ALL MEDICAL EXAMS, TESTS, AND DEMONSTRATIONS OF PHYSICAL ABILITY must be performed and witnessed or reviewed by a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner licensed in the United States or one of the U.S. territories.
Exams, tests, and demonstrations performed, witnessed, or reviewed by holders of foreign medical licenses and chiropractors or naturopathic doctors are not accepted under current regulations. All applicants who require a general medical exam must be physically examined. Examinations based solely on documentary and/or patient history reviews are unacceptable.
Common Errors
There are errors that can delay your application for credentials or cause the application to be denied.
Physical Examination Checklist - When completing the CG 719K or K/E application, please ensure that all blocks are filled on examination forms. Forms with missing information will incur delays.
Physical Exam - If the Merchant Marine Personnel Physical Examination/Certification Report is not complete, it will be returned for correction. Particular attention is paid to the "competent", "not competent", and "needs further review" boxes, which are frequently left blank. Often, mariners who wear glasses and/or contacts do not indicate so on the report, or the type of color vision exam given (Section V) is not specified.