Alternative EMS Careers: Cruise Ship Paramedic

In the May and June issues of EMS World Magazine, Editorial Advisory Board Member Mike Rubin wrote about alternative careers in EMS. Click to read part one and part two of that series. Here we continue the coverage of out-of-the-ordinary EMS assignments. If you would like to be interviewed for this series, e-mail editor@emsworld.com.

Not everyone wants to deal with the standard grind of their EMS agency on a day-to-day basis until retirement. Some people crave adventure, new experiences and fresh air. One of those people is Jared Davis.

Davis, who has worked in EMS since 2004, is a senior paramedic with Princess Cruises, and he travels the globe with the company using his expertise in paramedicine.

“I’ve always wanted to travel,” Davis says. Naturally, he was excited to change jobs from a private ambulance service in St. Louis, MO, to working on a cruise line.

There was no extra training involved, and Davis already fit the two big requirements: Be nationally registered and have three to four years of experience in a fairly busy municipality.

In his role on the cruise ship, Davis typically spends the day on call or tending to patients. While on shift, Davis carries a pager to alert him to any emergencies. If something comes in on the pager, Davis dials the number to diagnose what’s wrong to see if he needs to get the patient immediately, or if he can tell them to wait until the medical clinics open on the ship.

Normally there are clinics twice a day (in the morning and in the afternoon) where the paramedics on staff triage any crew members and passengers that come in with any ailments.

On off days, the paramedics are allowed to accompany any excursions the passengers might be going on as an escort. If anything medical happens while out on the excursion, the paramedic is responsible for responding to the incident, but otherwise they can enjoy the view.

For example, while in Auckland, New Zealand, Davis was able to visit the glow worm caves with the passengers.

“It’s absolutely mind blowing some of the excursions you can go on,” Davis says.

Other responsibilities for paramedics on the ship include attending crew training and teaching CPR classes to the crew members and passengers on the ship.

Davis says once a month, either a paramedic or a doctor will offer a hands-only CPR classes. Turnout is usually good (around 100 or 150 people), and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The classes last about 20–30 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session. Davis took the classes a step further and created a slideshow presentation to teach the crew members and passengers about the history of CPR, how many people die each year from cardiac arrest and other relevant facts.

“People from all over the world love it,” Davis says.

The relationship between the paramedics and the company is symbiotic, Davis says, with the paramedics helping to tweak and improve the program. Princess Cruises has only had paramedics on the ship for four years, so the program is still developing.  After a full-crew drill, Davis proposed a plan to improve paramedic response. During the drill, paramedics and the rest of the medical team waited in the medical area to hear over the radio if there were any casualties or serious injuries they needed to respond to. Davis brought his superiors a plan where, instead of waiting, paramedic teams would station just outside the area of the incident so they were nearer when they were needed. Davis’ plan was tested and implemented. Davis is also working on ideas to help paramedics climb the ranks in the company. Davis says currently paramedics don’t have much upward mobility unless they get out of the medical side of the company, and it would be difficult to retire with the company in that situation.

The contracts for paramedics on the ship include four months on the ship, and two months off. Davis says the salary depends on education and previous experience, but can range anywhere from about $3,000 per month to $3,900 per month. Paramedics are paid monthly while on the ship, but are not paid while off the ship.

Because of the pay style and the time away, Davis says the job really caters to a certain type of individual.

“If you have a mortgage and a car and a family, I don’t think this is the career choice for you,” Davis says. “But for medics with three or four years under their belt who don’t really have any ties to home, this is absolutely for you.”

On the off months, paramedics can live wherever they please, or they can sign up for an option called local leave where they stay in the area the ship landed. For example, on his next trip, Davis will be staying in Syndey, Australia (the ship’s destination) for about a month and a half after it lands.

Davis says for paramedics interested in the opportunity, Princess Cruises is currently recruiting.

For more information on becoming a cruise ship paramedic, contact Davis at jaredmichealdavis@gmail.com.

For more information on Princess Cruises, visit princess.com.