We recently received a compliment about our onboard medical team and their services. We also received an inquiry about medical services onboard and how we recruit physicians. Our shipboard medical facilities are built, stocked and equipped to meet or exceed guidelines established by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and the Cruise Ship & Maritime Medicine Section, which address many critical areas, including medical facility size, equipment and supplies, staff credentials, medical record and communication systems, medications, procedures, basic laboratory and x-ray facilities, and health and contingency planning. Each of our ships has a well stocked formulary of medications, including thrombolytics (clot busters), based upon categories of pharmaceuticals established by ACEP as appropriate for the shipboard environment.
We recruit doctors and nurses from around the world who meet these stringent standards, and we also strive to stay at the cutting edge of medical technology where appropriate in consideration of the limited nature of the shipboard environment at sea. Recent examples include phasing in the newest in digital X-ray technology, as well as a TeleDermatology program – both of which provide the availability of remote consultation by experts ashore when necessary.
We are currently exploring options for implementing a fully electronic medical records system for the benefit of our guests and crew. We recently deployed upgraded First Responder bags, which I am proud to say proved instrumental in saving the lives of at least six patients in recent months. We have trained our staff to have the ability to perform life saving blood transfusions at sea when necessary, as well as air evacuations, which is good since we have had several recently. Although the vast majority of our guests never need to visit the ship’s medical facility, it is very reassuring to know that a team of trained medical professionals is sailing right along with you – only a phone call away.
As part of your medical staff do you also recriut medical assistant, if so how can one apply for that position?
Thank you for your interest in being a medical assistant for us Donald, you can submit your information on our career page.
Adam, I think it may have been me who made the original comment to you. I had an accident in a cab in Cozumel and had a serious head cut. The onboard medical team was supurb — both the physician who helped me and the great team of onboard nurses. I could not have received better treatment anywhere.
Aside from their availability to the passengers, it’s also important to remember that they are the primary care physicians to the crew as well, and have to be available on call 24×7.
It’s not an easy assignment, and while they are often introduced during the cruise (either at the C&A party or by the Cruise Director) I’m glad you used your blog to give them well deserved recognition.
Thanks.
Thank you for your high praises Alan. It truly is a very important job, but our well trained medical staff is always happy and ready to serve in these situations. We hope that you are 100% healthy, and ready to cruise with us again sometime soon.
I was just wondering if the ships of RCCL ever recruit for emplyment medical laboratory technicians or pharmacy technicians or are those positons just performed my nurses and physicians. I do both and thought what a great place to do both careers I have enjoyed….at sea and still able to help…
Thanks for reading my thoughts…
Wanda Shearer
Thank you for your interest in being part of our Royal Caribbean staff Wanda, you can search for positions at http://www.royalcareersatsea.com/ or send your updated resume with position desired to Cruiseshipjobs@rccl.com. We hope this helps!
just to let you know i have sailed with you numerous times and although i haven’t needed the medical services as of yet i am a heart patient and my husband is a stroke patient i have seen your medical personel in action and i see nothing wrong with the way that they handle their jobs. i am very secure in that i have no problem sailing with you in the future. thanks to you and your staff all over the ship for the great service they provide. i am going to be sailing with you again next month.
Thank you for the compliments, Gwen. We are very confident in our well trained medical staff as well, as they are always happy and ready to serve. Thank you for booking another cruise with us next month, we can’t wait to see you onboard.
My wife rec’d a hand injury, broken fingers, severe cuts and loss of nails while on an excursion in St Thomas last year. I brought her back to the Liberty of the seas. She rec’d the BEST possible care. It would not have been as good if we were home. We hope we never need the medical facilities again,but Royal Caribbean and the onboard medical crew were fantastic. We had purchased RCL cruise care insuance so all costs were reimbursed. A very good deal.
Thank you for your high praises, Dennis. It truly is a very important job, but our well trained medical staff is always happy and ready to serve in these situations. We hope that your wife is back in good health, and hope to see you and your wife onboard with us again soon
I just discovered your blog as well as Mr. Fein after emailing you directly. Regarding this recent post, I’d like to say with the unforutnate situation we had, your medical staff was very professional, helpful, and timely on the Majesty — no matter how late in the night they were called upon.
We look forward to future cruising on the Oasis. We unfortunately were not able to book it for Nov 13th as it conflicted with our wedding date.
Michael, welcome to our blog and thank you for your comment. Our medical staff is always more than happy to help, no matter what time of day, or in your case night. We are glad we were able to assist you and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Although you were unable to book the November 13th cruise on Oasis, we want o congratulate you on your wedding, and hope to see you onboard soon.
Just happened to stumble upon this and wanted to also extendend a compliment to your onboard medical teams and their services. I sent a thank you letter to your e-mail when we returned home after our cruise on the Jewel of the Seas in Feburary of 2010, during which my wife suffered a heart attack. I never heard anything from that e-mail, I hope we have better luck with this one.
We could not have asked for any better treatment for her, or for me. From the moment she was taken ill, we received the best of care from not only the medical team, but from everyone that we delt with on the ship.
We were told by the medical staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami that my wife had received excellent care during the critical first hours of the attack, The Doctor from the ship even c called me on my cell phone two days after we left the ship to see how my wife was doing. The crew helped me get our bags packed and off the ship. Thanks again for a job well done!!!!
Gary, thank you for your warm words. We are glad the crew onboard Jewel of the Seas was so helpful to you and your wife. We hope that she has made a strong recovery.
My husband is diabetic. Is there an onboard pharmacy or how would we go about getting insulin refills if needed? This our first time on a long cruise.
Hi Jamie– Please advise that guests should bring enough medication to last them the entire trip, but we do have a medical facility that may be able to provide some medication for emergency situations.