Do cruise ships have medical facilities with doctors and nurses on board? The short answer is yes.
When you board a cruise ship, you become part of a community of people of all ages who will stay together for a few days, a week, or more. On large cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers and crew, your community can be the size of a town or even a small city. To deal with any health issues that arise in this floating metropolis, cruise lines hire doctors and nurses to work at a medical center on board.
Just to be clear, the on-board facility isn’t a hospital – it’s more of a medical center or an emergency care unit. The professionals working there are trained in emergency medicine and the equipment to stabilize patients even in critical situations. Most of what they deal with, however, is things like ankle sprains, colic, and people forgetting to bring their medication.
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That said, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many cruise lines have expanded on-board medical care facilities and added new requirements for medical staff. Royal Caribbeanfor example, now requires all of its doctors to be trained in acute respiratory illness and has added an infection control officer overseeing the line’s infection control plan on each ship.
If you have an emergency on any cruise ship, you can press a button on the lounge phone for help – the equivalent of dialing 911 from your home phone. For minor illnesses, you can visit a medical facility during office hours.
Who are the medical staff?
The American College of Emergency Physicians, in conjunction with the Cruise Lines International Association, sets strict standards for who treats patients, as well as guidelines for medical facilities, on ships operating from the United States. All medical staff are certified and experienced.
According to ACEP standards, physicians must have three years of graduate/post-registration experience in general and emergency medicine or be board-certified in emergency medicine, family medicine, or internal medicine. Employees must also be certified in advanced life support or have specialist certification or training in areas such as emergency medicine, anesthesia, or critical care.
Vessels carrying children under 12 years of age are required to have at least one physician trained in pediatrics or with equivalent first aid training in relation to children.
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The training requirements for nurses are also quite detailed. Usually, one of the nurses is a trained paramedic, and all nurses are experienced registered nurses.
Medical staff varies by vessel size, but usually ships have a doctor and at least two nurses. The world’s largest cruise ships can have two doctors and five or six nurses. Riverboats and small boats that move closer to shore have less staff because they have easier access to medical facilities on land.
Cruise lines find nurses and doctors on board through recruitment agencies worldwide. Medical staff usually work on board ships on contracts of two to six months.
Doctors and nurses report to the chief medical officer at the carrier’s headquarters, who is available 24 hours a day to deal with emergencies.
What to expect in a cruise ship medical center
Medical centers on cruise ships are usually located on the lower deck, away from crowded areas and near facilities behind the crew’s homes. Medical staff treated both passengers and crew.
While medical staff are on duty 24 hours a day, most passengers visit during scheduled hours. Festival cruise lineFor example, the ship’s facilities are open on boarding day from 8 am to 9 am and 3 to 5 pm; on rough sea days from 9 am to noon and 3 to 6 pm; and on port days from 8 am to 10 am and 4 to 6 pm
Inside the medical center, you’ll find a waiting room — where you’ll fill out medical history forms like you would in any doctor’s office — and clinics. Only when your medical condition requires it, do you see a separate area with a hospital bed, a small operating room where stitches and other minor surgeries can be performed, or an ICU or isolation room.
Equipment in the medical centers on board includes defibrillators, heart monitors, external pacemakers, ventilators, oxygen tanks, X-ray machines and lab equipment. Some lines add technology; for example, some select Carnival ships have thrombolytic therapy (to break up blood clots) and pulse oximetry (to check oxygen levels). There will also be wheelchairs and stretchers.
Pharmaceutical supplies include anti-sickness medications, aspirin and other over-the-counter products, antibiotics and limited prescription supplies, as well as emergency medications such as those needed for advanced cardiac life support.
serious situation
While most medical claims on board are routine, the medical team is equipped to perform life support and stabilization services for anyone seriously ill. Then, staff trained in general medical procedures will medically load the patient on a stretcher at the next port and transfer the person to the hospital.
If a serious case occurs at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard (or local equivalent overseas) will be called in to remove the patient by boat or helicopter.
No one likes to think about it, but Your ship may also have a morgue with refrigeration units.
Who pays for treatment?
Cruise ship doctors work as independent contractors and may charge an hourly basis. There will be additional costs for medications and tests.
All must be paid at the time of service and will be charged to your onboard spending account. You will receive a receipt to submit to your health insurance company for reimbursement. Note: Many home-bought individual policies do not cover travel outside of the United States
Related: Guide to buying travel insurance on the sea
If you purchased separate travel health insurance from your travel agency or a third-party provider, you will still have to pay for services in advance and may have to wait several months for reimbursement.
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