Medical Officer

Qualifications/Diploma and Certifications Required as a Medical Doctor:

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience after finalizing medical school (ideally in emergency room medicine, intensive care or general practice) OR previous passenger vessel experience
• ACLS, PALM, and ATLS certified
• Up to date Seaman Book 
• STCW Certificates

Responds to:

Coordinates with the Hotel Manager (Administratively) and is supervised by the Master (Operatively).

Subordinate Staff:

Directly supervises Ship’s Nurse (if applicable), along with assigning working hours, rotation, and schedule.  Indirectly supervises cleaner for the medical facility.

Responsibilities: 

Provide Medical Care to Guests and Crew:

The medical officer will be on call 24 hours each day for emergencies. The Ship’s Physician is responsible for the hospital and operating rooms and will have regularly scheduled hours of a minimum two hours in the morning and two hours each afternoon.

• The medical department should be responsible for:
• Sanitary practices and inspection.
• Maintenance of an accurate record and files of crew medicals and documentations pertaining to sanitation of the vessel.
• Make sure the minimum medical supplies required are kept on board and properly stored, as per WHO guidelines.
• Maintain an accurate record of medical supplies on board as well as proper storage of said items.
• Maintain individual medical records on all crewmembers.
• Ordering and receiving of all medical supplies ensuring that everything is in complete order and under safe guard.
• Maintain a log of 4 weekly analysis performed of the ship’s water from different levels of the vessel.
• Perform an analysis and keep the log on file of the water prior to bunkering in each port.  (Raise the alert if the water is not fit human consumption and refuse the bunkering in such port.)
• Responsible for the operation, maintenance, and calibration of all medical equipment, ensuring that all medical equipment is fully operational and ready for use.  In addition, keep an annual log of calibration(s) along with a monthly log for equipment check(s).
• Prepares purchase order requisitions (in a timely fashion) for stock and spares required for the medical department.
• Ensures that all documents, reports and logbooks are properly maintained.
• Responsible for ordering an inventory of all necessary medicines, supplies and equipment, while ensuring that pharmaceuticals have not exceeded their expiration dates.
• Initiate a monthly pharmaceutical inspection in order to remove any and all expired medications and supplies accordingly, per the IMO, WHO, Port Authority, and vessel’s flag regulations.
• Responsible for documentation safekeeping and confidentiality of all necessary records pertaining to crew and passenger illness or accidents, per HIPAA regulations.
• Reports crew and passenger accidents and incidents to the Chief Main or Staff Captain and Safety Officer upon occurrence, with notification sent to Captain immediately; he/she is to make a report and provide a copy to Safety Officer in order to proceed with the accident/incident investigation.
• Prepares and trains a medical team in order to respond to any medical emergencies on and off board.
• All serious, contagious, and endemic illnesses or diseases, along with any accidents and cases of diarrhea are to be reported to the Staff Captain and/or Master immediately.
• The Ship’s Physician is to prepare a Maritime Health Medical Declaration which is to include all of the illnesses, epidemics, and narcotics (as applicable) on board prior to the vessel’s arrival to each port.  The Declaration should be coordinated along with the Crew Purser and the Master.
• The Ship’s Physician is to report relevant accidents and incidents during Safety and Environmental Committee meetings.
• Responsible for medical sanitation matters.
• Must perform a bi-weekly hygiene check to the personnel working within the kitchen/food preparation area and a log must be well-kept for such check.
• The Ship’s Physician is in charge of Emergency Medical Evacuations under the supervision of the Master and the Staff Captain.
• In charge of the control of the Mass Casualty Incident System.
• In charge of Codes Alpha, Bravo and Man over Board. 
• Responsible for the medical accounts.
• Responsible for the narcotic count and control as well as the medical inventory on board, supplying an individualized report of narcotics to the Master.
• Coordinates testing of crew members for drugs of abuse of alcohol.
• Responsible for bacteriological, chlorine, and pH testing of water, surfaces, ice machine(s), and pool(s) aboard the vessel.
• Alert the Master if there is suspicion of any outbreak possibility and implement the Universal Protocol if necessary.  Daily follow-up report(s) are to be provided to the Master until the situation is under control.