Neonatal and paediatric nurses
About the role of neonatal and paediatric nurse
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has specialized projects focusing on neonates and paediatrics and mixed projects with children of all ages. Your experience and skills working with children will determine the appropriate position for you either as a paediatric nurse, neonatal nurse or combined in a context where both skills are required.
Paediatric and neonatal nurses working for Doctors Without Borders work very closely with national staff who have experience in low resource settings if not specifically in paediatric or neonatal care. You will be supporting local staff in the upgrading of their skills. All our projects are supported by medical and nursing paediatric advisors and very clear guidelines and protocols.
In the field our settings vary greatly, ranging from high-capacity settings with CPAP and HFNC capabilities to more basic units with minimal possible intervention (O2 and IV therapy only). As a nurse working for Doctors Without Borders your training and supervisory skills will be utilised to the full. The roles you play may vary from setting up and managing a newborn or paediatric unit, providing clinical “hands-on” care for unwell or severely ill children and neonates, theoretical and clinical training on paediatric and neonatal nursing procedures and assessments or taking the leading on teaching and implementing cares such as Kangaroo Mother Care.
Requirements
- Compliance with Essential Criteria
- Qualified Nurse with experience in paediatrics and/or neonates considering:
- Neonatal Nurses:
- Minimum of two years experience in Special Care Nursery, Newborn Unit or NICU
- Experience in neonatal resuscitation
- Experience in recognition and management of common neonatal issues such as prematurity, hypoxemia, and hypothermia
- Experience in the identification of severe neonatal issues such as sepsis and asphyxia
1- Neonatal Nurses:
- Minimum of two years experience in Special Care Nursery, Newborn Unit or NICU
- Experience in neonatal resuscitation
- Experience in recognition and management of common neonatal issues such as prematurity, hypoxemia, and hypothermia
- Experience in the identification of severe neonatal issues such as sepsis and asphyxia
2- Paediatric Nurses:
- Minimum of two years experience in acute medical/surgical paediatrics
- Experience in paediatric emergency management and resuscitation
Assets
- Additional and/or specific qualification in paediatrics and/or neonatal nursing
- Experience in additional areas –particularly NICU, PICU, Obstetrics, Paediatric Emergency Department
- Senior managerial experience (eg Clinical Nurse Facilitator/Consultant, Manager)Clinical education and/or training experience
- Work experience or study in nutrition, tropical medicine, refugee health or international public health