Proficiency in Medical Care (STCW)

The Proficiency for Persons in Charge of Medical Care on Board Ship is a component module for the MCA Master 500 certification.

It is a natural progression from the MCA Proficiency in Medical First Aid course, and is designed for anyone who has responsibility for medical care on board.

The module will give the candidate knowledge of medical care at sea together with the confidence that will allow them to deal safely with any situation.

The course is classroom based and contains both theoretical and practical elements.

Training towards:
Master (Yachts less than 500gt/3000gt)

This course is designed for those who will assume responsibility for the provision of medical care onboard.

You will revisit the lessons learnt on the Medical First Aid course, build on them with some more complex techniques and learn how to stabilise and care for a patient whilst waiting for further medical assistance.

There are 3 learning outcomes identified by the Merchant Navy Training Board for this course:

OUTCOME 1: The learner understands how to participate in the co-ordinated provision of medical care to a person onboard.

OUTCOME 2: The learner is able to assess and provide care to an ill person onboard.

OUTCOME 3: The learner is able to assess and provide care to an injured casualty onboard.

You will cover the following:

• Basic Life Support and Automated External Defibrillator
• Airway management and oxygen therapy
• Trauma assessments and methods of managing blood loss with medication as well as first aid
• Patient assessments – taking and interpreting vital signs, conducting a systematic physical examination and communicating with shoreside medical services.
• Developing treatment plans to keep a patient stable until definitive medical help can be accessed.
• Developing care plans to care for someone who is ill or injured onboard for prolonged periods and recognise deterioration and escalate as needed.
• Wound management to include suturing, skin staples and steristrips
• Administering of medications via multiple routes including drawing up and giving injections.

Candidates must have successfully completed MCA approved training programme in Proficiency in Medical First Aid

There is both an oral and written examination by an independent examiner.

• Seamanship: the skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea
• Navigation: the process or activity of accurately ascertaining one’s position and planning and following a route
• Meteorology: the scientific study of the atmosphere and of atmospheric conditions, especially as they relate to weather and weather forecasting
• MARPOL: the shortened version of Marine Pollution, which refers to the 1978 international treaty for the prevention of pollution from ships
• IRPCS: is the acronym for International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
• MCA: the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency