Partners In Health Careers

                  Vacancy Announcement

Job title:  

SECHN Nurse

Work Location:

Kailahun (Jojoima, Bandajuma, Buedu)

Department:

Clinical

Reports to:

Facility Nursing Lead/Senior Midwife Mentor

Line Management

No

Requisition Number

 4430

Duration of Contract

Twelve (12) Months with possibility of extension

Hours of work

40hrs per week, with possible alternative work on Saturdays (10am-1pm) with overtime payment as may be applicable

Application Status

External Advert

Organisation Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based in our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health care system strengthening.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world. 

Our Work In Sierra Leone:

Partners In Health (PIH) began supporting the government of Sierra Leone in response to the Ebola epidemic in October 2014. Recognizing the large need for continued investments in the health system after Ebola, PIH is committed to long-term health system strengthening in support of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), guided by the same principles as our emergency response and our work around the world: public sector accompaniment, integrated and comprehensive services, social justice, nimbleness and flexibility, partnership, community ownership, and evidence-based interventions. In the aftermath of the epidemic, PIH is committed to supporting the delivery of comprehensive health services in Sierra Leone, from the community level to the health center and to referral hospitals.

Position Overview

Over the past 7 years, PIH has been working with the MoHS and District Health Management Team in Kono District, Sierra Leone, to implement comprehensive health systems strengthening in the district’s secondary hospital, multiple primary care sites as well as through a comprehensive community-based programs system.

PIH-Sierra Leone is supporting the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in the implementation of the five-year World Bank funded QEHSSSP health systems strengthening project that will implement a comprehensive Hub-and-Spoke approach in 5 districts in Sierra Leone through focused investments in staff, stuff, space, systems and nutrition.

Through the project, Partners in Health, in the leadership of Ministry of Health and Sanitation, will be supporting 3 health facilities in the district (Jojoima, Buedu and Bandajuma) through comprehensive health systems strengthening approaches to develop these sites as sites for comprehensive Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child Adolescent Health and Nutrition services.

The State Enrolled Community Health Nurse (SECHN) is a critical member of the clinical staff at PIH. SECHNs work collaboratively alongside other health workers in the health facility eg CHOs, MCH Aides, CHAs and support staff to provide high quality care to patients and their families. The positions will be based in one of the health facilities in Kailahun: Jojoima CHC, Buedu CHC or Yawei Bandajuma CHC

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

General Nursing:

• Triage patients presenting to the clinic based on their level of acuity;
• Ensures that patients presenting to the clinic are managed appropriately including identifying those who need transfer to a higher level of care.
• Obtain and document patients’ vital signs, recognizing and responding to abnormal vital signs appropriately.
• Maintain proper patient records through effective documentation.
• Provide health education to the patients and their care-givers.
• Deliver high standards of care in collaboration with the rest of the clinical team.
• Responsible for the preparation of monthly reports to be submitted to the appropriate departments for further analysis. Display high level of commitment by being adaptable and being able to function in a busy work environment, including rotating to other units at the clinic as required
• Maintain confidentiality and impartiality and involve families in the plan of care.
• Promote patient/family-centered care to ensure that their needs are met.
• Engage and participate in clinical education or in-service training as determined by the Clinical Lead of the facility, Nurse Educator or the Nursing Lead.
• Participate in quality improvement projects and other related studies that could improve on the delivery of care to patients.
• Perform other duties related to the role, as may be required by the Clinical Lead or Nursing Lead.

Nutrition and Feeding:

• Ensure that all patients are receiving the right diet according to age and diagnosis.
• Encourage lactating mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding.
• Ensure that Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) patients are receiving their supplies according to the protocol.
• Ensure that motherless infants are receiving their supplies according to the protocol.
• Ensure that Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) patients and care-givers are educated on the preparation of local diet.

HIV/TB Clinic:

• Promote continuous medical education among other clinical staff.
• Conduct pre- and post- diagnosis counseling for patients, as well as education on adherence to treatment.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the department lead or Clinical Lead of the facility.
• Ensures that all emergency cases are prioritized and seen appropriately regardless of the time of the day.
• Be willing to work or rotate to other department as determined by your supervisor or Clinical Lead.

RMNCAH Services:

• Provide high quality antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care to pregnant women, new mothers and their babies, including provision of the full package of antenatal care services as per the Sierra Leone national protocols and guidelines for emergency and obstetric and newborn care.
• Do triage and monitor the vital signs of patients when needed
• Actively participate in the identification and management of antenatal complications requiring treatment, follow-up and clinical management.
• Provide high quality and timely basic emergency care for obstetric complications during antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods for both inpatient and outpatient based pregnant women.
• Support the post-partum mothers in the PNC ward for early initiation of breast feeding and provision of essential newborn care practices.
• Provide counselling to the pregnant women throughout the continuum of pregnancy and postpartum period including postpartum family planning services.
• Support in provision of counselling for and provision of family planning services.
• Rotate to other departments as the need arises.

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

At Partners In Health, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including our patients, families and community members – as well as our staff are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Partners In Health’s PSEAH policy. Partner In Health will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.  By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Education and Work Experience Requirements

• Current and valid clinical license, (SECHN Certificate and License).
• Clinical experience in Maternal and Child Health, HIV/TB, NCD and General Nursing preferred.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, must be able to take initiative and problem-solve, and must be flexible.
• Ability to work well with a team, be dependable, and hard-working.
• Ability to be adaptable and function well in a busy work environment, including rotating to other units as required.
• Commitment to social justice and human rights.
• Demonstrated understanding and respect for PIH’s mission and values.
• Priority will be given to qualified candidates working as volunteers in the designated health facilities.

Must NOT hold dual employment from private or national consolidated funds.

Social Justice

We are a global health and social justice organization that responds to the moral imperative to provide high-quality health care globally to those who need it most. We strive to ease suffering by placing patients at the center of all care, bringing the benefits of modern medicine to all.

Method of Application

Interested candidates are required to apply by email to www.jobvite.com/employment In your application, please ensure to include names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of three (3) referees not later than 12:00pm GMT (Midnight) on Monday 3rd March 2025.