What Are the Qualifications for a Cruise Ship Nurse?
The number of jobs in the nursing field is expected to grow by at least 22 percent from 2008 to 2018, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nurses can work in a variety of settings, some of which include hospitals, clinics and outpatient facilities, as well as other unusual places. Cruise ship nurses see considerably less patient traffic than land-based nurses and have the opportunity to travel to exotic locations.
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Education
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Cruise ship nurses must have the same qualifications as registered nurses who work in other clinical settings. Registered nurses have either an associate or bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. An associate degree in nursing takes about two years to complete and a bachelor's degree in nursing takes about four years to complete. Nursing students typically complete one or two years of general education coursework, depending upon the degree program, and prerequisites before applying to nursing school. Nursing school courses usually include studies in basic aspects of nursing care and practice.
Licensing
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Cruise ship nurses also have to be registered as a licensed nurse. All 50 states require nurses to be licensed and all of them use the same national licensing examination, the NCLEX-RN. To take the licensing exam, you must apply for a license with a state nursing board, pay the application fee of $200 (as of 2011), receive authorization to test and then take the test. Results from the exam are typically sent to you after about one month.
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Specialized Training
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Cruise ship nurses are essentially emergency nurses. They need to have extensive training in ambulatory nursing which is a sub-field of nursing emphasizing emergency out-patient care. Cruise ship nurses need to have completed first-aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator training. It can also be helpful to obtain certification as an emergency room nurse through the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), which involves additional training and testing.
Experience
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Cruise ship nurses must typically have some verifiable experience before they can work aboard a ship. The job requires some background in emergency nursing beyond the typical education requirements. Nurses should work for a hospital or emergency medical center for two or more years prior to applying for a job on a cruise ship. This will help prepare them for the realities of hospital work and potential emergency situations.
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References
- Photo Credit cruise image by Einar Bog from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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my only question is, is it acceptable the experience on pre-hospital setting such as a red cross experience?
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very like... someday i will be a Cruise Nurse this is my Goal now..
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I am planning also to be a cruise nurse someday...
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I am filipino, and a fresh graduate... planning to take a local board here in the philippines on december 2011.. I hope someday I will be a cruise ship nurse.. here in the philippines, we practiced more on hands on..
