The Army Nurse Corps

The U.S. Army is the largest military force in the U.S. in uniform.  What this means is that the largest number of nurses in uniform are in the U.S. Army.  The army divides its major departments into groups called corps.  The major command in charge of nursing is called the Army Nurse Corps (ANC).  The Corps is responsible for recruiting, retaining, qualifying, training, and managing the careers of all the registered nurses who serve in the U.S. Army. The ANC is part of the Army Medical Department also known as the AMEDD. 

The Corps also provides ongoing education, fellowship opportunities, leadership opportunities, teaching and specialization opportunities for almost 4000 nurses in uniform and helps manage thousands more in civilian GS and contractor positions. In fact, the government is a huge employer of per diem and travel nurses.

The Army Nurse Corps was established over one hundred years ago in 1901.  The first major conflict the ANC served in was World War I.  Nurses care for soldiers, sailors, marines, and air men. Army Nurses have been serving in the trenches, hospitals, aid stations and MASH units of every major and minor conflict with pride, distinction and the caring compassion that nurses are famous for.  

There are many milestones that can be attributed to the  ANC.  The adoption of the two year registered nurse program was one innovation that was needed due to the large demand for nurses brought about by World War II.  Click for more history of the Army Nurse Corps.

The official army website for the Corps resides on a members only site called AKO.  So, the general public may not easily be able to view it.  The public version that is available to everyone can be found at http://armynursecorps.amedd.army.mil/.  

If you are interested in learning about nursing careers in the U.S. Army  GoArmy.com  has some decent information.  Yes, it is a bit of a recruiting site but they do give nice factual information about the advantages of the Nurse Corps and the careers it offers.

 

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