Found out something interesting about ship's doctor

[Orcrone]

On our recent Maasdam cruise we met the ship's doctor, an extremely nice person. Turns out that they don't hire their doctors, but instead barter a cruise for the doctor's services. This doctor (I apologize for forgetting his name) is an ER doctor from Chicago. He was there with his wife. He's on call if needed for an emergency or something serious, but most of the times the nurses handle the infirmary and they get an almost free cruise.

 

On our cruise one passenger had a stroke, and had to leave at St. Thomas. But I understand he or she was doing well.

[sail7seas]

What you say has been my understanding.

 

I believe that HAL's ships doctors must be Board Certified Emergency physicians. They can travel with spouses. I think one of them once told me the minimum time aboard is 3 weeks.

 

We've met a number of them (socially thankfully.....not professionally) through the years and most are very pleasant, interesting people.

 

The nurses on HAL are very competent, well trained and experienced. Seems in these days of managed care, on land in many physician's offices and health care in general......nurses are rendering a great deal of the care some receive. So, that simply carries forward to the ships. The nurses are under contract and I think their normal amount of time aboard at a stretch is 4 months. We've seen many of the same nurses from ship to ship, cruise to cruise, so they must enjoy the work and keep signing new contracts.

[Lokalona]

On our recent Maasdam cruise we met the ship's doctor, an extremely nice person. Turns out that they don't hire their doctors, but instead barter a cruise for the doctor's services. This doctor (I apologize for forgetting his name) is an ER doctor from Chicago. He was there with his wife. He's on call if needed for an emergency or something serious, but most of the times the nurses handle the infirmary and they get an almost free cruise.

 

On our cruise one passenger had a stroke, and had to leave at St. Thomas. But I understand he or she was doing well.

 

 

My husband should reply to this thread, but I will in his stead...HAL "hires" doctors from the US more than the other lines. Your required to do a minimum of 4 weeks non consecutive. I think 2 week stints works best for HAL. The crew has their own Doctor as well. They work 2 hours a day then are on call for the rest of the day. They do get paid (not sure how much but is is not a lot) and a free cruise for them and family yet not on their first cruise for obvious reasons. They like to hire ER doctors but it is not a requirement. DH has done the Voyager Medical Seminar twice now to learn about cruise ship medicine. It is interesting and he'd consider doing it when he is closer to semi-retirement as getting that much time off his regular ER position is not usually possible, 10 days at a time is even difficult.

 

Nurses also can do this seminar and many do.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have also noticed that times listed for the doctor - 1 hour in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. The rest of the time I have wondered what they do.

I know when I to use the infirmery last February, the ship's crew doctor saw me and took the xrays.

If the doctor is on call at all the other times, I wonder why he wasn't called for me?

[sail7seas]

KK........ The obvious would be that the doctor is allowed at least a few hours off the ship during his time aboard and perhaps you had your accident when he was ashore.

I'm sure the pax doctor and the crew doc must clear with eachother who is leaving the ship when. I doubt they get off for very long.

[sail7seas]

Lokalona.....

 

Thanks for your post. Good info. How great it would be for you and DH to be able to spend some weeks aboard the ship when he slows down a bit. I would imagine HAL can always use more doctors who are available and would welcome whatever amount of time your DH would commit to.

[helenp2]

Same thing holds true for the RC Priest that I have met. They are usually retired and put hteir names in to be called for 2 wks at a time.

[Pete Jackson]

How they pay/compensate the doctor must surely depend on the type of cruise. A Caribbean cruise where a port is visited almost every day would be completely different then a cruise over long stretches of ocean.

 

Early in 2003, we went on a 21-day cruise from Valparaiso to Rio, via Antarctica, on the Ryndam. Well, someone got really sick near Antarctica and the doctor was up day and night with them until the ship reached the Falkland Islands. Then the patient was airlifted back to Punta Arenas, Chile, and then on to Santiago and the USA. It was estimated that the total cost of the airlift would be $100,000 and the patient had no insurance!

 

Was this unusual? I bet not! Consider 1500 mostly elderly people on a ship for three weeks (people are older on the long cruises because young people can't take such long vacations). It's like having one elderly person for 4500 weeks, or 86 years! If the life expectancy of the elderly people is say, only about 25 years, one might expect statistically that three people will get really sick or die on such a cruise. So the doctors on that type of cruise deserver everything they get!

[viennacruiser]

My husband should reply to this thread, but I will in his stead...HAL "hires" doctors from the US more than the other lines. Your required to do a minimum of 4 weeks non consecutive. I think 2 week stints works best for HAL. The crew has their own Doctor as well. They work 2 hours a day then are on call for the rest of the day. They do get paid (not sure how much but is is not a lot) and a free cruise for them and family yet not on their first cruise for obvious reasons. They like to hire ER doctors but it is not a requirement. DH has done the Voyager Medical Seminar twice now to learn about cruise ship medicine. It is interesting and he'd consider doing it when he is closer to semi-retirement as getting that much time off his regular ER position is not usually possible, 10 days at a time is even difficult.

 

Nurses also can do this seminar and many do.

How does one find out about the Voyager Medical Seminar? I am a nurse :) and would love to know more about it:D

Nancy

[sail7seas]

Nancy....

I did a quick google and this (and other links) came up:

 

 

 

http://www.nhafp.org/x4216.html

 

Try doing a google.

[Lokalona]

Nancy....

I did a quick google and this (and other links) came up:

 

 

 

http://www.nhafp.org/x4216.html

 

Try doing a google.

 

 

That is it, CME site, and I think they do one every other year. He/we did the RCI Voyager 2 years ago. You get a palm pilot with all the information loaded on it, and other things. It is a very interesting seminar according to DH. We try to do vacation/CME conferences, it helps the purse stingas a bit if you can combine them and the places you can go are so wonderful.

[catlib55]

On the Statendam, the RC priest wasn't retired. He was a young man. He was using this cruise as part of his vacation, and had done several cruises before this one.

Mary Ellen

[localady]

On our cruise on the Amsterdam in 2003, the acting "nurse" I met was actually the staff physician. She was a lovely woman and she told me that she is licensed in the Philipines but not in the United States and that there was also a U.S licensed physician on board. I was very clear she was a very knowledgeable physician and was probably the most highly accredited "nurse" I'd ever had the pleasure of meeting.:cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

localady

Your are right.

Some of the nurses are licensed in the Philipines just like the doctor who attended to me - and I thought she was great.

[Cruising Jake]

On our Oosterdam cruise in January we met the ship dentist. He happened to be from our state. He was on for a week. It is the same as with doctors. He got a cruise free for he and his family. They usually prefer two weeks, but he could only do a week. He also treated the crew for two days in full day clinics during the seven day cruise.

[sail7seas]

That is it, CME site, and I think they do one every other year. He/we did the RCI Voyager 2 years ago. You get a palm pilot with all the information loaded on it, and other things. It is a very interesting seminar according to DH. We try to do vacation/CME conferences, it helps the purse stingas a bit if you can combine them and the places you can go are so wonderful.

 

 

And Tax Deductible as continuing ed.....

 

DH and I have traveled to various locations for his continuing ed and the conferences have been excellent. We got some vacation time and he got some education.