Health

VSO's health program is focused on women, children and people with disabilities. Working at the community level, volunteers concentrate on the promotion of health and rehabilitation through basic education and preventative work.

We meet requests for a range of skill areas including assessment, prevention, education, outreach and primary and secondary care. We are also receiving a growing number of requests for health workers with experience in HIV/AIDS prevention and care for placements through VSO's Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA) program.

VSO volunteers working in the field of health include:

Audiologists		MSc Audiological Science with 2 years experience
Medical Lab Technologists/Biomedical Scientists		Med Lab Science Diploma or appropriate science degree with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Doctors		MD with 3 years post registration	View a sample placement
Health Educators		Community/Public Health Nurse with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Health Managers		MBA, health management qualification with 2 years experience
Hospital Administrators		2 years experience	View a sample placement
Midwives		Professional registration with 18 months experience
Nurses:
	Community Nurses	Qualified health visitor or community nurse with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
	Learning Disabilities Nurses	Diploma/Degree with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
	Nurses	Diploma/Degree with 2 years experience
	Nurse Tutors	Diploma/Degree with 2 years experience including teaching and/or supervising nursing students	View a sample placement
	Psychiatric Nurses	Diploma/Degree with 3 years experience	View a sample placement
Nutritionists		Diploma/Degree in Nutrition or Dietetics with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Occupational Therapists		Degree with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Pharmacists		BSc Pharmacy with 18 months post registration experience	View a sample placement
Physiotherapists		Diploma/Degree in Physiotherapy with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Speech and Language Pathologists		Degree and certificate of clinical competence with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Veterinarians		Veterinary degree with 2 years experience

Sample Placements in Health

The following descriptions represent the types of placements for which VSO receives requests from our overseas partners. Since VSO seeks to match volunteers with placements where their skills are most needed,  we are not able to accept applications for specific jobs.

Health Educator - Kenya

Location of Placement: Eldoret, Kenya

Length of Placement: 2 years

Working alongside staff of the Kapteldon Health Centre, the volunteer will work to support general community health development, promotion, education and capability of local institutions for effective and efficient delivery of health services.

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include: 

• design of appropriate health training programs in partnership with the local health educator
• networking with other health providers to tap into necessary support for health education work
• provision of training to the health Centre's staff and village workers
• provision of child health, family planning and counseling training to community health workers
• support with general community work ie: prescribing and dispensing drugs, assessment, and primary care
  

The volunteer will live and work in Eldoret, located in Gishu District.  Eldoret is a rural setting with a cool highland temperature ranging between 15 and 26 degrees Celsius throughout the year.  The town of Eldoret has numerous facilities, including a sports club, hotel, banks, supermarkets and rail and air links to Nairobi.

Essential Skills:  A degree in Health Education of MSc in Health, or an RN with at least two years of post-qualification experience.

Learning Disabilities Nurse - Sri Lanka

Location of Placement: Kottawa, Sri Lanka

Length of Placement: 2 years

Camilla School provides life-skills training to people with learning disabilities.  One of the key groups that VSO volunteers in Sri Lanka work to support are people with mental disabilities. Facilities available for the care of people with mental disabilities are very basic and staff in these institutions often have very little training.

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include: 

• training and assisting staff members to provide better care for the residents
• introducing an assessment process for residents at the school
• regular assessments of each student
• recommending a course of rehabilitation for each resident on the basis of the assessment and train staff to implement the same
• evaluating the school's activities and making recommendations to the school's Board of Trustees

The volunteer will live and work in a suburb of Colombo, the capital. Accommodation will be provided in a small private apartment or annex attached to a Sri Lankan family home.

Essential Skills:  B.SW or RN with at least three years experience working with mentally disabled people. The volunteer is also required to have very good organizational, management and administrative skills.

Nurse Trainers -- China

Location of Placement: Guangxi Province, China

Length of Placement: 2 years

Liuzhou Workers Hospital requests qualified and experienced nurse tutors to share their skills to improve the quality of care provided at the hospital. Working alongside the Head of Nursing at the hospital, the volunteer(s) will have the Key Responsibilities of:

• assessing current nursing practice and the level of nursing care
• developing a training program to improve the standard of nursing care and to upgrade the skills of the nursing staff, with an emphasis on rehabilitation, post-procedure community nursing and use of modern techniques and facilities.  The focus of training programs should be on- the-job skills.

The volunteer(s) will be living in apartments at the hospital, which is located near the centre of Liuzhou, a city of about 655,000 people.  The climate is sub-tropical with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in July.  

Essential Skills: Volunteer(s) should be RNs with at least five years working experience in either medical or surgical specialties. Training experience is essential. Additional experience in a CCU or on rehabilitation with post-MI patients would be particularly valuable, as this is an area that the hospital has identified for improvement. 

