Name:
Dr Claire Collett

Age:
31

Position:
Medical Doctor, Nigeria, MSF Oct 2004 – Oct 2005.

Country/ies:
Nigeria

Details of International Work:
For 9 months I was the sole doctor in a basic health care / malaria project. Our base was in a small town but on a Monday morning we would travel by boat to a rural village and stay there during the week, returning on Friday. Our main role was meant to be training local health staff and supplying medication but due to lack of personnel I inevitably ended up treating many patients myself.
The main morbidity was malaria and diarrhoea in the under 5’s although we also saw more chronic diseases such as arthritis and hypertension. After this I moved to a different part of the country and was involved in the setting up of a Therapeutic Feeding Centre for children with severe malnutrition. I also spent two weeks setting up a cholera camp in a nearby town.

Past Positions:
1998 – 1999 House Officer
1999 A&E SHO
2000 Psychiatry SHO
2001 – 2004 Medical SHO / Registrar
2004 – 2005 MSF Dr
2006 Staff Grade Psychiatry.

Education:
1998 MBBS
2003 MRCP (Member Royal College of Physicians)
2004 DTMH (Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)
2006 Currently studying for DMCC (Diploma in Medical care in Conflict and Catastrophes)

How did you arrange this work?:
I applied to Medecins Sans Frontieres. Then I was offered positions which I was free to accept or decline. They interviewed me and sent me on a PPD (Preparation for Primary Departure) course. This was not specific to my country or project but was a general preparation for working abroad in unstable environments.
I had a debriefing in the UK office and Berlin office and in the capital when I arrived in the country however none of the medical staff were present during any of my visits and so my medical briefing came in the field from the national staff nurse. So basically I was completely unprepared and learnt on the job.
MSF usually requests a commitment of at least 9 months and 2 years experience post-registration. A Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTMH) is helpful but not necessary. (find courses)

What strengths, skills and experience were useful in your role?:

• Ability to work with a wide range of people with different professional and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to be able to live in challenging environment – you may be in an area with no electricity, no running clean water, hot / humid weather.
• Able to amuse yourself in the evenings – you will be working very hard during the day but often it gets dark around 6pm and you will have a long night to get through.
• Experience in tropical medicine is not necessary but having worked at a relatively senior level is important so that you are able to step back and asses the situation and take logical decisions without panicking as often there will be chaos all around you and you are the only medical person there to make a decision.

What are the rewards and challenges of your work overseas?:
Rewards – helping those whose need is extremely high. When a small intervention such as anti-malarials can save a life.
Challenges – my greatest challenge was surprisingly getting on with the other expats in the team. Due to staff shortages people are often promoted to senior positions who do not have the experience or personal capabilities to cope with the responsibilities. This leads to a lot of stress within the team and can filter down to national staff and effect the project as a whole.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to a similar experience?:
Do it!
You can never be prepared enough so as long as you have some experience just apply and the organisation you want to go away with tell you if they think they can use you or if they think you need more experience.

Ambitions for the future:
To continue humanitarian work intermittently but I will be in the UK for some time as I have decided to specialise in psychiatry.

Tell us a favourite anecdote from your experiences:
After distributing mosquito nets in a village, watching fishermen use it on the river to catch fish.

Would you be happy to be contacted by interested members of Alma Mata?:
Yes
Contact Claire