Surgery - Volunteer Medical Specialist (EN)
Department: Telemedicine Program – Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Medical Specialty: Surgery
Position Status: Volunteer
Location: Remote (Offsite)
Time Commitment: 2–3 hours per week
Position Overview
As a Surgery Volunteer Medical Specialist with MSF’s Telemedicine Program, you will provide remote medical and clinical support to MSF’s global medical teams on a case-by-case basis. Surgery Specialists review and respond to patient cases assigned to them via our secure Telemedicine Platform. Support is provided asynchronously (not in real time), offering maximum flexibility for volunteers.
Why This Role Matters
Access to specialized medical expertise can be life-saving, especially in the remote and resource-limited settings where MSF works. By volunteering your skills, you will directly support frontline medical teams, helping them make informed clinical decisions and improve patient outcomes. Your contribution ensures that even the most isolated communities can benefit from timely, high-quality medical advice.
About the Telemedicine Program
The MSF Telemedicine Program helps remove geographic barriers to healthcare by providing secure digital solutions for MSF’s medical teams worldwide. These tools enable clinical collaboration, improve access to specialized expertise, and support more equitable, high-quality patient care.
Led by MSF Canada since 2009, the Telemedicine Program includes a global network of more than 200 volunteer specialists including physicians, surgeons, nurses, psychologists, nutritionists, midwives, physiotherapists, and more who provide timely, case-based support to MSF’s frontline teams.
We welcome applications from Surgery Specialists around the world. Please note that applications are reviewed and selected based on the needs of our medical teams. We are not accepting applications from general practitioners at this time.
Key Responsibilities
- Review patient cases assigned to you on the Telemedicine Platform and provide timely medical or clinical advice (within 24 hours).
- Ensure all advice aligns with MSF guidelines and is appropriate for low-resource settings.
- Provide ongoing follow-up on assigned cases until they are resolved.
- Collaborate with other Medical Specialists assigned to the case and share specialized expertise to contribute to a global community of medical knowledge.
Qualifications
- Minimum 4 years of post-qualification work experience in Surgery.
- University degree or higher in a medical specialty.
- Active registration and certification with your professional regulatory body.
- Comfortable using technology and navigating online platforms.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) required; Arabic, French, or Spanish highly desirable.
- Previous MSF experience or work in low-resource settings is highly desirable.
- Training in tropical medicine is an asset.
Volunteer Expectations & Onboarding
- 2–3 hours per week with flexible scheduling based on volunteer availability.
- Fully remote and support can be provided from anywhere with a reliable internet connection.
- Successful candidates will sign a Volunteer Agreement (including data privacy, non-disclosure, and medical liability clauses).
- Onboarding includes an overview of the Telemedicine Program and platform training (1.5 hours, self-paced).
- If requested, be prepared to provide three professional references (references will only be contacted with your permission).
Next Steps
- Confirm your eligibility by reviewing the qualifications listed above.
- Submit your application, including a brief cover letter or letter of interest, highlighting your relevant experience and your motivation to volunteer with the Telemedicine Program
- Complete a short pre-screening questionnaire to help us better understand your professional background.
- Our Telemedicine Recruitment Team will review your application and be in touch to guide you through next steps if your profile aligns with current program needs.
For more information about the Telemedicine Program, visit https://telemedhub.org/.
For questions, please contact the Telemedicine Recruitment Team at specialist.coordinator@toronto.msf.org.