Nursing abroad: Opportunities

Working for a development organisation can be demanding. NGOs need to provide staff to meet specific requirements, not to cater for individual needs.

A great many organisations exist which send personnel overseas to work on health related programmes in developing countries. This alone poses many questions as to why there is a need for development organisations and what role they serve within the countries they work.

Preparing for Voluntary Work

It is important to prepare well in advance for work overseas, especially if it is to be in a country with a very different health system, language and culture. Health facilities will not be the same as those you are used to in the UK and you may be the only health personnel for miles around. It is important not to have any false illusions or romantic ideas about voluntary work. The lifestyle can be arduous, living in poor accommodation in an inhospitable climate.

The time from your initial application to travelling overseas usually takes about a year. Use this time to prepare thoroughly. Many courses and workshops are available aimed at providing an insight into work in development. Your organisation may have it's own training programme.

Development Organisations

Since there are many development organisations which send nurses overseas, it is worth looking briefly at the varying work they do. There are two main areas in which agencies operate:

Emergency Support / Relief

This is the high profile end of the industry. It includes famine relief, emergency refugee camps and medical assistance. The main aim is to save lives and relieve suffering. A small number of agencies specialise in this area (e.g. MERLIN; MSF) whilst it forms a major part of some other organisations work (e.g. Save the Children Fund).

This work is highly specialised and organisations tend to recruit experienced and competent individuals who are able to work well under considerable pressure. Assignments tend to be short (3 to 12 months) and often with little advance notice. There is an increasing trend to train local health workers to carry out these emergency tasks and the number of foreign workers is likely to decline.

Long-term Development

This involves assisting in particular the poorer and traditionally less advantaged members of societies, to achieve fuller potential. This work can include training and support in agriculture, business, appropriate technology, education and health. Many countries already have the people who are needed to provide these services but lack money to be able to proceed. The role of the agency is to provide the funding required, along with some specialist workers for training local counterparts, if the appropriate skills are not already available locally. The result of these policies is that most organisations now try to recruit more senior, highly specialised and skilled staff.

Experience and qualifications necessary to work in long term development

Due to the nature of the development programmes, the most useful qualifications and experience to have as a nurse are community - based. Thus, in addition to a minimum of 18 months to 2 years post - registration experience, most organisations ask for District Nursing, Midwifery or paediatric qualifications. Other useful experience includes Accident and Emergency, Tropical / Infectious Diseases, theatre and ophthalmic nursing, although if you have a general background jobs may still be available. Management and teaching qualifications are becoming increasingly important.

Personal Qualities

A range of skills other than formal qualifications are usually required. It is important to be able to adapt to situations quickly, and plenty of initiative and patience is necessary. A sense of humour is a must. Such work is often arduous and can be stressful. Placements may be in remote areas and support within the country will vary such that you may feel very isolated.

Length of service with each organisation varies and contracts may be for a minimum of 2 years. However shorter term contracts are available.

Most organisations will pay either a subsistence allowance or a wage comparable to the local rates of pay. Additional allowances such as National Insurance contributions, pension, dependents allowance may or may not be paid by the organisation. A few points to check are:

the extent of medical insurance policy (ensure it covers your own repatriation, especially if you are working in areas of conflict) - it may be advisable to take out an additional policy of your own.
additional expenses incurred, e.g. travel
type of accommodation
training, such as languages (usually arranged by the organisation)
whether a driving licence is necessary

Before proceeding with applications to volunteer sending agencies, take time to ask yourself a few questions and think about the wider implications of volunteering overseas. Also, take time to find out about the organisation you may be working for, it's beliefs and philosophies and the recognition it has within the countries it works. It goes without saying that you must believe in what your organisation stands for and what it is aiming to achieve.

It may be useful to contact Returned Volunteer Action (RVA), an independent organisation for returned development workers which provides advice and information to prospective volunteers.