Army Medical Department (United States)

The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army, known as the AMEDD, comprises the six medical Special Branches of the Army. It is not a command of the U.S. Army but was established in June 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army. The AMEDD is led by The Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, a Lieutenant General. The AMEDD is found in all three components of the Army, including the Active Army, the U.S. Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard. Headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, which hosts the AMEDD Center and School, equal numbers of AMEDD senior leaders can be found in Washington D.C., divided between the Pentagon and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The acting U.S. Army Surgeon General is Major General Gale Pollock.

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Medical special branches

Medical Corps

The Army Medical Department consists of officers and enlisted. The Medical Corps consists entirely of officers. All Army physicians, including holders of the Doctor of Medicine degree and the Doctor of Osteopathic medicine degree are members of the Medical Corps. Members of the Medical Corps work around the world at all echelons of the Army. The Chief of the Medical Corps is a lieutenant general.

Army Nurse Corps

The Army Nurse Corps consists entirely of commissioned officers. Nurses who wish to serve in the ANC are required to hold an unrestricted RN license prior to receiving a commission. For the Active Army, at least a four year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is required. Reservists only need either a two year Associate of Science in Nursing or a three year hospital Diploma in Nursing. Members of the Army Nurse Corps work all around the world at all echelons of the Army. The Army Nurse Corps began in February, 2nd 1901. Dita McKinney was the first chief, however at that time this was not a ranked position. The first chief of rank was in 1967, held by BG Anna Mae Hays. The current Chief of the Army Nurse Corps is MG Gale S. Pollock, who has been heading the ANC since 2004. (http://history.amedd.army.mil/ANCWebsite/anchhome.html)

Army Medical Specialist Corps

The Army Medical Specialist Corps consists entirely of commissioned officers. Members hold professional degrees and serve as clinical dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and physician assistants. Members of the Army Medical Specialist Corps serve all around the world and at all echelons of the Army. The Chief of the Army Medical Specialist Corps is a colonel.

Medical Service Corps

The Medical Service Corps (MSC) consists entirely of commissioned and warrant officers. Members are required to hold at least a bachelor's degree before receiving a commission. The MSC is the most complex branch of the Army, with members performing the greatest range of duties. Members perform duties as administrative and support functions as healthcare administrators, field medical administrative assistants in operational units, healthcare comptrollers, healthcare informatics officers, patient administrators, health service human resource managers, medical operations and plans officers, medical logisticians, medical maintenance technicians, and medical evacuation pilots. MSC officers serve in clinical support roles as clinical laboratory science officers, environmental science officers, pharmacists and preventive medicine officers. Medical Service Corps Officers serve as commanders of field medical units in garrison and combat environments. MSC officers provide healthcare to patients as psychologists, social workers, optometrists, pharmacist, podiatrists, and audiologists. The Medical Service Corps also functions as a transitional branch, containing medical students, dental students, and veterinary students who have not completed their training, but hold commission through either the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) or Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). The Chief of the Medical Service Corps is a brigadier general.

Dental Corps

The Dental Corps consists of commissioned officers holding the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree or Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. The chief of the Dental Corps is a major general.

Veterinary Corps

References

Ashburn, Percy M., A History of the Medical Department of the United States Army, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1929.
Bayne-Jones, Stanhope, The Evolution of Preventive Medicine in the United States Army, 1607–1939, Washington, D.C.: Office of the Surgeon General, 1968.
Gillett, Mary C. (1981), The Army Medical Department, 1775-1818, Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army. (Series: Army Historical Series)
Gillett, Mary C. (1987), The Army Medical Department, 1818-1865, Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army. (Series: Army Historical Series)
Gillett, Mary C. (1995), The Army Medical Department, 1865-1917, Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army. (Series: Army Historical Series)
Hume, Edgar Erskine, Victories of Army Medicine: Scientific Accomplishments of the Medical Department of the United States Army, Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1943.
Tobey, James A., The Medical Department of the Army: Its History, Activities and Organization, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1927; Reprint: New York: AMS Press, 1974.