Pediatric Staff Physician At Village Health Works

Reports to: VHW Medical Officer

Location: Kigutu, Burundi

Organization Background:

Village Health Works (VHW) is a 501(c)(3) corporation. It is a social justice organization founded on the belief that health is not a commodity but a right. Founded in partnership with the communities we currently serve, VHW’s mission is to provide the neediest high quality, compassionate health care and education based on critical thinking in a dignified environment. VHW’s holistic approach integrates clinical services with education, food security, economic development, environmental protection, music and the arts. In the context of where we currently work, this is the only way we can sustainably end extreme, multigenerational scarcity in a way that uplifts and engages communities with dignity and in their own context. We believe that the lack of access to quality healthcare and education is the biggest threat to development and world peace.

Currently VHW operates 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, though its doors are open for every patient regardless of where that patient is coming from. Our first clinic attends to over 51,000 outpatient consultations per year. Since 2007 until summer 2023, our 60-bed inpatient wards have been providing basic adult and pediatric non-operative inpatient services including treatment of malnutrition, mental health, chronic and acute diseases and uncomplicated obstetrical deliveries. These services have been administered by our staff of generalist physicians under the supervision of our current Medical Director.

Village Health Works has embarked on a plan to expand our clinical services to provide comprehensive quality medical care and training. To achieve this goal, VHW has constructed and officially opened an 85,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art teaching hospital with several services that include surgery, obstetric deliveries, intensive care, pediatrics and neonatology, emergency, pathology lab, medical education and research center, etc.. To provide excellent patient care and training we must expand the scope and skills of the healthcare providers through training, teaching and research, hiring through rigorous development and implementation of systems and structures, policies and procedures that are framed by high quality norms and international standards.

Additionally, VHW has established the Kigutu International Academy, a grade 9-12 boarding school to equip young minds with an education based on critical thinking to prepare them to become the leaders we wish their country and the continent to have for a better future.

Our core values are as follows:

● Every member of VHW’s team must value the dignity inherent in each individual, aspire to excellence in all we do, proceed with boldness and perseverance.

● Compassion and justice must be at the heart of our organization.

● To accomplish the mission of our organization we all must be accountable to each other and to our community.

For more information, please visit: villagehealthworks.org

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 Medical Director.

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 post-training clinical 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 preferred; 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.