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  • USAID call for HCWs

    MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS
    If you are a qualified medical professional and want to volunteer to work in West Africa assisting those affected by the Ebola outbreak, please fill out the form embedded below to submit your contact information to USAID's Center for International Disaster Information.

    As part of a comprehensive and coordinated response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the CDC is developing an introductory safety training course for licensed clinicians intending to work in an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) in Africa.

    Please note that this form is for medical volunteers only. If you wish to contribute to organizations who are responding to the Ebola outbreak, you may choose an organization from the List of Non-Governmental Organizations Responding to Ebola.

    Ebola Health Sector Workers
    Experienced health sector workers interested in volunteering to help people affected by the West Africa Ebola outbreak are welcome to register below. Information submitted may be shared with nongovernmental organizations working in the West Africa region or with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Volunteers may be contacted to confirm their interest or for Ebola Health Care Safety training at the discretion of the training organization.

    For more information, please review the CDC?s Advice to Humanitarian Workers page.

    For questions about Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Disease and travel to West Africa during the outbreak, please review the CDC website or contact CDC Info: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)

    See link for form
    We’re sorry, we can’t find the page you're looking for. It might have been removed, changed its name, or is otherwise unavailable.If you typed the URL directly, check your spelling and capitalization. Our URLs look like this: www.usaid.gov/example-one
    Nika

  • #2
    Re: USAID call for HCWs

    Also MSF and UN. Short-term assignments. MD's, nurses and others.

    MSF
    MSF-USA offers career opportunities in our US offices as well as positions in the field. Learn more about the career opportunities currently available.


    UN


    and a CDC training course:

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: USAID call for HCWs

      The MSF criteria for workers is reasonable but I believe the number of physicians who meet this criteria is very small (I estimate less than 1,000 in USA)
      I would be surprised if there are 50 USA criteria qualified physicians who could leave within 30 days for a 2 month assignment.
      Most who are qualified and willing may have already gone.
      I add my comments on the criteria in bold

      NOTE ON STAFFING FOR THE EBOLA CRISIS:

      MSF-USA offers career opportunities in our US offices as well as positions in the field. Learn more about the career opportunities currently available.


      Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) is actively seeking medical personnel to assist with our response to the Ebola crisis is West Africa. Our most urgent needs are for physicians and nurses to work in our health structures, along with water and sanitation experts who have experience working with isolation wards and infection control.

      Due to the risks associated with this outbreak, medical professionals seeking to join our teams must have:

      experience working with highly contagious diseases and in isolation wards with PPE (personal protective equipment) - yes
      experience with patient care, infection control measures, and proper safety practices inside isolation areas - yes
      availability of 6-8 weeks for a field assignment - fewer
      willingness to treat patients in West Africa - fewer
      willingness to work under the terms and conditions of field employment with MSF-USA - FAR fewer
      experience working with viral hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola or Marburg is preferred - greatly far fewer
      A different set of criteria with new paradigms for training and implementation may be necessary. For example take the willing physicians into a screening 2 day regional boot camp state side and then those who pass go to a centralized boot camp [simulated field environment] for a week or so then deploy to the countries. It is far easier to train infection control and management of sick patients than it is to instill resilience and psychological endurance. In my opinion the latter is the more important criteria. Those characteristic cannot be assumed from history or absence of experience but must be tested each situation.
      JT
      Thought has a dual purpose in ethics: to affirm life, and to lead from ethical impulses to a rational course of action - Teaching Reverence for Life -Albert Schweitzer. JT

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: USAID call for HCWs

        JT
        Couldn't agree more. If they want more of a response, despite concerns about safety, from employers, families, etc etc etc. they have to make training swift, comprehensive and uniform could they also consider those "outside" their parameters (eg LVN's, paramedics, former military medics, healthy retired people) who are willing and able.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: USAID call for HCWs

          The CDC has started the short "boot camp" for HCW.


          Ebola, Ebola outbreak, Guinea, Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, Guékédou, Macenta, Nzerekore, Kissidougou


          I added bold highlights for emphasis

          Criteria for Admission to CDC's Safety Training Course for Healthcare Workers Going to West Africa in Response to the 2014 Ebola Outbreak
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          Participants should understand:
          This course is intended to provide training that will help prepare healthcare personnel (HCP) to provide medical care to Ebola patients in an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) that has been established and is staffed by M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) personnel, or in a facility that maintains MSF-level standards of care, or in an ETU established and staffed by World Health Organization (WHO) personnel.

          This course is intended to be the first stage of a more comprehensive training process, which includes some level of in-country mentorship by experienced and trained personnel prior to working independently delivering healthcare in an affected area. Additional on-site training in an MSF-level ETU (i.e., chaperoning and coaching) is strongly recommended upon completion of this course.

          That providing care or conducting activities in other ETUs (e.g., a non-MSF Ebola treatment center or a general hospital) may not offer the same level of engineering and/or administrative infection control measures that an MSF-ETU provides. This course may not provide sufficient training to work safely in such environments.

          That although the course is intended to provide training on how to protect oneself against Ebola infection while providing medical care to Ebola patients, this training will not eliminate the risk of healthcare-associated Ebola transmission or community transmission of Ebola.

          This course is designed to instruct practitioners on how to protect themselves while providing basic clinical care to Ebola patients. This course will not provide general medical training or instruction on advanced medical topics. Participants should have the ability to provide general medical care (i.e., ?basic hospital care?) prior to taking the course.

          That some components of the course will require physical activity while wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate for an MSF ETU. Participants should not have physical or medical conditions that may preclude participating in these activities.

          If demand for the course is high, preference for admission may be given to participants intending to deploy immediately upon completion of the course.

          Participants should be:
          Intending to deploy urgently in response to the current Ebola outbreak to provide clinical care to Ebola patients outside the United States.

          Currently licensed by a recognized professional agency to provide clinical care in some jurisdiction (e.g., hold a medical license to provide care in a state in the United States) and have recent (current or within the past 2 years) relevant experience providing direct care to patients. Participants should be licensed medical doctors (MD, DO degrees), licensed nurses (RN, BSN, LPN, etc.), or other licensed clinical care providers (e.g., paramedics, physician assistants, and other clinical providers).

          Affiliated with some group (i.e, an NGO or government group) so they can deploy in association with that group to areas affected by the outbreak.

          Participant logistics:

          The 3-day course will run weekly, usually Monday thru Wednesday. Participants should plan to arrive at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, GA, on the day prior to the start of the course. Ground transportation to the training facility will depart from the airport promptly at 5 pm. Participants should plan to arrive well in advance, because ground transportation cannot wait for delayed flights. Participants will be transported back to the airport on the Thursday morning after the course ends arriving by 10 am. Attendees will be responsible for travel to and from Atlanta, GA; travel to and from the training site will be provided. The course will be held at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, AL, a 90-minute drive from Atlanta, GA (http://cdp.dhs.gov/).

          On-site, ?hands-on? training is a mandatory component of the course, and participants will be required to attend in-person

          JT
          Thought has a dual purpose in ethics: to affirm life, and to lead from ethical impulses to a rational course of action - Teaching Reverence for Life -Albert Schweitzer. JT

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