- Job Title: Anesthesia Technician
- Reports to: Head of Medical Services
- Location: Kigutu, Burundi
Background
Village Health Works (VHW) is a joint American-Burundian NGO based in Kigutu, Bururi Province whose mission is to provide quality, compassionate health care in a dignified environment while treating the root causes of illness, poverty, violence, and neglect in collaboration with those we serve. VHW’s approach integrates clinical services with education, food security, economic development, environmental protection, music and the arts.
Currently VHW engages in a wide array of clinical and community programs in a catchment area of over 200,000 people within the provinces of Rumonge and Bururi. Our clinic attends over 51,000 outpatient consultations per year. Our 60-bed low acuity inpatient wards provides basic adult and pediatric non-operative inpatient services including treatment of malnutrition, mental health, chronic and acute diseases and uncomplicated obstetrical deliveries. These services are administered by our staff of generalist physicians under the supervision of our Medical Director.
Village Health Works has embarked on an ambitious plan to expand our clinical care to provide comprehensive medical care including obstetrical and surgical services. To achieve this goal, VHW has constructed and is equipping a new 150-bed state of the art hospital with 4 operating rooms. Construction and installation of equipment will be completed in early 2023 with a projected clinical opening in the second half of 2023. To provide excellent care we must expand the scope and skills of our clinical staff through training, teaching, hiring and through the development and implementation of systems that are framed by high quality norms and standards. While this work is currently underway, there is much more required to open safely in the second half of 2023.
Position Overview
The Anesthesia technician is responsible for preparing patients for anesthesia, including physical assessment and preoperative teaching, administering anesthesia to a patient, maintaining anesthesia during an operation, and managing recovery from anesthesia. The ideal candidate is an outstanding clinician who is committed to delivering evidence based, resource appropriate care to our patients while taking the opportunity to share knowledge, skills and techniques with those around her/him while promoting a clinical culture of service excellence, teamwork and patient safety.
This position reports to the Head of the Anesthesia Department.
Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Care
- Perform and document the pre-anesthesia assessment and evaluation of the patient and obtain informed consent for anesthesia. Develops and implements an anesthesia care plan in conjunction with the Staff Physicians in the Department of Anesthesia.
- Review, request, and order laboratory/diagnostic studies
- Select, obtain, order, and administer pre-anesthetic medication or treatment.
- Select, obtain, prepare, and use equipment, and non-invasive monitors, supplies, and drugs for the administration of sedation, anesthesia, and pain management services; perform safety checks as needed.
- Select, order, obtain, and administer analgesic and anesthetic agents, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids, or blood products necessary to provide anesthesia services.
- Perform all aspects of airway management, including intubation.
- Facilitate emergence and recovery from anesthesia by evaluating patient response, and selecting, ordering, and administering medications, fluids, and airway support to maintain patient stability during transfer.
- Initiate and administer post-anesthesia pharmacological or fluid support of the cardiovascular system.
- Initiate and administer respiratory support to ensure adequate ventilation and oxygenation in the post-anesthesia period.
- Evaluate the patient’s response to anesthesia and surgery; take appropriate corrective action during the post-anesthesia period.
- Provide post-anesthesia follow up evaluation and care.
- Discharge the patient from the post-anesthesia care unit.
- Implement acute and chronic pain management modalities.
- Manage emergency situations by assessing, stabilizing, and determining disposition of patients, including providing airway management, administration of emergency drugs and fluids, and using basic and advanced cardiac life support techniques.
- Ensure that clinical plans are effectively and clearly communicated to care team and patient.
- Provide timely clinical documentation of care for all patients under department care and review for quality.
- Ensure inventory of equipment and surgical supply is done on an ongoing basis
Clinical Quality and Patient Safety
- Participant in monthly clinical meetings
- Support the integration of clinical evidence-based practices and “best practices”
- Attend and participate in regular morbidity and mortality review for medical services.
- Ensure quality of care by giving ongoing training to the multidisciplinary medical/paramedical team and providing technical advice
- Keep patients and families informed of the treatment to be followed, checking that they have understood
- Ensure that professional autonomy and confidentiality are respected, and demonstrate a good attitude and bedside manner towards patients and their caregivers
Professional Development/ Education and Training
- Provide ongoing bedside educational experiences for the core clinical team.
- Engage with medical education for rotating students and trainees.
- Seek professional education growth and maintains current licensure requirements for anesthesia practice.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
- Ability to perform clinically as an anesthetist in the facility setting on a regular basis.
- Ability to operate, use, and interpret data from a wide variety of equipment to perform anesthesia care as well as necessary perioperative or operating room care to support the safety and wellbeing of the patient while they are under the direct care of
- Effective verbal and written communication skills are required to effectively collaborate with various clinical staff and other disciplines.
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the patient population(s) served.
- Knowledge of infection prevention and control techniques
- Ability to maintain confidential records.
- Ability to implement and adhere to facility / MOH policies and protocols.
Requirements
- Diploma in Anesthesia Technology, or equivalent required.
- 3+ Years as an anesthesia technologist in a busy operating room.
- Experience in Obstetric and Pediatric anesthesia preferred.
- Experience in resource poor settings
- Critical Care experience preferred
- Fluency in English is required and fluency in French and Kirundi is preferred
- IT skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Strong team player
- Adaptable and able to work in a multicultural team
- Self-driven with a solution-orientated approach
Salary and Benefits
Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
How to apply
Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a CV and a thoughtful cover letter describing your experience and how it applies to this position along with 3 professional references to: jobs@villagehealthworks.org. Please include “Anesthesia Technician” in the subject line of your email.
- Village Health Works considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran or military status.
Closing date for applications: February 19th, 2023.
