Physicians
This position is also called: Chief Doctor, Doctor
Cruise staff want to ensure that their passengers get the most enjoyment for their time and money. This means that a physician – and possibly even more than one – is ready to handle the needs of both passengers and crew members. They provide emergency care and routine treatments as needed.
The physician is always on call while on a cruise. They need to have a wide variety of experience and training, which will enable them to handle many different types of medical emergencies. Three years of training beyond graduation is necessary in the fields of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, or Family Practice. Other certifications may be helpful, as well as a current license. They also need to have extensive experience in cardiac and primary care, and emergency medicine.
A cruise doctor needs to have excellent English – both spoken and written. Learning lab procedures and using x-ray equipment is a must. Two doctors are usually on the larger cruise ships, and only one on the smaller ships – which means it will be harder to get on a smaller ship.