Air Force Medical Service
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) consists of the five distinct medical corps of the Air Force and enlisted medical technicians. The AFMS was created in 1949 after the newly independent Air Force’s first Surgeon General, Maj. General Malcolm C. Grow (1887-1960), convinced the Army and President Truman that the Air Force needed its own medical service.
In the summer of 1949, Air Force General Order No. 35 established a medical service with the following officer personnel components: Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Service Corps, Air Force Nurse Corps, and Women's Medical Specialist Corps.
The AFMS is lead by The Surgeon General of the Air Force, who holds the rank of lieutenant general. The AFMS is found in all three components of the Air Force, including the Active Air Force, the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and the Air National Guard. Headquartered at Air Staff, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D.C., AFMS senior leaders can be found in all of the Major Commands and in the Pentagon.
The current Air Force Surgeon General is Lieutenant General (Dr.) James G. Roudebush, a chief flight surgeon and family practice physician.
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[edit] Medical Branches
| Biomedical Science Corps Badge |  |
| Dental Corps Badge |  |
| Medical Corps Badge |  |
| Medical Service Corps Badge |  |
| Nurse Corps Badge |  |
| Enlisted Medical Badge |  |
[edit] Biomedical Sciences Corps
Established in 1965 from the defunct Women’s Medical Specialist Corps and components of the Medical Service Corps, the Biomedical Sciences Corps (BSC) consists entirely of commissioned officers. This is the most diversified of the Medical Corps, consisting of members in Physical Therapy, Optometry, Podiatry, Physician Assistant, Audiology/Speech pathology, Psychology, Social Worker, Occupational Therapy, Aerospace physiology, Biomedical Scientists, Clinical Dietitian, Bioenvironmental Engineers, Public Health Officers, Entomology, Pharmacy, Medical lab Officers, and Health Physicists. The Chief of the Biomedical Sciences Corps is a brigadier general.
[edit] Dental Corps
The Dental Corps consists of commissioned officers holding the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree or Doctor of Dental Medicine degree or a further, post-graduate degree. The chief of the Dental Corps is a brigadier general.
[edit] Medical Corps
The Medical Corps consists entirely of commissioned Air Force physicians, including holders of the Doctor of Medicine degree and the Doctor of Osteopathy degree. Members of the Medical Corps can also become a Flight Surgeon. The Chief of the Medical Corps is a brigadier general.
[edit] Medical Service Corps
The Medical Service Corps (MSC) consists entirely of commissioned officers. Members are required to hold a bachelor's or master’s degree in Healthcare or Business Administration before receiving a commission, and must complete a specialized Air Force healthcare administration course. This course, conducted at Sheppard AFB, Texas, provides new MSC officers with the knowledge needed to perform as an entry level department manager in an Air Force Medical Treatment Facility (MTF). The Health Service Administration (HSA) Course is an 11-week course designed to train newly commissioned Medical Service Corps officers for their first duty assignment. The course is accredited for 11 graduate credit hours by the American Council on Education (ACE). MSCs serve as healthcare administrator, hospital Chief Financial Officer, healthcare informatics officers, patient administrators, health service human resource managers, medical operations and plans officers, medical logisticians, medical maintenance technicians, and aeromedical evacuation officers. MSC officers are also expected to become Board Certified by one of several national healthcare administration organizations. This is usually done while the officer is in the rank of captain or Major. The MSC badge is also worn by medical students. The Chief of the Medical Service Corps is Brigadier General Patricia C. Lewis.
[edit] Nurse Corps
The Nurse Corps consists entirely of commissioned officers. All members of the Air Force Nurse Corps are required to hold at minimum a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree prior to receiving a commission. Members of the Air Force Nurse Corps work in all aspects of Air Force Medicine and can serve as Flight Nurse in aeromedical evacuation missions, nurse practitioner, and nurse anesthetist. The Chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps is a major general.
[edit] Enlisted Medics
Air Force Enlisted Medical personnel perform in over twenty different medical fields including medical administration, dental care, optometry, physical therapy, aeromedical evacuation, medical logistics, laboratory sciences, surgical care, emergency care, etc. Enlisted medics are led by a Chief Master Sergeant.
[edit] External links
See also: Air Force Medical Badge
