Cardiologist

EMERGENCY is an independent and neutral international organisation founded in 1994 to provide free, high-quality medical and surgical care to victims of war, landmines and poverty.

EMERGENCY promotes a culture of peace, solidarity and respect for human rights. We work in a sustainable way: building healthcare facilities, training local personnel, and conducting search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea.

ROSTER POSITION FOR: Sudan

TYPE OF CONTRACT: fixed term contract (6 months), which includes a monthly salary, travel expenses, board and lodgings, insurance cover (liability, health and accident insurance), a period of paid leave to be taken at the end of the mission.

The Cardiologist is capable of an autonomous diagnosis and care of patients affected by cardiac pathologies requiring surgical intervention.

BACKGROUND AND ORGANISATION OF WORK

The Cardiologist will work as part of a team of international specialists – experts or in training – organising and directing the training of the local medical and health care staff in his/her area of responsibility, in collaboration with the international colleagues and the Medical Coordinator of the project. Some international resident physicians (Cardiology) may be present to support clinical activity or research.

The Cardiologist is responsible to the Medical Coordinator, who is in charge of the management and organisation of the project.

The Centre has the capacity to carry out up to 5-6 operations per day, as well as managing possible hospital emergencies. The number of specialists working alongside the Resident Physicians and local staff is variable; the workload is distributed in such a way as to guarantee patient care 24/7, with shifts and/or on-call duty including nights and holidays.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All EMERGENCY international personnel are expected to know and follow the hospital admissions criteria, guidelines, protocols, and the diagnosis and treatment standards in use in the Centre, and to ensure the correct compilation of clinical records and statistics in both computer and paper formats.

Considering the variety of specialist cardiac procedures it is not expected that any individual cardiologist will be experienced in all areas of activity. These are:

• AHD — Acquired Heart Disease;
• CHD — Congenital Heart Diseases;
• Clinical Cardiology;
• Echocardiography (transthoracic and transoesophageal);
• Cath Lab.

The main duties and responsibilities of the international Cardiologist are:

• diagnosis and prescription of the most appropriate care pathway;
• presentation of clinical cases to cardiac surgeon and cardiac anaesthetist colleagues for discussion and evaluation of indications for surgery;
• treatment and management of patients pre-operatively and in the post-operative recovery period, including in the immediate post-operative period (day 1 post-op);
• diagnostic procedures (electrocardiography, echocardiography, Cath Lab) during the patients’ stay;
• responsibility for the follow-up of patients who have been operated;
• management and monitoring of anticoagulant therapy if prescribed;
• mentoring of resident physicians (where present);
• assisting in clinical research and record keeping as required by the scientific programmes of the specialist sector of the Medical Division of EMERGENCY.

MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING OF LOCAL PERSONNEL

Clinical activities and patient care are always carried out alongside and in collaboration with local personnel, who thus benefit from training in the field. There is also provision for more specific teaching activities, managed by the international specialists, in accordance with the clinical protocols in use and as agreed with the Medical Coordinator.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

• Medical Degree, and current professional registration on the medical register of your Country of residence;
• specialisation in Cardiology or Diseases of the Cardiovascular System;
• hospital experience in one or more Cardiovascular departments (e.g. Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, Cardiac ICU, Cardiac HDU, Coronary Care Unit, Cath Lab).

REQUIRED AVAILABILITY

6 months overseas stay including a period of leave to be taken at the end of the mission in agreement with the coordinator.