The advice zone

I want to work as a cruise doctor. Could this adversely affect my chances of specialist training and career progression?

Yes and no. Yes, it could; no, it shouldn't. So few doctors know what the job entails that they may decide that the amount of useful experience you gain must be inversely proportional to how much nicer your life is than it would be in the NHS. Being the only doctor in charge of, say, 3000 people, 500 miles from the nearest hospital, however, is likely to be a challenge. You'll develop many useful skills, such as independent thinking, teamwork, critical appraisal, decision making, information technology skills, communication, communication, and communication. I can say from personal experience that it is an asset to someone being considered for a post in emergency medicine, general practice, remote location work, team leadership positions, and so on. Many doctors have taken a break from practice to travel, enjoy other non-clinical activities, or do non-clinical research or demonstrating. Although they provide far less clinical exposure than cruise work, six to 12 months of these activities seem to cause no problems; neither should cruising. If you are …