American International Health Alliance Jobs in Ethiopia

American International Health Alliance Pre-clinical and Clinical Medical Instructors Jobs in Ethiopia

Scope of work
Below is a basic Scope of Work, which will be modified and improved based on one’s field of expertise and host site.

Country: Ethiopia
Host site: Medical Education Initiative Medical Schools
Partner organization: AIHA/Ethiopia
Assignment title: Medical Instructor (pre-clinical and clinical instructor)
Length of assignment: 6 months-1 year

Overview of volunteer assignment
Ethiopia, like other countries with limited resources, suffers from a significant human resources for health
(HRH) shortage. With a current physician ratio of less than one per every 25,000 people, Ethiopia is in the
process of rapidly scaling up its number of physicians.

Medical education in Ethiopia has traditionally been
taught with limited integration between the basic and clinical sciences; insufficient attention to teaching
communication skills, problem-solving skills, and social aspects of health; and an overload of biomedical
detail. In an effort to remedy these deficiencies, Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), in
collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education (FMOE) and other partners, has developed strategies
to address its health workforce challenges by introducing the Medical Education Initiative (MEI).

MEI seeks to transform the traditional medical curriculum to modular, integrated curriculum with an
emphasis on building critical thinking capacity of medical students and supporting experiential and
collaborative learning through information technology. The use of information technology such as skills labs
and medical simulations are important features of the new curriculum.

In addition, the new medical curriculum adopts alternative teaching and learning strategies that challenge students to become self directed
learners fully capable of seeking and implementing evidence-based research and guidance in the
clinical decision-making process. In addition to revamping the medical education curriculum, the FMOH
has also undertaken the aggressive expansion of higher education by opening 13 new medical schools.

However, many of these newly opened schools face significant challenges, including a shortage of qualified
instructors and educators, insufficient infrastructure, and a lack of learning resources — particularly those
that focus on problem-based learning (PBL), professional competency development (PCD), and social and
population health (SPH).

The American International Health Alliance (AIHA) is working closely with the FMOH to improve medical
education by actively recruiting both Ethiopian Diaspora and expatriate physicians through our Volunteer
Healthcare Corps (VHC).
We are seeking volunteers to support the Ministry’s MEI by teaching courses in
basic sciences, including biochemistry, immunobiology and virology, pharmacology, medical physiology,
medical ethics, neuroscience, public health, pathology, general and systematic anatomy, as well as by
providing hands-on clinical instruction and mentoring.

In addition, volunteers will play a role in institutional
development and support activities, such as providing training to local faculty on curriculum and learning
materials development, evaluation of MEI medical schools, and advising/consulting of the Health Science
Education Development Center (HSEDC). Current needs focus on pre-clinical sciences therefore our
priority is to identify and place candidates with multifunctional expertise to help educate Ethiopia’s next
generation of doctors.

In-country Placement Site:
The volunteer will be assigned to one of the 13 new medical colleges throughout Ethiopia. The placement
will be decided based on individual need for experts in a particular discipline as identified by a gap
assessment.

Length of Assignment: 6 months-1 year (8 hours per day; 5 days per week)
Name and Title of Supervisor: TBD (Supervisor at Medical School)
Name and Title of Counterpart: TBD (Local Instructor)

Volunteer Qualifications:
Required:
• Medical doctor, GPs (specialists and sub-specialists), PhD/MS in biological sciences
(anatomy, histology, biochemistry, physiology, neuroscience, etc.) and MS in nursing
• More than two years lecturing or mentoring at the undergraduate/postgraduate level
• Familiarity with the modular approach to medical education and its implementation
• Experience in implementation of collaborative research
• Proven ability and track record of delivering tasks within the expected timeframe
• Proficient knowledge of relevant literature and journal search engines/databases
• Experience in effective teaching and preparation of teaching materials
• Experience in student assessment

Preferred:
• Self-motivated, with the ability to take initiative to identify needs and address them effectively
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team
• Familiarity with Ethiopian healthcare context
• Previous experience working in low-resource settings
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to develop cooperative working
relationships
• Experience in postgraduate coordination

Objective of the volunteer assignment
Volunteers involved with MEI will be deployed to one of 13 new medical schools in Ethiopia as crucial
medical instructors both teaching and advising students and fellow staff. Through a modular-integrated
curriculum approach to medical education, pre-clinical instructor volunteers will teach medical students
basic sciences such as microbiology, anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology, or a topic in their field of
expertise.

Clinical volunteer medical educators will support clinical training at the associated teaching
hospitals by strengthening clinical teaching and student acquisition of professional competencies and skills.
Thus, students will be able to connect classroom learning with problem-based skills lab activities. On a
wider scale, volunteers will also help to review and edit the revised MEI curriculum.

Activities of the volunteer assignment
Volunteer Activities:
• Pre-clinical volunteers will engage in teaching medical students on the topic of their particular
expertise in basic sciences as stated in the MEI curriculum and participate in the following
teaching responsibilities:
o Contribute to curriculum development for basic sciences modules and lectures
o Develop teaching and learning materials
o Prepare, proctor, and grade student examinations
• Clinical volunteers will engage in the clinical training of third- and fourth-year medical
students; supervise and precept students at their clinical attachments in clinics and district
hospitals; work with university dean, department head, academic vice president, and clinical
and pre-clinical coordinator to evaluate the academic strengths and weakness of the
institution and develop a plan for sustainable improvements
• Volunteers will assist with improving national capacity to conduct high-level research in
pertinent topics
• Volunteers will provide leadership in their area of expertise; introduce and/or enhance
evidence-based scientific information, technologies, and ideas within MEI institutions
• With AIHA support, volunteers will collaborate and coordinate with other VHC medical
instructors at MEI schools to share best practices and lessons learned to ensure optimal
efficiencies and continuous quality improvement.

Volunteer assignment deliverables
AIHA Deliverables:
• Completed volunteer work plan, including a “SMART” objective(s), expected outcomes,
activities, a timeline for completion, and output indicators, if applicable
• Quarterly progress reports, which mirror the volunteer work plan, to track progress toward
assignment objectives, key accomplishments, challenges, and steps taken to address these
challenges (submitted to both AIHA and the host institution)
• Final cumulative report
• Final volunteer survey (10 questions) and end-of-placement interview

Additional Deliverables:
• Prepared teaching package, including but not be limited to:
o Teaching materials, presentation slides, notes, modules, manuals, and course
outlines to provide structure and standardization to the medical curriculum
o Videos of lecture series for particular modules (this activity will be coordinated
and supported by AIHA)
• Other, as applicable

Responsibilities of participating stakeholders
Volunteer:
• Complete the Volunteer Assignment Action Plan within the first two weeks of placement;
complete the scope of work in the specified timeframe
VHC Scope of Work Template – Volunteer Assignment – Country Office (v. 2‐2015) 4
• Report challenges as they arise and collaborate with the host institution and AIHA to address
challenges in a timely manner
• Complete and submit all deliverables to AIHA and the host institution, including the final
survey after the volunteer assignment is completed

Host Institution:
• Identify a suitable site and assignment for the volunteer that ensures the sustainability of
his/her activities
• Provide necessary resources so the volunteer can successfully carry out his/her assignment
• Complete and submit final survey to AIHA after the volunteer assignment is completed

AIHAHIV/AIDS Twinning Center:
• Conduct pre-assignment orientation for volunteer and host institution staff
• Provide ongoing support to volunteer as needed
• Monitor volunteer’s progress toward achieving his/her objective(s); include data in quarterly
reports
• Administer final surveys and collect feedback from the volunteer and host institution after
volunteer assignment has been completed