Ever thought about working for MSF? Here's what you need to know

View from a helicopter delivering supplies to an MSF site in South Sudan. Credit: Dr Jennifer Hulse

By Dr Jennifer Hulse

Working for Médecins Sans Frontières in areas with some of the greatest need will challenge and sometimes shock you, but it will also show you the best of what humans are capable of.

Dr Jennifer Hulse is an NHS Emergency Medicine Doctor based in North Wales who has worked for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on eight different assignments since 2019, in countries including Ethiopia, Palestine, Sudan and Syria. She shares candid insights with Doctors.net.uk about what it’s like working for the organisation – both the challenges and rewards.

It’s a serious time commitment

There is no getting around this. For most doctors, it is expected that the first contract will be nine months. It sounds like a lot, but there are good reasons. The environment will likely be so different to what you’re used to, it takes time to adapt and understand the context, then even longer to effect meaningful quality improvement.