Military Nurse

Welcome to the military nurse website. This site is dedicated to all nurses in and out of uniform in the U.S. and all over the world. Nursing and the military go back to the dawn of civilization. As soon as society realized that soldiers fight harder and better if they know they will receive medical care, nursing and military medicine have marched to war with soldiers.

Nurses in uniform are actually a relatively new concept in the U.S. military. Prior to 1901 military nursing was all civilians or contract nurses who served as volunteers or as paid civilian employees. Nurses became a permanent part of the military in 1901 when the U.S. Army began appointing civilian nurses into the Army Nurse Corps. The Navy followed by creating the Navy Nurse Corp in 1908. The U.S. Air Force did not exist prior to 1947. Prior to 1947 the Air Force was a department of the U.S. Army. The Air Force Nurse Corps came into existence at that time.

What is a military nurse? in the most basic sense of the word it is a nurse who also serves in the military and holds military rank. All the services currently have nursing branches which are called corps. A corps is a semi-independent or independent military command whose members are grouped together because they share a common mission or career focus. In the case of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard the corps share the common mission of nursing.

Nurses can serve in a variety of roles. They provide care for soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in tents, forward surgical teams, hospital ships, as flight nurses, and in fixed facilities or hospitals. They work in clinics, intensive care units, operating rooms, case management, community health and even as immunization officers. They work as nurse practitioners, educators, administrators and informatics specialists. They also care for the families and military retirees of all the branches of service.

A nurse holds rank in his or her respective service the same as other officers. A brand new nurse is commissioned as a second lieutenant or O-1 in the nurse corps they are commissioned in. They work up through the ranks by completing career milestones and through a competitive process called a promotion board.

Nurses have a long and remarkable history of serving and aiding the military from the Indian Wars of early U.S. history to modern day conflicts. Nurses have served bravely and with great personal sacrifice in and out of uniform.

Nursing has contributed to significant strides in improving medical care in the military and in civilian practice. Nurses participate in research, advanced medical care, and technology. But, the thing nurses are best known for is their caring compassionate expertise in treating sick and wounded military personnel.

The art of nursing has an interesting and varied career. In the time of the crusades they were almost entirely male and part of the religious orders. The catholic church even had a special order of monks who provided aid, medical attention and assistance to travelers. These were probably the first military nurses in recorded history.

This site is a not associated with the U.S. military or any military organization. We are dedicated to educating and informing the public about a unique career opportunity in nursing.

Are you looking for military t-shirts, hats or other military related items? Try shopping the Military Nurse Store