Every cruise ship will have a trained medical staff onboard. This includes nurses and physicians who are on staff to attend to both passengers and crew members. As you might imagine with so many people in a concentrated space, a few injuries tend to pop up.

The following outlines information regarding nursing jobs and physician jobs onboard a cruise ship. These travel nursing jobs represent a great way to enjoy the field of medicine while traveling the world. The pay isn’t bad either.

Nurses working on a cruise ship must be registered, with at least three years of hospital experience. Nurses, just like the ship's doctor, are on call 24 hours for walk-in treatment of passengers' minor aches and pains. They also attend to the crew, accounting for the majority of emergency care that is required onboard. Because crew members are the ones working with the ship's equipment, running on slippery decks, lifting heavy trays, and working around hot ovens, they are the ones who succumb to the most accidents. While on most occasions there aren’t serious injuries or issues, having a qualified medical staff onboard is not only logical for when such occasions arise, but it is also the law. Passengers and crew can rest easy knowing that trained medical staff members are onboard if something should happen. Knowledge of a second language and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification is highly desired for nursing positions onboard a cruise ship.

Physicians on a cruise ship should have experience with trauma, cardiac care and internal medicine. Physicians, too, must have real life experience, usually three years or more, before working on a cruise ship. While doctors will be on call they will likely share the responsibility with another doctor or nurse on staff.

The size of the medical staff varies from ship to ship and is regulated largely by the number of passengers expected on a cruise. Typically the onboard staff will consist of a medical director, physicians and nurses.

In addition to being knowledgeable on medical practices and procedures, both doctors and nurses on a cruise ship should be evenly mannered and able to communicate with all kinds of people. They need to be skilled in handling emergencies and should be warm and friendly.

Travel nursing jobs can be difficult to find, so if you’re interested in seeing new places and traveling while you work then this is the job for you! Contracts for nurses and physicians tend to average around six months in length. Pay will vary of course, but nurses may earn $2,200 - $3,000 a month on a cruise ship. Onboard physicians earn more, often in the range of $4,000 - $5,400 a month.

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