International Maritime Ships Doctor Course

Day 1: BLS, ITLS and PALS

Day 2: PALS and ACLS

Day 3-5: Ships Doctors Topics

For the final three days dedicated to maritime-specific practice, the following thematic areas should be included to ensure physicians are prepared for the unique clinical, operational, and governance demands of cruise ship medicine:

Maritime & Regulatory Medicine

• International maritime law (MLC, SOLAS) and the role of the ship’s doctor

• Flag state requirements and cruise line governance structures

• Documentation, reporting, and fitness-to-sail assessments

• Medico-legal considerations and consent at sea

• Death at sea and repatriation procedures

Shipboard Public Health

• Outbreak prevention and management (e.g. norovirus, influenza, COVID-like respiratory illness)

• Isolation, quarantine, and contact tracing in confined environments

• Food safety and potable water systems

• Environmental health inspections

• Collaboration with port health authorities and the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program framework

Remote & Resource-Limited Clinical Care

• Autonomous decision-making without specialist backup

• Telemedicine consultation pathways

• Diagnostic limitations and clinical risk management

• Use of shipboard laboratories and imaging

• Stabilisation for delayed evacuation

Emergency Preparedness & Mass Casualty Management

• Shipboard emergency response structure

• Fire, flooding, and abandon-ship medical considerations

• Triage in confined environments

• Medical response to large passenger incidents

• Integration with SAR and maritime rescue systems

Evacuation & Repatriation Medicine

• Medical disembarkation planning

• Helicopter and boat transfer considerations

• Fitness to fly and medical escort planning

• Coordination with international medical assistance providers

Occupational & Travel Medicine

• Crew health management

• Vaccination policies

• Occupational injury and illness at sea

• Fatigue, mental health, and substance misuse

Pharmacy & Medical Logistics

• Shipboard formulary management

• Controlled drug governance

• Cold chain and storage limitations

• Medical inventory planning for extended voyages

Cultural, Ethical & Communication Challenges

• Multinational crews and passengers

• Cross-cultural consent and expectations

• Managing VIP patients and media sensitivity

Medical Facility & Systems Management

• Sickbay design and workflow

• Infection control in confined medical spaces

• Equipment limitations and contingency planning

Special Cruise Medicine Topics

• Obstetric and paediatric considerations at sea

• Dental and minor surgical procedures

• Dermatological and gastrointestinal presentations common to cruise populations

This structure ensures the final three days move beyond clinical resuscitation training into the operational reality of autonomous maritime practice.

By the end of the final three days of ship’s doctor–specific training, participants will be able to:

Explain the legal and professional responsibilities of a ship’s doctor within the framework of international maritime regulations and flag state requirements.

Apply appropriate medico-legal principles to consent, documentation, reporting, and death at sea.

Manage communicable disease risks through effective outbreak prevention, surveillance, isolation, and shipboard public health measures.

Conduct safe and effective clinical decision-making in remote and resource-limited maritime environments.

Utilise telemedicine systems to support diagnosis, treatment planning, and evacuation decisions.

Assess, stabilise, and manage patients when definitive care is delayed due to maritime operational constraints.

Lead or contribute to shipboard emergency responses, including fire, flooding, and mass casualty incidents.

Perform structured triage and organise medical care during large-scale passenger or crew incidents.

Plan and coordinate medical evacuation, disembarkation, and repatriation in collaboration with maritime and aeromedical services.

Deliver occupational health care to multinational crew populations, including injury management and preventive health strategies.

Manage shipboard pharmaceuticals safely, including controlled medications and limited formulary environments.

Maintain infection prevention and control standards within confined clinical facilities at sea.

Communicate effectively across cultural and linguistic boundaries in high-stress maritime settings.

Provide care for common cruise-specific presentations, including gastrointestinal, dermatological, dental, paediatric, and minor surgical conditions.

Organise and manage shipboard medical facilities to ensure operational readiness throughout extended voyages.