If you are accepted into our staff pool, there are some preparatory courses you need to attend. Some courses are mandatory for all staff while others are specific to certain professional profiles.
Pre-departure training
If you are accepted as international mobile staff, you will need some courses to be well-prepared for an assignment.
Induction days
All new office and internationally mobile staff are offered two induction days at the Swedish office where they are introduced to MSF as an organization and to humanitarian work.
Global Induction
Prior to their departure, international mobile staff undergo a preparatory training organized by MSF. The course is one week long and is offered about seven times a year. In addition, there is a week of preparatory training for specific technical areas such as supply, logistics, HR and finance. This course is compulsory and costs are covered by MSF.
Preparatory courses for medical staff
A preparatory course in humanitarian health assistance is mandatory to work as medical staff in MSF projects. Exceptions are made for surgical, anesthesia and obstetric personnel. Below is a list of courses that have been validated for medical work with MSF.
The courses we refer to all include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Global health
- Communicable and non-communicable diseases
- Maternal and Child health
- Mental health
- Health in Emergencies
The following courses are validated by MSF:
- Health Assistance in Humanitarian Crisis, Karolinska Institutet. On site in Stockholm annually, 12 ETCS. For recruited MSF medical staff. No upcoming dates.
- Public Health Response in Disasters, Karolinska Institutet. On site in Stockholm twice a year, 20 ECTS.
- International Health, University of Copenhagen. On site in Copenhagen annually, 3 weeks full time.
- Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerpen. On site in Antwerpen annually, 30 ETCS full time. For medical doctors.
- Tropical Medicine for Bachelors in Nursing and Midwifery, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen. On site in Antwerpen annually, 20 ETCS full time. For nurses and midwifes.
- The Global Health and Humanitarian Medicine (GHHM) course. Hybrid London/online annually, 10 months part-time. For medical doctors.
- Professional Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. On site London annually, 3 months full-time. For medical doctors.
- Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. On site Liverpool annually, 13 weeks full-time. For medical doctors.
Should you find a course that is not on this list and have questions about whether it meets the requirements, please get in touch with tove.eriksson@stockholm.msf.org
For all preparatory courses, the individual staff is responsible for travel and living expenses.
After your assignment
Working with MSF is more than a job. Hopefully the commitment will not end when you finished the assignment! When arriving back home you will meet with your development advisor in Stockholm to debrief your assignment. You will aslo meet with our psychosocial focal point to talk about your experiences during your assignment.
Thereafter we will start to plan for your next assignment. After your first assignment, you have knowledge and experience that is very valuable and we would like you to take on more assignments. With experience, you can also get coordination posts with greater responsibility, something that is important for us in order to maintain the quality of our operations.
Once at home, you can participate in a variety of relevant activities and be part of an active association. The Swedish section of MSF is structured as a non-profit organization that aims to increase knowledge and awareness in Sweden about important humanitarian issues through information and advocacy at home. You can join the association after 6 months of international programme work or two shorter assignments.
