Reference Number: ARO150818
Employment Type: Full time
Category: Clinical Healthcare and Research
Job Grade: 6.01
Country: Kenya
Location: Kilifi
JOB PURPOSE:
To assist with assessments and nursing care of patients attending hospitals participating in a genetic study of neurodevelopmental disorders attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on the Kenyan coast. The ARO will be expected to work with the hospital members of staff to ensure delivery of quality care to the participants. Other roles will include data collection and recruitment, while observing adherence to standard operating protocols for the NeuroDev study and other related neuroscience projects.
Description:
REPORTS TO:
- The project manager
- Principal investigators
SUPERVISES:
- Fieldworker team in the NeuroDev study
JOB DIMENSIONS:
The KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme conducts high quality clinical studies on non-communicable diseases including the genetic susceptibility to these conditions.
The NeuroDev study is a multi-site international collaboration with data collection in hospitals, schools and within communities on the Kenyan coast. The study aims to collect medical and genetic data that will help understand the genetic architecture of neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular, ADHD and ASD in Kenya and other African countries. The study will be comparing the genetic composition of people with those neurodevelopmental disorders against that of specific controls. The NeuroDev study will have field teams composed of a nurse/clinician and field workers all of whom will be expected to work closely with collaborators in hospitals, schools and in the community, the project manager and the principal investigators of the study.
The ARO will be expected to ensure adherence to standard operating protocols and ethical regulations of the study, while ensuring that the collection of phenotype and biological samples runs smoothly. The ARO will need to work unsupervised most of the times, when the project managers and principal investigators are away in other study sites. The post requires focus and attention to detail, and involves a high level of communication with the hospital staff and other NeuroDev study team members.
Although the ARO will be assisted by a fieldworker to manage the flow and recruitment of the study participants, he/she is expected to provide leadership in the process. Additionally, the nurse will take responsibility for the accurate data capture, and safe transportation of biological samples to the project manager for storage.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Assist with nursing and medical care particularly for people visiting outpatient clinics.
- Screen and identify eligible participants among children at homes, schools and hospitals.
- Provide information, education and support to families or guardians of potentially eligible research participants.
- Administer or oversee the informed consent process for the NeuroDev study.
- Assist in collection of sociodemographic and phenotype data, using research electronic data capture software
- Assist in collection of samples for genetic studies, while ensuring proper storage and transport
- Help to manage study-specific fieldworkers assigned to your hospital.
- Foster good working relations with hospital’s nursing and clinical team and be willing to participate in continuous medical education (CME) activities in mental/neurological health care.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- BSc Nursing
- Registered with the Nursing Council of Kenya
- At least 1 year experience in nursing/clinical care or research studies
- Flexible – able to work extra hours when needed
- Able to work with vulnerable populations such as those with neurological or mental health disorders
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written)
- Be computer-literate with proficiency in project management tools and Microsoft Office applications.
DESIRABLE:
- Experience working with children and adolescents with behavioural or neurological disorders.
- Fluency in any Mijikenda language.
