How to become a Steward / Nurse
Steward / Nurse is a role people enter from work ashore, not from a junior yacht job. You need no yacht experience. You do need the qualifications and the background below.
Where you startAnd where it leads. A typical path, not a rule.
Steward / Nurse
Year 0. Pay from about US$4,500 a month. A steward or stewardess who is also a registered nurse, working interior service while acting as the yacht's first line of medical care.
Second Steward / Second Stewardess
Year 2-3. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. The second steward or stewardess is deputy to the chief stew, running service, housekeeping and the junior interior team when the chief is off.
Yacht Nurse
Year 3-5. Pay from about US$4,500 a month. A registered nurse living aboard a large superyacht, responsible for crew and guest healthcare, the medical stores and first response far from shore.
Medical Officer / Yacht Medic
Year 5+. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. A registered paramedic, nurse or doctor hired aboard a large yacht to give medical care to guests and crew, often far from hospitals.
Before you applyWhat a Steward / Nurse needs, from the Steward / Nurse guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Current nursing registration (NMC, AHPRA, NCNZ, SANC or equivalent)
- Advanced Life Support (ALS or ACLS)
Gets you hired
- PHTLS or equivalent trauma course
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- GUEST interior courses
- PDSD
- WSET Level 2 Wines
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen access
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Steward / Nurse for emergency and trauma care, telemedical consultation and medical stores management. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For a Steward / Nurse, that means your qualifications and the years you have worked in the profession.
Write each job on your CV as what you did, with numbers: how many guests, how many boats, how many covers. Then list every skill below that you can prove.
- Emergency and trauma care
- Telemedical consultation
- Medical stores management
- Silver service and bar
- Laundry and housekeeping
- Crew health training
- Calm under pressure
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Steward / Nurse must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate, Current nursing registration (NMC, AHPRA, NCNZ, SANC) and Advanced Life Support (ALS or ACLS) before a yacht can put you to work as a Steward / Nurse.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Steward / Nurse CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then your qualifications and your work ashore, with dates.
See a Steward / Nurse CV example →Create your crew profile
Upload that CV and we build your profile from it. Your name and contact details stay hidden. Captains and recruiters contact you. It is free.
Create your crew profile →Apply and look for daywork
Apply to open jobs and to crew agencies, and take daywork: a few paid days on a yacht is how most first-time crew get a reference. 1 Steward / Nurse job is open on SuperyachtRoles.com now.
See open Steward / Nurse jobs →Step up to Second Steward / Second Stewardess
The usual path puts Second Steward / Second Stewardess at year 2 to 3. Pay starts from about US$3,800 a month.
How to become a Second Steward / Second Stewardess →
Steward / Nurse jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com. Some ask for experience, so read each advert.
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Steward / Nurse with no experience?
With no yacht experience, yes. With no professional background, no. Steward / Nurse is a role people enter from work ashore, and you need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate and current nursing registration (NMC, AHPRA, NCNZ, SANC or equivalent).
How long does it take to become a Steward / Nurse?
It is a starting role, so the time is what it takes to get the tickets and find the first job. From there, the usual path puts Second Steward / Second Stewardess at year 2 to 3.
What does a Steward / Nurse earn at the start?
From about US$4,500 a month, by our Steward / Nurse guide. Expect roughly USD 500 to 1,500 a month above a stew of the same rank. Charter tips, often 10 to 20 percent of the charter fee split among crew, can add several thousand a season, and some 90m+ yachts offer rotation.
Other paths from Steward / NurseAll roles
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