Yacht Nurse

A yacht nurse is a registered nurse who keeps everyone on board healthy and treats them when they are not. You manage the ship's hospital, keep the medical chest stocked to flag state rules, and handle everything from seasickness and sunburn to cuts, burns, allergic reactions and cardiac events. On a boat with an owner who has a known condition, you may manage their medication and monitoring every day.

Most yachts only carry a dedicated nurse from about 60m upwards, and many still expect you to work part of the day in the interior. A common setup is nurse first, steward second, so you may serve lunch or turn down cabins between medical duties. On larger yachts and those with a medically vulnerable principal, the role can be purely clinical with a full hospital, defibrillators, oxygen and telemedicine links.

Remote work changes the job. Help can be hours away, so you assess, stabilise and decide with the captain whether to evacuate. You link up with the yacht's telemedical provider, keep clear records, and run first aid and CPR drills for crew. You also check new crew paperwork such as ENG1 dates, manage vaccinations before long passages, and advise the chef on allergies and food hygiene.