Types of AFMS Officers

Lots of people assume that all Air Force medical officers are doctors or nurses, but there are actually many other types of medical officers. Let’s take a look: all Air Force medical officers are classified into one of five unique groups, known as “corps.”

Medical Corps (MC): the physicians (only MD medical doctors and DO osteopaths; naturopaths and chiropractors are not permitted in the AFMS)

Dental Corps (DC): strictly dentists (minimum DDS degree)

Nurse Corps (NC): nurses (minimum Bachelor of Science in Nursing); this category also includes nurse practitioners

Biomedical Science Corps (BSC): the “cats and dogs” of the AFMS, the BSC includes what is often referred to as “allied health” in the civilian world. It includes non-physician clinicians such as psychologists, optometrists, physician assistants, pharmacists, physical therapists, and public health and bioenvironmental engineers.

Medical Service Corps (MSC): the healthcare administrators of the AFMS (must have at least a bachelors degree in business, management, healthcare administration, information systems, or one of several other categories).

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