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A Nurse on board a superyacht is responsible for providing routine and emergency medical care to owners, guests and crew. The role is typically split between the nurse and Interior Department duties, namely housekeeping and laundry.
A yacht Nurse is a position typically found on superyachts over 50m in size. Generally speaking, the bigger the yacht, the bigger the medical department. For example, some yachts might have a dedicated SOLAS-approved hospital onboard and are equipped with an X-ray machine and a hyperbaric chamber. However, most yachts don’t have the luxury of a dedicated medical professional and positions such as a stewardess-nurse are far more common.
This means that the position often involves assistance from the housekeeping or service teams. Depending on the yacht owners’ health, you may be required to do certain medical duties, but otherwise, the role requires you to be on standby awaiting the need for medical attention.
Working onboard a superyacht as a Nurse requires a complete Nursing License. Usually, there are two Nurses working together onboard and sometimes a Doctor will be present on larger vessels. On average, medical facilities onboard a yacht are equipped with oxygen tanks, defibrillators, specialized medications and intravenous fluids.
What does a yacht Nurse do? | Yacht Nurse Job Description
A Nurse onboard a superyacht is primarily responsible for providing routine and emergency medical care, teaching CPR classes and performing fire and lifeboat drills. They also oversee and maintain the cleanliness of the medical facilities, keep all injury logs, and order and stock all of the medical inventory.
As a yacht Nurse, there may be instances where the yacht is miles away from the shore and a guest develops appendicitis or another condition. In this situation, it is up the Nurse to care for them until other help is available.
The responsibilities of a yacht Nurse include:
Doing physical exams
Assessing, observing, and speaking to patients
Providing emergency medical care
Administering medications and treatments, then monitoring patients for side effects and reactions
Teach CPR classes
Maintaining first-aid supplies and other inventory
Maintaining the cleanliness of the medical facilities
Keeping all injury logs
Regular refresher training and drills
Depending on the size of the yacht, you will also help the Interior Department with housekeeping and service
Soft and hard skills required to be a yacht Nurse
The role of a yacht Nurse is suited to someone who can successfully assess a medical situation by conducting a limited physical examination. As a guest-facing role, yacht Nurses converse regularly with owners and guests. Due to this, confidence and excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
Occasionally, the role may require you to be adaptable and care for an owner or guest with a specific medical condition, so someone who understands specific needs and can provide adequate care to the owner is also important.
The skills of a successful yacht Nurse include:
Knowledge to perform and evaluate diagnostic tests
Experience diagnosing illnesses and prescribing medications
Knowledge of preventive care strategies
Knowledge and experience of emergency medicine and care
Good interpersonal and communication skills
Critical thinking
Empathy
Ability to work independently
Ability to stay calm and collected in stressful situations
Mandatory certificates needed to work on board a yacht
All crew members regardless of position and seniority need to have a valid STCW Basic Safety Training certificate, along with a recognised Seafarers medical certificate, the most popular being the ENG1 which is issued by an MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) professional medic.
Without these two certificates, it is not possible for crew to work on board a yacht and a Recruiter will not be able to assist you in finding work onboard a yacht. For more information about mandatory certificates please visit our Mandatory Certificates Guide.
Are you ready to secure a Nurse position onboard a yacht?
Become a member of YPI CREW and connect with our recruiters so they can guide you through your job search.
Each of our recruiters is specialised in crew placement for a particular department and they will do their best to get you an interview on board a yacht. They will also advise you on how to best present your experience and skills and prepare for a yacht job interview.