Community Health Advisor - India

Location of Placement: Midnapore, West Bengal

Length of Placement: 2 years

This placement has been requested by the Child and Social Welfare Society, a grassroots-level organization with a vision to assist marginalized people.  The volunteer will work to reduce mortality rates among children and women by encouraging preventative and positive health care.  Family counseling, community awareness, regular health check-ups of children and mothers are also major components of the work. The volunteer will be working with traditional birth attendants and local health workers. 

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include:

• training health coordinators to manage the health program
• training village-level workers in community health, health education, reproductive and child health
• developing education material, including designing a manual for health workers
• establishing a framework for data that can provide a district profile that would be helpful in advocacy work

The volunteer will be living and working in a rural community about 150 km from Calcutta. Accommodation is on the campus of the main office where several staff also stay.  The volunteer will have an excellent opportunity to become part of the local community.

Essential Skills: Qualified and experienced RN with some experience in community health work, health education or midwifery. As the placement will be in a rural setting, the volunteer will need to develop strategies to cope with isolation.

Speech and Language Therapist - Kenya

Location of Placement: Mombassa, Kenya

Length of Placement: 2 years

The Mombassa Municipal Education Office has requested a Speech/Language Therapist to build the professional capabilities and skills of the teaching staff of the Educational Assessment Resource office, located on Mombassa Island. 

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include: 

• developing and delivering a professional training program for colleagues who work directly with schoolchildren with physical and mental disabilities
• working directly with families and care-providers to share techniques and knowledge
• raising community awareness about communication disorders
• assessing children's needs in terms of communication skills

The volunteer will be based in Mombassa, on the coast of Kenya. Mombassa is Kenya's second largest city, and has a depth of history and strong sense of community. There are several recreational facilities and good shopping available.

Essential Skills:  4-year degree or diploma in Speech Therapy or Speech/Language Pathology, with a minimum of two years experience, preferably working with children with disabilities. The volunteer will also need highly developed team-working skills, the ability to transfer techniques and a willingness to learn.

Psychiatric Nurse Trainer - Albania

Location of Placement: Tirana, Albania

Length of Placement: 1 year

This placement is with the Joshua Trauma Centre, an organization established during the war in Kosovo to work with refugees in Kosovo and Albania.  The placement will involve work with about 50 clients, mostly refugees from the conflict. 

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include:

• assisting staff at the Centre (and possibly the regional psychiatric hospital) to develop community mental health services through seminars, practical and individual work. This will be the main emphasis of the volunteer's work.

• working with clients to assist them in understanding and managing mental illness

• developing support materials for community psychiatric services

The placement is located in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Tirana is the centre of social life, politics and the economy of the country, with a population of 750,000. Accommodation will be provided in the form of an apartment. Water and electricity supplies are erratic, though the times of power and water cuts are regular and people plan around them.

Essential Skills: RPN or relevant qualification as a mental health worker. Experience working with psychiatric patients and their families in a community setting is essential. Some experience working with or in voluntary sector organizations would be beneficial.

Physiotherapist - Indonesia

Location of Placement: Lembata, Indonesia
Length of Placement: 2 years

The Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre in Lembata, Indonesia requests a qualified and experienced Physiotherapist to improve its care provision. This placement supports VSO's aim to reduce the incidence of preventable illness and disability and maximize the life potential of those affected by illness in Indonesia.

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include:

• to work to improve the quality of existing physiotherapy programs at the centre. This will involve working with the head of the centre and three core staff and will include provision of on-the-job training and advice
• working to develop a more community-based approach to the centre's rehabilitation program
• coordination and implementation of training courses and workshops for staff of local government health centres who are also involved in the treatment and care of people with leprosy
• working with local staff and the district health department to initiate a community education program that aims to raise awareness and understanding about leprosy and reduce the ignorance and stigma surrounding the condition.

The volunteer will be provided with a room and private bathroom on the grounds of the rehabilitation centre. The centre is located in the village of Flores, a traditional Indonesian community with stunning beaches.

Essential Skills: Qualified physiotherapist with community-based experience. Training experience would be beneficial. It is also necessary that the volunteer have the ability to adapt to local circumstances both culturally and professionally. Flexibility, patience and tact are essential personal qualities for a volunteer.

Health Care Administration Advisor - Cambodia

Location of Placement: Pursat, Cambodia

Length of Placement: 2 years

This placement involves working on a World Health Organization (WHO) project to improve service provision at hospitals in Cambodia. 

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include:

• working with the hospital management committee to improve the utilization of resources
• strengthening the hospital management team to build on current strengths and increase community participation
• working with the hospital management to write and evaluate annual and mid-term plans
• working with the hospital management team to monitor and evaluate finance plans

The volunteer will live and work in Pursat, a small city located about 190 km north-west of Phnom Penh.  The volunteer's accommodation will be a large wooden house with one, two, or three bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom.

Essential Skills: Appropriate qualification in Hospital Administration or Management is required, with at least three years of experience in a managerial capacity. A clinical background would be an advantage. In addition, the volunteer must be adept at being effective in a bureaucratic health system, and will need to be self-motivated and creative.

