Nurse

5.119.1 Authority and Interrelation

• Officer of the deck department and reports to the Doctor.
• Assists the Doctor in providing on board medical care to Passengers and Crew.
• Responsible for the care and treatment of Passengers and Crew when the Doctor is not available or is not on board the ship.

5.119.2 Responsibility (including but not limited to)

• Understand and abide by all relevant documentation, regulations, guidelines and procedures. Sign copies as instructed by the superior officer to indicate understanding of the same.
• Report any undesired events, unsafe practices or near accidents observed to the superior officer/s and attempt to rectify them if safely possible.
• Perform security related duties as required by the Ship Security Officer.
• Actively participate in all drills, simulations and exercises conducted onboard and impart associated training as instructed by the Master or the chief engineer.
• Will be a member of the Safety Committee or any other official shipboard body set up under the authority of the Master, if called upon to do so.
• Any other duties as delegated by the Doctor within the scope of the rank.
• Maintain an awareness of environmental and energy efficiency aspects and impacts as relevant to your role, and act as departmental environmental and energy efficiency representative if required (where applicable to the vessel ISO accreditation standard).
• Assist with water testing as requested by the Doctor.
• Ensure that any hazardous waste from the medical centre is properly packed, labelled and disposed according to the Garbage Management Plan.
• Assist in providing medical care as needed to Passengers and Crew members onboard.
• Assist in providing emergency medical care to Passengers and Crew members in the event of an accident, illness or injury.
• Consent for Treatment will be obtained prior to any medical intervention, with the exception of an emergency situation.
• Keep the Doctor informed of all medical matters regarding Passengers and Crew members.
• Assist in the dispensing of appropriate medications, including controlled substances to Passengers and Crew members, as prescribed by the Doctor.
• Ensure accuracy in dispensing medications and will dispense medications in a safe way, with appropriate warnings and precautions attached.
• Be familiar with the indications, side effects and precautions to be observed for all medications, including emergency medications, in use onboard.
• Counsel Passengers and Crew members and verify their understanding of the use of any medications provided, as well as any and all precautions to be heeded.
• Ensure confidentiality as per company policy.
• Maintain all Medical Center hours as agreed upon with the Doctor, Staff Captain/Captain.
• Share “on-call” duties with the Doctor.
• Accompany the Doctor when attending a female Passenger or Crew member in their cabin.
• Conduct training for the First Aid Teams in conjunction with the Doctor (and Safety Officer).
• Be familiar with and competent in the operation of all equipment in the Medical Center, including all Emergency bags.
• Report any malfunctioning equipment and any expired medications to the Doctor immediately.
• Regularly update the Medical Section Log Book and assist in maintaining accurate logs.
• Maintain accurate records of all aspects of Passenger and Crew member medical management.
• Do a regular inventory of medications, durable goods and equipment that require restock/replenishment to maintain par levels and manage expired medications.
• Ensure that all surgical instruments are sterilized and ready for use.
• Create and maintain a Calendar which will chart all duties to be performed for the duration of his/her contract, i.e. Crew training, environmental testing etc. The calendar should “forward document” all duties to be performed for the first month of any subsequent Nurse’s contract.
• Specific duties to be scheduled and included on the calendar are: Hand checks of all galley and food/beverage crew members, First Aid Kit checks and refill, Ice/Water checks, Medical Unit inventory, incidence of expired medications, time sheets, freshwater tank checks, end of voyage reports, requisition of weekly office supplies, Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) report, equipment calibration and validation etc.
• Upon termination of his/her contract, the Nurse will prepare the required documents necessary for review by the on-coming Nurse, including a detailed Handover Report.