The Senior Patient Coordinator is responsible for recruiting patients for Operation Smile throughout a designated region within the country (southwest Ethiopia). The Senior Patient Coordinator will maintain a patient registry and database of cleft lip and/or cleft palate patients for his/her designated region. The Senior Patient Coordinator will work closely with the Jimma-based Program Coordinator, Country Program Manager, JUMC SLPs, JUMC liaison office, JUMC Chief Clinical Director office, JUMC surgery, JUMC Anastasia Department, and various community leaders and partners to set up a patient registration campaigns.

With the support of Operation Smile’s Global Medical Education Department, he/she will run community sensitization and education programs. In addition, this position will work closely with the Jimma-based Program Coordinator and Country Manager as well as all programs staff to ensure all cleft patients are located, properly screened and, if the patient receives surgery, follow-up care is provided either during a mission or by a referral surgeon. The position requires the incumbent to travel extensively in remote areas within the region and occasionally across the country.

Essential Functions:

The Senior patient Coordinator is responsible for all activities pertaining to Operation Smile Ethiopia’s patient recruitment, patient care including the nutrition program, and patient data management.

Patient Recruitment, National Registry and Partnerships

• Conduct meetings with regional district hospitals and clinics; arrange meetings with traditional leaders, religious leaders, and other relevant authorities.

• Identify a point of contact at each health facility and establish a working relationship with them.

• Access existing community healthcare worker structures, set up training sessions such as Cleft Recognition for health care workers and arrange to implement Cleft Awareness programs in the community.

• Collate data forwarded from community healthcare workers, chiefs, and patients/guardians into regional and national databases. Send databases to Country Program Manager on a weekly basis.

• Register patients by taking down their full names, their contact numbers, where they live (region, District/ city, village/), and any specifications related to transport options for a program.

• Create a database of all the contacts that Operation Smile has in each woreda, update weekly, and send a report to Country Program Manager and Jimma-based Program Coordinator.

• Meet with NGO and corporate sponsors regionally to set up partnerships focused on patient recruitment and/or sponsorships. 

• Strengthen relationships with organizations referring patients to us.

Surgical Missions

• Anticipate and plan for patient needs prior to, during and post-program, including patient supplies, patient meals, patient transport, and patient accommodation.

• Support and arrange patient transportation to the program.

• Arrange patient supplies for distribution on arrival.

• Assure food is handed out to patients and guardians on time.

• Ensure patients have water during the program. 

• Create strong relationships with patients and guardians. Assess if their needs are being met, and if not, proactively engage the Program Coordinator.

• Organize patient information sessions on what will happen the next day (screening process, selection and announcement, surgery days).

• Create patient return lists after patient announcement; ensure all patients have transportation home.

Other Duties

• Facilitate integration of education program initiatives across all provinces.

• Work with Sub Saharan Africa Regional team to roll out research and monitoring programs.

• Create a database of patient referrals and follow up regularly with local surgeons or partner organizations.

General Team Performance

• Prepares for and actively participates in scheduled team meetings.

• Prepares for and actively participates in team reviews.

• Updates all current working documents including patient database, schedules, and timelines across programmatic areas that he or she is responsible for.

Benefits:

• Pension contribution

• Medical coverage

Probation Period: 45 days

Job Requirements

Experience Required (education/work):

• Degree in health-related field 

• Afan Oromiffa and English language 

• Experience in community health care mobilization

• Medical field exposure would be helpful

• NGO experience a plus

Competencies: 

• Excellent oral and written English communication skills 

• Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office required)

• Ability to travel frequently around the country 

• Self-motivated, able to plan ahead, flexible, and adaptable under pressure with short deadlines

• Ability to work off hours (on-call), sometimes responding to calls or e-mails early in the morning, late at night or on weekends

• Must have excellent organization and time management skills and be able to prioritize requests efficiently and effectively

How to Apply

Interested and qualified applicants can apply through the link: CLICK HERE