Career Change Guide: How Much Do Doctors on Cruise Ships Make?

Table Of Content

• Do cruise ships have doctors, nurses, or medical centers on board?
• Towards the end of my cruise, I started to feel like I might need to visit the medical facility - but I hesitated
• What happens if you get sick or injured (or bitten by a monkey) on a cruise ship
• I try to get off the cruise and experience the ports
• How Much Does It Cost To See a Doctor on a Cruise Ship?

With well-stocked pharmacies, capable medical staff, and enhanced health protocols, cruise lines have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to ensuring a safe and healthy experience for all. The American College of Emergency Physicians, alongside the Cruise Lines International Association, lays down stringent guidelines for both the medical personnel and the facilities onboard. This ensures a high level of care, similar to what you’d find in many land-based medical facilities. They’ve ramped up their health protocols, ensuring their medical centers are equipped and ready 24/7, with qualified staff to handle everything from seasickness to more serious concerns. Cruise ships know the significance of attending to potential medical issues at sea. Consider the difficulties in providing medical treatment in a small area without access to the extensive infrastructure of the mainland.

Confessions of a Cruise Ship Doctor - Yahoo! Voices

Confessions of a Cruise Ship Doctor.

Posted: Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Do cruise ships have doctors, nurses, or medical centers on board?

Cruise line policies outline conditions under which passengers should be medically disembarked. The ship's medical staff has the right to determine whether a passenger is unfit to continue on a sailing. Cruisers will be disembarked if they are in a condition "likely to endanger health or safety," according to MSC Cruises' conditions of travel, for example. Cruise doctors can make arrangements to have passengers transferred to a health facility at any port, at the passengers' expense. Medical care must be available 24/7; typically, a cruise ship will have two doctors onboard — a senior doctor and a junior doctor or nurse. I’d argue that the convenience and accessibility of an onboard medical facility is a travel luxury.

Towards the end of my cruise, I started to feel like I might need to visit the medical facility - but I hesitated

The inventory, which varies by ship, includes everything from antibiotics and seasickness pills (often complimentary) to aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. To noon and 3 to 6 p.m., while on port days, their hours are from 8 to 10 a.m. This ensures medical care is accessible to all passengers, regardless of the day’s activities. Beyond the cruise ship doctor, the medical team includes highly trained nurses, often with paramedic experience. All nurses are experienced registered nurses, forming a robust team ready to tackle a range of medical needs.

What happens if you get sick or injured (or bitten by a monkey) on a cruise ship

It's important for us to see where and how the locals live in each destination. I love food and good coffee, and we have our favorite cafés and restaurants in different countries where the staff greet us like friends. On large cruises, it means a daily 15 hours of work and nine hours of being on-call, then getting 24 hours off. Royal Caribbean International offered to have a 15-minute call where they assessed my language skills and work experience. This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Dr. Gergely Tóth, a cruise-ship doctor.

When another doctor can't board for any reason, I will replace them for between a week and three months. Sometimes they let me know about the opportunity months in advance; other times I'll get a call two days before I'm needed. The cruise line operator has a formulary – a list of medications needed to treat most diagnoses made on the ships – and stocks the vessels with those, though supplies are limited given the finite storage on board.

I try to get off the cruise and experience the ports

In recent years, this multi-billion dollar industry has grown significantly, with more and more people taking advantage of these leisurely oceanic journeys. You can pay when receiving the service or charge it to your shipboard spending account. Either way, you’ll receive a receipt that you can submit to your health insurance provider for possible reimbursement. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents. Although I was originally hesitant to visit the medical facility during my cruise, the peace of mind to get started on antibiotics was worthwhile.

Some cruise ships will give out anti-seasickness medication for free (although you may need to pay for the consultation with the doctor first if you need the seasickness injection). All cruise ships with at least 100 passengers on board will have a doctor trained in emergency care. Smaller ships can vary, but most will still employ at least one medical professional, as they have a duty of care to their passengers.

How Cruise Ship Passengers Should Prepare For Sickness Or Injury At Sea - Kaiser Health News

How Cruise Ship Passengers Should Prepare For Sickness Or Injury At Sea.

Posted: Fri, 20 Sep 2019 07:00:00 GMT [source]

One common illness that requires antibiotics and can seriously ruin a vacation is a tooth infection or abscess. And while cruise ships don’t have a dentist on board, a doctor can at least prescribe the antibiotics needed to kill off the infection, ready for you to receive the necessary treatment after your cruise ends. While most medical complaints on ships are routine, the medical team is equipped to perform life support services and stabilize anyone seriously ill. Personnel trained in medivac procedures would then generally medically disembark the patient on a stretcher at the next port of call and have the person transferred to a hospital. Cruise ship medical centers usually are located on a lower deck, set apart from crowded areas and close to the back-of-the-house crew facilities.

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They are crucial in maintaining the safety of both crew members and passengers. Therefore, cruise lines employ doctors and nurses onboard to handle any emergencies. Moreover, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians’ guidelines, ships must have on-call medical staff available 24 hours. If you fall ill or injure yourself you’ll be directed to the onboard medical facilities.

Typically, a cruise ship will have two doctors onboard, or at least one doctor and one nurse. A senior doctor will be primarily responsible for the passengers, while a junior doctor or nurse will care for the staff and cover the senior doctor when needed. Shipboard medical facilities are set up to provide reasonable emergency medical care for guests and crew. In cases of extreme emergency where more comprehensive facilities are required, patients are referred to shoreside facilities. To be clear, the onboard facility is not a hospital – it's more akin to a health center or ambulatory care unit. The professionals who work there have training in emergency medicine and the equipment to stabilize a patient even in dire circumstances.

Coast Guard to practice medicine onboard, and they must have experience in emergency medicine, general medicine, and other specialties. The qualifications to become a doctor on a cruise ship vary by company but generally include a degree in medicine and a valid state license. Cruise ships with more than 100 passengers onboard are required to have medical staff onboard.

Thankfully, I’ve never needed these services, but it’s reassuring to know they’re there. This makes them closer to the doctors who would treat you in an emergency department of a hospital. Doctors are available 24/7, but as you’d expect (especially on ships with only one doctor), they won’t always be found in the medical station.

I knew that I probably needed a quick round of antibiotics to take care of my symptoms and resolve the illness. Cruise ship doctor roles are good for those with a positive attitude and the energy to work every day. If you want to see the world and you’ve got the necessary experience, then they can be a great way to work whilst you travel.