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Cruise ships operate in a dynamic environment where they must contend with difficulties, including bad weather and the possibility of medical problems at sea. To tackle these difficulties, emergency preparedness is a top priority for cruise lines. The medical staff on board receives specialized training to handle various situations, and the medical facilities are loaded with supplies and tools to address diverse medical emergencies. In dire cases, a patient might need urgent care that can't be administered onboard. Sometimes the only option is to evacuate a passenger by helicopter for transportation to a shoreside medical facility.
What it's like to work as a cruise-ship doctor - Business Insider
What it's like to work as a cruise-ship doctor.
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What qualifications do cruise ship nurses and doctors have?
It may take a couple of years (so keep searching in the meantime), but it’s easier for them to speak to people they know who want to become a cruise ship doctor than it is to sift through applicants. To become a doctor on a cruise ship, you normally need at least three years of experience working in emergency care or a similar role, with evidence of your experience in each field. You can then apply using cruise lines’ job listings or just get in touch to register your interest.
What Should You Expect at a Cruise Ship Medical Center?
Additionally, in the rare event of a fatality, cruise ships are prepared with onboard morgues to respectfully and appropriately handle such situations until the ship reaches port. These cruise ship doctors and medical facilities are usually only equipped to treat minor illnesses and injuries. If the condition is serious and critical and you find yourself in need of urgent medical care, you’ll be referred to professionals on land and disembarked immediately to receive treatment. Because cruise ships are essentially floating cities, major lines contain infirmaries with staff available 24 hours a day to care for passengers. These facilities are typically equipped to treat only minor nonemergency conditions. If your illness is serious or you find yourself needing emergency treatment, you'll be referred to a facility on land and disembarked to get care.
What Does a Cruise Ship Doctor Do?
Crew will bring you meals, drinks and anti-nausea medication, but you are not to leave, even if you're feeling better. The Cruise Line International Association, the world's largest cruise industry trade organization, also sets standards of care for its member cruise lines. Contracts are slightly longer, ranging between five and seven months, with a two-month break between contracts. They offer an online self-assessment test to see if an onboard life is right for you. If you want to work for the largest privately-held cruise company, you’ll want to check out Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC Cruises). With a fleet of 19 ships and over 23,000 employees, MSC Cruises works hard to bring diversity to its staff hiring.
How much does cruise medical treatment cost?
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On large cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers and crew, your community may be the size of a town or even a small city. To handle any health issues that come up in this floating metropolis, cruise lines employ doctors and nurses who work out of an onboard medical center. The onboard medical facilities on cruise ships provide a variety of medical services. These involve managing common health conditions, including seasickness, minor accidents, respiratory infections, etc.
After this, the doctor will conduct physical exams and tests on any patients who require it. Throughout the day, the doctor will also keep track of any ongoing illnesses or injuries and provide counsel and advice to passengers or crew who may need it. The physicians on cruise ships are independent contractors who usually charge a basic hourly rate. Because I have travel insurance, I felt confident that some of this visit would be covered.
Medical Services
Typically, a doctor will have two open-door surgeries during the day, one every morning and one every afternoon. A charge for medical services will be billed to the guest's Sail & Sign® Account and a receipt will be provided for the guest to submit to their medical insurance provider upon return for possible reimbursement. Cruise ship doctors work as independent contractors and may charge a basic hourly fee. When under quarantine, you typically will be required to remain in your room and take all your meals there until you are symptom free for 72 hours.
Towards the end of my cruise, I started to feel like I might need to visit the medical facility - but I hesitated
The sector employed some 1.2 million workers and generated revenues of around $150 billion annually. In 2019, there were an estimated 24 million cruise passengers on the world’s seas and oceans. The industry is expected to continue growing as more travelers take to the seas for their holidays. Cruise ships have long been a popular form of vacation and relaxation for those who love the open sea and visiting exotic ports of call.
Pediatric Care
They gave her several injections and put her on antibiotic and antiviral medications. The facilities are staffed by doctors and nurses, and the company's bigger ships may also have medical administrators, paramedics and health care assistants. However, he noted that the facilities are generally set up like a typical emergency department. Onboard pharmacies carry a surprising variety of medicines, ensuring passengers have access to essential medications for common health issues.
Cruise ship medical facilities must adhere to the standards set by the American College of Emergency Physicians. The ACEP guidelines dictate that the infirmary must contain the proper equipment to handle a range of treatments and diagnostics. Contracts usually last around four months, with two contracts “permitted” each year.
Think about it – the largest cruise ships have almost 7,000 passengers on board, as well as the crew. That’s a lot of people, so the odds of someone getting sick or suffering an injury aren’t small. There needs to be someone available to keep people safe, at least until they can receive further treatment on land. I’ve seen firsthand how the medical team on cruise ships expertly handles common health concerns.
Instead, she spent most of the day in her cabin before visiting the ship's medical facility, where she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. Coast Guard, or the local equivalent overseas, is ready to assist, even airlifting patients if necessary. It’s a bit sobering, but ships are equipped with morgue facilities too, just in case. This level of preparedness is part of adhering to the American College of Emergency Physicians’ standards. The ships will have a medical area but it will be one or two rooms at most.
They will advertise positions on their own websites, but with medical positions being rare, it’s a good idea to register your interest early – the cruise line will normally then contact you first when a position opens up. If you just need seasickness tablets, you can get these from the medical centre on board. There may be a small change, but in rough seas, the seasickness medication is usually given out free of charge. On a recent cruise, my mum suffered an injury and needed to see an emergency doctor at 11 pm. The waiter who was first on the scene called the medical department, who called the ship’s nighttime supervisor.
Meanwhile, the average annual salary for an emergency physician in the US working on land is $343,300 per year – significantly more than working on a cruise ship (source). There are normally two levels of doctor on a cruise ship – with senior doctors earning from $10,000 to $15,000 per month, averaging around $12,000. Junior doctors will make between $7,500 and $10,000 per month, averaging around $8,500.
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