Hey Easy Money, welcome to gCaptain…
Meet your new buddy NMC Policy Letter 14-02…
http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/marpers/pag/14-02.pdf
It covers all the necessary details for both RFPNW and RFPEW. Print it out and bring it with you.
Is the vessel you’ll be assigned to over 200 tons? If so, you’re in good shape. Find and take an RFPNW ‘Lookout Duties Only’ course. With your BST and RFPNW LDO you can get an STCW. The Lookout Duties Only STCW is only good for a year, but if you get 180 sea days and the final 3 assessments signed off aboard within that year’s time frame, you’ll be eligible for the full unrestricted RFPNW.
Are they sending you in the engine room? If so, there doesn’t seem to be an RFPEW equivalent way to get a temporary certificate.
Good luck, let us know how it all turns out…