Information for volunteer paediatric trainees

We welcome volunteer trainees (registrars or residents) to come and work in QECH and the College of Medicine. The following should provide you with all you need to know to take your application further.

How much experience should I have before I come?

For most trainees coming from a well-resourced country, work in Malawi is something of a culture shock. You will see many children with malaria, severe dehydration, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia and meningitis.  Many of these are malnourished. Many of our inpatients are extremely sick and inpatient mortality is about 5%. Therefore, the more experience you have of seeing and managing sick children, the better. Most of our volunteers come at the ST4-6 stage of UK training, residency years 3 in USA, years 4-5 in continental European programs.  We do take less experienced trainees, but they must be prepared to come for longer periods of time. Doing a DTMH course is also extremely useful.

How long should I come for?

You will be seeing conditions you have never seen before and managing them without the diagnostic resources you are used to.  In addition, most of your practice will be in Chichewa! Volunteers need at least a few weeks of orientation before they are able to go on-call etc. We therefore expect volunteers to commit to spending at least 6 months with us. If you have just finished internship (finished FY2 or the early ST1-2 years of UK training), or are in the early years of training, you should commit for 9-12 months. We do make occasional exceptions to this – please contact Dr Kennedy (nkennedy@medcol.mw)

What will I be doing?

You will be allocated on a rotational basis to work on one of our wards – general paediatrics, malnutrition unit, neonatal, paediatric Accident and Emergency. After morning handover, ward-work takes up most of each morning.

You will also be allocated to work in the Family antiretroviral clinic, cardiac clinic, general paediatric clinic, neurology, malnutrition and TB clinics.

On call is usually 1 in 7. It is non-residential, but you will be on-site until about 10pm.

We have 40 medical students attached to our department in both the Blantyre and Lilongwe campus, at any one time. Most trainees will be involved in bedside teaching, lecturing and examination of undergraduate students. This is perhaps one of the most useful things you will do during your time here!

What should I read before I come?

Useful books are:

·       Lecture Notes in Tropical Medicine (Bell, D)

·       WHO Pocket Guide to management of sick children in a low-resource setting (available 

International Child Health Review Collaboration)

We have an excellent library which you can use while here.

Can I count my time in Malawi towards training?

This obviously depends on where you are being trained. We have had trainees from the UK, USA, the Netherlands and Australia all complete part of their registered training with us. The VSO RCPCH scheme offers a way (http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/Training/International-Training-Opportunities/Voluntary-Service-Overseas) for UK trainees to do one of their years overseas. If you are thinking of an OOPE / OOPT here in Malawi, then you are advised to discuss this with your deanery well in advance (at least 6 months before coming)

How do I apply?

First write to Dr Kennedy (nkennedy@medcol.mw) explaining who you are and when and for how long you want to come in a formal application letter. If your dates are flexible, please let us know as  there is a limit to the number of overseas registrars we can host at any one time. If we decide to take things further, then send (1) your CV (2) a copy of your medical license / certificate, (3) a letter of good standing from your Medical Council (4) email addresses for 3 referees.  (5) Notarised copies of certificates (can be sent as scanned images / pdfs of your originals.

What about registration in Malawi?

You will need to register with the Malawi Medical Council – costs about $250. This can be organised when you arrive. You will need to bring notarised copies of your degree certificate with you to Malawi, and a certificate of good standing with your local council (the GMC sends these direct to the MMC by email).

Will I be paid? How much will it cost? Where will I stay?

Unfortunately no! We can offer a great clinical experience, but no money! VSO operate a scheme with the RCPCH whereby trainees get a small stipend when they are here for a year. The Beit Trust also provides small bursaries to help with travel etc. 

Accommodation costs – budget for about $15 a day initially. The costs reduce if you can find a house to rent. Buying a small vehicle here is not cheap – about £2500-3000 will get you something 10 years old and in reasonable running order!

We cannot offer accommodation, but most volunteers start out at one of the clean but cheaper guest houses. Kabula Lodge (http://www.kabulalodge.co.mw/) is popular for Blantyre volunteers.