Captain’s licenses such as the OUPV and Master license require a physical exam to be completed as part of the application process.
Any physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who is licensed in the US or US Territory can sign off on your medical exam on the CG-719K form.
Jump down to the second half of this blog to learn what to do if your primary care provider won't do your USCG physical or you are not at home.
We suggest the following steps for success:
- Complete and print off a CG-719K form from the USCG NMC Medical website (https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/medical_certificate/).
- Schedule your medical exam with a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who is licensed in the US or US Territory.
- Bring the printed form CG-719K with you to your medical exam appointment and have your medical provider complete and sign the form.
When you have your exam make sure you help the doctor read the instructions for the hearing test portion. All a doctor needs to do is whisper from greater than 5 ft away from you. If you can hear it, you have normal hearing and you've passed!
Also make sure that you sign the form on Page 9, Section X: Applicant Signature. It’s one of the most common mistakes we hear about with CG719Ks!
After your exam, scan all 10 pages into a single pdf and submit it through Navita, the Coast Guard's new submission portal. Inside Navita you first re-enter your information into an online version of the CG-719K. That version is unofficial, just a paperwork step the Coast Guard now puts in front of the real submission, and Navita will not let you upload your signed, completed form until you finish it.
We recommend you label your pdf with your full name and mariner reference number, if you have one. Mine would be: Gilman, Nate, 3473478.
For your Medical Certificate, the MM-SEAS team does not handle the medical side as we're not medical professionals. We do however help you with all of the Merchant Mariner Credential paperwork as we are Maritime Professionals!
Where to get your physical done when your doctor can't do it or you are not at home:
If your primary care provider isn't able to do your physical exam (CG-719K), there are a few options out there for getting your physical taken care of.
Run a web search using a phrase such as "occupational health clinic near me", "work physical near me", or "DOT physical near me" (DOT stands for Department of Transportation - many places that are able to do a DOT physical can also do a USCG physical and the DOT physical is more common).
Many metropolitan areas and even smaller towns and cities in the US will have a Concentra location. Concentra is a chain occupational health company that recently bought up a number of other clinics around the country, meaning you can usually find one in your area.
Wherever you decide to go for your physical, be sure to call ahead to see if they are able to do the USCG physical. Sometimes it helps to tell the receptionist something like "it's a federal form, 10 pages long, and similar to the DOT physical".
What about finding a location to get the drug test done?
Some occupational clinics will also do the drug test, so you can schedule your physical and drug test at the same location. If you need to find a different place for the drug test, there are several companies that can help set one up, including US Drug Test Centers and National Drug Screening.
When setting up your test, we recommend that you email or call the company to make sure they understand that you need a DOT 5 Panel (SAMHSA 5 Panel, formerly NIDA 5), test for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), and amphetamines.
We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!
MM-SEAS is free to use on your own and if you need some more personalized help you can upgrade to MM-SEAS Expert Access inside of the site.
No matter what, when you are ready to submit your application you can do it yourself, or you can hand the whole thing to us. An MM-SEAS Navita Navigator walks you through submitting in Navita, the Coast Guard's new submission portal, on a short video call. No computer, or not up for a video call? Our team gets your application submitted to the Coast Guard for you anyway. A Stress-Free MMC is $399. Two MM-SEAS licensing experts check every page, we pay your Coast Guard fees at submission and charge your card so you never touch pay.gov, and we stay on it with the National Maritime Center until your credential is issued.
MM-SEAS Expert Access is $99 a year. It is your personal guidance counselor for USCG licensing: what training you need next, which sea time counts, and how to reach the credential you want, by phone, email, chat or a 1 on 1 video call. Expert Access members also get $50 off a Stress-Free MMC.
Need to renew, upgrade or get your first USCG license? We're here to help.
About the author
Nate Gilman is President and Co-Founder of MM-SEAS. He hawsepiped from the deck to a 3rd Mate Unlimited license with full STCW compliance over more than 15 years at sea, and is a veteran of the NOAA Commissioned Corps. He works directly with the National Maritime Center, USCG-approved training schools, and vessel operators on credentialing policy, and writes on sea service documentation, evaluation standards, and how mariners move up the license ladder.
