Qualification as a Person in Charge of Medical Care Onboard Ship

**chaos** · December 11th, 2008, 07:43 PM

Who needs medical PIC? I just finished reading policy letter 9-99 and as I understand it any person trying to get there Chief Mate/master needs this course. Just wondering if I am reading it wrong. Policy letter 04-02 does not mention anything about medical PIC. So, I sit hear (with my rum and coke in hand) and wonder maybe JC might see this or one of my fellow mariners have come across the same problem and can help.
thanks
chaos

**john** · December 11th, 2008, 10:01 PM

I don't know who needs it but I do know there must be at least one (or a paramedic) aboard every ship. I also know I didn't ask me for it when I upgraded to Ch Mate... I still haven't taken the class.

**anchorman** · December 11th, 2008, 10:41 PM

You do not have to have MPIC to get the Chief Mate. Same thing applies with the VSO. There must be a VSO and MPIC onboard, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the Chief Mate or Master. Jim made this clear back in a VSO thread. You can look for it.......gotta go.
Gone for a two tank night dive.

**Jeffrox** · December 11th, 2008, 11:28 PM

I just read both without benefit of the rum and I would say you need to go to the Medical PIC. There's some folks on here that recently got their CM License, maybe one of them could chime in to verify?
Policy letter 04-02 sez CM/master has to have "Managing medical Care" under the Management Training section. Policy letter 09-99 discusses that same requirement and sez that the training is a subset of the Medical Pic yada yada yada....

**Jeffrox** · December 11th, 2008, 11:36 PM

Well, anchorman just did it so I guess I'm wrong. But I stand by what I said as far as what I read is written, I studied it pretty close. If nothing else it's abiguous. Good thing i'm not an evaluator at NMC!

**anchorman** · December 12th, 2008, 03:51 AM

You're right! At least you were not my evaluator. I had the same question and I just got my Chief Mate back in June (there's a thread in here somewhere), but I wasn't required to have MPIC. I called NMC before submitting my application, when I was being evaluated, and during testing to make sure everything was in order regarding the MPIC (or anything else). They did not ask for it and it isn't listed on the CM checklist. That's how it worked out for me. As always, with NMC, your milage may vary.

**jdcavo** · December 12th, 2008, 05:13 AM

No one has to have Medical PIC as a condition of getting or renewing a license or STCW certificate. However, whoever is the PIC of medical care on a ship, regardless of their position on the vessel, must have the training and endorsement to STCW. On every ship I was on, it was the Chief Mate, but it may differ on other vessels. Whoever it is, they need it.
As noted above, the same goes for VSO.
The competency "managing medical care" in Table A-II/2 of STCW is different. Think of the frequent complaint/observations that managers do not have to know much about the activites they are managing. That;s an exaggeration, but illustrates the scope of what's required.

<div><span>James D. Cavo</span></div>
<div><span>USCG National Maritime Center</span></div>
<div><span>Chief, Mariner Training & Assessment Division</span></div>
<div><span><font color="#3354aa]James.D.Cavo@uscg.mil</font></span></div>

**chaos** · December 13th, 2008, 05:56 PM

<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1"]John, thanks <o

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<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1"]Anchorman, I as usual you come through in true form. Sounds like you are working hard. 2 tanks dam I don't know how you will ever return to the GOM<o

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<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1"]Jeffrox, I'm with you! I read those dam things and I came up with the same as you. Thanks for looking into it and giving me a second pair of eyes. <o

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<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1"]JC, Your participation on this website is invaluable. Thank you for your time and insight. Explaining the policy letters for us is a great help. Thanks again<o

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chaos

**todd.harter** · December 15th, 2008, 02:25 AM

When I spoke with an evaluator at NMC he said that I was probably "Grandfathered" and would not need it, but could not tell me for sure until I actually applied and my file was pulled. That said, he also gave me other information that Mr. Cavo has contradicted, so until I apply - I won't know. Even with the centralization in WV there is still no standardization. The only thing solved is that the old "have your file transferred to Houston REC because Boston REC won't give you that" is gone. Now it is just a roll of the dice. You have to hope to get an evaluator who knows the regs and has the common sense to interpret them (better odds in Vegas I think).