All roles/Specialist crew/Medical Officer / Yacht Medic
Specialist crew
Medical Officer / Yacht Medic
The Medical Officer keeps guests and crew healthy on board, runs the ship's hospital and medical stores, and leads the response to any injury or illness far from shore care.
- Department
- Specialist crew
- Reports to
- Yacht Captain
- Yacht size
- 70m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent or rotation
- Starting pay
- €6,000 per month
What the job is
You are the clinician on board. Most Medical Officers come from paramedic, emergency nursing or critical care backgrounds, and the yacht hires you because the nearest hospital may be a helicopter ride away. You treat everything from seasickness and coral cuts to cardiac events and broken bones, then decide with the Captain and a shore based telemedical service whether a patient stays aboard, goes ashore or needs evacuation.
Much of the job is preparation. You own the ship's hospital, the defibrillators, the oxygen and the medical chest, and you keep them stocked and in date to flag state rules for the yacht's itinerary. You write the medical sections of the safety management system, run first aid and casualty drills with the crew, keep confidential medical records and check that ENG1 certificates and vaccinations are current before a long passage.
On many yachts the role is combined with other duties, often supporting the interior, deck or safety team, so expect to be useful when nobody is ill. With guests aboard you may brief the principal's family on their health needs, travel ashore with them, supervise diving and water sports from a medical angle, and stay discreet about everything you see. Calm judgement matters more than any single skill.
What makes a good one
- Emergency and trauma care
- Calm decisions under pressure
- Telemedicine communication
- Medical stores management
- Discretion with guests
A day in the life
- 07:00Check the ship's hospital, defibrillators and oxygen cylinders, then log fridge temperatures for stored medicines.
- 08:00Join the Captain's morning meeting to hear the day's programme, dive plans and any guest health notes.
- 09:00Run a short crew clinic: a deckhand with a rope burn, a stewardess with a migraine, and a dressing change on a cut finger.
- 10:30Brief the dive team and watersports crew on the medical plan for the morning dive, including oxygen kit on the tender.
- 12:30Help the interior team with lunch service on the aft deck while staying on call by radio.
- 15:00A guest child is stung by a jellyfish off the swim platform. You assess, treat, reassure the parents and record the case.
- 17:00Update medical records, reorder antibiotics and sterile dressings through the yacht agent for delivery at the next port.
- 19:00Lead a 30 minute casualty drill with the deck crew, practising a stretcher recovery from the engine room.
- 21:30Final check on the stung child and a quiet word with the Chief Steward before going on night call.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a qualified paramedic or nurse on a 70m+ yacht. Crew pay is usually quoted in EUR or USD. Charter yachts add tips, often €1,500 to 4,000 per charter. Rotation roles pay at the top of the range.
- France and Monaco
- €6,000 – 9,000
- Spain
- €6,000 – 9,000
- Italy
- €6,000 – 9,000
- United Kingdom
- £5,200 – 7,800
- USA (Florida)
- US$6,500 – 9,800
- Caribbean
- US$6,500 – 9,800
- UAE
- US$6,500 – 9,800
- Australia
- A$10,000 – 15,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$11,000 – 16,500
Required
- Registered paramedic or nurse qualification
- Advanced life support certification
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
Recommended
- Pre-hospital trauma life support
- Remote or expedition medicine training
- Diving medicine training
- PADI Rescue Diver
- Food Safety Level 2
- PYA GUEST interior courses
Visas
- Schengen visa (if non EU)
- US C1/D crew visa
- US B1/B2
- Australian MCV for Australian cruising
Where it leads
- Steward / Nurse
- Yacht Nurse
- Paramedic
- Medical Officer / Yacht Medic
- Yacht Safety Manager
Medical Officer / Yacht Medic jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get hired as a Medical Officer?
No, clinical experience matters most. Captains look for several years in emergency, ambulance or critical care work, plus STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1.
Will I only do medical work?
Rarely. Most yachts expect you to help the interior, deck or safety team when nobody needs treatment, so agree the split before you sign.
Who supports me if a case is beyond my scope?
Yachts contract a shore based telemedical service with doctors on call around the clock. You assess and treat, they advise, and the Captain makes the final call on evacuation.