When you think of tasks that fall under “marine operations,” you may think of engineering and navigation, or maybe diving and underwater discoveries. You’re probably not thinking about health care.
However, when you have nearly 500 people who operate and use NOAA’s fleet of 15 research ships, keeping the people on them healthy and safe is an important component. This is why we rely on our partners in the U.S. Public Health Service for their experts and expertise. Like the NOAA Corps, the U.S. Public Health Service is one of the nation’s uniformed services.
The Marine Medicine Branch at NOAA consists of Public Health Service physician assistants, nurse practitioners and registered nurses. The branch is part of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations because they are dedicated to supporting the people working on our research vessels.
Staying Healthy from Shore to Sea
Before anyone sails on NOAA’s research vessels, the medical professionals working in the Marine Medicine Branch assess medical readiness and general wellbeing by performing occupational health screenings and physical exams. They also implement preventative health and wellness programs that ensure the health and safety of the mariners who sail aboard the ships.
Once at sea, the Public Health Service officers are available if needed for urgent and emergency medical support. Sometimes this means having an officer aboard a NOAA ship, particularly on longer missions that are further away from medical facilities. Other times this means being available remotely.
If an officer is not aboard for a mission, there is a “Medical Care Person In Charge” who has been trained to act as a first responder if needed. The training is regularly conducted by the Public Health Service officers, under the guidance of the U.S. Coast Guard, to increase the readiness of our marine operations team.
An Uncommon Assignment
Medical professionals who are part of the Public Health Service often work with other federal agencies. The positions within NOAA are different from other assignments though.
Given the seagoing nature of NOAA’s work, our vessels may be found collecting fisheries data in Alaska, observing marine mammals and sea birds in the Gulf of Mexico, or surveying coral reefs in the remote Pacific.
Officers in these positions often have opportunities to be at sea for several weeks at a time, experiencing exciting and remote locations that very few people get to. In doing so, they gain valuable skills while training alongside NOAA officers, crew and scientists in a collaborative science mission.
As the NOAA fleet grows, so does our need for Public Health Service officers who are trained physician assistants, nurse practitioners and registered nurses.