REQUIREMENTS · MEDICAL · SENIOR
What a Nurse needs on paper (2026)
The onboard clinician on yachts large enough to carry dedicated medical staff, usually paired with a second nurse or a doctor on the biggest boats. It is a shoreside nursing licence, not a maritime certificate, that gets a candidate hired. Plus the basics.
TABLE COMPILED 25.09.2026
MUST HAVE
- Registered Nurse licence (UK: NMC registration, or the equivalent regulator in the nurse's home country)admin
- VALID
- NMC registration renews every 3 years through revalidation, with evidence of practice hours and continuing professional development.
- UNLOCKS
- Being legally allowed to practise as a nurse at all, ashore or at sea; agencies will not place an unregistered nurse.
SOURCE nmc.org.uk 25.09.2026
EXPECTED
- Emergency, ICU, A&E or cardiac-rehabilitation ward experienceadmin
- VALID
- No expiry; agencies weigh recency of clinical experience.
- UNLOCKS
- Being credible for the trauma and acute-emergency scenarios a yacht medical officer actually faces at sea, away from a hospital.
SOURCE wilsonhalligan.com 25.09.2026
- Advanced Trauma or Advanced Cardiac Life Support course (e.g. ATLS/ACLS)course
- VALID
- 2 years is a typical renewal cycle, set by the issuing body rather than STCW.
- UNLOCKS
- Managing a major trauma or cardiac event solo until the yacht reaches shoreside help.
SOURCE yachtlycrew.com 25.09.2026
NICE TO HAVE
Nothing at this rank beyond the basics.
Basics for everyone
The same list on every rank page, because every rank carries it.
MUST HAVE
- STCW Basic Safety Training (PST, FPFF, EFA, PSSR)CoP
- VALID
- PST and FPFF revalidate every 5 years. Treat EFA and PSSR as the same 5 year cycle.
- UNLOCKS
- Any paid job on a commercial or private yacht. No captain signs anyone on without it.
SOURCE certvaultapp.com 19.08.2026
- Security Awareness (STCW A-VI/6) or Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD)CoP
- VALID
- MCA guidance states no mandatory expiry for Security Awareness. Many schools sell PDSD on a 5 year cycle. Treat as 5 years.
- UNLOCKS
- Service on an ISPS Code vessel, and holding an actual security duty under the ship security plan.
SOURCE certifiedtraining.co.za 19.08.2026
- ENG1 seafarer medical certificate, or a flag accepted equivalentmedical
- VALID
- 2 years maximum for adults. 1 year for ages 16 to 18. Can be issued for a shorter period.
- UNLOCKS
- Being fit to join. It is the MLC Regulation 1.2 medical every seafarer must hold before starting work, and it gates every MCA certificate of competency.
SOURCE ukshipregister.co.uk 19.08.2026
- Passportidentity
- VALID
- Commonly 5 or 10 years by issuing state. Many countries require 6 months validity remaining at entry, plus 1 to 2 blank pages.
- UNLOCKS
- Crossing every border the boat crosses, and every flight taken to join or leave a boat.
SOURCE cbp.gov 19.08.2026
- US B1/B2 visatravelCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Stamp valid up to 10 years depending on reciprocity. Each stay is capped by the I-94, typically 6 months.
- UNLOCKS
- Entering US waters aboard the yacht, and flying in to join a boat in the United States.
SOURCE dockwalk.com 19.08.2026
- Seaman's discharge book or approved service record bookadmin
- VALID
- No expiry. Entries are added per voyage.
- UNLOCKS
- A verifiable sign on and sign off record, which is the evidence every certificate of competency application is built on, and the document Spanish port immigration now stamps.
SOURCE evolutionagents.com 19.08.2026
- MLC Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA)admin
- VALID
- Runs for the length of the contract stated in it. No separate renewal.
- UNLOCKS
- Legal employment on board. Port State Control checks for a valid SEA on every seafarer and a missing one is a named common deficiency.
SOURCE edumaritime.net 19.08.2026
- Sea service testimonials and Training Record Book (TRB)adminCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Testimonials must cover the last 12 months of service. The TRB is filled in over roughly 1 to 3 years and presented at the oral exam.
- UNLOCKS
- Progression to any certificate of competency. Without it the sea time does not count.
SOURCE gov.uk 19.08.2026
- Yellow fever vaccination certificatemedicalCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Valid for the life of the person vaccinated, since the WHO amendment to International Health Regulations Annex 7 on 11 July 2016. No booster required.
- UNLOCKS
- Going ashore in countries that require proof of vaccination for arrivals from at risk countries, among them Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
SOURCE who.int 19.08.2026
- Flag state endorsement of a certificate of competencyendorsementCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Tied to the underlying CoC. Malta endorsements revalidate on the same 5 year cycle as the CoC. Marshall Islands certificates issued by examination are valid 5 years and a temporary Certificate of Receipt of Application is valid 90 days. Cayman validity is unverified beyond tracking the CoC.
- UNLOCKS
- Service on that flag's vessels in that rank. It is a separate document from the CoC and the CoC alone is not enough.
SOURCE cishipping.com 19.08.2026
EXPECTED
- Schengen Seaman Short Stay (Type C) visatravelCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- 1 to 5 years depending on contract and prior Schengen visa history. Entries capped at 90 days in any rolling 180 day period.
- UNLOCKS
- Personal travel and time ashore in the Schengen area for crew who are not Schengen nationals.
SOURCE smartmovecrew.com 19.08.2026
- References from previous captains or heads of departmentadmin
- VALID
- No expiry, but agencies weigh recency more heavily than count.
- UNLOCKS
- Getting past the agency shortlist. It is not a legal requirement anywhere.
SOURCE dockwalk.com 19.08.2026
YOUR GAP LIST
Tick what you already hold. The list below updates as you go.
Mandatory and expected rows only. Nice to have rows are on the list above.
The ticks stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere and no account is needed.
Every document shows its expiry date. Keep it in your folio and you get an email before it runs out.
QUESTIONS
Does Advanced Trauma or Advanced Cardiac Life Support course (e.g. ATLS/ACLS) expire?
2 years is a typical renewal cycle, set by the issuing body rather than STCW.
Does ENG1 seafarer medical certificate, or a flag accepted equivalent expire?
2 years maximum for adults. 1 year for ages 16 to 18. Can be issued for a shorter period.
What catches medical crew out?
A yacht nurse or paramedic is hired on a shoreside licence, NMC or HCPC registration, rather than a maritime certificate of competency, and losing that registration ashore ends the yacht job too. NMC nursing registration is revalidated every three years and HCPC paramedic registration renews every two, both on evidence of continuing practice, so a medic's licence runs on its own clock beside their STCW and ENG1. None of the three medical roles carries an MCA or STCW ticket of its own; STCW Medical Care Aboard Ship is a separate, non-clinical qualification meant for the officer who is not the yacht's medic.