Nutritionist - Indonesia

Location of Placement: Sumba, Indonesia

Length of Placement: 2 years

RSU Waikabubak is described by its director as "A Hospital Without Walls",  one which encourages outreach work in local communities.  The hospital has requested a nutritionist to work alongside the doctors, nurses, midwives and other health workers at selected community health centres, to promote sound nutritional practices. 

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include: 

• conducting training sessions on family nutrition (focusing on women and children) for staff at the health centres
• producing educational materials to accompany training sessions. 
• in cooperation with village midwives, the volunteer will also establish and coordinate groups for malnourished children, and write funding proposals for community-led, sustainable projects aimed at increasing the nutritional status of women and children.

Sumba is one of the smaller islands in Indonesia, with a population of about 500,000.  The health status of women and children on Sumba is low, and the aim of this placement is to reduce the incidence of preventable illnesses and disabilities, particularly for vulnerable women and children.

Accommodation will be provided in the form of a self-contained 2-bedroom house with a kitchen, bathroom and living room. There are currently five other VSO volunteers on the island of Sumba.

Essential Skills: Graduate or Post Graduate degree in nutrition and/or dietetics, with experience in a community-based setting. Experience producing educational materials would be an asset. It is also important for the volunteer to have thorough knowledge of the dietetic treatment of malnutrition in children including maramus/kwashiorkor, people with diabetes, people with anemia and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Occupational Therapist - Russia

Location of Placement: Moscow, Russia

Length of Placement: 1 year

Downside Up, an non-profit organization that helps develop the skills of parents of children with Down syndrome, has requested an Occupational Therapist to improve therapy programs offered by the organization. Downside UP is developing a new model for care of children with disabilities in Russia.  This model aims at early intervention and daycare.  

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include: 

• providing training in care for a Down syndrome child to parents
• training staff in occupational therapy practice
• working as part of a team to develop the Centre

The placement is located in Moscow, the capital of Russia and a sprawling city of 10 million.  The volunteer will live in a one-bedroom apartment with a telephone, electric stove, running hot water and central heating. 

Essential Skills: A skilled occupational therapist with experience in working with children with physical/learning disabilities

Pharmacist - Tanzania

Location of Placement: Mwanza, Tanzania

Length of Placement: 2 years

This placement presents an opportunity for a volunteer to assist with the provision of good quality healthcare for rural people, helping them achieve a better quality of life.

The Sengerema Hospital requests a volunteer Pharmacist to undertake the following Key Responsibilities:

• management and organization of hospital pharmacy and staff
• organization of inventory policy and ordering of pharmacy supplies
• delivery of practical training on correct pharmacy and administrative procedures to local staff
• attendance at hospital board meetings
• assistance in the development of a hospital prescription policy
• regular teaching sessions for medical staff. 

The volunteer will be provided with a 2-bedroom house on the hospital grounds.  There is a water reserve tank at the rear of the house to collect rain water for domestic consumption.

Essential Skills: The volunteer must be a qualified Pharmacist with at least two years post-qualification experience. Experience in clinical pharmacology would be considered an asset though it is not essential.  Staff management experience would be an asset.

Physician - Malawi

Location of Placement: Blantyre, Malawi

Length of Placement: 2 years

The Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre requests a qualified and experience physician to develop its care and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS.  Southern Africa is the region currently most severely affected by AIDS in the world. 

Key Responsibilities of the volunteer include:

• working with colleagues to identify and implement appropriate HIV/AIDS-related activities
• participation in ward rounds, admissions and clinical procedures
• participation in the review and management of special cases on the ward and the pediatric clinic
• diagnosis and management of childhood illness

The volunteer will live and work in Blantyre, in the southern region of Malawi.  There is a VSO Physiotherapist and a VSO Dental Surgeon  also working with the hospital. A house with running water and electricity will be provided.

Essential Skills: MD, MRCP. The volunteer will deal with a wide range of people of differing backgrounds, which requires flexibility and tolerance. S/he should have good interpersonal skills and patience.

Medical Technologist Trainer - Namibia

Location of Placement: Windhoek, Namibia

Length of Placement: 2 years

Windhoek Hospital has requested a Medical Technologist Trainer to prepare and deliver lectures and practical training for laboratory assistants and medical laboratory technicians.  The course will be presented on a distance-learning basis as the trainees are indispensable in the primary health care laboratories in rural areas of the country. To facilitate their work, the volunteer would visit designated training sites in the country on a regular basis.

The volunteer would be based in Windhoek, the capital, but will be traveling extensively around the country. 

Essential Skills: A degree or diploma in Medical Technology, preferably in the discipline of Clinical Pathology. Registration as a medical technologist with the relevant professional body is also a requirement.  The volunteer will ideally have experience in teaching laboratory workers in a practical setting. Volunteers require a high degree of professional self-sufficiency, as support and materials may not be readily available. 

 

 

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