their actions are guided by the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, independent and humanity.

Médecins Sans Frontières Role

Médecins Sans Frontières provide medical care to help people survive catastrophic situations, where communities and health structures may be overwhelmed. Our core work is providing emergency medical assistance in situations of armed conflict. As we early stated MSF’s actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality.

The MSF operational Centres:

MSF has six Operational Centres (OC). An Operational Centre is a group of sections that provide guidance and support to the operations in the field.

Amsterdam (OCA)
Barcelona-Athens (OCBA)
Brussels (OCB)
Paris (OCP)
Geneva (OCG)
West and Central Africa (WaCA)

MSF Requirements for Nurses

According to MSF, Compliance with Essential Requirements for all potential candidates.

Commitment to work in the field for a minimum of 9 to 12 month assignments
Appropriate diploma, degree (RN (BSN / ASN) or NP – we do not accept LPNs), and current valid license.

Professional experience in a lower-in come country or humanitarian context.

Minimum of three years relevant professional experience post training.

At least 6 months of practical experience within the last two years.

Professional experience supervising, managing or training staff

Ability to work within a diverse team
Training in at least one of the following:

– Infectious diseases
– Public health
– Tropical medicine

Experience in at least one of the following:
– Emergency
– HIV/AIDS
– Neonatal care
– Infection Prevention Control
– Nutrition
– Pediatrics
– Pharmacy
– Tuberculosis (TB)
– Vaccination campaigns

MSF requirements for Doctors

At least 2 years professional experience in your field of expertise. Availability for all professions is a minimum of 12 months, but there are exceptions for surgical related professionals, who may be accepted for shorter missions. By reading MSF Requirements You can learn more about the requirements you need to acquire.

Join Medicins Sans Frontieres.

You can join doctors without border in two ways

1. Apply for a position of a nurse or doctor in the organization, sit and pass entry examination and then pass the interview. When you are successful you can have a working contract with the organization for a definite period or indefinite period of time.

You can get various training including emergency, management of malnutrition, and other medical conditions.

However, you can have experience by meeting other health professionals from other regions in the world.

2. The second way you can work with MSF to obtain medical humanitarian clinical experiences is to join the organization as a ministry of health (MOH) nurse or doctor of the country you are practicing.

Joining MSF through ministry of health does not require any entrance examination or interview. But you will not be given work contact, instead you will be collecting incentives.

Learn and practice MSF protocol.

In MSF or doctors without borders, there are protocols that a doctor or a nurse should follow to practice. A part from your previous knowledge and skills MSF want you to practice according to their protocols.

In the humanitarian field MSF provide copies of protocol and guidelines to practice, they are very simple to read and understand.

That are the simple steps to join doctors without borders.

In the end I wish you best of luck in your practice in Medicins Sans Frontieres as a nurse or doctor.

Humanitarian aid education is always for you learn, serve and make differences..

The best way a nurse or doctor can join MSF