Hello all! I’m an AB for NOAA. My current MMC expires in June 2021. My medical certificate has three categories and expiration dates. STCW, National, and Pilot. STCW and Pilot expire in June 2018. National expires in June 2021 along with my MMC. Obviously, I’m not sailing on my 100Ton with NOAA. Nor am I sailing as a Pilot.
Question: Do I need to renew my medical certificate this year? I’m assuming that National applies to inland, rivers, near coastal, etc.
Thanks. 
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Why don’t you ask the NMC?
Do you have any STCW endorsements? If not, you are good until 2021. If you have STCW endorsements, you probably need to renew the medical certificate, it depends on whether you are on vessels that are required to comply with STCW.
Yes, you have until June on 2018 to get a new Medical Certificate. But don’t trust some random strangers on the internet concerning the licensing of your livelihood, do as Xavier6162 suggests & call the NMC toll free # tomorrow.
NMC won’t give a subjective answer as to whether a mariner needs a particular endorsement.
Random stranger…?.
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Thanks guys. I’ll just contact NMC. ️
Well your avatar is a kid sticking a butter knife in an electrical socket. Stranger danger 
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You can add that to your resume.
Normal commercial vessels fall under STCW once they leave inland waters (it’s a little more complicated than that but that’s basically it) so sailing as an AB, even on domestic near coastal runs, requires RFPNW and now Able Seafarer - Deck. For those to be valid your medical needs to be valid as per the STCW date on it.
I’m not 100% sure whether NOAA vessels fall under STCW at all, or maybe their civmars do but not their officer corps.