Working in the Field

Thank you for your interest in working in the field with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Doctors Without Borders recruits medical and non-medical personnel to provide medical care to people in crisis in nearly 60 countries worldwide. If selected for our pool of field aid workers, you will join a group of professionals who deliver lifesaving treatment to many of the most vulnerable people in the world–victims of conflict, refugees, internally displaced persons, and people living with diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

MSF seeks individuals who go beyond the minimum essential requirements and embody the principles of independent humanitarian aid. The MSF recruitment process is competitive, and the organization recruits only individuals in the capacities listed here.

DO YOU SPEAK FRENCH?

Doctors Without Borders is in urgent need of field staff to provide assistance for MSF programs in French-speaking countries such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Haiti. Prospective volunteers for these countries need to be able to hold a conversation comfortably in French.

Basic requirements for joining MSF in the field:

At least two years of professional experience
Physicians: Availability for a minimum of six months (with the exception of surgeons and anesthesiologists, who may be accepted for shorter assignments)
All other professions: Availability for a minimum of 6 to 12 months, with preference for those available for 9 to 12 months
Flexibility
No recent gap in clinical experience greater than two years
Language skills are considered a major asset
Relevant travel or work outside the United States

Below is a list of the personnel that MSF recruits, click on a profession to learn more:

Medical Personnel

The medical staff composition of each program can vary greatly and is determined by the coordination teams at MSF headquarters together with coordinators in the field.

Non-medical Personnel

Although MSF is an emergency medical organization, it could never survive without its logistical, technical, and financial personnel. They are the backbone of every MSF aid program.

Click here for a list of professions that MSF does not currently recruit.

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This site is maintained by the U.S. section of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care.
© 2008 MSF All rights reserved.