Anaesthetist Nurse at Medecins Sans Frontieres

Main Purpose

• Provide all anaesthetic medical activities (pre-anaesthesia evaluation, administration of anaesthesia, recovery period, specific pharmacy, equipment, general organization, etc.), according to MSF policies, protocols and universal hygiene standards, in order to ensure the quality of pre, during and post-operative care of patients.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Assisting the doctor in the consultations to patients due for surgery: evaluating the risks of operating (in collaboration with the surgeon), obtaining patient’s written authorization for their operation, providing patients with appropriate information on their illness and treatments, and deciding on what type of anaesthetics to be used in order to collaborate in setting everything up before surgery
• According to set procedures, carrying out all nursing anaesthetics related activities during surgery in order to collaborate in patient's adequate anaesthetized state and safety during the process. Preparing the drugs, material, and equipment required for the surgery. Monitoring patients throughout the whole intervention and administering and maintaining anaesthetics following the rules of hygiene and asepsis in force.
• Assisting the doctor in providing post-operative care, including immediate post-operative surveillance in the recovery room and special patients present in the intensive care unit, in order to adapt the prescriptions during the stabilization and recovery process. Performing consultation rounds with the Surgeon Doctor once or twice a day, discussing therapeutic orientations with the department manager, renewing prescriptions and ensuring they are followed and systematically evaluating patients' pain to adapt prescriptions and/or therapies for their relief.
• Respects, promotes and ensures medical confidentiality.
• Perform cleaning and minor maintenance for biomedical equipment used. Follow user manual and protocols and alert supervisor in case of malfunctioning of any device. List item
• Implements and follows hygiene rules, procedures and protocols at all times as well as look after the integrity of anaesthesia material (decontamination, sterilisation, storage conditions, etc.) in order to ensure the safety and protection of patients and other staff. Knows accidental blood exposure policy and procedure and implements them when necessary.
• Carries out all pharmacy related activities (stock control, station's re-stocking, inventories, expired drugs, etc.) and other equipment of anaesthetic ward, doing special follow-up of narcotics and sedatives (register, consumptions, empty phials, etc.), ensuring enough stock-up and the good functioning to carry-out the medical activities. Draws up pharmacy orders according to needs.
• Collaborates with other departments and supports other medical services in order to support the overall MSF project with his/her expertise and capabilities. Trains other medical staff when applicable and works particularly in close collaboration with the accident and emergency department and the midwifery and obstetrics team in the maternity department (especially to resuscitate new-borns).
• Carries out administrative procedures and documents (fill in of patient’s files, forms, statistics, data base, etc.), in order to have updated and correct information about the day-to-day activities.
• In collaboration with the Surgeon Doctor, carries out quantitative surgical-anaesthesia data collection, draws up and sends out reports for the monthly follow up of peri-surgical mortality and for the quality of anaesthesia/pain management and informs the direct supervisor immediately in the event of medical error

MSF Section / Context Specific Accountabilities

• Carry-out all nursing anaesthetics related activities during surgery, according to the procedures set before-hand by the doctor anaesthetist (if any), in order to collaborate in patient’s adequate anaesthetized state and safety during the process.
• Preparing beforehand the drugs, material, and equipment required.
• Administering and maintains anaesthetics following the rules of hygiene and asepsis in force.
• Monitoring patients throughout the whole intervention.
• Assist the doctor anaesthetist, and together with the OT nurses, in providing post-operative care, including immediate post-operative surveillance in the recovery room (ensuring patient’s recovery of consciousness and setting analgesic protocol) and special patients present in the intensive care unit, in order to adapt the prescriptions (hydric resuscitation, anti-biotherapies, analgesics), with special focus on patient’s pain relief, during the stabilization and recovery process.
• In the absence of a doctor anaesthetist, do round consultations with the Surgeon Doctor once or twice a day, discussing therapeutic orientations with the department manager, renewing prescriptions and ensuring they are followed and systematically evaluating patients’ pain to adapt prescriptions and/or therapies for their relief. .
• Carry out all pharmacy related activities (stock control, station’s re-stocking, inventories, expired drugs, etc.) and other equipment of anaesthetic ward, doing special follow-up of narcotics and sedatives (register, consumptions, empty vials, etc.), ensuring enough stock-up and the good functioning to carry-out the medical activities. Draw up pharmacy orders according to needs.
• Collaborate with other departments within the project (in support of other services when needed), in order to support the overall MSF project with his/her expertise and capabilities.
• In collaboration with the Surgeon Doctor, carry out quantitative surgical-anaesthesia data collection, draw up and send out reports for the monthly follow up of peri-surgical mortality and for the quality of anaesthesia/pain management and informs immediately the direct supervisor in the event of medical error.
• Supports other medical services whenever needed, and works particularly in close collaboration with the obstetrics team in the maternity department (especially to resuscitate new-borns).
• Is the reference person for pain problems within the recovery room.
• When applicable train other medical staff
• Attend mortality review sessions and medical meeting when available.

Minimum Required Skills and Qualifications

Education:

• Nursing Diploma with Specialisation as Anaesthetics Nurse is essential.

Experience:

• Essential: 1 -2 year of previous supervised work experience as an anesthetist nurse.
• Experience in MoH, MSF or other NGOs and /or developing countries is desirable.

Competencies:

• Essential English and Hausa
• Results, Teamwork, Flexibility, Commitment, Service.