Volunteer with VSA

Kia ora, Malo e lelei and warm Pacific greetings
  
Te Whāinga | Our Purpose is

Te Hono Tangata - Te Huringa Ora.  

Ka hono a Te Tūao Tāwāhi i ngā tūao pūkenga ki ngā whakahaere me ngā hapori i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me tua atu, hei tautoko i ngā wawata kua tautuhia ā-rohe, ā, kia tutuki ai te panoni toitū. 

Connecting People – Transforming Lives. 

Volunteer Service Abroad connects skilled volunteers with organisations and communities in the Pacific and beyond to support locally identified aspirations and achieve sustainable change.  

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About the role

This is your opportunity to become a VSA Volunteer to share your experience, skills and knowledge to serve and build capacity in Tonga. Work alongside our local partner organisation to plan and create a brighter future for all.
  
We are looking for an experienced Emergency Doctor, who understands and shares the spirit of volunteering, with a keen interest in building capability in the Pacific (while embracing a new cultural experience).

The length of this assignment in the Tonga will be 3-12 months depending on your preference. 

VSA will support you by funding and organizing your flights, visas, insurances, accommodation, living allowance and utilities while you are on assignment.
  
Ngā tino Pūkenga/Wheako – Essential skills/experiences for the role
If you are interested in this opportunity, below are some of the key skills and experiences that we’re looking for.

• Specialist in Emergency Medicine
• Fellow of ACEM or other professional college or Masters of Emergency Medicine
• Medical practitioner fully registered with the Medical Council or equivalent of home country
• Have worked in a variety of Emergency Medicine settings including LMICs, high income countries (HICs) and resource limited settings, urban and rural departments
• Experience in Quality Improvement
• Experience supporting and mentoring junior staff
• High standard of written and verbal communication
• Able to work as an integral member of a multidisciplinary team
• Able to maintain good professional relationships and be respectful of other team members’ skills
• Demonstrated ability to work flexibly in a constantly changing and challenging environment 

Important note: Due to our VSA funding requirements, our volunteers must be a NZ citizen or NZ Permanent Resident to progress further in our recruitment process.
  
Our Partner Organisation - Tonga Ministry of Health/ Vaiola Hospital

Vaiola Hospital is the main hospital in Tonga, situated on the outskirts of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa.
The Emergency Department addresses all acute care needs across communicable and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, injury and mental health. Training of Emergency Care staff in Tonga is led by visiting emergency specialists from New Zealand and Australia, supported by MFAT. Formal training programs began in 2013 with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Certificate program.

The Assignment 
Emergency Care at Vaiola Hospital encompasses pre-hospital and Emergency Department presentations.
The Emergency Department sees all patients with acute illness and injury, the efficient assessment and management of these patients being a priority.
Emergency clinicians need ready access to expert supervision and advice. This has been problematic in Tonga because of the limited and intermittent presence of senior clinicians.

The VSA role will focus on:

• Teaching and supporting junior staff, with a focus on teaching, in their assessment, diagnosis and management of the patients who present to the Emergency Department
• Supporting staff to work proactively with, and strengthen relationships with, inpatient teams
• Assisting the development of Emergency Departments throughout Tonga in Vava’u, Ha’apai, and ‘Eua, with an initial focus on Vaiola Hospital
• Supporting the strengthening of the safe inter-hospital transfer of patients throughout the Kingdom

  
The Country – Tonga
The Kingdom of Tonga consists of 176 islands in four major groups, Tongatapu Island group, Ha’apai Island group, Vava’u Island group, and the Niu Island group. These islands form a narrow archipelago extending north from the Tropic of Capricorn.

There are many natural wonders in Tonga, and it is also one of the only places in the world where you can swim with humpback whales.

Me pēhea te tuku tono| How to apply:
Apply for this opportunity through our website.
For more information or if you have any questions on this assignment, email volunteer@vsa.org.nz.

To review the full assignment description please copy and paste the below link into your browser:



If you are on the VSA website, please click on the download assignment description tab above.

We are looking for a volunteer with:

• Full time 3-12months Volunteering opportunity in Tonga
• Flights, accommodation and other expenses covered by VSA
• Make a lasting difference across the Pacific